Revelation 11-13

New International Version

The Two Witnesses

11 I was given a reed like a measuring rod^(A) and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. ² But exclude the outer court;^(B) do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles.^(C) They will trample on the holy city^(D) for 42 months.^{(E) 3} And I will appoint my two witnesses,^(F) and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,^(G) clothed in sackcloth.”^{(H) 4} They are “the two olive trees”^(I) and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”^{[a](J) 5} If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies.^(K) This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.^{(L) 6} They have power to shut up the heavens^(M) so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying;^(N) and they have power to turn the waters into blood^(O) and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

⁷ Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast^(P) that comes up from the Abyss^(Q) will attack them,^(R) and overpower and kill them. ⁸ Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city^(S)—which is figuratively called Sodom^(T) and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified.^{(U) 9} For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation^(V) will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.^{(W) 10} The inhabitants of the earth^(X) will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts,^(Y) because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

¹¹ But after the three and a half days^(Z) the breath^[b] of life from God entered them,^(AA) and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. ¹² Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.”^(AB) And they went up to heaven in a cloud,^(AC) while their enemies looked on.

¹³ At that very hour there was a severe earthquake^(AD) and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory^(AE) to the God of heaven.^(AF)

¹⁴ The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.^(AG)

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵ The seventh angel sounded his trumpet,^(AH) and there were loud voices^(AI) in heaven, which said:

¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders,^(AL) who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces^(AM) and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying:

¹⁹ Then God’s temple^(AV) in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant.^(AW) And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder,^(AX) an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.^(AY)

The Woman and the Dragon

12 A great sign^(AZ) appeared in heaven:^(BA) a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars^(BB) on her head. ² She was pregnant and cried out in pain^(BC) as she was about to give birth. ³ Then another sign appeared in heaven:^(BD) an enormous red dragon^(BE) with seven heads^(BF) and ten horns^(BG) and seven crowns^(BH) on its heads. ⁴ Its tail swept a third^(BI) of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.^(BJ) The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child^(BK) the moment he was born. ⁵ She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”^[c](BL) And her child was snatched up^(BM) to God and to his throne. ⁶ The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.^(BN)

⁷ Then war broke out in heaven. Michael^(BO) and his angels fought against the dragon,^(BP) and the dragon and his angels^(BQ) fought back. ⁸ But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent^(BR) called the devil,^(BS) or Satan,^(BT) who leads the whole world astray.^(BU) He was hurled to the earth,^(BV) and his angels with him.

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven^(BW) say:

¹³ When the dragon^(CG) saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.^{(CH) 14} The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle,^(CI) so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time,^(CJ) out of the serpent’s reach. ¹⁵ Then from his mouth the serpent^(CK) spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. ¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. ¹⁷ Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war^(CL) against the rest of her offspring^(CM)—those who keep God’s commands^(CN) and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.^(CO)

The Beast out of the Sea

13 The dragon^[d] stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea.^(CP) It had ten horns and seven heads,^(CQ) with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.^{(CR) 2} The beast I saw resembled a leopard,^(CS) but had feet like those of a bear^(CT) and a mouth like that of a lion.^(CU) The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.^{(CV) 3} One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed.^(CW) The whole world was filled with wonder^(CX) and followed the beast. ⁴ People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like^(CY) the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

⁵ The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies^(CZ) and to exercise its authority for forty-two months.^{(DA) 6} It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.^{(DB) 7} It was given power to wage war^(DC) against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.^{(DD) 8} All inhabitants of the earth^(DE) will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life,^(DF) the Lamb^(DG) who was slain from the creation of the world.^[e](DH)

⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.^(DI)

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness^(DK) on the part of God’s people.^(DL)

The Beast out of the Earth

¹¹ Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth.^(DM) It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon.^{(DN) 12} It exercised all the authority^(DO) of the first beast on its behalf,^(DP) and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast,^(DQ) whose fatal wound had been healed.^{(DR) 13} And it performed great signs,^(DS) even causing fire to come down from heaven^(DT) to the earth in full view of the people. ¹⁴ Because of the signs^(DU) it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived^(DV) the inhabitants of the earth.^(DW) It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.^{(DX) 15} The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship^(DY) the image to be killed.^{(DZ) 16} It also forced all people, great and small,^(EA) rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,^{(EB) 17} so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark,^(EC) which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.^(ED)

¹⁸ This calls for wisdom.^(EE) Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.^[h](EF) That number is 666.