Revelation 13

1 And I stood on the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads the name of blasphemy.

Then the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns, and on each of its heads was a blasphemous name.

2 And the beast which I saw was like to a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

This beast I saw was like a leopard. Its feet were like a bear's feet, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. The dragon gave his power to it, and his throne, and his great authority to rule.

3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

One of the beast's heads appeared to have been killed, but its fatal wound was healed. The whole earth marveled as they followed the beast.

4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power to the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like to the beast? who is able to make war with him?

They also worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast. They worshiped the beast, too, and kept saying, “Who is like the beast?” and “Who can fight against it?”

5 And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given to him to continue forty and two months.

The beast was given a mouth that could speak proud words and blasphemies. It was permitted to exercise authority for forty-two months.

6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

So the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God—blaspheming his name, the place where he lives, and those who live in heaven.

7 And it was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

The beast was permitted to wage war with the saints and to conquer them. Also, authority was given to it over every tribe, people, language, and nation.

8 And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

All who live on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name was not written, since the creation of the world, in the Book of Life, which belongs to the Lamb, who had been slaughtered.

9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.

If anyone has an ear, let him listen.

10 He that leads into captivity shall go into captivity: he that kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

If anyone is to be taken into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. Here is a call for the patient endurance and faith of the saints.

11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon.

Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, and it spoke like a dragon.

12 And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

It exercised all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and it made the earth and those who live on it worship the first beast—the one whose lethal wound had been healed.

13 And he does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

It performed mighty miracles. It even made fire come down on the earth from heaven in front of people.

14 And deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

By the signs it was permitted to do, it deceived those who lived on the earth. It told them to make an image in honor of the beast that had the sword wound but lived.

15 And he had power to give life to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

It was permitted to give breath to the beast's image so that the image would even speak and cause all who refused to worship the beast to be killed.

16 And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

It also forced everyone, unimportant and mighty, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on the right hand or on the forehead.

17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

It was impossible for anyone to buy or sell unless he had the mark of the beast, that is, the number representing its name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him that has understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred three score and six.

This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast. For it is the number of a human being. Its number is 666.