Revelation 2
King James Version
2 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.
25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
28 And I will give him the morning star.
29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Revelation 2
Tree of Life Version
Ephesus: Return to Your First Love
2 To the angel of Messiah’s community in Ephesus write: “Thus says the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks in the midst of the seven golden menorot: 2 I know all about your deeds and your toil and your patient endurance, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. You have tested those who call themselves emissaries and are not, and have found them to be liars. 3 You have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.
4 “But this I have against you, that you have forsaken your first love. [a] 5 Remember then from where you have fallen. Repent and do the deeds you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your menorah from its place—unless you repent.
6 “Yet you have this going for you, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Ruach is saying to Messiah’s communities. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the Tree of Life, which is in the Paradise of God.”[b]
Smyrna: Do Not Fear Satan’s Testing
8 To the angel of Messiah’s community in Smyrna write: “Thus says the First and Last, who was dead and came to life. 9 I know your tribulation and your poverty (yet you are rich), as well as the slander of those who say they are Jewish 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, so that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. [c] 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Ruach is saying to Messiah’s communities. The one who overcomes shall never be harmed by the second death.”
Pergamum: Beware the Trap of Balaam
12 To the angel of Messiah’s community in Pergamum write: “Thus says the One who has the sharp two-edged sword: [d] 13 I know where you live—where satan’s throne is. Yet you continue to hold firm to My name, and you did not deny your faith in Me even in the days of Antipas, My faithful witness, who was killed among you, where satan resides.
14 “But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who was teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before Bnei-Yisrael, to eat food sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. [e] 15 Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent then! If not, I will come to you soon and make war against them with the sword of My mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Ruach is saying to Messiah’s communities. To the one who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna,[f] and I will give him a white stone—and written on the stone a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.”[g]
Thyatira: Do Not Tolerate Jezebel
18 To the angel of Messiah’s community in Thyatira write: “Thus says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire and feet like polished bronze: 19 I know your deeds and your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your last deeds are greater than the first.
20 “But this I have against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel,[h] who calls herself a prophetess—yet she is teaching and deceiving My servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation—unless they repent of her doings. 23 I will also strike her children with a deadly disease. Then all of Messiah’s communities will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts,[i] and I will give to each of you according to your deeds.
24 “But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold to this teaching and have not learned the so-called ‘deep things’ of satan—I place on you no other burden. 25 Only hold firm to what you have until I come. 26 To the one who overcomes and guards My deeds until the end,
‘I will give him authority over the nations
27 and he shall rule them with an iron rod,
as when clay pots are broken into pieces.’[j]
28 Even as I have received from My Father, so I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Ruach is saying to Messiah’s communities.”
Footnotes
- Revelation 2:5 cf. Jer. 2:2, 13; Ezek. 16:8, 15.
- Revelation 2:7 Heb. Etz ha-Chaim b’Gan-Eden; cf. Gen. 2:8-9; 3:22; Prov. 11:30.
- Revelation 2:11 cf. Dan. 1:12, 14.
- Revelation 2:13 cf. Isa. 49:2.
- Revelation 2:15 cf. Num. 25:1-2; 31:16.
- Revelation 2:17 cf. Exod. 16:32-34.
- Revelation 2:17 cf. Isa. 56:5; 62:2.
- Revelation 2:20 cf. 1 Kings 16:31; 21:25.
- Revelation 2:23 cf. Ps. 7:9; 26:2; Jer. 11:20; 17:10.
- Revelation 2:27 cf. Ps. 2:8-9.
Revelation 2
New King James Version
The Loveless Church
2 “To the [a]angel of the church of Ephesus write,
‘These things says (A)He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, (B)who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2 (C)“I know your works, your labor, your [b]patience, and that you cannot [c]bear those who are evil. And (D)you have tested those (E)who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have (F)not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, (G)or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. 6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 (H)“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give (I)to eat from (J)the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’
The Persecuted Church
8 “And to the [d]angel of the church in Smyrna write,
‘These things says (K)the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: 9 “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are (L)rich); and I know the blasphemy of (M)those who say they are Jews and are not, (N)but are a [e]synagogue of Satan. 10 (O)Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. (P)Be faithful until death, and I will give you (Q)the crown of life.
11 (R)“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by (S)the second death.” ’
The Compromising Church
12 “And to the [f]angel of the church in Pergamos write,
‘These things says (T)He who has the sharp two-edged sword: 13 “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of (U)Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, (V)to eat things sacrificed to idols, (W)and to commit sexual immorality. 15 Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, [g]which thing I hate. 16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and (X)will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden (Y)manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone (Z)a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’
The Corrupt Church
18 “And to the [h]angel of the church in Thyatira write,
‘These things says the Son of God, (AA)who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: 19 (AB)“I know your works, love, [i]service, faith, and your [j]patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. 20 Nevertheless I have [k]a few things against you, because you allow [l]that woman (AC)Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, [m]to teach and seduce My servants (AD)to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 And I gave her time (AE)to [n]repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. 22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of [o]their deeds. 23 I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who (AF)searches[p] the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.
24 “Now to you I say, [q]and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the (AG)depths of Satan, as they say, (AH)I [r]will put on you no other burden. 25 But hold fast (AI)what you have till I come. 26 And he who overcomes, and keeps (AJ)My works until the end, (AK)to him I will give power over the nations—
27 ‘He(AL) shall rule them with a rod of iron;
They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—
as I also have received from My Father; 28 and I will give him (AM)the morning star.
29 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’
Footnotes
- Revelation 2:1 Or messenger
- Revelation 2:2 perseverance
- Revelation 2:2 endure
- Revelation 2:8 Or messenger
- Revelation 2:9 congregation
- Revelation 2:12 Or messenger
- Revelation 2:15 NU, M likewise.
- Revelation 2:18 Or messenger
- Revelation 2:19 NU, M faith, service
- Revelation 2:19 perseverance
- Revelation 2:20 NU, M against you that you tolerate
- Revelation 2:20 M your wife Jezebel
- Revelation 2:20 NU, M and teaches and seduces
- Revelation 2:21 NU, M repent, and she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality.
- Revelation 2:22 NU, M her
- Revelation 2:23 examines
- Revelation 2:24 NU, M omit and
- Revelation 2:24 NU, M omit will
Revelation 2
Christian Standard Bible
The Letters to the Seven Churches
The Letter to Ephesus
2 “Write to the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus: Thus says the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who walks among the seven golden lampstands:(A) 2 I know your works, your labor, and your endurance,(B) and that you cannot tolerate evil people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not,(C) and you have found them to be liars.(D) 3 I know that you have persevered and endured hardships for the sake of my name,(E) and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first.(F) 5 Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.(G) Otherwise, I will come to you[b] and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet you do have this: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give(H) the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in[c] the paradise of God.(I)
The Letter to Smyrna
8 “Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: Thus says the First and the Last,(J) the one who was dead and came to life: 9 I know your[d] affliction and poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.(K) 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil(L) is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will experience affliction for ten days.(M) Be faithful to the point of death,(N) and I will give you the crown[e] of life.(O)
11 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will never be harmed by the second death.(P)
The Letter to Pergamum
12 “Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum: Thus says the one who has the sharp, double-edged sword: (Q) 13 I know[f] where you live—where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding on to my name and did not deny your faith in me,[g](R) even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness(S) who was put to death among you, where Satan lives. 14 But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam,(T) who taught Balak to place a stumbling block[h] in front of the Israelites: to eat meat sacrificed to idols(U) and to commit sexual immorality.(V) 15 In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.[i] 16 So repent! Otherwise, I will come to you quickly(W) and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.(X)
17 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna.[j](Y) I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name(Z) is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it.
The Letter to Thyatira
18 “Write to the angel of the church in Thyatira: Thus says the Son of God,(AA) the one whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like fine bronze:(AB) 19 I know your works—your love, faithfulness,[k] service, and endurance.(AC) I know that your last works are greater than the first. 20 But I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel,(AD) who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat meat sacrificed to idols.(AE) 21 I gave her time to repent,(AF) but she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality.(AG) 22 Look, I will throw her into a sickbed(AH) and those who commit adultery with her(AI) into great affliction.(AJ) Unless they repent of her[l] works, 23 I will strike her children dead.[m](AK) Then all the churches will know that I am the one who examines minds and hearts,(AL) and I will give to each of you according to your works.(AM) 24 I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who haven’t known “the so-called secrets[n](AN) of Satan”(AO) —as they say—I am not putting any other burden on you.(AP) 25 Only hold on to what you have until I come.(AQ) 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works to the end: I will give him authority over the nations—
28 just as I have received this from my Father. I will also give him the morning star.(AT)
29 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
Footnotes
- 2:1 Or messenger, also in vv. 8,12,18
- 2:5 Other mss add quickly
- 2:7 Other mss read in the midst of
- 2:9 Other mss add works and
- 2:10 Or wreath
- 2:13 Other mss add your works and
- 2:13 Or deny my faith
- 2:14 Or to place a trap
- 2:15 Other mss add which I hate
- 2:17 Other mss add to eat
- 2:19 Or faith
- 2:22 Other mss read their
- 2:23 Or with a plague
- 2:24 Or the secret things
- 2:27 Or shepherd
- 2:27 Ps 2:9
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.