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Revelation 2
1599 Geneva Bible
Revelation 2
1599 Geneva Bible
2 1 John is commanded to write those things which the Lord knew necessary to the Churches of Ephesus. 8 Of the Smyrnians, 12 of Pergamos, 18 and of Thyatira, as that they keep those things which they received of the Apostles.
1 [a]Unto the Angel of the Church of Ephesus write, [b]These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, and walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.
2 [c]I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear with them which are evil, and hast examined them which say they are Apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars.
3 And thou wast burdened, and hast patience, and for my Name’s sake hast labored, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless, I have somewhat [d]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 against thee shortly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou amend.
6 But this thou hast that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 [e]Let him that hath an ear 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 [f]the midst of the [g]Paradise of God.
8 ¶ [h]And unto the Angel of the Church of the [i]Smyrnians write, These things saith he that is first and last, which was dead and is alive.
9 [j]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, it shall come to pass, that the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried, and ye shall have [k]tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto the death, and I will give thee the crown of life.
11 [l]Let him that hath an ear hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt [m]of the second death.
12 [n]And to the Angel of the Church, which is at [o]Pergamos write, Thus saith he which hath that sharp sword with two edges.
13 [p]I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s throne is, and thou keepest my Name, and hast not denied my faith, even in [q]those days when Antipas my faithful martyr was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that maintain the doctrine of (A)Balaam, which taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, that they should [r]eat of things sacrificed unto idols, and commit fornication.
15 Even so hast thou them that maintain the doctrine of the [s]Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
16 Repent thyself, or else I will come unto thee shortly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 [t]Let him that hath an ear, hear what the spirit saith unto the Churches. To him that overcometh, will I give to eat [u]of the [v]Manna that is hid, and will give him a [w][x]white stone, and in the stone a new [y]name written, which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it.
18 ¶ And unto [z]the Angel of the Church which is at Thyatira write, These things saith the Son of God, which hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet like fine brass.
19 I know [aa]thy works and thy love, and [ab]service and faith, and thy patience, and thy works, and that they are more at the last, than at the first.
20 Notwithstanding, I have a few things against thee, that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to deceive my servants, to make them commit [ac]fornication and to eat meat 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 fornication with her, into great affliction, except they repent them of their works.
23 And I will kill her children with death, and all the Churches shall know that I am he which (B)search the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according unto your works.
24 And unto you I say, the rest of them of Thyatira, As many as have not this learning, neither have known the [ad]deepness of Satan (as they speak) I will [ae]put upon you none other burden,
25 But that which ye have already, hold fast till I come.
26 [af]For he that overcometh and keepeth my words unto the end, to him will I give [ag]power over nations.
27 (C)And he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and as the vessels of a potter, shall they be broken:
28 Even as I received of my Father, so will I give him [ah]the morning Star.
29 Let him that hath an ear, hear what the Spirit saith to the Churches.
Footnotes
- Revelation 2:1 The former part of this book is comprised in a narration of those things which then were as S. John taught us, Rev. 1:19, it belongeth wholly to instruction and in these next two Chapters, containeth seven places according to the number and condition of those Churches which were named before, Rev. 1:11, figured verse 12, distributed most aptly into their Pastors and flocks, verse 20, which verse of that Chap. is as it were a passage unto the first part. Every one of the seven places hath three principal members, an Exordium taken from the person of the Author: a Proposition, in which is praise and commendation of that which is good, reprehension of that which is evil: an instruction containing either an exhortation alone, or withal a dissuasion opposite unto it, and a conclusion stirring unto attention by divine promises. And this first place is unto the Pastors of the Church of Ephesus.
- Revelation 2:1 The exordium wherein are contained the special praises of Christ Jesus the Author of this prophecy, out of verses 16 and 13 of the first Chapter.
- Revelation 2:2 The proposition, first condemning the Pastor of this Church, verses 2, 3, then reproving him, verse 4, after informing him and withal threatening that he will translate the Church to another place, verse 5. This commutation or threat Christ mitigateth by a kind of correction, calling to mind the particular virtue and piety of the Church, which God never leaveth without recompense, verse 6. Concerning the Nicolaitans see after upon verse 11.
- Revelation 2:4 To deal with thee for.
- Revelation 2:7 The conclusion, containing a commandment of attention and a promise of everlasting life, shadowed out in a figure of which, Gen. 2:9.
- Revelation 2:7 That is, in Paradise after the manner of the Hebrew phrase.
- Revelation 2:7 Thus Christ speaketh as the Mediator.
- Revelation 2:8 The second place is unto the Pastors of the Church of the Smyrnians. The exordium is taken out of verses 17 and 18 of the first Chap.
- Revelation 2:8 Smyrna was one of the cities of Ionia in Asia.
- Revelation 2:9 The proposition of praise is in this verse and of exhortation joined with promise, is in the next verse.
- Revelation 2:10 That is, of ten years. For so commonly both in this book and in Daniel, years are signified by the name of days: that God thereby might declare, that the space of time is appointed by him, and the same very short. Now because Saint John wrote this book in the end of Domitian the Emperor his reign, as Justin and Ireneus do witness, it is altogether necessary that this should be referred unto that persecution which was done by the authority of the Emperor Trajan: who began to make havoc of the Christian Church in the tenth year of his reign, as the Historiographers do write: and his bloody persecution continued until Adrian the Emperor had succeeded in his place: the space of which time is precisely ten years, which are here mentioned.
- Revelation 2:11 The conclusions as verse 7.
- Revelation 2:11 See Rev. 20:6.
- Revelation 2:12 The third place is unto the Pastors of Pergamos. The Exordium is taken out of verse 16 of the first Chapter.
- Revelation 2:12 Pergamos was the name of a famous city in old time in Asia, where the Kings of the Attalians were always resident.
- Revelation 2:13 The proposition of praise is in this verse, of reprehension in the two following, and of exhortation joined with a conditional threat, verse 16. Now this Antipas was the Angel or minister of the Church of Pergamos, as Aretas writeth.
- Revelation 2:13 The faith of them of Pergamos is so much the more highly commended because they remained constant even in the very heat of persecution.
- Revelation 2:14 That which is here spoken of things offered to idols, is meant of the same kind which Paul speaketh of, 1 Cor. 10:13.
- Revelation 2:15 Which follow the footsteps of Balaam, and such as are abandoned unto all filthiness, as he showed in the verse foregoing, and is here signified by a note of similitude. And thus also must the next verse be understood. For this matter especially Ireneus must be consulted withal.
- Revelation 2:17 The conclusion, standing of exhortation as before, and of promise.
- Revelation 2:17 He alludeth to that sermon which we read of John 6, and to the place we find, Ps. 105:40.
- Revelation 2:17 Aretas writeth, that such a stone was wont to be given to wrestlers at games, or else that such stones did in old times witness the quitting of a man.
- Revelation 2:17 The bread of life, invisible, spiritual, and heavenly, which is kept secretly with God, from before all eternity.
- Revelation 2:17 Which is a sign and witness of forgiveness and remission of sins, of righteousness and true holiness, and of purity uncorrupted, after that the old man is killed.
- Revelation 2:17 A sign and testimony of newness of life in righteousness and true holiness, by putting on the new man, whom none doth inwardly know, save the spirit of man which is in himself, the praise whereof is not of man, but of God, Rom. 2:28.
- Revelation 2:18 The fourth place is unto the Pastors of Thyatira. The exordium is taken out of verses 14 and 15 of the first Chapter.
- Revelation 2:19 The proposition of praise is in this verse: of reprehension, for they tolerated with them, the doctrine of ungodliness and unrighteousness, is verse 20, the authors whereof though they were called back of God, yet repented not verse 21, whereunto is added a most heavy threatening, verses 22 and 23, of a conditional promise, and of exhortation to hold fast the truth, is in the two verses following.
- Revelation 2:19 So he calleth those offices of charity which are done to the saints.
- Revelation 2:20 By Fornication, is often in the Scripture idolatry meant.
- Revelation 2:24 He pointeth out the bragging of certain men, which boasted of their deep, that is, plentiful and common knowledge, which notwithstanding is devilish.
- Revelation 2:24 I will speak no worse thing against you, being content to have showed you what I require to be in you.
- Revelation 2:26 The conclusion, wherein Christ assureth unto his servants the communion of his Kingdom and glory, in this verse and the next following, and commandeth an holy attention in the last verse.
- Revelation 2:26 That is, I will make him a King by communion with me, and my fellow heir, as it is promised, Matt. 19:28 and 25:34; Rom. 8:17 and 1 Cor. 6:3; Eph. 2:6 and 1 Tim. 2:12.
- Revelation 2:28 The brightness of greatest glory and honor nearest approaching unto the light of Christ, who is the Son of righteousness, and our head, Matt. 4.
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
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
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