²⁵ And he will ^[a](A)speak against the ^(B)Most High and ^(C)wear down the ^[b]saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make ^(D)alterations in times and in law; and ^[c]they will be handed over to him for a ^[d](E)time, ^[e]times, and half a ^[f]time.

³⁶ “Then the king will ^(A)do as he pleases, and he will exalt himself and ^(B)boast against every god and will ^(C)speak ^[a]dreadful things against the ^(D)God of gods; and he will be successful until the ^(E)indignation is finished, because that which is ^(F)determined will be done.

^3 (A)No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the ^[a](B)apostasy comes first, and the ^(C)man of lawlessness is revealed, the ^(D)son of destruction,

⁵ A mouth was given to him ^(A)speaking ^[a]arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for ^(B)forty-two months was given to him. ⁶ And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, ^(C)those who dwell in heaven.

⁷ It was also given to him to ^(D)make war with the ^[b]saints and to overcome them, and authority was given to him over ^(E)every tribe, people, language, and nation. ⁸ All who ^(F)live on the earth will worship him, everyone ^(G)whose name has not been ^[c]written ^(H)since the foundation of the world in the ^(I)book of life of ^(J)the Lamb who has been slaughtered. ^9 (K)If anyone has an ear, let him hear. ^10 (L)If anyone ^[d]is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; ^(M)if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is ^(N)the ^[e]perseverance and the faith of the ^[f]saints.

The Beast from the Earth

¹¹ Then ^(O)I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had ^(P)two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a ^(Q)dragon. ¹² He ^(R)exercises all the authority of the first beast ^[g](S)in his presence. And he makes ^(T)the earth and those who live on it ^(U)worship the first beast, whose ^(V)fatal wound was healed. ¹³ He ^(W)performs great signs, so that he even makes ^(X)fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the presence of people. ¹⁴ And he ^(Y)deceives ^(Z)those who live on the earth because of ^(AA)the signs which it was given him to perform ^[h](AB)in the presence of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the ^(AC)wound of the sword and has come to life. ¹⁵ And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even ^[i]speak and cause ^(AD)all who do not ^(AE)worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶ And he causes all, ^(AF)the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, ^[j]to be given a ^(AG)mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the ^(AH)mark, either ^(AI)the name of the beast or ^(AJ)the number of his name. ^18 (AK)Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that ^(AL)of a ^[k]man; and his number is ^[l]six hundred and sixty-six.