| Berean Study Bible | NET 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"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: |
| 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 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. |
| 3Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name. | 3I am also aware that you have persisted steadfastly, endured much for the sake 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 departed from your first love! |
| 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. | 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. |
| 6But you have this to your credit: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. | 6But you do have this going for you: You hate what the Nicolaitans practice--practices 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. | 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.' |
| 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"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: |
| 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 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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.' |
| 12To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of the One who holds the sharp, double-edged sword. | 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: |
| 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. 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. |
| 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 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. |
| 15In the same way, some of you also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. | 15In the same way, there are also some among you who follow 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! If not, I will come against you quickly and make war against those people 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. | 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.' |
| 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"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: |
| 19I know your deeds—your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance—and your latter deeds are greater than your first. | 19I know your deeds: your love, faith, service, and steadfast endurance. In fact, your more recent deeds are greater than your earlier ones. |
| 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 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. |
| 21Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling. | 21I have given her time to repent, but she is not willing 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 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 25Nevertheless, hold fast to what you have until I come. | 25However, 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. | 26And to the one who conquers and who continues in my deeds until 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. | 27he will rule them with an iron rod and like clay jars he will break them to pieces, |
| 28And I will give him the morning star. | 28just as I have received the right to rule from my Father--and I will give him the morning star. |
| 29He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. | 29The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' |
|
