Revelation 17:1–18:24
Babylon, the Prostitute on the Beast
17 One of the seven angelsr who had the seven bowlss came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishmentt of the great prostitute,u who sits by many waters.v 2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”w
3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spiritx into a wilderness.y There I saw a woman sitting on a scarletz beast that was covered with blasphemous namesa and had seven heads and ten horns.b 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls.c She held a golden cupd in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries.e 5 The name written on her forehead was a mystery:f
babylon the greatg
the mother of prostitutesh
and of the abominations of the earth.
6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people,i the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.
When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. 7 Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mysteryj of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns.k 8 The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyssl and go to its destruction.m The inhabitants of the earthn whose names have not been written in the book of lifeo from the creation of the world will be astonishedp when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.
9 “This calls for a mind with wisdom.q The seven headsr are seven hills on which the woman sits. 10 They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. 11 The beast who once was, and now is not,s is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.
12 “The ten hornst you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one houru will receive authority as kings along with the beast. 13 They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast.v 14 They will wage warw against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph overx them because he is Lord of lords and King of kingsy—and with him will be his called, chosenz and faithful followers.”
15 Then the angel said to me, “The watersa you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.b 16 The beast and the ten hornsc you saw will hate the prostitute.d They will bring her to ruine and leave her naked;f they will eat her fleshg and burn her with fire.h 17 For God has put it into their heartsi to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority,j until God’s words are fulfilled.k 18 The woman you saw is the great cityl that rules over the kings of the earth.”
18 After this I saw another angelm coming down from heaven.n He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.o 2 With a mighty voice he shouted:
“ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’a p
She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit,q
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.r
3 For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries.s
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,t
and the merchants of the earth grew richu from her excessive luxuries.”v
Warning to Escape Babylon’s Judgment
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
“ ‘Come out of her, my people,’b w
so that you will not share in her sins,
so that you will not receive any of her plagues;x
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven,y
and God has rememberedz her crimes.
6 Give back to her as she has given;
pay her backa doubleb for what she has done.
Pour her a double portion from her own cup.c
7 Give her as much torment and grief
as the glory and luxury she gave herself.d
In her heart she boasts,
‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;c
I will never mourn.’e
8 Therefore in one dayf her plagues will overtake her:
death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,g
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
Threefold Woe Over Babylon’s Fall
9 “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with herh and shared her luxuryi see the smoke of her burning,j they will weep and mourn over her.k 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far offl and cry:
“ ‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,m
you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hourn your doom has come!’
11 “The merchantso of the earth will weep and mournp over her because no one buys their cargoes anymoreq—12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble;r 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.s
14 “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ 15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from hert will stand far off,u terrified at her torment. They will weep and mournv 16 and cry out:
“ ‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,w
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!x
17 In one houry such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’z
“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea,a will stand far off.b 18 When they see the smoke of her burning,c they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great cityd?’e 19 They will throw dust on their heads,f and with weeping and mourningg cry out:
“ ‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,h
where all who had ships on the sea
became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’i
20 “Rejoice over her, you heavens!j
Rejoice, you people of God!
Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her
with the judgment she imposed on you.”k
The Finality of Babylon’s Doom
21 Then a mighty angell picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea,m and said:
“With such violence
the great cityn of Babylon will be thrown down,
never to be found again.
22 The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters,
will never be heard in you again.o
No worker of any trade
will ever be found in you again.
The sound of a millstone
will never be heard in you again.p
will never shine in you again.
The voice of bridegroom and bride
will never be heard in you again.q
Your merchants were the world’s important people.r
By your magic spells all the nations were led astray.
24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people,t
of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”u