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The Two Beasts

13 Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea [C the sea was a symbol of chaos in the ancient world; Dan. 7:1–8]. It [or He] had ten horns [C symbols of power and strength] and seven heads [12:3], and there was a ·crown [diadem; royal crown; C indicating a king of evil] on each horn. A ·name against God [L blasphemous name; some manuscripts read the plural “names”] was written on each head. This beast looked like a leopard, with feet like a bear’s feet and a mouth like a lion’s mouth. And the dragon gave the beast all of his ·power [authority] and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast looked as if it ·had been killed by a wound [had a fatal/mortal wound; L was slain to death; C an evil imitation of the Lamb that was slain; 5:6], but this ·death wound [fatal/mortal wound; L wound of its death] was healed [C a false imitation of the resurrection]. Then the whole world was amazed and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given his ·power [authority] to the beast. And they also worshiped the beast, asking, “Who is like the beast [Ex. 15:11]? Who can make war against ·it [or him]?”

The beast was ·allowed [L given a mouth] to say ·proud words [L great things; Dan. 7:8, 11, 20] and ·words against God [L blasphemies; Dan. 11:36], and it was allowed to ·use [exercise] its ·power [authority] for forty-two months [11:2]. It ·used [opened] its mouth ·to speak [blaspheme] against God, against God’s name, against ·the place where God lives [his dwelling/tabernacle], and against all those who ·live [dwell] in heaven. It was given ·power [authority] to make war against ·God’s holy people [T the saints] and to ·defeat [conquer] them. It was given ·power [authority] over every tribe, people, language, and nation [Dan. 7:21]. And all who live on earth will worship ·the beast [L it; or him]—all the people since the ·beginning [foundation] of the world whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book [scroll] of life [3:5; 17:8; Ex. 32:32–33]. ·The Lamb is the One who was killed [or The Lamb who was killed/slaughtered before the creation/foundation of the earth]. [C Some commentators link the phrase “since the beginning/foundation of the world” with “all who live on the earth”; others link it with “written in the Lamb’s book of life”; and still others with “the Lamb who was slain.”]

Anyone who has ears should ·listen [hear; obey]:

10 If you are to be ·a prisoner [L taken into captivity],
    then you will ·be a prisoner [L go into captivity].
If you are to be killed with the sword,
    then you will be killed with the sword [Jer. 15:2; 43:11].

This means that ·God’s holy people [T the saints] must have ·patience [perseverance; endurance] and faith.

11 Then I saw another beast ·coming up [rising] out of the earth [Dan. 7:17]. It [or He] had two horns like a ·lamb [or ram; Dan. 8:3], but it spoke like a dragon [C acting like a prophetic spokesperson for the dragon (see 16:13); along with the dragon and the first beast, this second beast forms an evil trinity]. 12 This beast ·stands before the first beast and uses the same power the first beast has [or uses all the authority of the first beast on its behalf]. By this ·power [authority] it makes ·everyone living on earth [L the earth and its inhabitants] worship the first beast, who had the ·death wound [fatal/mortal wound; L wound of its death] that was healed. 13 And the second beast ·does great miracles [performs great signs] so that it even makes fire come down from heaven to earth [1 Kin. 18:38; 2 Kin. 1:10, 12] ·while people are watching [L before people]. 14 It ·fools [deceives; tricks] those who live on earth by the ·miracles [signs; C these are counterfeit miracles] it has been given the power to do. It does these ·miracles [signs] ·to serve the first beast [L before/in the presence of the first beast]. The second beast orders [tells] people to make an ·idol [image] to honor the first beast, the one that ·was wounded by the deadly [L has the wound of the] sword but ·sprang to life again [lives]. 15 The second beast was ·given power [or allowed] to give ·life [breath; a spirit] to the idol of the first one so that the idol could speak. And the second beast was ·given power [allowed] to ·command [cause; make] all who will not worship the ·image [idol] of the beast to be killed. 16 The second beast also ·forced [caused; made] all people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to have a ·mark [brand; stamp; C to show allegiance to the first beast] on their right hand or on their forehead [compare 7:2–4; 14:1]. 17 [L So that] No one could buy or sell without this mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name [C Greek and Hebrew letters had a numerical equivalent, and so could represent names—a practice known as gematria]. 18 This ·takes [calls for; L is] wisdom [Dan. 12:10]. Let the one who has understanding ·find the meaning of [calculate; figure out] the number [L of the beast], which is the number of a ·person [or man]. Its number is 666[a] [C a symbolic number signifying imperfection and sin; some speculate it represents the name of a Roman emperor, perhaps Nero or Domitian].

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 13:18 666 Some Greek copies read “616.”

13 And kai I saw, rising anabainō out of ek the ho sea thalassa, a beast thērion with echō ten deka horns keras and kai seven hepta heads kephalē. · kai On epi · ho his autos ten horns keras were ten deka crowns diadēma and kai on epi · ho his autos heads kephalē were written blasphemous blasphēmia names onoma. And kai the ho beast thērion that hos I saw was eimi like homoios a leopard pardalis, · kai · ho his autos feet pous were like hōs a bear’ s arkos, and kai · ho its autos mouth stoma was like hōs a lion’ s leōn mouth stoma. And kai to autos the beast autos the ho dragon drakōn gave didōmi · ho his autos power dynamis and kai · ho his autos throne thronos and kai great megas authority exousia. · kai One heis of ek the ho beast’ s autos heads kephalē appeared hōs to have been mortally eis wounded sphazō, but kai · ho his autos deadly thanatos wound plēgē · ho had been healed therapeuō. · kai The ho whole holos world marveled thaumazō as they followed opisō the ho beast thērion. · kai They worshiped proskyneō the ho dragon drakōn because hoti he had given didōmi · ho authority exousia to the ho beast thērion, and kai they worshiped proskyneō the ho beast thērion, saying legō, “ Who tis is like homoios the ho beast thērion?” and kai, “ Who tis is able dynamai to make war polemeō against meta him autos?”

· kai The beast autos was given didōmi a mouth stoma to speak laleō arrogant megas words and kai blasphemies blasphēmia, and kai he autos was allowed didōmi to exercise poieō authority exousia for forty-two tesserakonta months mēn. · kai · kai He opened anoigō · ho his autos mouth stoma in eis blasphemies blasphēmia against pros · ho God theos, to blaspheme blasphēmeō · ho his autos name onoma and kai · ho his autos dwelling skēnē, that is, those ho who live skēnoō in en · ho heaven ouranos. · kai The beast autos was allowed didōmi to make poieō war polemos against meta the ho saints hagios and kai to conquer nikaō them autos. And kai he autos was given didōmi authority exousia over epi every pas tribe phylē and kai people laos and kai language glōssa and kai nation ethnos. And kai all pas those ho living katoikeō on epi the ho earth will worship proskyneō him autos, everyone whose hos name onoma has not ou been written graphō · ho in en the ho Book biblion of ho Life zōē of the ho Lamb arnion who ho was slain sphazō from apo the foundation katabolē of the world kosmos.

If ei anyone tis has echō an ear ous, let him hear akouō! 10 If ei anyone tis is meant for eis captivity aichmalōsia, into eis captivity aichmalōsia he will go hypagō. If ei anyone tis is to be killed apokteinō by en the sword machaira, by en the sword machaira he autos will be killed apokteinō. This hōde calls eimi for the ho endurance hypomonē and kai · ho faithfulness pistis of the ho saints hagios.

11 Then kai I saw another allos beast thērion rising anabainō out of ek the ho earth . · kai He had echō two dyo horns keras like homoios a lamb arnion, but kai he spoke laleō like hōs a dragon drakōn. 12 · kai He exercised poieō all pas the ho authority exousia of the ho first prōtos beast thērion on enōpion his autos behalf, and kai made poieō the ho earth and kai those ho who live katoikeō in en it autos to hina worship proskyneō the ho first prōtos beast thērion, · ho the one hos whose deadly thanatos wound plēgē had been healed therapeuō. · ho · ho 13 · kai He performed poieō impressive megas signs sēmeion, even hina · kai making poieō fire pyr come down katabainō from ek · ho heaven ouranos to eis · ho earth in the sight enōpion of ho everyone anthrōpos; 14 and kai by dia the ho signs sēmeion he autos was allowed didōmi to perform poieō on behalf of enōpion the ho beast thērion, he deceived planaō those ho who live katoikeō on epi the ho earth . He told legō those ho who live katoikeō on epi the ho earth to make poieō an image eikōn in honor of the ho beast thērion who hos had been echō · ho wounded plēgē by the ho sword machaira yet kai lived zaō. 15 · kai The second beast autos was allowed didōmi to animate didōmi the ho image eikōn of the ho first beast thērion so that hina · kai the ho image eikōn of the ho beast thērion could speak laleō, and kai could cause poieō all those hosos who would not worship proskyneō the ho image eikōn of the ho beast thērion to be killed apokteinō. 16 He also kai caused poieō everyone pas · ho small mikros and kai · ho great megas, · kai · ho rich plousios and kai · ho poor ptōchos, · kai · ho free eleutheros and kai · ho slave— to hina receive didōmi a mark charagma on epi · ho their autos right dexios hand cheir · ho or ē on epi · ho their autos forehead metōpon. 17 And kai no one tis was permitted dynamai to buy agorazō or ē to sell pōleō unless ei mē he ho bore echō the ho mark charagma, that is, the ho name onoma of the ho beast thērion or ē the ho number arithmos of ho his autos name onoma. 18 This hōde calls for eimi · ho wisdom sophia: let the ho one who has echō insight nous calculate psēphizō the ho number arithmos of the ho beast thērion, for gar it is eimi the number arithmos of a man anthrōpos, and kai · ho his autos number arithmos is six hundred hexakosioi and sixty-six hexēkonta hex.