Revelation 2:2-5:10

English Standard Version

²^(A)“‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but ^(B)have tested those ^(C)who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. ³I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up ^(D)for my name's sake, and you ^(E)have not grown weary. ⁴But I have this against you, that you have abandoned ^(F)the love you had at first. ⁵Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do ^(G)the works you did at first. If not, ^(H)I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. ⁶Yet this you have: you hate the works of ^(I)the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ⁷^(J)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(K)To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of ^(L)the tree of life, which is in ^(M)the paradise of God.’

To the Church in Smyrna

⁸“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of ^(N)the first and the last, ^(O)who died and came to life.

⁹“‘I know your tribulation and ^(P)your poverty (^(Q)but you are rich) and the slander^[a] of ^(R)those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ¹⁰Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, ^(S)that you may be tested, and for ^(T)ten days ^(U)you will have tribulation. ^(V)Be faithful ^(W)unto death, and I will give you ^(X)the crown of life. ¹¹^(Y)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(Z)The one who conquers will not be hurt by ^(AA)the second death.’

To the Church in Pergamum

¹²“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has ^(AB)the sharp two-edged sword.

¹³“‘I know where you dwell, ^(AC)where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not ^(AD)deny my faith^[b] even in the days of Antipas ^(AE)my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. ¹⁴But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of ^(AF)Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might ^(AG)eat food sacrificed to idols and ^(AH)practice sexual immorality. ¹⁵So also you have some who hold the teaching of ^(AI)the Nicolaitans. ¹⁶Therefore repent. If not, ^(AJ)I will come to you soon and ^(AK)war against them with ^(AL)the sword of my mouth. ¹⁷^(AM)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(AN)To the one who conquers I will give some of ^(AO)the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with ^(AP)a new name written on the stone ^(AQ)that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

To the Church in Thyatira

¹⁸“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, ^(AR)who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

¹⁹^(AS)“‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. ²⁰But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman ^(AT)Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants ^(AU)to practice sexual immorality and ^(AV)to eat food sacrificed to idols. ²¹I gave her time to repent, but ^(AW)she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. ²²Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, ²³and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he ^(AX)who searches mind and heart, and ^(AY)I will give to each of you according to your works. ²⁴But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call ^(AZ)the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I ^(BA)do not lay on you any other burden. ²⁵Only hold fast ^(BB)what you have until I come. ²⁶^(BC)The one who conquers and who keeps my works ^(BD)until the end, ^(BE)to him I will give authority over the nations, ²⁷and ^(BF)he will ^(BG)rule^[c] them with a rod of iron, ^(BH)as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. ²⁸And I will give him ^(BI)the morning star. ²⁹^(BJ)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Sardis

3 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him ^(BK)who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation ^(BL)of being alive, ^(BM)but you are dead. ²Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works ^(BN)complete in the sight of my God. ³^(BO)Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, ^(BP)I will come ^(BQ)like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. ⁴Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not ^(BR)soiled their garments, and they will walk with me ^(BS)in white, for they are ^(BT)worthy. ⁵^(BU)The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never ^(BV)blot his name out of ^(BW)the book of life. ^(BX)I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. ⁶^(BY)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Philadelphia

⁷“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of ^(BZ)the holy one, ^(CA)the true one, ^(CB)who has the key of David, ^(CC)who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

⁸“‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you ^(CD)an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. ⁹Behold, I will make those of ^(CE)the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, ^(CF)I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that ^(CG)I have loved you. ¹⁰^(CH)Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try ^(CI)those who dwell on the earth. ¹¹^(CJ)I am coming soon. ^(CK)Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize ^(CL)your crown. ¹²^(CM)The one who conquers, I will make him ^(CN)a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him ^(CO)the name of my God, and ^(CP)the name of the city of my God, ^(CQ)the new Jerusalem, ^(CR)which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own ^(CS)new name. ¹³^(CT)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Laodicea

¹⁴“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the ^(CU)Amen, ^(CV)the faithful and true witness, ^(CW)the beginning of God's creation.

¹⁵“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. ^(CX)Would that you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷^(CY)For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, ^(CZ)blind, and naked. ¹⁸I counsel you ^(DA)to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and ^(DB)white garments so that you may clothe yourself and ^(DC)the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, ^(DD)so that you may see. ¹⁹^(DE)Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. ²⁰Behold, I stand at the door and ^(DF)knock. ^(DG)If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, ^(DH)I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. ²¹^(DI)The one who conquers, ^(DJ)I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as ^(DK)I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²²^(DL)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

The Throne in Heaven

4 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me ^(DM)like a trumpet, said, ^(DN)“Come up here, and ^(DO)I will show you what must take place after this.” ²At once ^(DP)I was in the Spirit, and behold, ^(DQ)a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. ³And he who sat there had the appearance of ^(DR)jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was ^(DS)a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. ⁴Around the throne were ^(DT)twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, ^(DU)clothed in white garments, with ^(DV)golden crowns on their heads. ⁵From the throne came ^(DW)flashes of lightning, and rumblings^[d] and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning ^(DX)seven torches of fire, ^(DY)which are the seven spirits of God, ⁶and before the throne there was ^(DZ)as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are ^(EA)four living creatures, ^(EB)full of eyes in front and behind: ⁷^(EC)the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. ⁸And the four living creatures, ^(ED)each of them with six wings, are ^(EE)full of eyes all around and within, and ^(EF)day and night they never cease to say,

^(EG)“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
^(EH)who was and is and is to come!”

⁹And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, ^(EI)who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰the twenty-four elders ^(EJ)fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast ^(EK)their crowns before the throne, saying,

¹¹^(EL)“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for ^(EM)you created all things,
and ^(EN)by your will they existed and were created.”

The Scroll and the Lamb

5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne ^(EO)a scroll written within and on the back, ^(EP)sealed with seven seals. ²And ^(EQ)I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” ³And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, ⁴and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁵And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, ^(ER)the Lion ^(ES)of the tribe of Judah, ^(ET)the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw ^(EU)a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with ^(EV)seven eyes, which are ^(EW)the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. ⁸And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders ^(EX)fell down before the Lamb, ^(EY)each holding a harp, and ^(EZ)golden bowls full of incense, ^(FA)which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹And they sang ^(FB)a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for ^(FC)you were slain, and by your blood ^(FD)you ransomed people for God
    from ^(FE)every tribe and language and people and nation,
¹⁰and you have made them ^(FF)a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”