Revelation 13

1Then the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.

2The beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority.

3One of its heads looked as though it had been slaughtered and had died, but its fatal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast.

4People worshiped the dragon because he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

5The beast was given a mouth that spoke arrogant words and blasphemies, and it was given authority to act for forty-two months.

6It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling—those who dwell in heaven.

7It was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation.

8All who live on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered from the foundation of the world.

9Anyone who has an ear should listen.

10If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed. This calls for the endurance and faith of the saints.

11Then I saw another beast coming up 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, and it makes the earth and those who live on it worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.

13It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to the earth in front of people.

14By the signs that it was allowed to perform in the presence of the beast, it deceives those who live on the earth, telling those who live on the earth to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.

15It was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could even speak and could cause all who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

16It also forces everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,

17so that no one can buy or sell unless they have the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

18Here wisdom is needed. Anyone who has understanding should calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a human being, and its number is 666.