Revelation 2:7-9

Expanded Bible

⁷ “Every person who has ears should ·listen to [hear; obey] what the Spirit says to the churches. To those who ·win the victory [overcome; conquer] I will give the right to eat the fruit from the ·tree of life, which is in the ·garden [or paradise] of God [22:2; Gen. 2:9].

To the Church in Smyrna

⁸ “Write this to the ·angel [or messenger; see 1:20] of the church in Smyrna [^Ca major city in western Asia Minor, identified with present-day Izmir, Turkey]:

“The One who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again [^Cthe resurrected Jesus; 1:17–18], says ·this [^Lthese things]: ⁹ I know your ·troubles [persecution; affliction] and that you are poor, but really you are rich! I know the ·bad things [slander; blasphemy] some people say about you. They say they are Jews, but they are not true Jews. They are a synagogue ·that belongs to [^Lof] Satan.