Revelation
Chapter 13
1 I stood on the sea’s shore and saw a beast with seven heads and ten horns come up from the sea. It had ten crowns on its horns and names that insult God on its heads.
2 The beast I saw was like a leopard, had feet like a bear, and a mouth like a lion; the dragon gave it his power, throne, and great authority.
3 I saw one of the beast’s heads as if it had been fatally wounded, but the deadly wound healed. Everyone in the world was amazed and followed the beast.
4 They worshiped the dragon because it gave power to the beast: and they worshiped the beast, asking, “Who is like the beast? Who can fight against him?”
5 He was given a mouth to speak big and disrespectful words; and he was allowed to use his power for 42 months.
6 He spoke against God with insulting words, to disrespect His name, His dwelling, and those who live in heaven.
7 He was allowed to fight against God’s holy people and to defeat them. He was also given authority over all families, languages, and nations.
8 Everyone living on Earth will worship him if their names are not in the Lamb’s book of life, which was made before the world began.
9 If anyone can hear, let them listen.
10 Whoever takes someone captive will be taken captive; whoever kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness from God’s people.
11 I saw another beast rise from the earth; it had two horns like a lamb but spoke like a dragon.
12 He uses all the power of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its people worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.
13 He performs great miracles, making fire come down from the sky to earth in front of people.
14 He tricks the people on earth with the miracles he could do in front of the beast, telling them to make an image of the beast that was hurt by a sword and yet lived.
15 He could make the beast’s image come alive, so it could talk and order the death of anyone not worshiping it.
16 He makes everyone, whether they are important or not, rich or poor, free or enslaved, have a mark on their right hand or forehead.
17 No one could buy or sell unless they had the mark, the beast’s name, or the number representing his name.
18 Here is wisdom: Let the person with understanding calculate the beast’s number, for it is a man’s number; and the number is six hundred sixty-six.