Revelation 17

1And there came one of the seven messengers, who were having the seven bowls, and he spoke with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show to you the judgment of the great whore, who is sitting on the many waters,

2with whom the kings of the earth committed whoredom; and those inhabiting the earth were made drunk from the wine of her whoredom”;

3and he carried me away to a wilderness in the Spirit, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of slander, having seven heads and ten horns,

4and the woman was clothed with purple and scarlet-color, and gilded with gold, and precious stone, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and uncleanness of her whoredom,

5and on her forehead was a name written: “SECRET, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE WHORES, AND THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

6And I saw the woman drunken from the blood of the holy ones, and from the blood of the witnesses of Jesus, and I wondered—having seen her—with great wonder;

7and the messenger said to me, “For this reason did you wonder? I will tell you the secret of the woman and of the beast that [is] carrying her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.

8The beast that you saw: it was, and it is not, and it is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go away to destruction, and those dwelling on the earth will wonder, whose names have not been written on the Scroll of Life from the foundation of the world, beholding the beast that was, and is not, although it is.

9Here [is] the mind that is having wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits,

10and there are seven kings, the five fell, and the one is, the other did not yet come, and when he may come, it is necessary for him to remain a short time;

11and the beast that was, and is not, he also is eighth, and he is out of the seven, and he goes away to destruction.

12And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who did not yet receive a kingdom, but receive authority as kings one hour with the beast;

13these have one mind, and they will give over their own power and authority to the beast;

14these will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords, and King of kings, and those with Him are called, and chosen, and steadfast.”

15And he says to me, “The waters that you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues;

16and the ten horns that you saw, and the beast, these will hate the whore, and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh, and will burn her in fire,

17for God gave into their hearts to do His purpose, and to make one purpose, and to give their kingdom to the beast until the sayings of God may be fulfilled,

18and the woman that you saw is the great city that is having reign over the kings of the earth.”