Revelation 2

Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

1Write this to the angel of the church in Ephesus. A church is a group of people who follow Jesus. These are the words of the one who holds seven stars in his right hand. He walks among the seven gold lampstands.

NoteThe KJV says "candlesticks." These are lampstands, tall stands that hold burning lamps.

2I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

2I know what you do. I know how hard you work and how you keep going. You cannot put up with people who do evil. Some men said they were apostles, sent out by Jesus. You tested them and found they were lying.

3And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

3You have kept going and put up with hard things because of my name. You have not grown tired and quit.

4Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

4But I have something against you. You have left the love you had at first.

5Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

5Remember how far you have fallen. Turn back, and do the things you did at first. If you do not turn back, I will come to you. I will take your lampstand away from its place.

6But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.

6But there is this good thing about you. You hate what the Nicolaitans do, and I hate it too.

7He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

7If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Whoever wins the fight may eat from the tree of life. That tree is in God's garden, called Paradise.

8And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

8Write this to the angel of the church in Smyrna. These are the words of the First and the Last. He died, and he is alive again.

9I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

9I know your troubles. I know you are poor, but you are really rich. I know the lies told about you by people who say they are Jews. They are not. They are a meeting place that belongs to Satan.

10Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

10Do not be afraid of what you are about to go through. Look, the devil will put some of you in jail to test you. You will have trouble for ten days. Stay true to me, even if it means dying. Then I will give you the crown of life.

11He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

11If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Whoever wins the fight will not be hurt by the second death.

12And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

12Write this to the angel of the church in Pergamos. These are the words of the one who has the sharp sword with two edges.

13I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

13I know where you live. Satan's throne is there. Still, you hold on tight to my name. You did not turn away from trusting me. Antipas told the truth about me, and he was killed where you live, where Satan lives.

NoteThe KJV calls Antipas a "martyr." That word first meant a witness, someone who tells what he knows is true.

14But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

14But I have a few things against you. Some of you follow the teaching of Balaam. He taught Balac how to trip up the people of Israel. They ate food that had been offered to idols, which are statues people worship. They also did wrong things with sex.

15So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.

15In the same way, some of you follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans. I hate that teaching.

16Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

16So turn back. If you do not, I will come to you soon. I will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

17He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

17If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Whoever wins the fight will get the hidden manna to eat. Manna was the special bread God gave his people in the desert. I will also give that person a white stone. A new name is written on it. Only the one who gets the stone knows that name.

18And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;

18Write this to the angel of the church in Thyatira. These are the words of the Son of God. His eyes are like burning fire. His feet shine like polished brass.

19I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

19I know what you do. I know your love, your faith, your help to others, and how you keep going. You are doing more now than you did at first.

Note"Charity" in the KJV means love, not giving money to the poor.

20Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

20But I have something against you. You let that woman Jezebel keep doing what she wants. She calls herself a prophetess, a woman who says she speaks for God. Her teaching leads my servants to do wrong things with sex. It also leads them to eat food offered to idols.

21And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

21I gave her time to turn back from her sin. She would not turn back.

22Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

22So I will throw her onto a bed of sickness. Those who sinned with her will have great trouble too. That will happen unless they turn away from what they did.

23And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

23I will kill her children. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who looks inside people. I see their deepest thoughts and their hearts. I will give each of you what your deeds deserve.

NoteThe KJV says God searches "the reins." "Reins" meant the inside of a person, where thoughts and feelings are.

24But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.

24Now I speak to the rest of you in Thyatira. Some of you do not follow her teaching. You have not learned what they call the deep things of Satan. I will not put any other load on you.

25But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

25Just hold on tight to what you have until I come.

26And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

26Some will win the fight and keep doing my work to the end. I will give them power over the nations.

27And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

27That person will rule them with an iron rod. He will break them into pieces, like clay pots. My Father gave me that same power.

28And I will give him the morning star.

28And I will give that person the morning star.

29He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

29If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.