New International Version | Berean Study 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: These are the words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. |
2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. | 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. |
3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. | 3Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name. |
4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. | 4But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. |
5Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. | 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. |
6But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. | 6But you have this to your credit: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. |
7Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. | 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. |
8"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. | 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. |
9I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. | 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. |
10Do 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, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor's crown. | 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. |
11Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death. | 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. |
12"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. | 12To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of the One who holds the sharp, double-edged sword. |
13I know where you live--where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city--where Satan lives. | 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. |
14Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. | 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. |
15Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. | 15In the same way, some of you also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. |
16Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. | 16Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth. |
17Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it. | 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. |
18"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. | 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. |
19I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. | 19I know your deeds—your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance—and your latter deeds are greater than your first. |
20Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. | 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. |
21I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. | 21Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling. |
22So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. | 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. |
23I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your 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. |
24Now 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, | 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. |
25except to hold on to what you have until I come.' | 25Nevertheless, hold fast to what you have until I come. |
26To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-- | 26And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. |
27that one 'will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery' --just as I have received authority from my Father. | 27He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery—just as I have received authority from My Father. |
28I will also give that one the morning star. | 28And I will give him the morning star. |
29Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. | 29He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. |
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