1And there came one of the seven angels that had the seven bowls , and spake with me , saying , Come hither , I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters ; 2with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication , and they that dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her fornication . 3And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness : and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet-colored beast , full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns . 4And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet , and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls , having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornication , 5and upon her forehead a name written , MYSTERY , BABYLON THE GREAT , THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH . 6And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus . And when I saw her , I wondered with a great wonder .
The Mystery of the Woman and the Beast
7And the angel said unto me , Wherefore didst thou wonder ? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman , and of the beast that carrieth her , which hath the seven heads and the ten horns . 8The beast that thou sawest was , and is not ; and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition . And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder , they whose name hath not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world , when they behold the beast , how that he was , and is not , and shall come . 9Here is the mind that hath wisdom . The seven heads are seven mountains , on which the woman sitteth : 10and they are seven kings ; the five are fallen , the one is , the other is not yet come ; and when he cometh , he must continue a little while . 11And the beast that was , and is not , is himself also an eighth , and is of the seven ; and he goeth into perdition .
The Seven Heads and Ten Horns
12And the ten horns that thou sawest are ten kings , who have received no kingdom as yet ; but they receive authority as kings , with the beast , for one hour . 13These have one mind , and they give their power and authority unto the beast . 14These shall war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them , for he is Lord of lords , and King of kings ; and they also shall overcome that are with him , called and chosen and faithful .
The Fall of Babylon
15And he saith unto me , The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth , are peoples , and multitudes , and nations , and tongues . 16And the ten horns which thou sawest, and the beast , these shall hate the harlot , and shall make her desolate and naked , and shall eat her flesh , and shall burn her utterly with fire . 17For God did put in their hearts to do his mind , and to come to one mind , and to give their kingdom unto the beast , until the words of God should be accomplished . 18And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city , which reigneth over the kings of the earth .