Revelation, 13

1. And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

1. Then, I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns. On each head was a title challenging God.

2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as [the feet] of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

2. The beast I saw looked like a leopard, with paws like a bear and a mouth like a lion. The dragon passed on his power, his throne and his great authority to the beast.

3. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

3. One of its heads seemed to be fatally wounded but this wound healed. The whole earth wondered and they followed the beast.

4. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who [is] like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

4. People prostrated themselves before the dragon who had given such authority to the beast and they prostrated themselves before the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who can oppose it?"

5. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty [and] two months.

5. The beast was given speech and it spoke boastful and blasphemous words against God; it was allowed to wield its power for forty-two months.

6. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

6. It spoke blasphemies against God, his name and his sanctuary, that is, those who already dwell in heaven.

7. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

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

8. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

8. this is why all the inhabitants of the earth will worship before it, those whose names have not been written in the book of life of the slain Lamb, since the foundation of the world.

9. If any man have an ear, let him hear.

9. Let anyone who has ears to hear, listen:

10. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

10. If your lot is the prison, to prison you will go; if your lot is to be killed by the sword, by the sword will you be slain. This is, for the holy ones, the time of endurance and faith.

11. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

11. Then I saw another beast rise out of the earth, with two horns like the Lamb but speaking like the dragon.

12. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

12. This second beast is totally at the service of the first one and enjoys its authority. So it makes the world and its inhabitants worship the first beast whose fatal wound has been healed.

13. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

13. It works great wonders, even making fire descend from heaven to earth, in the sight of all.

14. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

14. Through these great wonders which it is able to do on behalf of the beast, it deceives the inhabitants of the earth, persuading them to make a statue of the beast which, although wounded by the sword, is still alive.

15. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

15. It has been allowed to give a spirit to this statue; the statue of the beast speaks and those who refuse to worship it are killed.

16. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

16. So this second beast makes everyone - great and small, rich and poor, free and enslaved - be branded on the right hand or on the forehead,

17. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

17. and no one can buy or sell unless he has been branded with the name of the beast or with the number of its name.

18. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six.

18. Let us see who is wise! If you are clever, you can interpret the number of the Beast; it is 666 and it is the name of a certain person.