1 Then v one of the seven angels who had w the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of x the great prostitute y who is seated on many waters, 2 z with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and a with the wine of whose sexual immorality b the dwellers on earth have become drunk." 3 And c he carried me away in the Spirit d into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on e a scarlet beast that was full of f blasphemous names, and g it had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman h was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned i with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand j a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 5 And on her forehead was written a name of k mystery: l "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations."
6 And I saw the woman, drunk m with the blood of the saints, the blood of n the martyrs of Jesus. 1 When I saw her, I marveled greatly. 7 But the angel said to me, "Why do you marvel? I will tell you o the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw p was, and is not, and q is about to rise from r the bottomless pit 2 and s go to destruction. And t the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in u the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because p it was and is not and is to come. 9 v This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast w that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. 12 And x the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings y for one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. 14 They z will make war on the Lamb, and a the Lamb will conquer them, for he is b Lord of lords and b King of kings, and those with him are c called and chosen and faithful."
15 And the angel 3 said to me, d "The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 16 And e the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast f will hate the prostitute. They will make her g desolate and h naked, and i devour her flesh and j burn her up with fire, 17 for k God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and l handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman that you saw is m the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth."
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.