6. The beast opened its mouth to insult God—to insult his name, the place where he lives, and all those who live in heaven.
7. It was given power to make war against God’s holy people and to defeat them. It was given power over every tribe, race of people, language, and nation.
8. Everyone living on earth would worship the beast. These are all the people since the beginning of the world whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life. The Lamb is the one who was killed.
9. Anyone who hears these things should listen to this:
10. Whoever is to be a prisoner, will be a prisoner. Whoever is to be killed with a sword, will be killed with a sword. This means that God’s holy people must have patience and faith.
11. Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he talked like a dragon.
12. This beast stood before the first beast and used the same power the first beast had. He used this power to make everyone living on the earth worship the first beast. The first beast was the one that had the death wound that was healed.
13. The second beast did great miracles. He even made fire come down from heaven to earth while people were watching.
14. This second beast fooled the people living on earth by using the miracles that he had been given the power to do for the first beast. He ordered people to make an idol to honor the first beast, the one that was wounded by the sword but did not die.
15. The second beast was given power to give life to the idol of the first beast. Then the idol could speak and order all those who did not worship it to be killed.