New Living Translation | New International Version |
1Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. And written on each head were names that blasphemed God. | 1The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. |
2This beast looked like a leopard, but it had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion! And the dragon gave the beast his own power and throne and great authority. | 2The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. |
3I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast. | 3One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. |
4They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. “Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?” | 4People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?" |
5Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months. | 5The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. |
6And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and his dwelling—that is, those who dwell in heaven. | 6It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. |
7And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. | 7It was given power to wage war against God's holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. |
8And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made. | 8All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. |
9Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. | 9Whoever has ears, let them hear. |
10Anyone who is destined for prison will be taken to prison. Anyone destined to die by the sword will die by the sword. This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful. The Beast out of the Earth | 10"If 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 patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God's people. |
11Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon. | 11Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. |
12He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. | 12It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. |
13He did astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching. | 13And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. |
14And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. | 14Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. |
15He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die. | 15The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. |
16He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. | 16It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, |
17And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. | 17so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. |
18Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666. | 18This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666. |
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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