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, 2 who then 6 testified to everything that he saw concerning the word of God and the testimony about 7 Jesus Christ. 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
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, 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 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.
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
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
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 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, 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.”
12 I 43 turned to see whose voice was speaking to me, 44 and when I did so, 45 I saw seven golden lampstands, 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. 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. 15 His feet were like polished bronze 51 refined 52 in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar 53 of many waters. 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. 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, 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 19 Therefore write what you saw, what is, and what will be after these things. 60 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 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus, 1 write the following: 2
“This is the solemn pronouncement of 3 the one who has a firm grasp on 4 the seven stars in his right hand 5 – the one who walks among the seven golden 6 lampstands: 2 ‘I know your works as well as your 7 labor and steadfast endurance, and that you cannot tolerate 8 evil. You have even put to the test 9 those who refer to themselves as apostles (but are not), and have discovered that they are false. 3 I am also aware 10 that you have persisted steadfastly, 11 endured much for the sake of my name, and have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you: You have departed 12 from your first love! 5 Therefore, remember from what high state 13 you have fallen and repent! Do 14 the deeds you did at the first; 15 if not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place – that is, if you do not repent. 16 6 But you do have this going for you: 17 You hate what the Nicolaitans 18 practice 19 – practices I also hate. 7 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, 20 I will permit 21 him to eat from the tree of life that is 22 in the paradise of God.’ 23
8 “To 24 the angel of the church in Smyrna write the following: 25
“This is the solemn pronouncement of 26 the one who is the first and the last, the one who was dead, but 27 came to life: 9 ‘I know the distress you are suffering 28 and your poverty (but you are rich). I also know 29 the slander against you 30 by those who call themselves Jews and really are not, but are a synagogue 31 of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. The devil is about to have some of you thrown 32 into prison so you may be tested, 33 and you will experience suffering 34 for ten days. Remain faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown that is life itself. 35 11 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers 36 will in no way be harmed by the second death.’
12 “To 37 the angel of the church in Pergamum write the following: 38
“This is the solemn pronouncement of 39 the one who has the sharp double-edged sword: 40 13 ‘I know 41 where you live – where Satan’s throne is. Yet 42 you continue to cling 43 to my name and you have not denied your 44 faith in me, 45 even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, 46 who was killed in your city 47 where Satan lives. 14 But I have a few things against you: You have some people there who follow the teaching of Balaam, 48 who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block 49 before the people 50 of Israel so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. 51 15 In the same way, there are also some among you who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 52 16 Therefore, 53 repent! If not, I will come against you quickly and make war against those people 54 with the sword of my mouth. 17 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, 55 I will give him some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white 56 stone, 57 and on that stone will be written a new name that no one can understand 58 except the one who receives it.’
18 “To 59 the angel of the church in Thyatira write the following: 60
“This is the solemn pronouncement of 61 the Son of God, the one who has eyes like a fiery flame 62 and whose feet are like polished bronze: 63 19 ‘I know your deeds: your love, faith, 64 service, and steadfast endurance. 65 In fact, 66 your more recent deeds are greater than your earlier ones. 20 But I have this against you: You tolerate that 67 woman 68 Jezebel, 69 who calls herself a prophetess, and by her teaching deceives 70 my servants 71 to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 72 21 I 73 have given her time to repent, but 74 she is not willing to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Look! I am throwing her onto a bed of violent illness, 75 and those who commit adultery with her into terrible suffering, 76 unless they repent of her deeds. 23 Furthermore, I will strike her followers 77 with a deadly disease, 78 and then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts. I will repay 79 each one of you 80 what your deeds deserve. 81 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, all who do not hold to this teaching 82 (who have not learned the so-called “deep secrets 83 of Satan”), to you I say: I do not put any additional burden on you. 25 However, hold on to what you have until I come. 26 And to the one who conquers 84 and who continues in 85 my deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations 86 –
27 he 87 will rule 88 them with an iron rod 89
and like clay jars he will break them to pieces, 90
28 just as I have received the right to rule 91 from my Father – and I will give him the morning star. 92 29 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
