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Revelation 2
Easy-to-Read Version
Revelation 2
Easy-to-Read Version
Jesus’ Letter to the Church in Ephesus
2 “Write this to the angel of the church in Ephesus:
“Here is a message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
2 “I know what you do, how hard you work and never give up. I know that you don’t accept evil people. You have tested those who say they are apostles but are not. You found that they are liars. 3 You never stop trying. You have endured troubles for my name and have not given up.
4 “But I have this against you: You have left the love you had in the beginning. 5 So remember where you were before you fell. Change your hearts and do what you did at first. If you don’t change, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But there is something you do that is right—you hate the things that the Nicolaitans[a] do. I also hate what they do.
7 “Everyone who hears this should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To those who win the victory I will give the right to eat the fruit from the tree of life, which is in God’s paradise.
Jesus’ Letter to the Church in Smyrna
8 “Write this to the angel of the church in Smyrna:
“Here is a message from the one who is the First and the Last, the one who died and came to life again.
9 “I know your troubles, and I know that you are poor, but really you are rich! I know the insults you have suffered from people who say they are Jews. But they are not true Jews. They are a group[b] that belongs to Satan. 10 Don’t be afraid of what will happen to you. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison. He will do this to test you. You will suffer for ten days, but be faithful, even if you have to die. If you continue to be faithful, I will give you the reward[c] of life.
11 “Everyone who hears this should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Those who win the victory will not be hurt by the second death.
Jesus’ Letter to the Church in Pergamum
12 “Write this to the angel of the church in Pergamum:
“Here is a message from the one who has the sharp two-edged sword.
13 “I know where you live. You live where Satan has his throne, but you are true to me. You did not refuse to tell about your faith in me even during the time of Antipas. Antipas was my faithful witness[d] who was killed in your city, the city where Satan lives.
14 “But I have a few things against you. You have people there who follow the teaching of Balaam. Balaam taught Balak how to make the people of Israel sin. They sinned by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sins. 15 It is the same in your group. You have people who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 So change your hearts! If you don’t change, I will come to you quickly and fight against these people with the sword that comes out of my mouth.
17 “Everyone who hears this should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!
“I will give the hidden manna to everyone who wins the victory. I will also give each one a white stone that has a new name written on it. And no one will know this name except the one who gets the stone.
Jesus’ Letter to the Church in Thyatira
18 “Write this to the angel of the church in Thyatira:
“Here is a message from the Son of God, the one who has eyes that blaze like fire and feet like shining brass.
19 “I know what you do. I know about your love, your faith, your service, and your patience. I know that you are doing more now than you did at first. 20 But I have this against you: You let that woman Jezebel do what she wants. She says that she is a prophet,[e] but she is leading my people away with her teaching. Jezebel leads my people to commit sexual sins and to eat food that is offered to idols. 21 I have given her time to change her heart and turn away from her sin, but she does not want to change.
22 “So I will throw her on a bed of suffering. And all those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly. I will do this now if they don’t turn away from the things she does. 23 I will also kill her followers. Then all the churches will see that I am the one who knows what people feel and think. And I will repay each of you for what you have done.
24 “But others of you in Thyatira have not followed her teaching. You have not learned the things they call ‘Satan’s deep secrets.’ This is what I say to you: I will not put any other burden on you. 25 Only hold on to the truth you have until I come.
26 “I will give power over the nations to all those who win the victory and continue until the end to do what I want. 27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod. They will break them to pieces like clay pots.[f] 28 They will have the same power I received from my Father, and I will give them the morning star. 29 Everyone who hears this should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
Footnotes
- Revelation 2:6 Nicolaitans A religious group that followed wrong ideas. Also in verse 15.
- Revelation 2:9 group Literally, “synagogue.”
- Revelation 2:10 reward Literally, “wreath,” a ring of leaves or branches that was placed on the head of the winners of athletic contests to honor them. It was a symbol of victory and reward.
- Revelation 2:13 faithful witness A person who speaks God’s message truthfully, even in times of danger.
- Revelation 2:20 prophet Jezebel was a false prophet. She claimed to speak for God, but she didn’t really speak God’s truth.
- Revelation 2:27 These verses are almost the same as Ps. 2:8-9.
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
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
New International Version (NIV) 
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