Revelation 13

1 And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on its horns ten diadems, and on its heads names of blasphemy. [a] 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, and its feet like a bear’s, and its mouth like a lion’s mouth. And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority. [b] 3 And one of its heads was as though slaughtered to death, and the blow of its death was healed. And the whole earth marveled after the beast, [c] 4 and they bowed down to the dragon because he gave the authority to the beast, and they bowed down to the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to make war with it?”

5 And a mouth was given to it speaking great things and blasphemies, and authority was given to it to act forty-two months. [d] 6 And it opened its mouth for blasphemies against God, to blaspheme his name and his tent — those who have their tent in heaven. [e] 7 And it was given to it to make war with the holy ones and to conquer them, and authority was given to it over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. [f] 8 And all who dwell on the earth will bow down to it, everyone whose name has not been written in the scroll of life of the Lamb slaughtered from the founding of the world. [g]

11 And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and it had two horns like a lamb, and it was speaking like a dragon. [i] 12 And it exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence. And it makes the earth and those who dwell in it bow down to the first beast, whose blow of death was healed. 13 And it does great signs, so that it even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth before people. [j]

14 And it deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs that were given to it to do before the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image for the beast that has the blow of the sword and lived. [k] 15 And it was given to it to give spirit to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak, and might cause that as many as do not bow down to the image of the beast should be killed. [l]

16 And it makes all — the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves — that they should give them a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, [m] 17 and that no one may be able to buy or to sell except the one having the mark: the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let the one who has a mind count the number of the beast, for it is a number of a man; and its number is six hundred and sixty-six. [n] †