(M95) 1 And 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; 2 with whom the kings of
the earth committed fornication, and they that dwell in the earth were
made drunken with the wine of her fornication.
(M96) 3 And 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(220), having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was
arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked(221) with gold and precious
stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations,
even the unclean things(222) of her fornication, 5 and upon her forehead a
name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT(223), THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 And I saw the woman drunken with
the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs(224) of Jesus.
And when I saw her, I wondered with a great wonder.
(M97) 7 And 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. 8 The beast that thou sawest
was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go(225)
into perdition. And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, _they_
whose name hath not been written in(226) 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(227).
(M98) 9 Here is the mind(228) that hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven
mountains, on which the woman sitteth: 10 and they are(229) 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. 11 And the beast that was, and is
not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goeth into
perdition. 12 And 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. 13 These have one mind, and they give their power and
authority unto the beast. 14 These 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.
(M99) 15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the
harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 16
And 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. 17 For 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. 18 And the woman
whom thou sawest is the great city, which reigneth over the kings(230) of
the earth.