Revelation of John 2 Comparison: Noyes Translation (1869) vs King James Version
Revelation of John 2
1To the angel of the church in 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:
2I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy endurance, and that thou canst not bear evil men; and thou didst try those who say they are apostles, and are not, and didst find them liars;
3and thou hast endurance, and hast borne on account of my name, and hast not become weary.
4But I have this against thee, that thou hast left thy first love.
5Remember therefore whence thou hast fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come to thee, and will remove thy candlestick out of its place, unless thou repent.
6But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of my God.
8And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These things saith the first and the last, who was dead, and lived again:
9I know thy affliction and poverty, (but thou art rich,) and the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
10Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer. Behold, now, the Devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye will have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.
11He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death.
12And to the angel of the church in Pergamus write: These things saith he that hath the sharp two-edged sword:
13I know where thou dwellest, where the throne of Satan is; and thou holdest fast my name, and didst not deny my faith, even in the days in which Antipas was my witness, my faithful one, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
14But I have a few things against thee; thou hast there them that hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling-block in the way of the sons of Israel, and to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication.
15So thou also hast men holding the teaching of the Nicolaitans, in like manner.
16Repent therefore; or else I will come to thee quickly, and will make war with them with the sword of my mouth.
17He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, I will give of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth but he that receiveth it.
18And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass:
19I know thy works, and love, and faith, and service, and thy endurance, and that thy last works are more than the first.
20But I have this against thee, that thou sufferest thy wife Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess, and she teacheth and seduceth my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols.
21And I gave her time to repent, and she will not repent of her fornication.
22Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and those who together with her commit adultery into great distress, unless they repent of her deeds.
23And her children I will slay with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he who searcheth the reins and hearts; and I will give to every one of you according to your works.
24But to you I say, the rest who are in Thyatira, as many as have not this teaching, such as have not known "the depths" of Satan, as they speak; I put upon you no other burden;
25but that which ye have, hold fast till I come.
26And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works to the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,—
27and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a potter are broken to shivers,—as I also have received of my Father.
28And I will give him the morning star.
29He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.
Revelation of John 2
1Unto 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;
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:
3And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
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.
6But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
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.
8And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
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.
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.
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.
12And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath 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.
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.
15So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
16Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and 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.
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;
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.
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.
21And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
22Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
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.
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.
25But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
26And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give 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.
28And I will give him the morning star.
29He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Understanding Noyes Translation (1869) vs King James Version in Revelation of John 2
Noyes Translation (1869) (Noyes)
A scholarly 1869 translation by George R. Noyes, aiming for precision and literary beauty. Known for its distinct Unitarian perspective and separate translation of poetical books like Psalms.
King James Version (KJV)
The classic 1611 English translation known for its majestic prose and literary influence. Ideal for traditional study and memorization thanks to its formal style. A foundational English Bible used for centuries.
You are viewing a side-by-side comparison of Revelation of John 2 in the Noyes Translation (1869) and King James Version. Comparing these two versions can help shed light on the nuances of the original text.
Key Comparison: Revelation of John 2:16
"Repent therefore; or else I will come to thee quickly, and will make war with them with the sword of my mouth."
"Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth."





