The Beast from the Sea

1And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea.a Heb had 10 horns and seven heads. On his horns were 10 diadems,c and on his heads were blasphemous names.d, e 2The beast I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like a bear’s, and his mouth was like a lion’s mouth.f The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3One of his heads appeared to be fatally wounded,g but his fatal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast.h, i 4They worshiped the dragonj because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast?k Who is able to wage war against him? ”

5A mouth was given to him to speak boasts and blasphemies.l He was also given authority to actm, n for 42 months.o 6He began to speakp blasphemies against God: to blaspheme His name and His dwelling — those who dwell in heaven. 7And he was permitted to wage war against the •saints and to conquer them.q He was also given authorityr over every tribe, people, language, and nation.s 8All those who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the bookt of lifeu of the Lamb who was slaughtered.v, w

9If anyone has an ear, he should listen:x

10If anyone is destined for captivity,

into captivity he goes.

If anyone is to be killedy with a sword,

with a sword he will be killed.z

This demands the perseveranceaa and faith of the saints.ab

The Beast from the Earth

11Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; he had two horns like a lamb,ac, ad but he sounded like a dragon. 12He 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. 13He also performs great signs,ae even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in front of people.af 14He deceives those who live on the earthag because of the signs that he is permitted to perform on behalf of the beast,ah telling those who live on the earth to make an imageai of the beast who had the sword wound and yet lived. 15He was permitted to give a spiritaj 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.ak 16And he requires everyone — small and great, rich and poor, free and •slave — to be given a markal on his right hand or on his forehead,am 17so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast’s name or the number of his name.

18Here is wisdom:an, ao The one who has understanding must calculateap the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man.aq His number is 666.ar