Revelation 2

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 'Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus and say, "Here is the message of the one who holds theseven stars in his right hand and who lives among the seven golden lamp-stands:	1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus, write this: " 'The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands says this:
2 I know your activities, your hard work and your perseverance. I know you cannot stand wicked people,and how you put to the test those who were self-styled apostles, and found them false.	2 "I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate the wicked; you have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and discovered that they are impostors.
3 I know too that you have perseverance, and have suffered for my name without growing tired.	3 Moreover, you have endurance and have suffered for my name, and you have not grown weary.
4 Nevertheless, I have this complaint to make: you have less love now than formerly.	4 Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first.
5 Think where you were before you fell; repent, and behave as you did at first, or else, if you will notrepent, I shal come to you and take your lamp-stand from its place.	5 Realize 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.
6 It is in your favour, nevertheless, that you loathe as I do the way the Nicolaitans are behaving.	6 But you have this in your favor: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 Let anyone who can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches: those who prove victoriousI will feed from the tree of life set in God's paradise."	7 " '"Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the victor I will give the right to eat from the tree of life that is in the garden of God."'
8 'Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna and say, "Here is the message of the First and the Last,who was dead and has come to life again:	8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna, write this: " 'The first and the last, who once died but came to life, says this:
9 I know your hardships and your poverty, and -- though you are rich -- the slander of the people whofalsely claim to be Jews but are real y members of the synagogue of Satan.	9 "I know your tribulation and poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who claim to be Jews and are not, but rather are members of the assembly of Satan.
10 Do not be afraid of the sufferings that are coming to you. Look, the devil wil send some of you toprison to put you to the test, and you must face hardship for ten days. Even if you have to die, keep faithful, and Iwil give you the crown of life for your prize.	10 Do not be afraid of anything that you are going to suffer. Indeed, the devil will throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will face an ordeal for ten days. Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
11 Let anyone who can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches: for those who provevictorious wil come to no harm from the second death."	11 " '"Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The victor shall not be harmed by the second death."'
12 'Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum and say, "Here is the message of the one who has the sharp sword, double-edged:	12 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum, write this: " 'The one with the sharp two-edged sword says this:
13 I know where you live, in the place where Satan is enthroned, and that you stil hold firmly to my name,and did not disown your faith in me even when my faithful witness, Antipas, was kil ed among you, where Satanlives.	13 "I know that you live where Satan's throne is, and yet you hold fast to my name and have not denied your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was martyred among you, where Satan lives.
14 "Nevertheless, I have one or two charges against you: some of you are fol owers of Balaam, whotaught Balak to set a trap for the Israelites so that they committed adultery by eating food that had beensacrificed to idols;	14 Yet I have a few things against you. You have some people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block before the Israelites: to eat food sacrificed to idols and to play the harlot.
15 and among you too there are some also who fol ow the teaching of the Nicolaitans.	15 Likewise, you also have some people who hold to the teaching of (the) Nicolaitans.
16 So repent, or I shal soon come to you and attack these people with the sword out of my mouth.	16 Therefore, repent. Otherwise, I will come to you quickly and wage war against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 Let anyone who can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches: to those who provevictorious I will give some hidden manna and a white stone, with a new name written on it, known only to theperson who receives it."	17 " '"Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the victor I shall give some of the hidden manna; I shall also give a white amulet upon which is inscribed a new name, which no one knows except the one who receives it."'
18 'Write to the angel of the church in Thyatira and say, "Here is the message of the Son of God who haseyes like a burning flame and feet like burnished bronze:	18 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira, write this: " 'The Son of God, whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like polished brass, says this:
19 I know your activities, your love, your faith, your service and your perseverance, and I know how youare stil making progress.	19 "I know your works, your love, faith, service, and endurance, and that your last works are greater than the first.
20 Nevertheless, I have a complaint to make: you tolerate the woman Jezebel who claims to be aprophetess, and by her teaching she is luring my servants away to commit the adultery of eating food which hasbeen sacrificed to idols.	20 Yet I hold this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, who teaches and misleads my servants to play the harlot and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
21 I have given her time to repent but she is not wil ing to repent of her adulterous life.	21 I have given her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her harlotry.
22 Look, I am consigning her to a bed of pain, and al her partners in adultery to great hardship, unlessthey repent of their practices;	22 So I will cast her on a sickbed and plunge those who commit adultery with her into intense suffering unless they repent of her works.
23 and I will see that her children die, so that all the churches realise that it is I who test motives andthoughts and repay you as your deeds deserve.	23 I will also put her children to death. Thus shall all the churches come to know that I am the searcher of hearts and minds and that I will give each of you what your works deserve.
24 But on the rest of you in Thyatira, all of you who have not accepted this teaching or learnt the deepsecrets of Satan, as they are cal ed, I am not laying any other burden;	24 But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not uphold this teaching and know nothing of the so-called deep secrets of Satan: on you I will place no further burden,
25 but hold on firmly to what you already have until I come.	25 except that you must hold fast to what you have until I come.
26 To anyone who proves victorious, and keeps working for me until the end, I will give the authority overthe nations	26 " '"To the victor, who keeps to my ways until the end, I will give authority over the nations.
27 which I myself have been given by my Father, to rule them with an iron sceptre and shatter them likeso many pots.	27 He will rule them with an iron rod. Like clay vessels will they be smashed,
28 And I will give such a person the Morning Star.	28 just as I received authority from my Father. And to him I will give the morning star.
29 Let anyone who can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches."	29 " '"Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'