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.
兩隻怪獸
1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，腳像熊的腳，口像獅子的口。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柄給了怪獸。他們又拜怪獸，說：「誰比得上這獸呢？誰能與牠對抗呢？」 5巨龍又賜給怪獸說狂妄、褻瀆話的口，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、祂的名、祂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，並得到權柄制伏各部落、各民族、各語言族群、各國家。 8凡住在地上、自創世以來名字沒有記在被殺羔羊的生命冊上的人，都會拜怪獸。
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。13·10 耶利米書15·2。
因此，聖徒需要堅忍和信心。
11我又看見另一隻怪獸從地裡上來，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。牠使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牠獲准在頭一隻怪獸面前行奇蹟，藉此迷惑普世的人，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，還能使所有不拜那像的人遭害。 16牠又強迫所有的人，不論尊卑、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，都不能買賣。 18這裡需要智慧：明哲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。
