The Beast out of the Sea
1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten crowns and on his heads, blasphemous names. 2 The beast that I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.
3 One of his heads looked like it had been wounded fatally. His fatal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled at the beast. 4 They worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war with him?”
5 A mouth speaking great things and blasphemy was given to him. Authority to wage war for 42 months was given to him. 6 He opened his mouth to blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name and his dwelling, those who dwell in heaven.
7 It was given to him to wage war with the saints and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been killed.
9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear:
10 If anyone is destined to go into captivity,
he will go into captivity.
If anyone is destined to be killed with the sword,
he must be killed.
Here is the endurance and the faith of the saints.
The Beast from the Earth
11 I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon. 12 He exercised all the authority of the first beast in his presence. He made the earth and those who dwell in it worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.
13 He performed great signs, even making fire come down from the heavens to the earth in the sight of people. 14 He deceived my own people who dwell on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of the beast, saying to those who dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast who had the sword wound and lived. 15 It was given to him to give breath to it, to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
The Mark of the Beast
16 The second beast required all, small and the great, rich and the poor, free and the slave, to be given marks on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that no one would be able to buy or to sell unless he had that mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. He who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.