Revelation 17

1Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters,”

2with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and those who dwell on the earth became drunk from the wine of her sexual immorality.

3And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.

4And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the unclean things of her sexual immorality.

5And on her forehead a name was written: Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth.

6And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And seeing her, I marveled greatly.

7And the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.”

8The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will marvel when they see the beast, because it was and is not and will be present.

9Here is the mind that has wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings.

10Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain for a little while.

11And the beast that was and is not is itself an eighth and is from the seven, and it goes to destruction.

12And 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.

13These are of one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast.

14These will make war against 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.

15And he says to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples and crowds and nations and languages.”

16And the ten horns that you saw, and the beast—these will hate the prostitute, and they will make her desolate and naked, and they will eat her flesh, and they will burn her up with fire.

17For God put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose, and to act with one purpose and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.

18And the woman whom you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.