The Scarlet Woman and the Scarlet Beast

17 Then ^(A)one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying ^[a]to me, “Come, ^(B)I will show you the judgment of ^(C)the great harlot ^(D)who sits on many waters, ^2 (E)with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and ^(F)the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”

³ So he carried me away in the Spirit ^(G)into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting ^(H)on a scarlet beast which was full of ^(I)names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. ⁴ The woman ^(J)was arrayed in purple and scarlet, ^(K)and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, ^(L)having in her hand a golden cup ^(M)full of abominations and the filthiness of ^[b]her fornication. ⁵ And on her forehead a name was written:

^(N)MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH.

⁶ I saw ^(O)the woman, drunk ^(P)with the blood of the saints and with the blood of ^(Q)the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

The Meaning of the Woman and the Beast

⁷ But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the ^[c]mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. ⁸ The beast that you saw was, and is not, and ^(R)will ascend out of the bottomless pit and ^(S)go to ^[d]perdition. And those who ^(T)dwell on the earth ^(U)will marvel, ^(V)whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and ^[e]yet is.

^9 (W)“Here is the mind which has wisdom: ^(X)The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. ¹⁰ There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must ^(Y)continue a short time. ¹¹ The ^(Z)beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to ^[f]perdition.

^12 (AA)“The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. ¹³ These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. ^14 (AB)These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will ^(AC)overcome them, ^(AD)for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; ^(AE)and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

¹⁵ Then he said to me, ^(AF)“The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, ^(AG)are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. ¹⁶ And the ten horns which you ^[g]saw on the beast, ^(AH)these will hate the harlot, make her ^(AI)desolate ^(AJ)and naked, eat her flesh and ^(AK)burn her with fire. ^17 (AL)For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, ^(AM)until the words of God are fulfilled. ¹⁸ And the woman whom you saw ^(AN)is that great city ^(AO)which reigns over the kings of the earth.”

The Fall of Babylon the Great

18 After^(AP) these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, ^(AQ)and the earth was illuminated with his glory. ² And he cried ^[h]mightily with a loud voice, saying, ^(AR)“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and ^(AS)has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and ^(AT)a cage for every unclean and hated bird! ³ For all the nations ^(AU)have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, ^(AV)and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the ^[i]abundance of her luxury.”

⁴ And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ^(AW)“Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. ^5 (AX)For her sins ^[j]have reached to heaven, and ^(AY)God has remembered her iniquities. ^6 (AZ)Render to her just as she rendered ^[k]to you, and repay her double according to her works; ^(BA)in the cup which she has mixed, ^(BB)mix double for her. ^7 (BC)In the measure that she glorified herself and lived ^[l]luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as ^(BD)queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ ⁸ Therefore her plagues will come ^(BE)in one day—death and mourning and famine. And ^(BF)she will be utterly burned with fire, ^(BG)for strong is the Lord God who ^[m]judges her.

The World Mourns Babylon’s Fall

^9 (BH)“The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her ^(BI)will weep and lament for her, ^(BJ)when they see the smoke of her burning, ¹⁰ standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ^(BK)‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! ^(BL)For in one hour your judgment has come.’

¹¹ “And ^(BM)the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: ^12 (BN)merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; ¹³ and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and ^(BO)souls of men. ¹⁴ The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have ^[n]gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. ¹⁵ The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, ¹⁶ and saying, ‘Alas, alas, ^(BP)that great city ^(BQ)that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! ^17 (BR)For in one hour such great riches ^[o]came to nothing.’ ^(BS)Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance ^18 (BT)and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ^(BU)‘What is like this great city?’

^19 (BV)“They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! ^(BW)For in one hour she ^[p]is made desolate.’

^20 (BX)“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you ^[q]holy apostles and prophets, for ^(BY)God has avenged you on her!”

Finality of Babylon’s Fall

²¹ Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, ^(BZ)“Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and ^(CA)shall not be found anymore. ^22 (CB)The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. ^23 (CC)The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, ^(CD)and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For ^(CE)your merchants were the great men of the earth, ^(CF)for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. ²⁴ And ^(CG)in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who ^(CH)were slain on the earth.”

Heaven Exults over Babylon

19 After these things ^(CI)I ^[r]heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! ^(CJ)Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to ^[s]the Lord our God! ² For ^(CK)true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He ^(CL)has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” ³ Again they said, “Alleluia! ^(CM)Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” ⁴ And ^(CN)the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, ^(CO)“Amen! Alleluia!”