After the praise (verse 9) comes the warning (verse 10); there is no condemnation.

Do not fear what you are about to suffer: often the word fear is expressed in certain languages idiomatically as “heart (or, liver) falls.” What (you … suffer) means “the things…,” or “anything (you … suffer)” (Good News Translation). The Greek auxiliary verb translated are about to may carry the overtones of the divine will and plan; what is happening to them is in accordance with God’s will. In translation it is not advisable, however, to explicitly make God the subject; something like “you will certainly (or, surely) suffer” is preferable. This clause may also be rendered as “Do not be afraid (or, let your heart fall) as you think about the things that you will certainly suffer.”

Behold: see comments at 1.7. New Revised Standard Version has “Beware.”

The devil is about to throw some of you into prison: the Devil is the same as Satan, the ruler of the forces of evil; the name means “accuser” or “slanderer.” In cultures where Christianity is known only recently, a suitable term for the devil (Satan) may not yet have been agreed upon by the Christian community. Translators in concurrence with the churches should carefully select a term that adequately translates the Biblical idea of “Devil.” In some cultures people recognize an evil supernatural spirit being who is active in the universe. The term used for this being may be a good translation of the devil if it refers to a spirit of demonic origin. In other cultures people talk about the “chief” or “head” of the evil or bad spirits. The title for this bad spirit can almost certainly be employed for the devil in the present context. However, if a suitable term cannot be found, then the name “Satan” should be used in contexts where that proper noun appears.

Throw some of you into prison: if at all possible the translation should be quite literal, “the Devil is going to,” unless the readers may be led to think that the Devil, in person, will arrest these Christians and lead them off to prison; in this case something like “the Devil will cause your enemies to throw some of you into prison” or “the Devil will have some of you thrown into prison” is preferable.

The verb throw does not mean that someone will actually pick the Christians up physically and throw them into a prison. If translating throw literally gives this wrong meaning, one may say “arrest some of you and put you into prison” or “cause some of you to be arrested and put into prison.” Prison or “jail (gaol)”: most societies have a place where criminals or wrongdoers are confined. Translators should use that term here. If, however, in a certain culture criminals are not kept in a prison but are turned over to their families or relatives to watch over, then one can express this clause as “arrest some of you so that you may be punished.”

That you may be tested: it should be noticed that it is the jailing itself of some of these Christians that is the “test,” so it may be better to translate “and in this way you will be tested.” The use of the verb “to test” here is different from its use in verse 2; here the purpose is either their enemies’ attempt to get them to renounce their Christian faith, or else (which is more likely) it is part of the divine plan to test the genuineness of their faith. Notice that all the believers in Smyrna will be tested by the jailing of some of them, and not only those who would actually be thrown into prison. Translators in languages that do not use the passive will have to decide who is the agent of the action in this context, enemies or God; for example, “in order that your [plural] enemies may test you” or “in order that God may test you [plural].” Either agent is possible, but if translators pick God as the agent, they should avoid giving the impression to readers that God is in league with Satan (see the second translation model at the end of the comments on this verse).

And for ten days you will have tribulation: in apocalyptic literature ten days stands for a short, limited amount of time. Some commentators connect the phrase to Dan 1.14. For tribulation see the comments at 1.9. Other ways of phrasing this clause are “and you will go through hard times for ten days” or “and you will suffer trials for a short time.”

Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life: the injunction Be faithful means “Be loyal to your Christian commitment,” “Be faithful Christians,” “Be faithful to me,” or “Never give up believing in me,” that is, acknowledge me as your Lord and obey me. The adjective faithful is used of believers in 2.13; 17.14; of Jesus Christ in 1.5; 3.14; 19.11.

Unto death: this means “until you die,” not the normal end of life but death as the result of persecution and punishment. Beckwith paraphrases, “Be ready to meet the extreme penalty of death, if it should come to that.” The meaning is brought out well by Moffatt, “Be faithful, though you have to die for it”; Barclay “Prove yourself to be willing to die for your faith,” and New Jerusalem Bible “Even if you have to die, keep faithful.” This phrase may also be expressed as “even if it means that you will be killed,” or in languages that do not use the passive, “even if it means that they will kill you” (“they” being an unknown agent).

I will give you the crown of life: the Greek word translated crown means in a context like this the wreath made of laurel leaves that was given to the winner in an athletic contest (see 1 Cor 9.25; 2 Tim 2.5). The phrase the crown of life appears also in James 1.12; see also “the crown of righteousness” in 2 Tim 4.8, and “the crown of glory” in 1 Peter 5.4. The genitive construction the crown of life means life as the crown, life as the prize, which Christ will give to those who are faithful. This is eternal life, life in the coming Kingdom. Thus Barclay “I will give you life as your victor’s crown,” and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “I will give you life as the prize.”

The second and third sentences in this verse are both fairly complex, with various subordinate clauses. In the second sentence a translation must maintain a natural and easily-followed relation between the act of being thrown into prison, the purpose of the act (“to be tested”), the extent of time involved, and the fact that only some of the believers will be jailed, although this will be a test for all of them. And in the third sentence it is especially the meaning of “until death” that must be faithfully expressed, so that it means martyrdom, being put to death for being a faithful Christian. The genitive construction “the crown of life” should not appear as “the crown that belongs to life” or “the crown that life gives.” Life, eternal life, is the victory prize awarded by Christ.

Alternative translation models for this verse are:

• Don’t be afraid of the suffering you will most certainly undergo. Listen! The Devil is about to cause (or, have) your enemies to arrest some of you and put you in prison in order that they may test you. You will experience big troubles for ten days. But don’t ever give up believing in me even if you are killed (or, must die), because I will give you eternal life as your victory prize just like a crown (or, garland).

Or:

• Don’t let your heart (or, liver) fall as you think of the things you are about to suffer. Beware! The Devil will have people arrest some of you in the near future and put you in prison. And God will test you. You will experience suffering for ten days. You must always be loyal to me even if it means that people kill you. I will give you real life as the prize of victory.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .