13:1 Then ¹  I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It ²  had ten horns and seven heads, and on its horns were ten diadem crowns, ³  and on its heads a blasphemous name. ⁴  13:2 Now ⁵  the beast that I saw was like a leopard, but its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The ⁶  dragon gave the beast ⁷  his power, his throne, and great authority to rule. ⁸  13:3 One of the beast’s ⁹  heads appeared to have been killed, ¹⁰  but the lethal wound had been healed. ¹¹  And the whole world followed ¹²  the beast in amazement; 13:4 they worshiped the dragon because he had given ruling authority ¹³  to the beast, and they worshiped the beast too, saying: “Who is like the beast?” and “Who is able to make war against him?” ¹⁴  13:5 The beast ¹⁵  was given a mouth speaking proud words ¹⁶  and blasphemies, and he was permitted ¹⁷  to exercise ruling authority ¹⁸  for forty-two months. 13:6 So ¹⁹  the beast ²⁰  opened his mouth to blaspheme against God – to blaspheme both his name and his dwelling place, ²¹  that is, those who dwell in heaven. 13:7 The beast ²²  was permitted to go to war against the saints and conquer them. ²³  He was given ruling authority ²⁴  over every tribe, people, ²⁵  language, and nation, 13:8 and all those who live on the earth will worship the beast, ²⁶  everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world ²⁷  in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed. ²⁸  13:9 If anyone has an ear, he had better listen!

13:10 If anyone is meant for captivity,

into captivity he will go.

If anyone is to be killed by the sword, ²⁹ 

then by the sword he must be killed.

This ³⁰  requires steadfast endurance ³¹  and faith from the saints.

13:11 Then ³²  I saw another beast ³³  coming up from the earth. He ³⁴  had two horns like a lamb, ³⁵  but ³⁶  was speaking like a dragon. 13:12 He ³⁷  exercised all the ruling authority ³⁸  of the first beast on his behalf, ³⁹  and made the earth and those who inhabit it worship the first beast, the one whose lethal wound had been healed. 13:13 He ⁴⁰  performed momentous signs, even making fire come down from heaven in front of people ⁴¹  13:14 and, by the signs he was permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, he deceived those who live on the earth. He told ⁴²  those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who had been wounded by the sword, but still lived. 13:15 The second beast ⁴³  was empowered ⁴⁴  to give life ⁴⁵  to the image of the first beast ⁴⁶  so that it could speak, and could cause all those who did not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 13:16 He also caused ⁴⁷  everyone (small and great, rich and poor, free and slave ⁴⁸ ) to obtain a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. 13:17 Thus no one was allowed to buy ⁴⁹  or sell things ⁵⁰  unless he bore ⁵¹  the mark of the beast – that is, his name or his number. ⁵²  13:18 This calls for wisdom: ⁵³  Let the one who has insight calculate the beast’s number, for it is man’s number, ⁵⁴  and his number is 666. ⁵⁵ 

14:1 Then ⁵⁶  I looked, and here was ⁵⁷  the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were one hundred and forty-four thousand, who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 14:2 I also heard a sound ⁵⁸  coming out of heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. Now ⁵⁹  the sound I heard was like that made by harpists playing their harps, 14:3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No ⁶⁰  one was able to learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth.

14:4 These are the ones who have not defiled themselves ⁶¹  with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from humanity as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb, 14:5 and no lie was found on their lips; ⁶²  they ⁶³  are blameless.

14:6 Then ⁶⁴  I saw another ⁶⁵  angel flying directly overhead, ⁶⁶  and he had ⁶⁷  an eternal gospel to proclaim ⁶⁸  to those who live ⁶⁹  on the earth – to every nation, tribe, ⁷⁰  language, and people. 14:7 He declared ⁷¹  in a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has arrived, and worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water!”

14:8 A ⁷²  second ⁷³  angel ⁷⁴  followed the first, ⁷⁵  declaring: ⁷⁶  “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great city! ⁷⁷  She made all the nations ⁷⁸  drink of the wine of her immoral passion.” ⁷⁹ 

14:9 A ⁸⁰  third angel ⁸¹  followed the first two, ⁸²  declaring ⁸³  in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and takes the mark on his forehead or his hand, 14:10 that person ⁸⁴  will also drink of the wine of God’s anger ⁸⁵  that has been mixed undiluted in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tortured with fire and sulfur ⁸⁶  in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb. 14:11 And the smoke from their ⁸⁷  torture will go up ⁸⁸  forever and ever, and those who worship the beast and his image will have ⁸⁹  no rest day or night, along with ⁹⁰  anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 14:12 This requires ⁹¹  the steadfast endurance ⁹²  of the saints – those who obey ⁹³  God’s commandments and hold to ⁹⁴  their faith in Jesus. ⁹⁵ 

14:13 Then ⁹⁶  I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this:

‘Blessed are the dead,

those who die in the Lord from this moment on!’”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they can rest from their hard work, ⁹⁷  because their deeds will follow them.” ⁹⁸ 

14:14 Then ⁹⁹  I looked, and a white cloud appeared, ¹⁰⁰  and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man! ¹⁰¹  He had ¹⁰²  a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 14:15 Then ¹⁰³  another angel came out of the temple, shouting in a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud, “Use ¹⁰⁴  your sickle and start to reap, ¹⁰⁵  because the time to reap has come, since the earth’s harvest is ripe!” 14:16 So ¹⁰⁶  the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.

14:17 Then ¹⁰⁷  another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 14:18 Another ¹⁰⁸  angel, who was in charge of ¹⁰⁹  the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to the angel ¹¹⁰  who had the sharp sickle, “Use ¹¹¹  your sharp sickle and gather ¹¹²  the clusters of grapes ¹¹³  off the vine of the earth, ¹¹⁴  because its grapes ¹¹⁵  are now ripe.” ¹¹⁶  14:19 So ¹¹⁷  the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard ¹¹⁸  of the earth and tossed them into the great ¹¹⁹  winepress of the wrath of God. 14:20 Then ¹²⁰  the winepress was stomped ¹²¹  outside the city, and blood poured out of the winepress up to the height of horses’ bridles ¹²²  for a distance of almost two hundred miles. ¹²³ 

15:1 Then ¹²⁴  I saw another great and astounding sign in heaven: seven angels who have seven final plagues ¹²⁵  (they are final because in them God’s anger is completed).

15:2 Then ¹²⁶  I saw something like a sea of glass ¹²⁷  mixed with fire, and those who had conquered ¹²⁸  the beast and his image and the number of his name. They were standing ¹²⁹  by ¹³⁰  the sea of glass, holding harps given to them by God. ¹³¹  15:3 They ¹³²  sang the song of Moses the servant ¹³³  of God and the song of the Lamb: ¹³⁴ 

“Great and astounding are your deeds,

Lord God, the All-Powerful! ¹³⁵ 

Just ¹³⁶  and true are your ways,

King over the nations! ¹³⁷ 

15:4 Who will not fear you, O Lord,

and glorify ¹³⁸  your name, because you alone are holy? ¹³⁹ 

All nations ¹⁴⁰  will come and worship before you

for your righteous acts ¹⁴¹  have been revealed.”

15:5 After ¹⁴²  these things I looked, and the temple (the tent ¹⁴³  of the testimony) ¹⁴⁴  was opened in heaven, 15:6 and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, dressed in clean bright linen, wearing wide golden belts ¹⁴⁵  around their chests. 15:7 Then ¹⁴⁶  one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath ¹⁴⁷  of God who lives forever and ever, 15:8 and the temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and from his power. Thus ¹⁴⁸  no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues from the seven angels were completed.