Two Beasts
13 Then I saw a beast rising out of the sea,[a] that had ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten royal crowns, and upon his heads were slanderous names. 2 Now the beast that I saw was like a leopard, his feet like a bear’s, and his mouth like a lion’s. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of his heads seemed to have been slain, but the fatal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, because he had given authority to the beast. They also worshiped the beast, chanting, “Who is like the beast, and who can make war against him?”[b]
5 The beast was given a mouth uttering great boasts and blasphemies. It was given authority to act for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth with blasphemies against God, to slander His name and His tabernacle—that is, those dwelling in heaven. 7 He was also permitted to make war against the kedoshim and overcome them, and he was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth shall worship him—everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life of the Lamb who was slain.
9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
10 If anyone is meant for captivity,
to captivity he goes.
If anyone is to be killed by the sword,
by the sword he must be killed.[c]
Here is the perseverance and faith of the kedoshim.
11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. He had two horns[d] like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast before him, and he makes the earth and all those who dwell in it worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven in the sight of men. [e] 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth through the signs he is permitted to perform, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image in honor of the beast who has the sword wound yet lived. 15 The second beast was permitted to give life to the image of the first beast, so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause all who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He also causes all—the small and the great, the rich and the poor, the free and the slave—to receive a mark on their right hand or upon their forehead. 17 And so no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark—either 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, for it is a number of a man, and his number is 666.[f]
Footnotes
- Revelation 13:1 cf. Dan. 7:3.
- Revelation 13:4 cf. Exod. 15:11; Isa. 46:5.
- Revelation 13:10 cf. Jer. 15:2; 43:11.
- Revelation 13:11 cf. Dan. 8:3.
- Revelation 13:14 cf. 1 Kings 18:38.
- Revelation 13:18 Some mss. say six hundred sixteen.