Revelation 17–20

THE WOMAN AND THE SCARLET BEAST

17Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls^h came and spoke with me: “Come, I will show you the judgment of the notorious prostitute^Hi who is seated on many^I waters.^{j 2}The kings of the earth^k committed sexual immorality with her, and those who live on the earth became drunk on the wine of her sexual immorality.”^{l 3}Then he carried me away in the Spirit^Jm to a wilderness.

I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered^K with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.^{n 4}The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls.^o She had a golden cup in her hand filled with everything detestable^p and with the impurities of her^L prostitution. ⁵On her forehead was written a name, a mystery:^q Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Detestable Things of the Earth. ⁶Then I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses to Jesus.^r When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.

THE MEANING OF THE WOMAN AND OF THE BEAST

⁷Then the angel said to me, “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast, with the seven heads and the ten horns, that carries her. ⁸The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up from the abyss^s and go to destruction.^t Those who live on the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world^u will be astonished when they see the beast that was, and is not, and is to come.^{v 9}This calls for a mind that has wisdom.^Aw

“The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated. They are also seven kings: ¹⁰Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he must remain for only a little while. ¹¹The beast that was and is not, is itself an eighth king, but it belongs to the seven and is going to destruction. ¹²The ten horns you saw are ten kings^x who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.^{y 13}These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast. ¹⁴These will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings.^z Those with him are called, chosen, and faithful.”^aa

¹⁵He also said to me, “The waters you saw,^ab where the prostitute was seated, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.^{ac 16}The ten horns you saw, and the beast, will hate the prostitute.^ad They will make her desolate and naked, devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire.^{ae 17}For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his plan by having one purpose^af and to give their kingdom^B to the beast until the words of God are fulfilled.^{ag 18}And the woman you saw is the great city that has royal power over the kings of the earth.”

THE FALL OF BABYLON THE GREAT

18After this I saw another angel with great authority coming down from heaven,^ah and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. ²He called out in a mighty voice:

It has fallen,^C

Babylon the Great has fallen!^ai

She has become a home for demons,

a haunt for every unclean spirit,

a haunt for every unclean bird,

and a haunt^D for every unclean and despicable beast.^Eaj

³For all the nations have drunk^F

the wine of her sexual immorality,

which brings wrath.^a

The kings of the earth

have committed sexual immorality with her,

and the merchants of the earth

have grown wealthy from her sensuality and excess.^b

⁴Then I heard another voice from heaven:

Come out of her, my people,

so that you will not share in her sins^c

or receive any of her plagues.

⁵For her sins are piled up^G to heaven,^d

and God has remembered her crimes.^e

⁶Pay her back the way she also paid,^f

and double it according to her works.^g

In the cup in which she mixed,^h

mix a double portion for her.

⁷As much as she glorified herself and indulged her sensual and excessive ways,

give her that much torment and grief.

For she says in her heart,

“I sit as a queen;

I am not a widow,

and I will never see grief.”ⁱ

⁸For this reason her plagues will come in just one day—

death and grief and famine.^j

She will be burned up with fire,^k

because the Lord God who judges^l her is mighty.^m

THE WORLD MOURNS BABYLON’S FALL

⁹The kings of the earth who have committed sexual immorality and shared her sensual and excessive ways will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke from her burning. ¹⁰They will stand far off in fear of her torment,ⁿ saying,

Woe, woe, the great city,^o

Babylon, the mighty city!

For in a single hour

your judgment has come.

¹¹The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any longer—¹²cargo of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; all kinds of fragrant wood products; objects of ivory; objects of expensive wood, brass,^A iron, and marble; ¹³cinnamon, spice,^B incense, myrrh,^C and frankincense; wine, olive oil, fine flour, and grain; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and slaves—human lives.^p

¹⁴The fruit you craved has left you.

All your splendid and glamorous things are gone;

they will never find them again.

¹⁵The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, ¹⁶saying,

Woe, woe, the great city,

dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet,

adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls;^q

¹⁷for in a single hour

such fabulous wealth was destroyed!

And every shipmaster, seafarer, the sailors, and all who do business by sea, stood far off ¹⁸as they watched the smoke from her burning and kept crying out, “Who was like the great city?”^{r 19}They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning,^s

Woe, woe, the great city,^t

where all those who have ships on the sea

became rich from her wealth;

for in a single hour she was destroyed.

²⁰Rejoice over her, heaven,

and you saints, apostles, and prophets,^u

because God has pronounced on her the judgment^v she passed on you!

THE FINALITY OF BABYLON’S FALL

²¹Then a mighty angel^w picked up a stone like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,

In this way, Babylon the great city

will be thrown down violently^x

and never be found again.^y

²²The sound of harpists, musicians,

flutists, and trumpeters

will never be heard in you again;^z

no craftsman of any trade

will ever be found in you again;

the sound of a mill

will never be heard in you again;

²³the light of a lamp

will never shine in you again;

and the voice of a groom and bride

will never be heard in you again.^a

All this will happen

because your merchants

were the nobility of the earth,

because all the nations were deceived

by your sorcery.

²⁴In her was found the blood of prophets and saints,^b

and of all those slaughtered on the earth.^c

CELEBRATION IN HEAVEN

19After this I heard something like the loud voice of a vast multitude^d in heaven, saying,

Hallelujah!^e

Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God,^f

²because his judgments are true and righteous,^g

because he has judged the notorious prostitute^h

who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality;

and he has avenged the blood of his servants

that was on her hands.ⁱ

³A second time they said,

Hallelujah!

Her smoke ascends forever and ever!^j

⁴Then the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God,^k who is seated on the throne, saying,

Amen! Hallelujah!^l

⁵A voice came from the throne, saying,

Praise our God,

all his servants, and the ones who fear him,

both small and great!^m

⁶Then I heard something like the voice of a vast multitude, like the sound of cascading waters,ⁿ and like the rumbling of loud thunder, saying,

Hallelujah, because our Lord God, the Almighty,

reigns!^o

⁷Let us be glad, rejoice, and give him glory,^p

because the marriage of the Lamb has come,

and his bride has prepared herself.^q

⁸She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure.^r

For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints.^s

⁹Then he said to me,^t “Write: Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast^u of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These words of God are true.”^{v 10}Then I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “Don’t do that!^w I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters who hold firmly to the testimony of Jesus.^x Worship God, because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit^A of prophecy.”

THE RIDER ON A WHITE HORSE

¹¹Then I saw heaven opened,^y and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True,^z and with justice he judges and makes war.^{aa 12}His eyes were like a fiery flame,^ab and many crowns^B were on his head.^ac He had a name written that no one knows except himself.^{ad 13}He wore a robe dipped in blood,^ae and his name is called the Word of God.^{af 14}The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. ¹⁵A sharp^C sword^ag came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it.^ah He will rule^D them with an iron rod.^ai He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God,^aj the Almighty. ¹⁶And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.^ak

THE BEAST AND ITS ARMIES DEFEATED

¹⁷Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he called out in a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying high overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, ¹⁸so that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of military commanders, the flesh of the mighty, the flesh of horses and of their riders, and the flesh of everyone, both free and slave, small and great.”^al

¹⁹Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies^am gathered together to wage war^an against the rider on the horse and against his army. ²⁰But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with it the false prophet, who had performed the signs in its presence. He deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image with these signs.^a Both of them…