| Berean Study Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. | 1"Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus: "The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand and who walks among the seven gold lampstands says: |
| 2I know your deeds, your labor, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles. | 2I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars. |
| 3Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name. | 3You also possess endurance and have tolerated many things because of My name and have not grown weary. |
| 4But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. | 4But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. |
| 5Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. | 5Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent. |
| 6But you have this to your credit: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. | 6Yet you do have this: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. |
| 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God. | 7"Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the victor the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in God's paradise. |
| 8To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the First and the Last, who died and returned to life. | 8"Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: "The First and the Last, the One who was dead and came to life, says: |
| 9I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan. | 9I know your affliction and poverty, yet you are rich. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. |
| 10Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. | 10Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the Devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will have affliction for 10 days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. |
| 11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death. | 11"Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The victor will never be harmed by the second death. |
| 12To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of the One who holds the sharp, double-edged sword. | 12"Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum: "The One who has the sharp, double-edged sword says: |
| 13I know where you live, where the throne of Satan sits. Yet you have held fast to My name and have not denied your faith in Me, even in the day when My faithful witness Antipas was killed among you, where Satan dwells. | 13I know where you live--where Satan's throne is! And you are holding on to My name and did not deny your faith in Me, even in the days of Antipas, My faithful witness who was killed among you, where Satan lives. |
| 14But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. | 14But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block in front of the Israelites: to eat meat sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. |
| 15In the same way, some of you also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. | 15In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. |
| 16Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth. | 16Therefore repent! Otherwise, I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of My mouth. |
| 17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it. | 17"Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the victor some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it. |
| 18To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze. | 18"Write to the angel of the church in Thyatira: "The Son of God, the One whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like fine bronze, says: |
| 19I know your deeds—your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance—and your latter deeds are greater than your first. | 19I know your works--your love, faithfulness, service, and endurance. Your last works are greater than the first. |
| 20But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. | 20But I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and deceives My slaves to commit sexual immorality and to eat meat sacrificed to idols. |
| 21Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling. | 21I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality. |
| 22Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds. | 22Look! I will throw her into a sickbed and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her practices. |
| 23Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. | 23I will kill her children with the plague. Then all the churches will know that I am the One who examines minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works. |
| 24But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned the so-called deep things of Satan: I will place no further burden upon you. | 24I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who haven't known the deep things of Satan--as they say--I do not put any other burden on you. |
| 25Nevertheless, hold fast to what you have until I come. | 25But hold on to what you have until I come. |
| 26And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. | 26The one who is victorious and keeps My works to the end: I will give him authority over the nations-- |
| 27He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery—just as I have received authority from My Father. | 27and he will shepherd them with an iron scepter; he will shatter them like pottery -- just as I have received this from My Father. |
| 28And I will give him the morning star. | 28I will also give him the morning star. |
| 29He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. | 29"Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. |
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