¹ AND I stood upon the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon the horns ten diadems, and upon the heads a title of blasphemy.

² And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his throne, and great authority.

³ And I saw one of his heads as if wounded unto death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the earth wondered after the beast.

⁴ And they worshipped the dragon who had given authority to the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like to the beast? who is able to wage war with him?

⁵ And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and there was given to him authority to make war forty-two months.

⁶ And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.

⁷ And it was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and authority was given to him over every tribe, and tongue, and nation.

⁸ And all the inhabitants who dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

⁹ He that hath an ear, let him hear.

¹⁰ If any person leads others into captivity, he shall be led into captivity; if any person kills with the sword, he must be slain by the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

¹¹ And I saw another beast rising up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, though he spake as the dragon.

¹² And he exerciseth all the authority of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth, and those who inhabit therein, to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed.

¹³ And he performeth great signs, so that he even causeth fire to come down from heaven to the earth, in the sight of men,

¹⁴ and deceiveth the inhabitants of the earth by the signs, which he is enabled to perform before the beast, saying to the dwellers upon the earth, that they should make an image for the beast who had the stroke of the sword, and survived.

¹⁵ And he is enabled to impart life to the image of the beast that even the image of the beast should speak, and cause as many as will not worship the image of the beast to be put to death.

¹⁶ And he causeth all the small and the great, the rich and the poor, the freemen and the slaves, to receive a brand upon their right hand, and upon their foreheads:

¹⁷ and that no man may buy or sell, but he that hath the mark impressed, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

¹⁸ Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding calculate the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred sixty-six.