Study Desk

"To the angel^[a] of the church in Ephesus^(a) write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand^(b) and walks among the seven golden lampstands.^(c)

I know your deeds,^(d) your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested^(e) those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.^(f)

You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name,^(g) and have not grown weary.

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.^(h)

Consider how far you have fallen! Repent⁽ⁱ⁾ and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand^(j) from its place.

But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans,^(k) which I also hate.

Whoever has ears, let them hear^(l) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious,^(m) I will give the right to eat from the tree of life,⁽ⁿ⁾ which is in the paradise^(o) of God.

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna^(p) write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last,^(q) who died and came to life again.^(r)

I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!^(s) I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not,^(t) but are a synagogue of Satan.^(u)

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you,^(v) and you will suffer persecution for ten days.^(w) Be faithful,^(x) even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor's crown.^(y)

Whoever has ears, let them hear^(z) what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.^(aa)

"To the angel of the church in Pergamum^(ab) write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.^(ac)

I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me,^(ad) not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness,^(ae) who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.^(af)

Nevertheless, I have a few things against you:^(ag) There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam,^(ah) who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols^(ai) and committed sexual immorality.^(aj)

Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.^(ak)

Repent^(al) therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.^(am)

Whoever has ears, let them hear^(an) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious,^(ao) I will give some of the hidden manna.^(ap) I will also give that person a white stone with a new name^(aq) written on it, known only to the one who receives it.^(ar)

"To the angel of the church in Thyatira^(as) write: These are the words of the Son of God,^(at) whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.^(au)

I know your deeds,^(av) your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel,^(aw) who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.^(ax)

I have given her time^(ay) to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.^(az)

So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery^(ba) with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.

I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds,^(bb) and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.^(bc)

Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you,^(bd)

except to hold on to what you have^(be) until I come.'^(bf)

To the one who is victorious^(bg) and does my will to the end,^(bh) I will give authority over the nations^(bi)—

that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter^(bj) and will dash them to pieces like pottery'^[b](bk)—just as I have received authority from my Father.

I will also give that one the morning star.^(bl)

Whoever has ears, let them hear^(bm) what the Spirit says to the churches.