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Revelation 2
EasyEnglish Bible
Revelation 2
EasyEnglish Bible
Jesus' message to the believers at Ephesus
2 ‘Now write this to the angel of the church at Ephesus:[a]
“This is the message to you from the one who holds the seven stars. He holds them carefully in his right hand. He walks among the seven gold lampstands.
2 I know everything that you do. You have worked much for me. You have continued to work patiently. I know that you do not accept bad people as your friends. Some of these bad people say that they are apostles of Jesus. You have thought carefully about what they teach people. And you have discovered that it is not true. 3 You have been patient and strong in times of trouble. You have continued to serve me because you believe in me. You have not stopped when you become tired.
4 But I have something to say against you. You loved me very much when you first believed in me. You do not love me as much now. 5 Think carefully about this! You do not now live in the way you did at the beginning. So you must change the way you live. Do again the good things that you did at the beginning. If you do not change the way you live, I will come to punish you. I will take away your lampstand from its place. 6 But this is something that you do well: you hate the bad things that the Nicolaitans are doing. I also hate what they do.[b]
7 God's Spirit is now speaking to people in the churches. You should recognize that the Spirit is speaking. Everyone who knows that should listen to what he says. I will let everyone who wins against Satan eat my fruit. This fruit is from the tree that makes us alive. And this tree grows in God's garden.” ’[c]
Jesus' message to the believers at Smyrna
8 ‘Write this to the angel of the church at Smyrna:
“This is the message to you from the one who is the first and the last. He was dead, but he became alive again.
9 I know that bad people are making you suffer. I also know that you are poor. But really, you are rich. Some people say that they are Jews, but they tell lies about you. So they cannot be my true people. Instead, they belong to a group of Satan's people. 10 I know that trouble will soon come to you. But do not be afraid. Listen! The Devil will cause some of you to go to prison. He wants to see whether you will continue to believe in me. As a result, you will suffer for ten days.[d] But continue to trust me, even if you die. Then you will win against the Devil. I will give you a gift, as they give a crown to the winner of a race.[e] You will have life with me for ever.
11 God's Spirit is speaking to you in the churches. You should understand what the Spirit is saying to you. You have ears, so listen carefully! The second death will not hurt anyone who wins against Satan.” ’[f]
Jesus' message to the believers at Pergamum
12 ‘Write this to the angel of the church at Pergamum:
“This is the message to you from the one who has the sharp sword with two edges.
13 I know where you live. It is the place where Satan sits as king.[g] But you still continue to trust me. You remember Antipas who spoke a clear message about me. Because of that, some people in your city killed him. You saw what happened to him, but you continued to believe in me. You still serve me, even there where Satan lives.[h]
14 But I have a few things to say against you. Some people among you agree with what Balaam taught long ago. He taught Balak to do a bad thing against God's people.[i] Balak caused the Israelite people to do wrong things. As a result, they ate food that people had given to idols. They also had sex with people who were not their husbands or wives. 15 Also, some people among you do the bad things that the Nicolaitans teach. 16 So you must stop doing these bad things. If you do not change how you live, I will quickly come to punish you. I will fight against those bad people with my sharp sword that comes out of my mouth.
17 God's Spirit is speaking to you in the churches. You should understand what the Spirit is saying to you. You have ears, so listen carefully! To everyone who wins against Satan I will give some of my special food called manna. I will also give each of them a white stone.[j] I will write a new name on that stone. Nobody will know that name except the person who receives it.” ’
Jesus' message to the believers at Thyatira
18 ‘Write this to the angel of the church at Thyatira:
“This is the message to you from the Son of God. He has eyes that burn brightly like flames of fire. His feet shine like bright metal.
19 I know everything that you do. I know that you have great love. I know that you believe in me. I know that you continue to serve me well. You are patient and strong. You do these good things now more than you did at the beginning.
20 But I have something to say against you. You let that woman Jezebel teach you. She says that she is a prophet from God. But she leads my servants into bad ways. She teaches them to have sex with many people.[k] And she teaches them to eat food that people have given to idols. 21 I have given her time to stop doing these bad things. But she refuses to change how she lives. She does not stop having sex with other men. 22 Listen to this! I will cause her to suffer on her bed, so that she cannot get up. Those who join her in her sins will also suffer very much, unless they change the way they live. 23 I will send a terrible illness to kill those who obey her. Then all the people in the churches will know that I look deep inside them. I know what you really want. I know what you really think. I will give each of you what is right for you, as a result of what you have done.
24 But I say this to you other people in Thyatira. You have not agreed with what Jezebel taught. You have not learned what they call ‘Satan's deep secrets’. So I say this to you: I will not tell you to obey any other difficult rules. 25 But continue to obey my message that you have already received. Believe in me until I come.
26 Continue to obey me until the end and win the fight against Satan. If anyone does that, I will give him authority to rule over the nations of the world. 27 That person will rule the nations with strong authority. He will destroy them, like someone who breaks clay pots into many pieces.[l] 28 He will have the same authority that I received from my Father. I will also give him the morning star.[m] 29 God's Spirit is speaking to you in the churches. You should understand what the Spirit is saying to you. You have ears, so listen carefully!” ’
Footnotes
- 2:1 Many people think that the ‘angel’ here means a human messenger that God has sent. The ‘angel’ could have been the person who read this letter aloud to the church. So ‘angel’ could also mean this in Revelation 2:8,12,18; 3:1,7,14. Everywhere else in Revelation, ‘angel’ means a being from heaven.
- 2:6 The Nicolaitans were teaching the Christians to do wrong things. They were not teaching the same message as Jesus had taught. We do not know much about the wrong things that they taught.
- 2:7 If we turn against Satan, Jesus promises to give us new life. The fruit that he gives us is a picture of everything that we need to live that new life.
- 2:10 ‘ten days’ may mean a short time of trouble, rather than a long time.
- 2:10 At the time John was on earth, a winner of a race received a crown. The crown was the shape of a circle. Somebody had tied leaves together to make it.
- 2:11 The second death is the opposite of when someone lives always with Jesus. It means that a person must go to a place without Jesus. Nobody is happy in that place. The name of that place is hell, or the lake of fire. See Revelation 20:14.
- 2:13 Pergamum was a city where Satan was powerful.
- 2:13 There was a special building in Pergamum for people to worship the king of Rome. This king was against Christians because they would not worship him. Also, there was a very big stone table on a hill. People offered gifts to the false god Zeus on this big table. Also, many people worshipped a snake god. The Devil appears as a snake in the Bible. See Genesis 3.
- 2:14 Balak was the king of Moab. See Numbers 22:1—25:3.
- 2:17 The colour white in the Bible usually means completely good and clean. So the white stone may show that God will make us like that. He will make our spirits completely clean if we continue to believe him.
- 2:20 God's Law says that someone should have sex only with their wife or their husband.
- 2:27 The person who rules the countries will be strong. He will rule with great power and he will punish people who do wrong things.
- 2:28 The morning star appears in the sky just before the sunrise. It is very bright. It shows us that the day is coming. In Revelation 22:16, Jesus says that he is the morning star. He brings light when it has been dark.
Revelation 2
New International Version
Revelation 2
New International Version
To the Church in Ephesus
2 “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) 2 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) 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name,(G) and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.(H) 5 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. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans,(K) which I also hate.
7 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
8 “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) 9 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.
Footnotes
- Revelation 2:1 Or messenger; also in verses 8, 12 and 18
- Revelation 2:27 Psalm 2:9
Revelation 2
King James Version
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
English Standard Version
Revelation 2
English Standard Version
To the Church in Ephesus
2 “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.
2 (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. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up (F)for my name's sake, and you (G)have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned (H)the love you had at first. 5 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. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of (K)the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 (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
8 “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.
9 “‘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.’
Footnotes
- Revelation 2:9 Greek blasphemy
- Revelation 2:13 Or your faith in me
- Revelation 2:27 Greek shepherd
EasyEnglish Bible (EASY)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.