And I stood on the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns and on its ten horns crowns, and on its heads a name of blasphemy. And the beast I saw was like a leopard and its feet like a bear’s and its mouth as a lion’s mouth and the dragon gave to it his power and his throne and great authority. And I saw one of its heads as if wounded to death, and its deadly wound was healed, and the whole earth wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon who gave power to the beast, and they worshipped the beast saying,
“Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with it?”
And there was given to it a mouth speaking great things and blasphemy, and it was given power to act for forty-two months. And it opened its mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and those dwelling in heaven. And it was given to it to make war with the saints, and to overcome them, and power was given to it over every tribe and tongue and nation. And all who dwell on the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life of the Lamb slaughtered from the founding of the world, will worship it. If anyone has an ear, let him listen! If anyone takes captive he goes into captivity. If anyone kills with the sword, he must be killed with the sword.
Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
And I saw another beast rising up out of the earth and it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon; and it exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and causes the earth and its inhabitants to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed. And it works great signs so it even makes fire come down out of heaven on to the earth in front of people. And it misleads the ones dwelling on the earth because of the signs which it was given it to do in the presence of the beast, saying to those who live on the earth, to make an icon to the beast which has the wound of the sword and lived. And it was given to it to give a spirit to the icon of the beast, so that the icon of the beast should also speak, and would cause that, as many as would not worship the icon of the beast should be killed.
And it makes everybody, small and great, the rich and the poor, free men and servants, that it should give them an engraving on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one should be able to buy or sell except the one having the engraving or the name of the beast or the number of its name. Here is wisdom: let the one having understanding count the number of the beast, for it is a man’s number, and its number is six hundred and sixty six.
