17:1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters,
17:2 with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of sexual immorality, and those who live on the earth became drunk with the wine of her sexual immorality.”
17:3 And he carried me away ①in 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.
▷ ①Or in spirit
17:4 The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and ①adorned with gold, precious ②stones, and pearls, holding in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her sexual immorality,
▷ ①Lit gilded ②Lit stone
17:5 and on her forehead a name was written, ①a mystery: “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
▷ ①Or “MYSTERY...”
17:6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the ①saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered ②greatly.
▷ ①Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people ②Lit with great wonder
17:7 And the angel said to me, “Why ①do you wonder? 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.
▷ ①Lit have you wondered
17:8 “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and ①go to destruction. And those who live on the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was, and is not, and will ②come.
▷ ①One early ms is going ②Lit be present
17:9 Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains upon which the woman sits,
17:10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.
17:11 The beast which was, and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.
17:12 The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.
17:13 These have one ①purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.
▷ ①Or mind
17:14 These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”
17:15 And he *said to me, “The waters which you saw where the prostitute sits are peoples and multitudes, and nations and languages.
17:16 And the ten horns which 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.
17:17 For God has put it in their hearts to execute His ①purpose ②by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.
▷ ①Or mind ②Lit even to do one mind and to give
17:18 The woman whom you saw is the great city, which ①reigns over the kings of the earth.”
▷ ①Lit has a kingdom