It was allowed: God allowed him.

To give breath to the image of the beast: that is, to make the statue of the first beast come to life. So something like “to breathe life into the statue” may be said. See 11.11 for similar language.

So that the image of the beast should even speak: it is not necessary to repeat, as Revised Standard Version does, of the beast; this is quite redundant here. And the word even does not seem warranted by the Greek text.

To cause those … to be slain: the subject here is not the second beast, as Revised Standard Version has it, but the living statue of the first beast. New Revised Standard Version is better: “so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” Even New Revised Standard Version retains the needless redundancy of the second “of the beast.”

As Revised Standard Version shows, the full phrase the image of the beast appears three times in this verse. This stylistic feature of the book need not be carried over into translation. A more natural way may be used, one that does not omit any information:

• The second beast was allowed (by God) to make the statue of the first beast come to life, so that the statue could talk and could order anyone who did not worship it to be put to death.

Or:

• God allowed the second beast to make (or, cause) the statue of the first beast to have life, so that the statue could talk and could command them (or, people) to execute anyone who did not worship it.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .