The Beast out of the Sea
1The dragon13:1 Some manuscripts And I stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. 4People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”
5The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.13:8 Or written from the creation of the world in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was slain
9Whoever has ears, let them hear.
10“If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed13:10 Some manuscripts anyone kills with the sword,
with the sword they will be killed.”13:10 Jer. 15:2
This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.
The Beast out of the Earth
11Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.
18This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.13:18 Or is humanity’s number That number is 666.
两只怪兽
1我又看见一只怪兽从海中上来，有七头十角，每只角上都戴着一个冠冕，每个头上都写着亵渎上帝的名号。 2它看起来像豹，脚像熊的脚，口像狮子的口。巨龙将自己的能力、王位和大权柄都交给了怪兽。 3我看见怪兽的一个头似乎受了致命伤，这伤却复原了。全世界的人都惊奇地跟从了它。 4他们拜巨龙，因为巨龙将自己的权柄给了怪兽。他们又拜怪兽，说：“谁比得上这兽呢？谁能与它对抗呢？” 5巨龙又赐给怪兽说狂妄、亵渎话的口，并给它权柄可以任意妄为四十二个月。 6怪兽开口亵渎上帝、祂的名、祂的居所和一切居住在天上的。 7它又获准去攻打圣徒，征服他们，并得到权柄制服各部落、各民族、各语言族群、各国家。 8凡住在地上、自创世以来名字没有记在被杀羔羊的生命册上的人，都会拜怪兽。
9凡有耳朵的都应当听。
10该被掳的人必被掳，
该被刀杀的必被刀杀。13:10 耶利米书15:2。
因此，圣徒需要坚忍和信心。
11我又看见另一只怪兽从地里上来，它的两只角像羔羊的角，说话却像龙， 12在头一只怪兽面前行使头一只怪兽的一切权柄。它使世上的人拜曾受了致命伤但已复原的头一只怪兽， 13又行大奇迹，当众叫火从天降到地上。 14它获准在头一只怪兽面前行奇迹，借此迷惑普世的人，并吩咐他们为受了刀伤却仍然活着的头一只怪兽塑像。 15它又获准给怪兽的塑像生命气息，使它不但能说话，还能使所有不拜那像的人遭害。 16它又强迫所有的人，不论尊卑、贫富、自由人或奴隶，都在右手或额上接受印记。 17凡没有盖上怪兽印记的，就是没有怪兽的名字或代号的，都不能买卖。 18这里需要智慧：明哲可以计算那怪兽的代号，因为那是一个人的代号，是六百六十六。
