Translation
Do not pull back in fear from the things you will assuredly suffer very
soon.
Go to footnote numberTake heed of this—the DEVIL will surely
Go to footnote numbercast some of you into prison soon in order to test you, and you will be hemmed in and under intense pressure
Go to footnote numberfor ten days.
Go to footnote numberBe faithful unto death and I will give you the crown
of life.
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
Do not pull back
in fear from what
you will assuredly suffer very soon.
Take heed of this—the FALSE ACCUSER will surely cast some of you into prison soon in order to test you, and you will be hemmed in and under intense pressure according to the full force of the legal system for as long as that legal system has power.
Be faithful unto death and I will give you the authority that comes with true life.
Footnotes
1
The word “soon” has two primary emphases: that of “about to” and that of “surely.” Most translations only convey the temporal idea expressed as “about to” or “soon.” I have tried to convey both ideas in the translation and in the paraphrase.
2: "surely"
Once again a combination of the ideas “soon and assuredly.”
3
“Under intense pressure” is the word for “tribulation” which literally means “to be hemmed in or under pressure.”
4
The number ten was a symbol for fullness or completeness of a legal system. In the OT there were ten commandments, not twelve. That fit perfectly with legal perfection or completeness. So here “ten days” refers to the fullest extent and power of a legal system exerted over a period of time that lasts as long as that legal system holds its power. Notice how the meaning of “ten days” dovetails with the reputation of the city.
5: "crown of life"
A “crown” was a symbol of authority in a political setting. In a less important and less common practice, a crown was a reward for winners of an athletic competition. I think the symbol of authority fits better here since the type of persecution they are facing is political and legal in nature. At that moment the readers were suffering under the authority of others, but if they remained faithful the tables would be turned and they would be given authority that can never be taken away. This authority may simply be the right to overcome death permanently or it may be more than that, but it will never equal Christ’s authority, for He is the one who conquered death on our behalf.