1. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads; on each of its horns there was a crown, and on each of its heads there was a name that was insulting to God.
2. The beast looked like a leopard, with feet like a bear's feet and a mouth like a lion's mouth. The dragon gave the beast his own power, his throne, and his vast authority.
3. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have been fatally wounded, but the wound had healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast.
4. Everyone worshipped the dragon because he had given his authority to the beast. They worshipped the beast also, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who can fight against it?”
5. The beast was allowed to make proud claims which were insulting to God, and it was permitted to have authority for 42 months.
6. It began to curse God, his name, the place where he lives, and all those who live in heaven.
7. It was allowed to fight against God's people and to defeat them, and it was given authority over every tribe, nation, language, and race.
8. All people living on earth will worship it, except those whose names were written before the creation of the world in the book of the living which belongs to the Lamb that was killed.
9. “Listen, then, if you have ears!
10. Whoever is meant to be captured will surely be captured; whoever is meant to be killed by the sword will surely be killed by the sword. This calls for endurance and faith on the part of God's people.”
11. Then I saw another beast, which came up out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb's horns, and it spoke like a dragon.
12. It used the vast authority of the first beast in its presence. It forced the earth and all who live on it to worship the first beast, whose wound had healed.