Revelation 13

1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea; and I saw a beast rising out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and upon its horns ten diadems, and upon its heads names of blasphemy.

The dragon stood on the ocean shore. I saw a beast that was coming up out of the ocean. It had ten horns and seven heads. On each [of] its horns there was a royal crown. On [each] of its heads there was a name that insulted [God].

2 And the beast which I saw was like to a leopardess, and its feet as of a bear, and its mouth as a lion's mouth; and the dragon gave to it his power, and his throne, and great authority;

The beast that I saw was like a leopard. But its feet were like the feet of a bear, and its mouth was like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave the beast [power]. From his own throne he also gave it authority [to rule people] [DOU].

3 and one of his heads [was] as slain to death, and his wound of death had been healed: and the whole earth wondered after the beast.

One of the heads of the beast had been wounded {[The Lord] had wounded one of the heads of the beast}, causing the beast to almost die. But its wound was healed. [As a result, nearly] all [the people of] the earth [HYP, MTY] marveled at the beast and became his disciples.

4 And they did homage to the dragon, because he gave the authority to the beast; and they did homage to the beast, saying, Who [is] like to the beast? and who can make war with it?

They worshipped the dragon, because he had given to the beast authority [to rule people]. They also worshipped the beast, saying, “No one is [as powerful] as the beast!/ [RHQ] (No one would dare to fight against it!/Who would dare to fight against it?)” [RHQ]

5 And there was given to it a mouth, speaking great things and blasphemies; and there was given to it authority to pursue its career forty-two months.

The beast was allowed {[God] allowed the beast} to speak [MTY] in a boastful way and to insult [God]. [It was also] allowed {[God] also allowed it} to rule [over people] for 42 months.

6 And it opened its mouth for blasphemies against God, to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle, and those who have their tabernacle in the heaven.

It [MTY] insulted God, insulted the place where he lives, and insulted everyone who lives with him in heaven.

7 And there was given to it to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and there was given to it authority over every tribe, and people, and tongue, and nation;

[It was] allowed {[God] allowed it} to fight against God’s people and to conquer them. [It was] allowed {[God] allowed it} to have authority [to rule] over every tribe, over every people-[group], over [speakers of] every language [MTY], and over every nation.

8 and all that dwell on the earth shall do it homage, [every one] whose name had not been written from [the] founding of [the] world in the book of life of the slain Lamb.

Most of [HYP] the [people] living on earth worshipped it. They were people whose names were not written in a book by the [one who is like a] lamb, the one who had been killed. Since the beginning of the world [he wrote in it the names of the people who] will have [eternal] life.

9 If any one has an ear, let him hear.

Everyone who wants to understand [MTY] must listen carefully to [this message from God]:

10 If any one [leads] into captivity, he goes into captivity. If any one shall kill with [the] sword, he must with [the] sword be killed. Here is the endurance and the faith of the saints.

If [God has determined] that some people will be captured by their [enemies], they will be captured. If [God has determined that] some people will be killed with a sword, they will be killed with a sword. So God’s people [must be] steadfast, and remain faithful [to him].

11 And I saw another beast rising out of the earth; and it had two horns like to a lamb, and spake as a dragon;

I saw another beast, which was coming up from the earth. It had two small horns [on its head] like a sheep has. But it spoke [things to deceive people], like the dragon does.

12 and it exercises all the authority of the first beast before it, and causes the earth and those that dwell in it to do homage to the first beast, whose wound of death was healed.

While the first beast watched, it used all the [same] authority [to rule people that the first beast had]. It forced the people who live on the earth [MTY, DOU] to worship the first beast, that is, the one who was healed of the wound that had caused it to almost die.

13 And it works great signs, that it should cause even fire to come down from heaven to the earth before men.

The second beast performed awesome miracles, even causing fire from the sky to fall to earth while people watched.

14 And it deceives those that dwell upon the earth by reason of the signs which it was given to it to work before the beast, saying to those that dwell upon the earth to make an image to the beast, which has the wound of the sword, and lived.

He performed miracles (on behalf of/with the authority of) the [first] beast. By doing that he deceived the [unbelieving] people on the earth so that they [believed that they should worship the first beast. But this happened only because God] allowed [it to happen]. The second beast told the people living on earth to make an image of the [first] beast, the one that [people] had almost killed with a sword and that then came back to life again.

15 And it was given to it to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should also speak, and should cause that as many as should not do homage to the image of the beast should be killed.

The image of the [first] beast was allowed to breathe, in order that it might speak and in order that [it might command that] whoever refused to worship its image should be killed {that [people] should kill whoever refused to worship its image}.

16 And it causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bondmen, that they should give them a mark upon their right hand or upon their forehead;

[The second beast] required also that [the first beast’s name] be marked {[its agents] mark [the first beast’s name]} on the right hand or on the forehead of everyone, those of little [social importance] and of great [social importance], the rich and the poor, free [people] and slaves. [Everyone]!

17 and that no one should be able to buy or sell save he that had the mark, the name of the beast, or the number of its name.

They did this in order that people could not buy [anything] or sell [anything] if they did not have the mark, which represents the name of the beast or the number of its name, [on their foreheads].

18 Here is wisdom. He that has understanding let him count the number of the beast: for it is a man's number; and its number [is] six hundred [and] sixty-six.

You must [think] wisely to understand [the meaning of the mark]. Anyone who thinks wisely should calculate from the number of the beast what the man’s name is. That number is 666.