⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed,^(A) whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth^(B) and destroy by the splendor of his coming.^{(C) 9} The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan^(D) works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders^(E) that serve the lie, ¹⁰ and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing.^(F) They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.^{(G) 11} For this reason God sends them^(H) a powerful delusion^(I) so that they will believe the lie^{(J) 12} and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.^(K)

⁴ People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like^(A) the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

⁷ It was given power to wage war^(A) against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.^{(B) 8} All inhabitants of the earth^(C) will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life,^(D) the Lamb^(E) who was slain from the creation of the world.^[a](F)

¹⁶ It also forced all people, great and small,^(A) rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,^{(B) 17} so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark,^(C) which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.^(D)

⁹ A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast^(A) and its image^(B) and receives its mark on their forehead^(C) or on their hand, ¹⁰ they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury,^(D) which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.^(E) They will be tormented with burning sulfur^(F) in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever.^(G) There will be no rest day or night^(H) for those who worship the beast and its image,^(I) or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”^(J)