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
New Matthew Bible
He exhorts four of the congregations to mend their ways, and shows the reward of the person who overcomes.
2 To the messenger of the congregation of Ephesus write: These things says he who holds the seven stars in his right hand, and walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks: 2 I know your works, and your labour, and your patience, and how you cannot bear those who are evil. And you examined those who say they are apostles, but are not, and have found them liars, 3 and did wash yourself. And you have patience, and for my name’s sake have laboured, and have not fainted.
4 Nevertheless, I have something against you. For you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence you are fallen, and repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you shortly and will remove your candlestick out of its place – unless you repent.
6 But this you have: you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which deeds I also hate. 7 Let him who has ears hear what the Spirit says to the congregations. To him who overcomes, I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
8 And to the angel of the congregation of Smyrna write: These things says he who is the first and the last, who was dead and is alive: 9 I know your works and tribulation and poverty, but you are rich. And I know the blasphemy of those who call themselves Jews, and are not, but are the congregation of Satan.
10 Fear none of those things that you will suffer. Behold, the devil will cast some of you into prison, to try you, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful to the death, and I will give you a crown of life. 11 Let him who has ears hear what the Spirit says to the congregations. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.
12 And to the messenger of the congregation in Pergamos write: This says he who has the sharp sword with two edges: 13 I know your works and where you dwell, even where Satan’s seat is; and you keep my name and have not denied my faith. And in my days Antipas was a faithful witness of mine, who was slain among you, where Satan dwells.
14 But I have a few things against you. You have there those who maintain the doctrine of Balaam, who taught in Balak to put occasions of sin before the children of Israel, that they should eat of meat dedicated to idols, and commit fornication. 15 So also you have those who maintain the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. 16 Repent and turn therefore, or else I will come to you shortly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 Let him who has ears hear what the Spirit says to the congregations. To him who overcomes, I will give to eat manna that is hid, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no one knows save the one that receives it.
18 And to the messenger of the congregation of Thyatira write: This says the Son of God, who has his eyes like a flame of fire, whose feet are like brass: 19 I know your works, and your love, service, and faith, and your patience, and your deeds, which are more at the last than at the first. 20 Notwithstanding, I have a few things against you. You suffer that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to corrupt my servants, to make them commit fornication, and to eat meats offered up to idols. 21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication, but she did not repent. 22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and those who commit fornication with her into great adversity, unless they turn from their deeds. 23 And I will kill her children with death. And all the congregations will know that I am he who searches the reins and the hearts. And I will give to every one of you according to your works.
24 To you all I say, and to others of the people of Thyatira, as many as do not have this teaching and who have not known the deepness of Satan (as they say), I will put upon you no other burden 25 but that which you have already. Hold fast till I come. 26 And whoever overcomes and keeps my works until the end, to him I will give power over nations, 27 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and like the vessels of a potter shall he break them to pieces. Even as I received of my Father, 28 so will I give him the morning star. 29 Let him who has ears hear what the Spirit says to the congregations.
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.