Revelation 17

1 And one of the seven messengers having the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, [a] 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed whoring, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk out of the wine of her whoring.” [b]

3 And he carried me away into a wilderness, in spirit. And I saw a woman seated on a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. [c] 4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and gilded with gold and precious stone and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of detestable things and the unclean things of her whoring, [d] 5 and on her forehead a name written, a secret: Babylon the great, the mother of the prostitutes and of the detestable things of the earth. [e] 6 And I saw the woman drunk out of the blood of the holy ones and out of the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And seeing her I marveled with a great marveling. [f]

7 And the messenger said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the secret of the woman and of the beast carrying her, the one having the seven heads and the ten horns. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss, and it goes into destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel — those whose name has not been written on the scroll of life from the founding of the world — seeing the beast, that it was and is not and will be present. [g]

9 Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, where the woman sits on them. And they are seven kings: [h] 10 the five fell, the one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain a little while. [i] 11 And the beast that was and is not — he himself is also an eighth, and he is out of the seven, and he goes into destruction.

12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings for one hour with the beast. [j] † 13 These have one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast. 14 These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” [k]

15 And he says to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples and crowds and nations and tongues. 16 And the ten horns that you saw, and the beast — these will hate the prostitute, and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh, and will burn her up with fire. [l] 17 For God gave into their hearts to do his mind, and to do one mind and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be completed. [m] 18 And the woman that you saw is the great city that holds a kingdom over the kings of the earth.” [n]