Revelation 2

1To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘These are the words of the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands:

2I know your works, your hard labor and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and you have found them to be liars.

3You have endurance, you have borne up for the sake of my name, and you have not grown weary.

4But I have this against you: you have abandoned the love you had at first.

5So remember from where you have fallen. Repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

6Yet you have this in your favor: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

7Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will let the one who conquers eat from the tree of life, which 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 came to life:

9I know your affliction and your poverty—yet you are rich—and the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

10Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful even to death, and I will give you the crown of life.

11Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers 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 has the sharp two-edged sword:

13I know where you live—where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast to my name, and you did not deny your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death among you, where Satan lives.

14But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the Israelites, so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.

15So you too have some who likewise hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

16Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

17Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give that person a white stone, with a new name written on the stone 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 flame of fire and whose feet are like polished bronze:

19I know your works—your love and faith and service and endurance—and that you are doing more now than you did at first.

20But I have this against you: you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet, and by her teaching she misleads my servants into committing sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols.

21I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.

22Look, I am throwing her onto a bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great affliction, unless they repent of her works.

23I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

24But to the rest of you in Thyatira, all who do not hold this teaching and have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, I say this: I will not lay any other burden on you.

25Only hold fast to what you have until I come.

26To the one who conquers and keeps my works until the end, I will give authority over the nations,

27to shepherd them with an iron rod, as clay pots are shattered—just as I myself have received authority from my Father.

28And I will give that person the morning star.

29Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.’