The Beast from the Sea

13 And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea.(A) He[a] had 10 horns and seven heads. On his horns were 10 diadems,(B) and on his heads were blasphemous names.[b](C) The beast I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like a bear’s, and his mouth was like a lion’s mouth.(D) The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. One of his heads appeared to be fatally wounded,[c] but his fatal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast.[d](E) They worshiped the dragon(F) because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast?(G) Who is able to wage war against him?”

A mouth was given to him to speak boasts and blasphemies.(H) He was also given authority to act[e][f] for 42 months.(I) He began to speak[g] blasphemies against God: to blaspheme His name and His dwelling—those who dwell in heaven. And he was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. He was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.(J) All those who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book[h] of life(K) of the Lamb who was slaughtered.[i](L)

If anyone has an ear, he should listen:(M)

10 If anyone is destined for captivity,
into captivity he goes.
If anyone is to be killed[j] with a sword,
with a sword he will be killed.(N)

This demands the perseverance[k] and faith of the saints.(O)

The Beast from the Earth

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; he had two horns like a lamb,[l](P) but he sounded like a dragon. 12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast on his behalf and compels the earth and those who live on it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13 He also performs great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in front of people. 14 He deceives those who live on the earth(Q) because of the signs that he is permitted to perform on behalf of the beast,(R) telling those who live on the earth to make an image[m] of the beast who had the sword wound and yet lived. 15 He was permitted to give a spirit[n] to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 And he requires everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark[o] on his right hand or on his forehead,(S) 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast’s name or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom:[p](T) The one who has understanding must calculate[q] the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man.[r] His number is 666.[s]

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 13:1 The beasts in Rv 13:1,11 are customarily referred to as “he” or “him” rather than “it.” The Gk word for a beast (therion) is grammatically neuter.
  2. Revelation 13:1 Other mss read heads was a blasphemous name
  3. Revelation 13:3 Lit be slain to death
  4. Revelation 13:3 Lit amazed after the beast
  5. Revelation 13:5 Other mss read wage war
  6. Revelation 13:5 Or to rule
  7. Revelation 13:6 Lit He opened his mouth in
  8. Revelation 13:8 Or scroll
  9. Revelation 13:8 Or written in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered from the foundation of the world
  10. Revelation 13:10 Other mss read anyone kills
  11. Revelation 13:10 Lit Here is the perseverance
  12. Revelation 13:11 Or ram
  13. Revelation 13:14 Or statue, or likeness
  14. Revelation 13:15 Or give breath, or give life
  15. Revelation 13:16 Or stamp, or brand
  16. Revelation 13:18 Or This calls for wisdom
  17. Revelation 13:18 Or count, or figure out
  18. Revelation 13:18 Or is a man’s number, or is the number of a person
  19. Revelation 13:18 Other Gk mss read 616

The Beast out of the Sea

13 The dragon[a] stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea.(A) It had ten horns and seven heads,(B) with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.(C) The beast I saw resembled a leopard,(D) but had feet like those of a bear(E) and a mouth like that of a lion.(F) The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.(G) One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed.(H) The whole world was filled with wonder(I) and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like(J) the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies(K) and to exercise its authority for forty-two months.(L) It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.(M) It was given power to wage war(N) against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.(O) All inhabitants of the earth(P) will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life,(Q) the Lamb(R) who was slain from the creation of the world.[b](S)

Whoever has ears, let them hear.(T)

10 “If anyone is to go into captivity,
    into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed[c] with the sword,
    with the sword they will be killed.”[d](U)

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness(V) on the part of God’s people.(W)

The Beast out of the Earth

11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth.(X) It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon.(Y) 12 It exercised all the authority(Z) of the first beast on its behalf,(AA) and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast,(AB) whose fatal wound had been healed.(AC) 13 And it performed great signs,(AD) even causing fire to come down from heaven(AE) to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs(AF) it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived(AG) the inhabitants of the earth.(AH) It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.(AI) 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship(AJ) the image to be killed.(AK) 16 It also forced all people, great and small,(AL) rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,(AM) 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark,(AN) which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.(AO)

18 This calls for wisdom.(AP) Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[e](AQ) That number is 666.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 13:1 Some manuscripts And I
  2. Revelation 13:8 Or written from the creation of the world in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was slain
  3. Revelation 13:10 Some manuscripts anyone kills
  4. Revelation 13:10 Jer. 15:2
  5. Revelation 13:18 Or is humanity’s number