| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1"To the angel of the church in Ephesus, write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who has a firm grasp on the seven stars in his right hand--the one who walks among the seven golden lampstands: | 1 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands: |
| 2I know your works as well as your labor and steadfast endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil. You have even put to the test those who refer to themselves as apostles (but are not), and have discovered that they are false. | 2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. |
| 3I am also aware that you have persisted steadfastly, endured much for the sake of my name, and have not grown weary. | 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. |
| 4But I have this against you: You have departed from your first love! | 4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! |
| 5Therefore, remember from what high state you have fallen and repent! Do the deeds you did at the first; if not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place--that is, if you do not repent. | 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. |
| 6But you do have this going for you: You hate what the Nicolaitans practice--practices I also hate. | 6 But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do. |
| 7The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will permit him to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.' | 7 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God. The Message to the Church in Smyrna |
| 8"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who is the first and the last, the one who was dead, but came to life: | 8 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive: |
| 9I know the distress you are suffering and your poverty (but you are rich). I also know the slander against you by those who call themselves Jews and really are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. | 9 “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. |
| 10Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. The devil is about to have some of you thrown into prison so you may be tested, and you will experience suffering for ten days. Remain faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown that is life itself. | 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life. |
| 11The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will in no way be harmed by the second death.' | 11 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death. The Message to the Church in Pergamum |
| 12"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who has the sharp double-edged sword: | 12 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword: |
| 13I know where you live--where Satan's throne is. Yet you continue to cling to my name and you have not denied your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed in your city where Satan lives. | 13 “I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city. |
| 14But I have a few things against you: You have some people there who follow the teaching of Balaam, who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. | 14 “But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. |
| 15In the same way, there are also some among you who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans. | 15 In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. |
| 16Therefore, repent! If not, I will come against you quickly and make war against those people with the sword of my mouth. | 16 Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth. |
| 17The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give him some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and on that stone will be written a new name that no one can understand except the one who receives it.' | 17 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it. The Message to the Church in Thyatira |
| 18"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the Son of God, the one who has eyes like a fiery flame and whose feet are like polished bronze: | 18 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze: |
| 19I know your deeds: your love, faith, service, and steadfast endurance. In fact, your more recent deeds are greater than your earlier ones. | 19 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things. |
| 20But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and by her teaching deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. | 20 “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. |
| 21I have given her time to repent, but she is not willing to repent of her sexual immorality. | 21 I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality. |
| 22Look! I am throwing her onto a bed of violent illness, and those who commit adultery with her into terrible suffering, unless they repent of her deeds. | 22 “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds. |
| 23Furthermore, I will strike her followers with a deadly disease, and then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts. I will repay each one of you what your deeds deserve. | 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve. |
| 24But to the rest of you in Thyatira, all who do not hold to this teaching (who have not learned the so-called "deep secrets of Satan"), to you I say: I do not put any additional burden on you. | 24 “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you |
| 25However, hold on to what you have until I come. | 25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. |
| 26And to the one who conquers and who continues in my deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations-- | 26 To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations. |
| 27he will rule them with an iron rod and like clay jars he will break them to pieces, | 27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. |
| 28just as I have received the right to rule from my Father--and I will give him the morning star. | 28 They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star! |
| 29The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' | 29 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. |
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