Revelation 13
Contemporary English Version
The Two Beasts
13 (A) I looked and saw a beast coming up from the sea. This one had ten horns and seven heads, and a crown was on each of its ten horns. On each of its heads were names that were an insult to God. 2 (B) The beast I saw had the body of a leopard, the feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion. The dragon handed over its own power and throne and great authority to this beast. 3 One of its heads seemed to have been fatally wounded, but now it was well. Everyone on earth marveled at this beast, 4 and they worshiped the dragon who had given its authority to the beast. They also worshiped the beast and said, “No one is like this beast! No one can fight against it.”
5 (C) The beast was allowed to brag and claim to be God, and for 42 months it was allowed to rule. 6 The beast cursed God, and it cursed the name of God. It even cursed the place where God lives, as well as everyone who lives in heaven with God. 7 (D) It was allowed to fight against God's people and defeat them. It was also given authority over the people of every tribe, nation, language, and race. 8 (E) The beast was worshiped by everyone whose name wasn't written before the time of creation in the book of the Lamb who was killed.[a]
9 If you have ears,
then listen!
10 (F) If you are doomed
to be captured,
you will be captured.
If you are doomed
to be killed by a sword,
you will be killed
by a sword.
This means God's people must learn to endure and be faithful!
11 I now saw another beast. This one came out of the ground. It had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon. 12 It worked for the beast whose fatal wound had been healed. And it used all its authority to force the earth and its people to worship that beast. 13 It worked mighty miracles, and while people watched, it even made fire come down from the sky.
14 This second beast fooled people on earth by working miracles for the first one. Then it talked them into making an idol in the form of the beast that did not die after being wounded by a sword. 15 It was allowed to put breath into the idol, so it could speak. Everyone who refused to worship the idol of the beast was put to death. 16 (G) All people were forced to put a mark on their right hand or forehead. Whether they were powerful or weak, rich or poor, free people or slaves, 17 they all had to have this mark, or else they could not buy or sell anything. This mark stood for the name of the beast and for the number of its name.
18 You need wisdom to understand the number of the beast! But if you are smart enough, you can figure this out. Its number is 666, and it stands for a person.
Footnotes
- 13.8 wasn't written … was killed: Or “not written in the book of the Lamb who was killed before the time of creation.”
Revelation 13
International Children’s Bible
The Two Beasts
13 Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. There was a crown on each horn. A name against God was written on each head. 2 This beast looked like a leopard, with feet like a bear’s feet. He had a mouth like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave the beast all of his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast looked as if it had been wounded and killed. But this death wound was healed. The whole world was amazed and followed the beast. 4 People worshiped the dragon because he had given his power to the beast. And they also worshiped the beast. They asked, “Who is as powerful as the beast? Who can make war against him?”
5 The beast was allowed to say proud words and words against God. He was allowed to use his power for 42 months. 6 He used his mouth to speak against God. He spoke against God’s name, against the place where God lives, and against all those who live in heaven. 7 He was given power to make war against God’s holy people and to defeat them. He was given power over every tribe, people, language, and nation. 8 All who live on earth will worship the beast. These are all the people since the beginning of the world whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life. The Lamb is the One who was killed.
9 If anyone has ears, he should listen:
10 If anyone is to be a prisoner,
then he will be a prisoner.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
then he will be killed with the sword.
This means that God’s holy people must have patience and faith.
11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he talked like a dragon. 12 This beast stands before the first beast and uses the same power that the first beast has. He uses this power to make everyone living on earth worship the first beast. The first beast was the one that had the death wound that was healed. 13 The second one does great miracles. He even makes fire come down from heaven to earth while people are watching. 14 This second beast fools those who live on earth. He fools them by the miracles he has been given the power to do. He does these miracles to serve the first beast. The second beast ordered people to make an idol to honor the first beast. This was the one that was wounded by the sword but did not die. 15 The second beast was given power to give life to the idol of the first one. Then the idol could speak and order all who did not worship it to be killed. 16 The second animal also forced all people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to have a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. 17 No one could buy or sell without this mark. This mark is the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Whoever has understanding can find the meaning of the number. This requires wisdom. This number is the number of a man. His number is 666.[a]
Footnotes
- 13:18 666 Some Greek copies read “616.”
Revelation 13
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
A Beast Comes From The Sea: The Dragon Gives Him Power And Authority
13 And I saw a beast coming-up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and ten diadems upon his horns, and names of [a] blasphemy on his heads. 2 And the beast which I saw was resembling a leopard, and his feet were like ones of a bear, and his mouth was like a mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as-if [b] having been slain to[c] death. And his wound of [d] death was cured. And the whole earth was caused-to-marvel [while following] after the beast. 4 And they gave-worship to the dragon, because he gave the authority to the beast. And they gave worship to the beast saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can wage-war against him?” 5 And a mouth was given to him speaking great things and[e] blasphemies. And authority to act for forty and two months was given to him. 6 And he opened his mouth for blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name, and His dwelling[f]— the[g] ones dwelling in heaven. 7 And authority was given to him to make war against the saints, and to overcome[h] them. And authority was given to him over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. 8 And all the ones dwelling upon the earth will worship him— each whose name has not been written in the book of life of the Lamb having been slain since[i] the foundation of the world. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear: 10 if anyone is for[j] captivity, he is going into captivity; if anyone is to[k] be killed with a sword, he is to be killed with a sword. Here[l] is the endurance and the faith[m] of the saints.
A Beast Comes From The Land. He Makes Everyone Worship The First Beast
11 And I saw another beast[n] coming-up out of the land[o]. And he had two horns like a lamb. And he was speaking like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and the ones dwelling in it so that they will worship the first beast whose wound of death was cured. 13 And he does great signs, so that he even makes fire to come-down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of the people. 14 And he deceives the ones dwelling upon the earth because-of the signs which it was given him to do in the presence of the beast— telling the ones dwelling upon the earth to make an image to the beast who has the wound of the sword and lived[p]. 15 And authority was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, in order that the image of the beast might even[q] speak and cause that all-who do not give-worship to the image of the beast should be killed. 16 And he causes everyone— the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves— that they[r] should give them a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17 and that no one should be able to buy or to sell except the one having the mark: the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here[s] is wisdom. Let the one having understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number[t] of a man. And his number is six-hundred sixty six.
Footnotes
- Revelation 13:1 That is, characterized by.
- Revelation 13:3 That is, having the marks of one slain.
- Revelation 13:3 Or, resulting in, leading to.
- Revelation 13:3 That is, characterized by (his death wound); or, leading to.
- Revelation 13:5 Or, even.
- Revelation 13:6 That is, place of dwelling, defined next.
- Revelation 13:6 Some manuscripts make this a third thing, ‘and the ones’; others combine it with what precedes as ‘His dwelling in heaven’.
- Revelation 13:7 Or, conquer.
- Revelation 13:8 That is, slain since; or, written... since, as in 17:8.
- Revelation 13:10 That is, destined for.
- Revelation 13:10 That is, destined to.
- Revelation 13:10 Or, At-this-point.
- Revelation 13:10 Or, faithfulness.
- Revelation 13:11 He is called the false prophet in 16:13; 19:20; 20:10.
- Revelation 13:11 Versus the sea in v 1. Or, the earth.
- Revelation 13:14 Or, came-to-life, became alive.
- Revelation 13:15 Or, both.
- Revelation 13:16 That is, the authorities who do such things.
- Revelation 13:18 Or, At-this-point.
- Revelation 13:18 Or, a number of man; a human number.
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The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
