Revelation 13

The Beast out of the Sea

1Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. And written on each head were names that blasphemed God. 2This beast looked like a leopard, but it had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion! And the dragon gave the beast his own power and throne and great authority.

3I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast. 4They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. “Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?”

5Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months. 6And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and his dwelling—that is, those who dwell in heaven.#13:6 Some manuscripts read and his dwelling and all who dwell in heaven. 7And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. 8And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made.#13:8 Or not written in the Book of Life before the world was made—the Book that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered.

9Anyone with ears to hear

should listen and understand.

10Anyone who is destined for prison

will be taken to prison.

Anyone destined to die by the sword

will die by the sword.

This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful.

The Beast out of the Earth

11Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon. 12He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13He did astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching. 14And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. 15He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.

16He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. 17And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. 18Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.#13:18a Or of humanity. His number is 666.#13:18b Some manuscripts read 616.

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Revelation 13

The First Beast

1And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, #Dan. 7:3; See ch. 12:3with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and #ch. 17:3blasphemous names on its heads. 2And the beast that I saw was #Dan. 7:6like a leopard; its feet were like #Dan. 7:5a bear’s, and its mouth was like #Dan. 7:4a lion’s mouth. And to it #ver. 4, 11; [Luke 4:6] the dragon gave his power and #ch. 16:10his throne and great authority. 3One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and #[ch. 17:8]the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, #[ch. 18:18]“Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

5And the beast was given #Dan. 7:8, 11, 20; 11:36; [2 Thess. 2:4] a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for #ch. 11:2; 12:6forty-two months. 6It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling,#13:6 Or tabernacle that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7Also it was allowed #ch. 11:7; 12:17; Dan. 7:21to make war on the saints and to conquer them.#13:7 Some manuscripts omit this sentence And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8and all #See ch. 3:10who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in #See ch. 3:5the book of life of #See ch. 5:6the Lamb #[Acts 2:23; 1 Pet. 1:19, 20]who was slain. 9#See ch. 2:7If anyone has an ear, let him hear:

10 # [ Isa. 33:1; Jer. 15:2; 43:11 ] If anyone is to be taken captive,

to captivity he goes;

# See Gen. 9:6 if anyone is to be slain with the sword,

with the sword must he be slain.

# ch. 14:12 Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

The Second Beast

11Then #[ver. 1, 14; ch. 16:13]I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence,#13:12 Or on its behalf and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, #ver. 3whose mortal wound was healed. 13#ch. 16:14; 19:20; Deut. 13:1-3; Matt. 24:24; 2 Thess. 2:9-11It performs great signs, even #ch. 20:9; 1 Kgs. 18:38; 2 Kgs. 1:10, 12; Luke 9:54making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, 14and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of#13:14 Or on behalf of the beast #[ch. 12:9] it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast #ver. 3, 12that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not #ch. 14:9, 11; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4worship the image of the beast #[ch. 16:6]to be slain. 16Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave,#13:16 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface #[ch. 7:3]; See Gal. 6:17to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, #ch. 14:11the name of the beast or #ch. 15:2the number of its name. 18#[ch. 17:9] This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number #[ch. 21:17]of a man, and his number is 666.#13:18 Some manuscripts 616

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