15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
“In (A)returning[a] and (B)rest you shall be saved;
    in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
But you were unwilling, 16 and you said,
“No! We will flee upon (C)horses”;
    therefore you shall flee away;
and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”;
    therefore your pursuers shall be swift.
17 (D)A thousand shall flee at the threat of one;
    at the threat of five you shall flee,
till you are left
    like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain,
    like a signal on a hill.

The Lord Will Be Gracious

18 Therefore the Lord (E)waits to be gracious to you,
    and therefore he (F)exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
    (G)blessed are all those who wait for him.

19 For a people shall dwell (H)in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. 20 And though the Lord give you the (I)bread of adversity and the (J)water of affliction, (K)yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21 (L)And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is (M)the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. 22 Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. (N)You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!”

23 (O)And he will give (P)rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. (Q)In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, 24 and (R)the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. 25 And (S)on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, (T)when the towers fall. 26 (U)Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when (V)the Lord binds up (W)the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 30:15 Or repentance

15 This is what the Almighty Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:

You can be saved by returning to me.
You can have rest.
You can be strong by being quiet and by trusting me.
But you don’t want that.
16 You’ve said, “No, we’ll flee on horses.”
So you flee.
You’ve added, “We’ll ride on fast horses.”
So those who chase you will also be fast.
17 One thousand people will flee when one person threatens them,
and you will flee when five threaten you.
Then you will be left alone
like a flagpole on top of a mountain,
like a signpost on a hill.
18 The Lord is waiting to be kind to you.
He rises to have compassion on you.
The Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all those who wait for him.

The Lord Will Heal His People’s Wounds

19 You will live in Zion, in Jerusalem. You won’t cry anymore. The Lord will certainly have pity on you when you cry for help. As soon as he hears you, he will answer you. 20 The Lord may give you troubles and hardships. But your teacher will no longer be hidden from you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. 21 You will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way. Follow it, whether it turns to the right or to the left.” 22 Then you will dishonor your silver-plated idols and your gold-covered statues. You will throw them away like clothing ruined by stains. You will say to them, “Get out!”

23 The Lord will give you rain for the seed that you plant in the ground, and the food that the ground provides will be rich and nourishing. When that day comes, your cattle will graze in large pastures. 24 The oxen and the donkeys which work the soil will eat a mixture of food that has been winnowed [a] with forks and shovels. 25 There will be brooks and streams on every lofty mountain and every high hill. When the day of the great slaughter comes, towers will fall. 26 Then the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun. The light of the sun will be seven times as strong, like the light of seven days. When that day comes, the Lord will bandage his people’s injuries and heal the wounds he inflicted.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 30:24 Winnowing is the process of separating husks from grain.

15 This is what the Sovereign(A) Lord, the Holy One(B) of Israel, says:

“In repentance and rest(C) is your salvation,
    in quietness and trust(D) is your strength,
    but you would have none of it.(E)
16 You said, ‘No, we will flee(F) on horses.’(G)
    Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
    Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17 A thousand will flee
    at the threat of one;
at the threat of five(H)
    you will all flee(I) away,
till you are left(J)
    like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
    like a banner(K) on a hill.”

18 Yet the Lord longs(L) to be gracious to you;
    therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.(M)
For the Lord is a God of justice.(N)
    Blessed are all who wait for him!(O)

19 People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.(P) How gracious he will be when you cry for help!(Q) As soon as he hears, he will answer(R) you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread(S) of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers(T) will be hidden(U) no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice(V) behind you, saying, “This is the way;(W) walk in it.” 22 Then you will desecrate your idols(X) overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold;(Y) you will throw them away like a menstrual(Z) cloth and say to them, “Away with you!(AA)

23 He will also send you rain(AB) for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich(AC) and plentiful.(AD) In that day(AE) your cattle will graze in broad meadows.(AF) 24 The oxen(AG) and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder(AH) and mash, spread out with fork(AI) and shovel. 25 In the day of great slaughter,(AJ) when the towers(AK) fall, streams of water will flow(AL) on every high mountain and every lofty hill. 26 The moon will shine like the sun,(AM) and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals(AN) the wounds he inflicted.

Read full chapter

To the Church in Ephesus

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of (A)him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, (B)who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

(C)“‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but (D)have tested those (E)who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up (F)for my name's sake, and you (G)have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned (H)the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do (I)the works you did at first. If not, (J)I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of (K)the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (L)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (M)To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of (N)the tree of life, which is in (O)the paradise of God.’

To the Church in Smyrna

“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of (P)the first and the last, (Q)who died and came to life.

“‘I know your tribulation and (R)your poverty ((S)but you are rich) and the slander[a] of (T)those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, (U)that you may be tested, and for (V)ten days (W)you will have tribulation. (X)Be faithful (Y)unto death, and I will give you (Z)the crown of life. 11 (AA)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (AB)The one who conquers will not be hurt by (AC)the second death.’

To the Church in Pergamum

12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has (AD)the sharp two-edged sword.

13 “‘I know where you dwell, (AE)where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not (AF)deny my faith[b] even in the days of Antipas (AG)my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of (AH)Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might (AI)eat food sacrificed to idols and (AJ)practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of (AK)the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, (AL)I will come to you soon and (AM)war against them with (AN)the sword of my mouth. 17 (AO)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (AP)To the one who conquers I will give some of (AQ)the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with (AR)a new name written on the stone (AS)that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

To the Church in Thyatira

18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, (AT)who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

19 (AU)“‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman (AV)Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants (AW)to practice sexual immorality and (AX)to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but (AY)she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he (AZ)who searches mind and heart, and (BA)I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call (BB)the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I (BC)do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast (BD)what you have until I come. 26 (BE)The one who conquers and who keeps my works (BF)until the end, (BG)to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and (BH)he will (BI)rule[c] them with a rod of iron, (BJ)as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him (BK)the morning star. 29 (BL)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 2:9 Greek blasphemy
  2. Revelation 2:13 Or your faith in me
  3. Revelation 2:27 Greek shepherd

A Letter to the Church in Ephesus

“To the messenger of the church in Ephesus, write:

The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lamp stands, says: I know what you have done—how hard you have worked and how you have endured. I also know that you cannot tolerate wicked people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not apostles. You have discovered that they are liars. You have endured, suffered trouble because of my name, and have not grown weary. However, I have this against you: The love you had at first is gone. Remember how far you have fallen. Return to me and change the way you think and act, and do what you did at first. I will come to you and take your lamp stand from its place if you don’t change. But you have this in your favor—you hate what the Nicolaitans are doing. I also hate what they’re doing.

“Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the privilege of eating from the tree of life, which stands in the paradise of God, to everyone who wins the victory.

A Letter to the Church in Smyrna

“To the messenger of the church in Smyrna, write: The first and the last, who was dead and became alive, says:

I know how you are suffering, how poor you are—but you are rich. I also know that those who claim to be Jews slander you. They are the synagogue of Satan. 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are going to suffer. The devil is going to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested. Your suffering will go on for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Everyone who wins the victory will never be hurt by the second death.

A Letter to the Church in Pergamum

12 “To the messenger of the church in Pergamum, write: The one who holds the sharp two-edged sword says:

13 I know where you live. Satan’s throne is there. You hold on to my name and have not denied your belief in me, even in the days of Antipas. He was my faithful witness who was killed in your presence, where Satan lives. 14 But I have a few things against you: You have among you those who follow what Balaam taught Balak. Balak trapped the people of Israel by ⌞encouraging⌟ them to eat food sacrificed to idols and to sin sexually. 15 You also have some who follow what the Nicolaitans teach. 16 So return to me and change the way you think and act, or I will come to you quickly and wage war against them with the sword from my mouth. 17 Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give some of the hidden manna to everyone who wins the victory. I will also give each person a white stone with a new name written on it, a name that is known only to the person who receives it.

A Letter to the Church in Thyatira

18 “To the messenger of the church in Thyatira, write: The Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire and whose feet are like glowing bronze, says:

19 I know what you do. I know your love, faith, service, and endurance. I also know that what you are doing now is greater than what you did at first. 20 But I have something against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. She teaches and misleads my servants to sin sexually and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to turn to me and change the way she thinks and acts, but she refuses to turn away from her sexual sins. 22 Watch me! I’m going to throw her into a sickbed. Those who commit sexual sins with her will also suffer a lot, unless they turn away from what she is doing. 23 I will kill her children. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches hearts and minds. I will reward each of you for what you have done. 24 But the rest of you in Thyatira—all who don’t hold on to Jezebel’s teaching, who haven’t learned what are called the deep things of Satan—I won’t burden you with anything else. 25 Just hold on to what you have until I come. 26 I have received authority from my Father.[a] I will give authority over the nations to everyone who wins the victory and continues to do what I want until the end. 27 Those people will rule the nations with iron scepters and shatter them like pottery. 28 I will also give them the morning star. 29 Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2:26 The first part of verse 28 (in Greek) has been moved to the beginning of verse 26 to express the complex Greek sentence structure more clearly in English.

To the Church in Ephesus

“To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus(A) write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand(B) and walks among the seven golden lampstands.(C) I know your deeds,(D) your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested(E) those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.(F) You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name,(G) and have not grown weary.

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.(H) Consider how far you have fallen! Repent(I) and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand(J) from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans,(K) which I also hate.

Whoever has ears, let them hear(L) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious,(M) I will give the right to eat from the tree of life,(N) which is in the paradise(O) of God.

To the Church in Smyrna

“To the angel of the church in Smyrna(P) write:

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last,(Q) who died and came to life again.(R) I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!(S) I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not,(T) but are a synagogue of Satan.(U) 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you,(V) and you will suffer persecution for ten days.(W) Be faithful,(X) even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.(Y)

11 Whoever has ears, let them hear(Z) what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.(AA)

To the Church in Pergamum

12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum(AB) write:

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.(AC) 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me,(AD) not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness,(AE) who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.(AF)

14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you:(AG) There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam,(AH) who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols(AI) and committed sexual immorality.(AJ) 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.(AK) 16 Repent(AL) therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.(AM)

17 Whoever has ears, let them hear(AN) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious,(AO) I will give some of the hidden manna.(AP) I will also give that person a white stone with a new name(AQ) written on it, known only to the one who receives it.(AR)

To the Church in Thyatira

18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira(AS) write:

These are the words of the Son of God,(AT) whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.(AU) 19 I know your deeds,(AV) your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel,(AW) who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.(AX) 21 I have given her time(AY) to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.(AZ) 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery(BA) with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds,(BB) and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.(BC)

24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you,(BD) 25 except to hold on to what you have(BE) until I come.’(BF)

26 To the one who is victorious(BG) and does my will to the end,(BH) I will give authority over the nations(BI) 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter(BJ) and will dash them to pieces like pottery’[b](BK)—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star.(BL) 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear(BM) what the Spirit says to the churches.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 2:1 Or messenger; also in verses 8, 12 and 18
  2. Revelation 2:27 Psalm 2:9