1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads; and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority.
These verses follow verse 18 of the prior chapter which declares the first beast, the devil, (represented as a dragon) to be standing on the shore. (In the King James Version this verse, 12:18, begins this chapter rather than ending the last one, and in the ESV it is added to the end of the last verse, becoming part of verse 17).
