Revelation 13:11-17

13:11 Then ¹  I saw another beast ²  coming up from the earth. He ³  had two horns like a lamb, ⁴  but ⁵  was speaking like a dragon. 13:12 He ⁶  exercised all the ruling authority ⁷  of the first beast on his behalf, ⁸  and made the earth and those who inhabit it worship the first beast, the one whose lethal wound had been healed. 13:13 He ⁹  performed momentous signs, even making fire come down from heaven in front of people ¹⁰  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 ¹¹  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 ¹²  was empowered ¹³  to give life ¹⁴  to the image of the first beast ¹⁵  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 ¹⁶  everyone (small and great, rich and poor, free and slave ¹⁷ ) to obtain a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. 13:17 Thus no one was allowed to buy ¹⁸  or sell things ¹⁹  unless he bore ²⁰  the mark of the beast – that is, his name or his number. ²¹ 

Revelation 16:13-14

16:13 Then ²²  I saw three unclean spirits ²³  that looked like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 16:14 For they are the spirits of the demons performing signs who go out to the kings of the earth ²⁴  to bring them together for the battle that will take place on the great day of God, the All-Powerful. ²⁵ 

Revelation 20:10

20:10 And the devil who deceived ²⁶  them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, ²⁷  where the beast and the false prophet are ²⁸  too, and they will be tormented there day and night forever and ever.

Revelation 22:15

22:15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers ²⁹  and the sexually immoral, and the murderers, and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood! ³⁰ 

Daniel 7:8-11

7:8 “As I was contemplating the horns, another horn – a small one – came up between them, and three of the former horns were torn out by the roots to make room for it. ³¹  This horn had eyes resembling human eyes and a mouth speaking arrogant ³²  things.

7:9 “While I was watching,

thrones were set up,

and the Ancient of Days ³³  took his seat.

His attire was white like snow;

the hair of his head was like lamb’s ³⁴  wool.

His throne was ablaze with fire

and its wheels were all aflame. ³⁵ 

7:10 A river of fire was streaming forth

and proceeding from his presence.

Many thousands were ministering to him;

Many tens of thousands stood ready to serve him. ³⁶ 

The court convened ³⁷ 

and the books were opened.

7:11 “Then I kept on watching because of the arrogant words of the horn that was speaking. I was watching ³⁸  until the beast was killed and its body destroyed and thrown into ³⁹  the flaming fire.

Daniel 7:24-26

7:24 The ten horns

mean that ten kings will arise from that kingdom.

Another king will arise after them,

but he will be different from the earlier ones.

He will humiliate ⁴⁰  three kings.

7:25 He will speak words against the Most High.

He will harass ⁴¹  the holy ones of the Most High continually.

His intention ⁴²  will be to change times established by law. ⁴³ 

They will be delivered into his hand

For a time, times, ⁴⁴  and half a time.

7:26 But the court will convene, ⁴⁵  and his ruling authority will be removed –

destroyed and abolished forever!

Daniel 8:24

8:24 His power will be great, but it will not be by his strength alone. He will cause terrible destruction. ⁴⁶  He will be successful in what he undertakes. ⁴⁷  He will destroy powerful people and the people of the holy ones. ⁴⁸ 

Daniel 8:26

8:26 The vision of the evenings and mornings that was told to you is correct. ⁴⁹  But you should seal up the vision, for it refers to a time many days from now.”

Daniel 8:2

8:2 In this ⁵⁰  vision I saw myself in Susa ⁵¹  the citadel, ⁵²  which is located in the province of Elam. In the vision I saw myself at the Ulai Canal. ⁵³ 

Daniel 2:8-11

2:8 The king replied, “I know for sure that you are attempting to gain time, because you see that my decision is firm. 2:9 If you don’t inform me of the dream, there is only one thing that is going to happen to you. ⁵⁴  For you have agreed among yourselves to report to me something false and deceitful ⁵⁵  until such time as things might change. So tell me the dream, and I will have confidence ⁵⁶  that you can disclose its interpretation.”

2:10 The wise men replied to the king, “There is no man on earth who is able to disclose the king’s secret, ⁵⁷  for no king, regardless of his position and power, has ever requested such a thing from any magician, astrologer, or wise man. 2:11 What the king is asking is too difficult, and no one exists who can disclose it to the king, except for the gods – but they don’t live among mortals!” ⁵⁸ 

[13:11]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[13:11]  ² sn This second beast is identified in Rev 16:13 as “the false prophet.”

[13:11]  ³ tn Grk “and it had,” a continuation of the preceding sentence. On the use of the pronoun “he” to refer to the second beast, see the note on the word “It” in 13:1.

[13:11]  ⁴ tn Or perhaps, “like a ram.” Here L&N 4.25 states, “In the one context in the NT, namely, Re 13:11, in which ἀρνίον refers literally to a sheep, it is used in a phrase referring to the horns of an ἀρνίον. In such a context the reference is undoubtedly to a ‘ram,’ that is to say, the adult male of sheep.” In spite of this most translations render the word “lamb” here to maintain the connection between this false lamb and the true Lamb of the Book of Revelation, Jesus Christ.

[13:11]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[13:12]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[13:12]  ⁷ tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.

[13:12]  ⁸ tn For this meaning see BDAG 342 s.v. ἐνώπιον 4.b, “by the authority of, on behalf of Rv 13:12, 14; 19:20.”

[13:13]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[13:13]  ¹⁰ tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both men and women.

[13:14]  ¹¹ tn Grk “earth, telling.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek.

[13:15]  ¹² tn Grk “it”; the referent (the second beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:15]  ¹³ tn Grk “it was given [permitted] to it [the second beast].”

[13:15]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “breath,” but in context the point is that the image of the first beast is made to come to life and speak.

[13:15]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “of the beast”; the word “first” has been supplied to specify the referent.

[13:16]  ¹⁶ tn Or “forced”; Grk “makes” (ποιεῖ, poiei).

[13:16]  ¹⁷ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[13:17]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “and that no one be able to buy or sell.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Although the ἵνα (Jina) is left untranslated, the English conjunction “thus” is used to indicate that this is a result clause.

[13:17]  ¹⁹ tn The word “things” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context. In the context of buying and selling, food could be primarily in view, but the more general “things” was used in the translation because the context is not specific.

[13:17]  ²⁰ tn Grk “except the one who had.”

[13:17]  ²¹ tn Grk “his name or the number of his name.”

[16:13]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[16:13]  ²³ sn According to the next verse, these three unclean spirits are spirits of demons.

[16:14]  ²⁴ tn BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 1 states, “the inhabited earth, the world…ὅλη ἡ οἰκ. the whole inhabited earth…Mt 24:14; Ac 11:28; Rv 3:10; 16:14.”

[16:14]  ²⁵ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[20:10]  ²⁶ tn Or “misled.”

[20:10]  ²⁷ tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”

[20:10]  ²⁸ tn The verb in this clause is elided. In keeping with the previous past tenses some translations supply a past tense verb here (“were”), but in view of the future tense that follows (“they will be tormented”), a present tense verb was used to provide a transition from the previous past tense to the future tense that follows.

[22:15]  ²⁹ tn On the term φάρμακοι (farmakoi) see L&N 53.101.

[22:15]  ³⁰ tn Or “lying,” “deceit.”

[7:8]  ³¹ tn Aram “were uprooted from before it.”

[7:8]  ³² tn Aram “great.” So also in vv. 11, 20.

[7:9]  ³³ tn Or “the Ancient One” (NAB, NRSV, NLT), although the traditional expression has been retained in the present translation because it is familiar to many readers. Cf. TEV “One who had been living for ever”; CEV “the Eternal God.”

[7:9]  ³⁴ tn Traditionally the Aramaic word נְקֵא (nÿqe’) has been rendered “pure,” but here it more likely means “of a lamb.” Cf. the Syriac neqya’ (“a sheep, ewe”). On this word see further, M. Sokoloff, “’amar neqe’, ‘Lamb’s Wool’ (Dan 7:9),” JBL 95 (1976): 277-79.

[7:9]  ³⁵ tn Aram “a flaming fire.”

[7:10]  ³⁶ tn Aram “were standing before him.”

[7:10]  ³⁷ tn Aram “judgment sat.”

[7:11]  ³⁸ tc The LXX and Theodotion lack the words “I was watching” here. It is possible that these words in the MT are a dittography from the first part of the verse.

[7:11]  ³⁹ tn Aram “and given over to” (so NRSV).

[7:24]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “subjugate”; KJV, NASB, NIV “subdue”; ASV, NRSV “put down.”

[7:25]  ⁴¹ tn Aram “wear out” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NASB, NLT “wear down.” The word is a hapax legomenon in biblical Aramaic, but in biblical Hebrew it especially refers to wearing out such things as garments. Here it is translated “harass…continually.”

[7:25]  ⁴² tn Aram “he will think.”

[7:25]  ⁴³ tn Aram “times and law.” The present translation is based on the understanding that the expression is a hendiadys.

[7:25]  ⁴⁴ sn Although the word times is vocalized in the MT as a plural, it probably should be regarded as a dual. The Masoretes may have been influenced here by the fact that in late Aramaic (and Syriac) the dual forms fall out of use. The meaning would thus be three and a half “times.”

[7:26]  ⁴⁵ tn Aram “judgment will sit” (KJV similar).

[8:24]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “extraordinarily he will destroy.”

[8:24]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “he will succeed and act.”

[8:24]  ⁴⁸ tn See the corresponding Aramaic expression in 7:27. If the “holy ones” are angels, then this probably refers to the angels as protectors of God’s people. One could translate, “people belonging to (i.e., protected by) the holy ones.” If the “holy ones” are God’s people, then this is an appositional construction, “the people who are the holy ones.” One could translate simply “holy people.” For examples of a plural appositional genitive after “people,” see 11:15, 32. Because either interpretation is possible, the translation has deliberately preserved the ambiguity of the Hebrew grammar here.

[8:26]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “truth.”

[8:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “the.”

[8:2]  ⁵¹ sn Susa (Heb. שׁוּשַׁן, shushan), located some 230 miles (380 km) east of Babylon, was a winter residence for Persian kings during the Achaemenid period. The language of v. 2 seems to suggest that Daniel may not have been physically present at Susa, but only saw himself there in the vision. However, the Hebrew is difficult, and some have concluded that the first four words of v. 2 in the MT are a later addition (cf. Theodotion).

[8:2]  ⁵² tn The Hebrew word בִּירָה (birah, “castle, palace”) usually refers to a fortified structure within a city, but here it is in apposition to the city name Susa and therefore has a broader reference to the entire city (against this view, however, see BDB 108 s.v. 2). Cf. NAB “the fortress of Susa”; TEV “the walled city of Susa.”

[8:2]  ⁵³ tn The term אוּבַל (’uval = “stream, river”) is a relatively rare word in biblical Hebrew, found only here and in vv. 3 and 6. The Ulai was apparently a sizable artificial canal in Susa (cf. NASB, NIV, NCV), and not a river in the ordinary sense of that word.

[2:9]  ⁵⁴ tn Aram “one is your law,” i.e., only one thing is applicable to you.

[2:9]  ⁵⁵ tn Aram “a lying and corrupt word.”

[2:9]  ⁵⁶ tn Aram “I will know.”

[2:10]  ⁵⁷ tn Aram “matter, thing.”

[2:11]  ⁵⁸ tn Aram “whose dwelling is not with flesh.”