The Beast From the Sea
13 I saw a beast rising out of the sea. He had ten horns with ten crowns on his horns, and seven heads with blasphemous names[a] on his heads. 2 The beast that I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth was like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 One of his heads seemed to have been fatally wounded,[b] but his fatal wound was healed.
And the whole world that followed the beast was amazed. 4 They worshipped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. They worshipped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can go to war against him?” 5 The beast was also given a mouth that spoke arrogant and blasphemous things. He was given authority to do these things for forty-two months.
6 The beast opened his mouth to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name, his dwelling, and[c] those who dwell in heaven. 7 He was also given permission to wage war against the saints and to overcome them, as well as authority over every tribe and people and language and nation. 8 All those who make their home on the earth will worship the beast—those whose names have[d] not been written from the beginning of the world in the Book of Life, which belongs to the Lamb that was slain.[e]
9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear:
10 If anyone is to be imprisoned,[f] he is going to be imprisoned.
If anyone is to be killed[g] with a sword, he is going to be killed with a sword.
Here patient endurance and confidence are needed by the saints.
The Beast From the Earth
11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like the Lamb, and he spoke like the dragon. 12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast on his behalf. He causes the earth and those who make their home on it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13 He performs great miracles, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of people. 14 He also deceives those who make their home on the earth because of the miracles that he was permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, telling those who make their home on the earth to make an image for the beast who had been wounded by the sword but lived.
15 This beast was also given the ability to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast spoke and caused whoever did not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He also makes all people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 in order that no one may buy or sell unless he has the mark—the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom: Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man. His number is 666.
Footnotes
- Revelation 13:1 Some witnesses to the text read a blasphemous name.
- Revelation 13:3 Literally slaughtered to death
- Revelation 13:6 Or namely or that is.
- Revelation 13:8 Some witnesses to the text read the one whose name has.
- Revelation 13:8 Or written in the Book of Life, which belongs to the Lamb that was slain from the beginning of the world.
- Revelation 13:10 A few witnesses to the text read The person who leads someone into prison.
- Revelation 13:10 A few witnesses to the text read If anyone kills.