Revelation 13
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 13
1 Then I saw a beast rising out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names. 2 The beast that I saw resembled a leopard, but it had feet like those of a bear, and its mouth was like the mouth of a lion. The dragon conferred on the beast his own power and his throne, as well as great authority.
3 One of his heads appeared to me to have been mortally wounded, but its mortal wound had been healed. The whole world then became fascinated with the beast, 4 and they worshiped the dragon because he had conferred authority on the beast. They also worshiped the beast, saying, “Who can compare with the beast? Who can fight against it?”
5 It was allowed to mouth its haughty and blasphemous words, and it was granted permission to exercise its authority for forty-two months.[a] 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, as well as against his name and his dwelling and all those who live in heaven.
7 The beast was also allowed to wage war on the saints and conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. 8 All the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, all those whose names have not been written from the creation of the world[b] in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.
9 Whoever has ears should listen to these words:
10 “If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity he will go.
If anyone is destined to be slain by the sword,
by the sword he must be slain.”
This demands patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.
11 A Beast Rises from the Earth.[c] Then I saw another beast, this one rising up out of the earth. It had two horns like those of a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It wielded all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and it forced the earth and all its inhabitants to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. 13 It performed great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of all.
14 By the signs it was allowed to perform on behalf of the beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth, persuading them to erect an image for the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 It was permitted to give life to the beast’s image so that it could even speak and cause all those to be put to death who would not worship the image of the beast.
16 It also forced all the people, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be branded on the right hand or on the forehead. 17 No one could buy or sell anything except one who has been branded with the name of the beast or with the number of its name.
18 There is wisdom here. Let anyone who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. The number is six hundred and sixty-six.
Footnotes
- Revelation 13:5 Forty-two months: see note on Rev 11:2-3, 11.
- Revelation 13:8 Written from the creation of the world: some place these words at the very end of the sentence (after the word “slain”). Book of life belonging to the Lamb: see note on Rev 3:5.
- Revelation 13:11 The beast comes probably from Asia, because it was the East that gave rise to so many religious currents of thought that promoted emperor worship. The time has come when pressures are brought to bear and people are seduced. This picture fits in very well with the reign of Domitian, who banished Christians from the empire for refusing to practice emperor worship, the new sign of civic submission. The majority of believers resist, despite pressures and seductions of every kind.
The number of the beast has always been a snare for those who seek, by way of abstruse calculations, to identify the Antichrist with some figure of their own time. The number probably conceals the name of some personage known to readers of that time; the letters of the Greek alphabet and those of the Hebrew alphabet also stood for numbers, as is still the case with the Roman alphabet to some extent. Using gematria, a procedure for interpreting numbers, it was certainly possible to discern in the number 666 the words “Emperor Nero” in Hebrew. If we read “616” instead of “666,” as some manuscripts do, it could be “Emperor Nero” in Greek.
Revelation 13
King James Version
13 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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that 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.
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.
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
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.
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.
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.
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
啟示錄 13
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
兩隻怪獸
13 我又看見一隻怪獸從海中上來，有七頭十角，每隻角上都戴著一個冠冕，每個頭上都寫著褻瀆上帝的名號。 2 牠看起來像豹，卻有熊的腳和獅子的口。巨龍將自己的能力、王位和大權柄都交給了怪獸。 3 我看見怪獸的一個頭似乎受了致命傷，這傷卻復原了。全世界的人都驚奇地跟從了牠。 4 他們拜巨龍，因為巨龍將自己的權力給了怪獸。他們又拜怪獸，說：「有誰比得上這獸呢？誰能與牠對抗呢？」 5 巨龍又使怪獸說狂妄、褻瀆的話，並給牠權柄，可以任意妄為四十二個月。 6 怪獸開口褻瀆上帝的名、上帝的居所和一切居住在天上的。 7 牠又獲准去攻打聖徒，征服他們，並得到權柄制伏各民族、各部落、各語言族群、各國家。 8 凡住在地上的人，就是從創世以來名字沒有記在被殺羔羊的生命冊上的，都會崇拜怪獸。
9 凡有耳朵的都應當聽。
10 該被擄的人必被擄，
該被刀殺的必被刀殺。
因此，聖徒需要堅忍和信心。
11 我又看見另一隻怪獸從地裡竄出來，牠的兩隻角像羔羊的角，說話卻像龍， 12 在頭一隻怪獸面前行使頭一隻怪獸的一切權柄。牠命令世上的人拜曾受了致命傷但已復原的頭一隻怪獸， 13 又行大奇蹟，當眾叫火從天降到地上。 14 牠在頭一隻怪獸面前獲准行奇蹟，欺騙了普世的人，並吩咐他們為受了刀傷卻仍然活著的頭一隻怪獸塑像。 15 牠又獲准給怪獸的塑像生命氣息，使牠不但能說話，還能使所有不敬拜那像的人遭害。 16 牠又強迫所有的人，不論老少、尊卑、貧富、自由人或奴隸，都在右手或額上接受印記。 17 凡沒有蓋上怪獸印記的，就是沒有怪獸的名字或代號的，都不能做買賣。 18 這裡藏有玄機，聰明的人可以計算那怪獸的代號，因為那是一個人的代號，是「六百六十六」。
