“This is the solemn pronouncement of³⁹ the one who has the sharp double-edged sword:⁴⁰^2:13‘I know⁴¹ where you live—where Satan’s throne is. Yet⁴² you continue to cling⁴³ to my name and you have not denied your⁴⁴ faith in me,⁴⁵ even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness,⁴⁶ who was killed in your city⁴⁷ where Satan lives. ^2:14But 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 block⁴⁹ before the people⁵⁰ of Israel so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.⁵¹^2:15In the same way, there are also some among you who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans.⁵²^2:16Therefore,⁵³ repent! If not, I will come against you quickly and make war against those people⁵⁴ with the sword of my mouth. ^2:17The 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 white⁵⁶ stone,⁵⁷ and on that stone will be written a new name that no one can understand⁵⁸ except the one who receives it.’

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Footnotes

37 Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.
38 The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.
39 Grk “These things says [the One] …” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in . The expression This is the solemn pronouncement of reflects an OT idiom. See the note on this phrase in .
40 On the sharp double-edged sword see 1:16.
41 The shorter reading adopted here has superior support (א A C P 2053 latt co), while the inclusion of “your works and” (τὰ ἔργα σου καί, ta erga sou kai) before “where you reside” is supported by the Byzantine witnesses and is evidently a secondary attempt to harmonize the passage with 2:2, 19; 3:1, 8, 15.
42 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Yet” to indicate the contrast between their location and their faithful behavior.
43 The present indicative verb κρατεῖς (krateis) has been translated as a progressive present.
44 Grk “the faith”; here the Greek article is used as a possessive pronoun ( ).
45 Grk “the faith of me” (τὴν πίστιν μου, tēn pistin mou) with the genitive “of me” (μου) functioning objectively.
46 Or “martyr.” The Greek word μάρτυς can mean either “witness” or “martyr.”
47 Grk “killed among you.” The term “city” does not occur in the Greek text of course, but the expression παρʼ ὑμῖν, ὄπου ὁ σατανᾶς κατοικεῖ (par’ humin, hopou ho satanas katoikei) seems to indicate that this is what is meant. See G. B. Caird, Revelation (), 36–38.
49 That is, a cause for sinning. An alternate translation is “who instructed Balak to cause the people of Israel to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols …”
50 Grk “sons,” but the expression υἱοὶ Ἰσραήλ (huioi Israēl) is an idiom for the people of Israel as an ethnic entity (see L&N 11.58).
51 Due to the actual events in the OT (Num 22–24; 31:16), πορνεῦσαι (porneusai) is taken to mean “sexual immorality.” πορνεύω 1 states, “engage in illicit sex, to fornicate, to whore … W. φαγεῖν εἰδωλόθυτα ‘eat meat offered to idols’ Rv 2:14, 20.”
52 The term ὁμοίως (homoiōs, “likewise”) is left untranslated because it is quite redundant. See the note on the term Nicolaitans in .
53 The “therefore” (οὖν, oun) is not found in א 2053 2329 2351 𝔐A or the Latin . It is, however, included in impressive witnesses such as {A C 046 1006 1611 syp,h co}. Though the conjunction looks at first glance like a scribal clarification, its omission may be explained on the basis of its similarity to the last three letters of the verb “repent” (μετανόησον, metanoēson; since οὖν is a postpositive conjunction in Greek, the final three letters of the verb [-σον, -son] would have been immediately followed by ουν). A scribe could have simply passed over the conjunction in his copy when he saw the last three letters of the imperative verb. A decision is difficult, however, because of the motivation to add to the text and the quality of witnesses that lack the conjunction.
54 Grk “with them”; the referent (those people who follow the teaching of Balaam and the Nicolaitans) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
55 Or “who is victorious”; traditionally, “who overcomes.” The pendent dative is allowed to stand in the English translation because it is characteristic of the author’s style in Revelation.
56 Or “bright.” The Greek term λευκός (leukos) can refer either to the color white (traditional here) or to an object that is bright or shining, either from itself or from an outside source of illumination (L&N 14.50; 79.27).
57 On the interpretation of the stone, L&N 2.27 states, “A number of different suggestions have been made as to the reference of ψῆφος in this context. Some scholars believe that the white ψῆφος indicates a vote of acquittal in court. Others contend that it is simply a magical amulet; still others, a token of Roman hospitality; and finally, some have suggested that it may represent a ticket to the gladiatorial games, that is to say, to martyrdom. The context, however, suggests clearly that this is something to be prized and a type of reward for those who have ‘won the victory.’ ”
58 Or “know”; for the meaning “understand” see L&N 32.4.

Cross references

48 See Num 22–24; 31:16.