Revelation 2

1 “To the messenger of the gathering in Ephesus write: This is what the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand says, the one who walks in the middle of the seven golden lampstands: [a] † 2 I know your works, and your labor and your endurance, and that you cannot bear evil people, and you tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you found them false; [b] 3 and you have endurance, and you bore up because of my name, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. [c] 5 Remember, then, where you have fallen from, and have a change of mind and do the first works. But if not, I am coming to you, and I will move your lampstand out of its place, if you do not have a change of mind. [d] 6 But this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. † 7 The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the gatherings. To the one who conquers I will give him to eat from the tree of life, which is in the garden of God.” [e]

8 “And to the messenger of the gathering in Smyrna write: This is what the first and the last says, who became dead and lived: 9 I know your affliction and your poverty — but you are rich — and the blasphemy from those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. [f] 10 Do not fear any of the things you are about to suffer. Look, the Accuser is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and you will have affliction for ten days. Become faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. [g] † 11 The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the gatherings. The one who conquers will certainly not be harmed by the second death.”

12 “And to the messenger of the gathering in Pergamum write: This is what the one who has the sharp two-edged sword says: 13 I know where you dwell — where the throne of Satan is — and you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas, my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. [h] 14 But I have a few things against you: that you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to throw a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat what is sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. [i] 15 So you also have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans in the same way. 16 Have a change of mind, then. But if not, I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war with them by the sword of my mouth. 17 The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the gatherings. To the one who conquers I will give him some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white pebble, and on the pebble a new name written, which no one knows except the one who receives it.” [j]

18 “And to the messenger of the gathering in Thyatira write: This is what the Son of God says, the one who has his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet like burnished bronze: 19 I know your works, and your love and your faith and your service and your endurance, and your last works are more than the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, she who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads my slaves astray to commit sexual immorality and to eat what is sacrificed to idols. [k] 21 And I gave her time so that she might have a change of mind, and she does not want to have a change of mind out of her sexual immorality. 22 Look, I am throwing her into a bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great affliction, unless they have a change of mind out of her works; 23 and I will kill her children with death. And all the gatherings will know that I am the one who searches kidneys and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works. [l]

24 But to you I say — to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this teaching, who did not know the deep things of Satan, as they call them — I am throwing no other burden on you; [m] 25 only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 And the one who conquers and the one who keeps my works to the end — I will give him authority over the nations, [n] 27 and he will shepherd them with an iron rod, as the potter’s vessels are shattered — [o] 28 as I also have received from my Father — and I will give him the morning star. 29 The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the gatherings.”