Revelation 2

NEW JERUSALEM	Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
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: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
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 toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men but have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and found them to be false;
3 I know too that you have perseverance, and have suffered for my name without growing tired.	3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary.
4 Nevertheless, I have this complaint to make: you have less love now than formerly.	4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned 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 Remember then from what 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.
6 It is in your favour, nevertheless, that you loathe as I do the way the Nicolaitans are behaving.	6 Yet this you have, 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 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise 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 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: 'The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.
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 your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue 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 fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto 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 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who conquers shall not be hurt 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 "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: 'The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
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 where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; you hold fast my name and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
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 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice immorality.
15 and among you too there are some also who fol ow the teaching of the Nicolaitans.	15 So you also have some who hold 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 Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and 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 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone which no one knows except him 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 "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: 'The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
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 and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed 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 But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice immorality 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 gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her immorality.
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 Behold, I will throw her on a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her doings;
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 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as 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 to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay upon you any other burden;
25 but hold on firmly to what you already have until I come.	25 only hold fast 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 He who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, I will give him power 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 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received power from my Father;
28 And I will give such a person the Morning Star.	28 and I will give him the morning star.
29 Let anyone who can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches."	29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'