Revelation 13:11-18

New Century Version

¹¹ Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. ¹² This beast stands before the first beast and uses the same power the first beast has. By this power it makes everyone living on earth worship the first beast, who had the death wound that was healed. ¹³ And the second beast does great miracles so that it even makes fire come down from heaven to earth while people are watching. ¹⁴ It fools those who live on earth by the miracles it has been given the power to do. It does these miracles to serve the first beast. The second beast orders people to make an idol to honor the first beast, the one that was wounded by the deadly sword but sprang to life again. ¹⁵ The second beast was given power to give life to the idol of the first one so that the idol could speak. And the second beast was given power to command all who will not worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶ The second beast 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, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. ¹⁸ This takes wisdom. Let the one who has understanding find the meaning of the number, which is the number of a person. Its number is 666.^[a]