| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. | 1Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. |
| 2Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. | 2The beast I saw was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. |
| 3And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. | 3One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast. |
| 4So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” | 4They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?” |
| 5And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. | 5The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months. |
| 6Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. | 6And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle—those who dwell in heaven. |
| 7It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. | 7Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. |
| 8All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. | 8And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain. |
| 9If anyone has an ear, let him hear. | 9He who has an ear, let him hear: |
| 10He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. | 10“If anyone is destined for captivity, into captivity he will go; if anyone is to die by the sword, by the sword he must be killed.” Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints. |
| 11Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. | 11Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. This beast had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon. |
| 12And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. | 12And this beast exercised all the authority of the first beast and caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. |
| 13He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. | 13And the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people. |
| 14And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. | 14Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived. |
| 15He was granted power to give breath 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. | 15The second beast was permitted to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed. |
| 16He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, | 16And the second beast required all people small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, |
| 17and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. | 17so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of its name. |
| 18Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. | 18Here is a call for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and that number is 666. |
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