1 “ Write this to the angel of the church in the city of Ephesus: ‘The One Who holds the seven stars in His right hand and the One Who walks among the seven lights made of gold, says this:

To the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Ephesus write: These are the words of Him Who holds the seven stars in His right hand, Who goes about among the seven golden lampstands:

2 I know what you have done and how hard you have worked. I know how long you can wait and not give up. I know that you cannot put up with sinful men. I know that you have put men to the test who call themselves missionaries. You have found they are not missionaries but are false.

I know your industry and activities, laborious toil and trouble, and your patient endurance, and how you cannot tolerate wicked and have tested and critically appraised those who call apostles (special messengers of Christ) and yet are not, and have found them to be impostors and liars.

3 Y ou have waited long and have not given up. You have suffered because of Me. You have kept going on and have not become tired.

I know you are enduring patiently and are bearing up for My name’s sake, and you have not fainted or become exhausted or grown weary.

4 B ut I have this one thing against you. You do not love Me as you did at first.

But I have this against you: that you have left (abandoned) the love that you had at first.

5 R emember how you once loved Me. Be sorry for your sin and love Me again as you did at first. If you do not, I will come to you and take your light out of its place. I will do this unless you are sorry for your sin and turn from it.

Remember then from what heights you have fallen. Repent (change the inner man to meet God’s will) and do the works you did previously, or else I will visit you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you change your mind and repent.

6 B ut you have this: You hate what the Nicolaitans do. I hate what they do also.

Yet you have this: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I Myself also detest.

7 Y ou have ears! Then listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the fruit of the tree of life in the garden of God to everyone who has power and wins.’ Words to the Church in Smyrna

He who is able to hear, let him listen to and give heed to what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). To him who overcomes (is victorious), I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

8 “ Write this to the angel of the church in the city of Smyrna: ‘The One Who is First and Last, the One Who died and came to life again, says this:

And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Smyrna write: These are the words of the First and the Last, Who died and came to life again:

9 I know of your troubles. I know you are poor. But still you are rich! I know the bad things spoken against you by those who say they are Jews. But they are not Jews. They belong to the devil.

I know your affliction and distress and pressing trouble and your poverty—but you are rich! and how you are abused and reviled and slandered by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

10 D o not be afraid of what you will suffer. Listen! The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will be in trouble for ten days. Be faithful even to death. Then I will give you the crown of life.

Fear nothing that you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is indeed about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested and proved and critically appraised, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be loyally faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

11 Y ou have ears! Then listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The person who has power and wins will not be hurt by the second death!’ Words to the Church in Pergamum

He who is able to hear, let him listen to and heed what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). He who overcomes (is victorious) shall in no way be injured by the second death.

12 “ Write this to the angel of the church in the city of Pergamum: ‘The One Who has the sharp sword that cuts both ways, says this:

Then to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Pergamum write: These are the words of Him Who has and wields the sharp two-edged sword:

13 I know where you live. It is the place where Satan sits. I know that you are true to Me. You did not give up and turn away from your faith in Me, even when Antipas was killed. He was faithful in speaking for Me. He was killed in front of you where Satan is.

I know where you live—a place where Satan sits enthroned. you are clinging to and holding fast My name, and you did not deny My faith, even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed (martyred) in your midst—where Satan dwells.

14 B ut I have a few things against you. You have some people who follow the teaching of Balaam. He taught Balak to set a trap for the Jews. He taught them to eat food that had been given as a gift in worship to false gods and to do sex sins.

Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: you have some people there who are clinging to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to set a trap and a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat food that had been sacrificed to idols and to practice lewdness.

15 Y ou also have some who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans in the same way.

You also have some who in a similar way are clinging to the teaching of the Nicolaitans which thing I hate.

16 B e sorry for your sins and turn from them. If you do not, I will come to you right away. I will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.

Repent! Or else I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of My mouth.

17 Y ou have ears! Then listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the hidden bread from heaven to everyone who has power and wins. I will give each of them a white stone also. A new name will be written on it. No one will know the name except the one who receives it!’ Words to the Church in Thyatira

He who is able to hear, let him listen to and heed what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). To him who overcomes (conquers), I will give to eat of the manna that is hidden, and I will give him a white stone with a new name engraved on the stone, which no one knows or understands except he who receives it.

18 “ Write this to the angel of the church in the city of Thyatira: ‘The Son of God Who has eyes like fire and Whose feet are like shining brass, says this:

And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, Who has eyes that flash like a flame of fire, and Whose feet glow like bright and burnished and white-hot bronze:

19 I know what you are doing. I know of your love and faith. I know how you have worked and how you have waited long and have not given up. I know that you are working harder now than you did at first.

I know your record and what you are doing, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your recent works are more numerous and greater than your first ones.

20 B ut I have this against you: You are allowing Jezebel who calls herself a preacher to teach my servants. She is leading them in the wrong way and they are doing sex sins. And they are eating food that has been given as a gift in worship to false gods.

But I have this against you: that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and who is teaching and leading astray my servants and beguiling them into practicing sexual vice and eating food sacrificed to idols.

21 I gave her time to be sorry for her sins and turn from them. She does not want to turn from her sex sins.

I gave her time to repent, but she has no desire to repent of her immorality and refuses to do so.

22 S ee! I will throw her on a bed. Those who do sex sins with her will suffer much trouble and pain. I will let them suffer unless they are sorry for the sins they have done with her and turn from them.

Take note: I will throw her on a bed '> of anguish], and those who commit adultery with her I will bring down to pressing distress and severe affliction, unless they turn away their minds from conduct hers and repent of their doings.

23 A nd I will kill her children. All the churches will know that I am the One Who looks deep into the hearts and minds. I will give you whatever is coming to you because of your work.

And I will strike her children (her proper followers) dead. And all the assemblies (churches) shall recognize and understand that I am He Who searches minds (the thoughts, feelings, and purposes) and the hearts, and I will give to each of you as your work deserves.

24 B ut the rest of you there in the city of Thyatira have not followed this false teaching. You have not learned what they call the secrets of Satan. So I will put no other load on you.

But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not explored and known the depths of Satan, as they say—I tell you that I do not lay upon you any other burden:

25 B ut hold on to what you have until I come.

Only hold fast to what you have until I come.

26 T o the one who has power and wins and does what I want him to do, I will give the right and the power over the nations.

And he who overcomes (is victorious) and who obeys My commands to the end, I will give him authority and power over the nations;

27 H e will be leader over them using a piece of iron. And they will be broken in pieces like pots of clay. My Father has given Me this right and power.

And he shall rule them with a sceptre (rod) of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, and like that which I Myself have received from My Father;

28 A nd I will give him the Morning Star.

And I will give him the Morning Star.

29 Y ou have ears! Then listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!’

He who is able to hear, let him listen to and heed what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches).