The Two Beasts
1 I looked and saw a beast coming up from the sea. This one had ten horns and seven heads, and a crown was on each of its ten horns. On each of its heads were names that were an insult to God. 2 The beast I saw had the body of a leopard, the feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion. The dragon handed over its own power and throne and great authority to this beast. 3 One of its heads seemed to have been fatally wounded, but now it was well. Everyone on earth marveled at this beast, 4 and they worshiped the dragon who had given its authority to the beast. They also worshiped the beast and said, “No one is like this beast! No one can fight against it.”
5 The beast was allowed to brag and claim to be God, and for 42 months it was allowed to rule. 6 The beast cursed God, and it cursed the name of God. It even cursed the place where God lives, as well as everyone who lives in heaven with God. 7 It was allowed to fight against God's people and defeat them. It was also given authority over the people of every tribe, nation, language, and race. 8 The beast was worshiped by everyone whose name wasn't written before the time of creation in the book of the Lamb who was killed.
9 If you have ears,
then listen!
10 If you are doomed
to be captured,
you will be captured.
If you are doomed
to be killed by a sword,
you will be killed
by a sword.
This means God's people must learn to endure and be faithful!
11 I now saw another beast. This one came out of the ground. It had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon. 12 It worked for the beast whose fatal wound had been healed. And it used all its authority to force the earth and its people to worship that beast. 13 It worked mighty miracles, and while people watched, it even made fire come down from the sky.
14 This second beast fooled people on earth by working miracles for the first one. Then it talked them into making an idol in the form of the beast that did not die after being wounded by a sword. 15 It was allowed to put breath into the idol, so it could speak. Everyone who refused to worship the idol of the beast was put to death. 16 All people were forced to put a mark on their right hand or forehead. Whether they were powerful or weak, rich or poor, free people or slaves, 17 they all had to have this mark, or else they could not buy or sell anything. This mark stood for the name of the beast and for the number of its name.
18 You need wisdom to understand the number of the beast! But if you are smart enough, you can figure this out. Its number is 666, and it stands for a person.
Zwibandana zwibili
1 Ngono abona tjibandana tjibhuda mu gungwa tjina nyanga dzili gumi ne misholo ili kutendeka, pezhugwi kwe lunyanga gumwe ne gumwe kuna tjialana tje bushe, ngono pezhugwi kwe nsholo mmwe ne mmwe kuna zina linotuka Ndzimu. 2 Tjibandana itjetjo tjandakabona tjakabe tjinga n'gwe, matshambo atjo enga e bhira, nlomo watjo unga we shumba. Ngono bhophona likatjipa masimba alo ne bushe gwalo ne ndaulo hwulu. 3 Mmwe we misholo yatjo wakabe unabanga lingabulaya, koga banga ilelo likapola. Koga shango yose ikasala shule tjibandana itjetjo yakatjenama. 4 Bathu bakanamata bhophona ngoti lakabe lapa tjibandana bushe gwalo. Bakanamata tjibandana beti, “Ndiani unonga tjibandana itjetji? Ne ungagwa natjo ndiani?”
5 Tjibandana tjakapiwa nlomo we kuzwikudza ne kutuka Ndzimu, tjiletjedzegwa kube nge ndaulo mimwedzi ili makumi manna ana mimwedzi mibili (42). 6 Tjikatangisa kutuka Ndzimu ne zina lawo ne magalo awo ne banogala kudzimu. 7 Tjikapiwa ndetjedzelo kubhayana ne bayengemali ne kubakunda, kakale tjakabe tjapiwa ndaulo pezhugwi kwe ludzi gumwe ne gumwe ne bathu bamwe ne bamwe ne lulimi gumwe ne gumwe ne itjaba tjimwe ne tjimwe. 8 Ngono bose banogala mu shango banowotjinamata, bose be mazina asakakwagwa kudwa mu kuteyiwa kwe shango, mu lukwalo gwe butjilo gwe Pkhwizana yakabulawa.
9 Ha mmwe ana zebe, ngaahwe. 10 “Ha ili kuti kuna wakalingisana ngosungwa, unowosungwa, wakalingisana nge kubulawa nge thumo, unowobulawabo nge thumo. Oku koshaka kudzikitadza ne kugalamoyo kwe bayengemali.”
11 Ipapo abona tjimwe tjibandana tjibhuda mu shango, tjina nyanga dzili mbili dzifanana ne nyanga dze Pkhwizana, ngono tjikalebeleka se bhophona. 12 Tjoshinga nge ndaulo yose ye tjibandana tje kutanga se mmilili watjo. Tjokombeledza shango na bose banogala muili kuti banamate tjibandana tje kutanga, tje banga linotjisa lakapola. 13 Tjibandana itjetji tje bubili tjothama zwilakidzo zwikulu, tjothama moto ukadwa kudzimu ukazha pasi mu shango mu mesho e bathu bose. 14 Ndizo tjotjebela bathu banogala mu shango nge zwilakidzo zwatjinoletjedziwa kuthama mbeli kwe tjibandana tje kutanga tjibadwa tjiti bathame ifano tje tjibandana tjakabe tjakubadziwa nge thumo ngono tjikatjila. 15 Tjakapiwa simba kufemela meya mu ifano tje tjibandana tje kutanga kuti ifano tje tjibandana tjilebeleke ne kuthama kuti ibabo basinganamate ifano tje tjibandana babulawe. 16 Tjokombeledza bathu bose batukununu ne bakulukulu, bafumi ne bashayi, bakasununguka ne balanda kutjwayiwa mu maboko abo e luji kene mu phazha dzabo, 17 kuyita kuti kusibe ne ungatengesa asina lutjwayo igogo. Kodwa kuti zina le tjibandana kene mbalo ye zina latjo.
18 Ikoku koshaka butjenjedu. Iye wakatjenjela ngaazibe tjimiligwe nge mbalo ye tjibandana itjetjo, ngoti palo imilile zina le nthu. Mbalo yatjo mazana matathatu ana makumi matathatu ana tathatu (666).