1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, ¹  which God gave him to show his servants ²  what must happen very soon. ³  He made it clear ⁴  by sending his angel to his servant ⁵  John, 1:2 who then ⁶  testified to everything that he saw concerning the word of God and the testimony about ⁷  Jesus Christ. 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this ⁸  prophecy aloud, ⁹  and blessed are ¹⁰  those who hear and obey ¹¹  the things written in it, because the time is near! ¹² 

1:4 From John, ¹³  to the seven churches that are in the province of Asia: ¹⁴  Grace and peace to you ¹⁵  from “he who is,” ¹⁶  and who was, and who is still to come, ¹⁷  and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 1:5 and from Jesus Christ – the faithful ¹⁸  witness, ¹⁹  the firstborn from among the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has set us free ²⁰  from our sins at the cost of ²¹  his own blood 1:6 and has appointed ²²  us as a kingdom, ²³  as priests ²⁴  serving his God and Father – to him be the glory and the power for ever and ever! ²⁵  Amen.

1:7 (Look! He is returning with the clouds, ²⁶ 

and every eye will see him,

even ²⁷  those who pierced him, ²⁸ 

and all the tribes ²⁹  on the earth will mourn because ³⁰  of him.

This will certainly come to pass! ³¹  Amen.) ³² 

1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” ³³  says the Lord God – the one who is, and who was, and who is still to come – the All-Powerful! ³⁴ 

1:9 I, John, your brother and the one who shares ³⁵  with you in the persecution, kingdom, and endurance that ³⁶  are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus. ³⁷  1:10 I was in the Spirit ³⁸  on the Lord’s Day ³⁹  when ⁴⁰  I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 1:11 saying: “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches – to Ephesus, ⁴¹  Smyrna, ⁴²  Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

1:12 I ⁴³  turned to see whose voice was speaking to me, ⁴⁴  and when I did so, ⁴⁵  I saw seven golden lampstands, 1:13 and in the midst of the lampstands was one like a son of man. ⁴⁶  He was dressed in a robe extending down to his feet and he wore a wide golden belt ⁴⁷  around his chest. 1:14 His ⁴⁸  head and hair were as white as wool, even as white as snow, ⁴⁹  and his eyes were like a fiery ⁵⁰  flame. 1:15 His feet were like polished bronze ⁵¹  refined ⁵²  in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar ⁵³  of many waters. 1:16 He held ⁵⁴  seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword extended out of his mouth. His ⁵⁵  face shone like the sun shining at full strength. 1:17 When ⁵⁶  I saw him I fell down at his feet as though I were dead, but ⁵⁷  he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last, 1:18 and the one who lives! I ⁵⁸  was dead, but look, now I am alive – forever and ever – and I hold the keys of death and of Hades! ⁵⁹  1:19 Therefore write what you saw, what is, and what will be after these things. ⁶⁰  1:20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands is this: ⁶¹  The seven stars are the angels ⁶²  of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

2:1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus, ⁶³  write the following: ⁶⁴ 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ⁶⁵  the one who has a firm grasp on ⁶⁶  the seven stars in his right hand ⁶⁷  – the one who walks among the seven golden ⁶⁸  lampstands: 2:2 ‘I know your works as well as your ⁶⁹  labor and steadfast endurance, and that you cannot tolerate ⁷⁰  evil. You have even put to the test ⁷¹  those who refer to themselves as apostles (but are not), and have discovered that they are false. 2:3 I am also aware ⁷²  that you have persisted steadfastly, ⁷³  endured much for the sake of my name, and have not grown weary. 2:4 But I have this against you: You have departed ⁷⁴  from your first love! 2:5 Therefore, remember from what high state ⁷⁵  you have fallen and repent! Do ⁷⁶  the deeds you did at the first; ⁷⁷  if not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place – that is, if you do not repent. ⁷⁸  2:6 But you do have this going for you: ⁷⁹  You hate what the Nicolaitans ⁸⁰  practice ⁸¹  – practices I also hate. 2:7 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, ⁸²  I will permit ⁸³  him to eat from the tree of life that is ⁸⁴  in the paradise of God.’ ⁸⁵ 

2:8 “To ⁸⁶  the angel of the church in Smyrna write the following: ⁸⁷ 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ⁸⁸  the one who is the first and the last, the one who was dead, but ⁸⁹  came to life: 2:9 ‘I know the distress you are suffering ⁹⁰  and your poverty (but you are rich). I also know ⁹¹  the slander against you ⁹²  by those who call themselves Jews and really are not, but are a synagogue ⁹³  of Satan. 2:10 Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. The devil is about to have some of you thrown ⁹⁴  into prison so you may be tested, ⁹⁵  and you will experience suffering ⁹⁶  for ten days. Remain faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown that is life itself. ⁹⁷  2:11 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers ⁹⁸  will in no way be harmed by the second death.’

2:12 “To ⁹⁹  the angel of the church in Pergamum write the following: ¹⁰⁰ 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ¹⁰¹  the one who has the sharp double-edged sword: ¹⁰²  2:13 ‘I know ¹⁰³  where you live – where Satan’s throne is. Yet ¹⁰⁴  you continue to cling ¹⁰⁵  to my name and you have not denied your ¹⁰⁶  faith in me, ¹⁰⁷  even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, ¹⁰⁸  who was killed in your city ¹⁰⁹  where Satan lives. 2:14 But I have a few things against you: You have some people there who follow the teaching of Balaam, ¹¹⁰  who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block ¹¹¹  before the people ¹¹²  of Israel so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. ¹¹³  2:15 In the same way, there are also some among you who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ¹¹⁴  2:16 Therefore, ¹¹⁵  repent! If not, I will come against you quickly and make war against those people ¹¹⁶  with the sword of my mouth. 2:17 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, ¹¹⁷  I will give him some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white ¹¹⁸  stone, ¹¹⁹  and on that stone will be written a new name that no one can understand ¹²⁰  except the one who receives it.’

2:18 “To ¹²¹  the angel of the church in Thyatira writethe following: ¹²² 

“ This is the solemn pronouncement of ¹²³  the Son of God, the one who has eyes like a fiery flame ¹²⁴  and whose feet are like polished bronze: ¹²⁵  2:19 ‘I know your deeds: your love, faith, ¹²⁶  service, and steadfast endurance. ¹²⁷  In fact, ¹²⁸  your more recent deeds are greater than your earlier ones. 2:20 But I have this against you: You tolerate that ¹²⁹  woman ¹³⁰  Jezebel, ¹³¹  who calls herself a prophetess, and by her teaching deceives ¹³²  my servants ¹³³  to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. ¹³⁴  2:21 I ¹³⁵  have given her time to repent, but ¹³⁶  she is not willing to repent of her sexual immorality. 2:22 Look! I am throwing her onto a bed of violent illness, ¹³⁷  and those who commit adultery with her into terrible suffering, ¹³⁸  unless they repent of her deeds. 2:23 Furthermore, I will strike her followers ¹³⁹  with a deadly disease, ¹⁴⁰  and then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts. I will repay ¹⁴¹  each one of you ¹⁴²  what your deeds deserve. ¹⁴³  2:24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, all who do not hold to this teaching ¹⁴⁴  (who have not learned the so-called “deep secrets ¹⁴⁵  of Satan”), to you I say: I do not put any additional burden on you. 2:25 However, hold on to what you have until I come. 2:26 And to the one who conquers ¹⁴⁶  and who continues in ¹⁴⁷  my deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations ¹⁴⁸  –

2:27 he ¹⁴⁹  will rule ¹⁵⁰  them with an iron rod ¹⁵¹ 

and like clay jars he will break them to pieces, ¹⁵² 

2:28 just as I have received the right to rule ¹⁵³  from my Father – and I will give him the morning star. ¹⁵⁴  2:29 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’