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¹ THEN came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials and talked with me, saying, Come, I will show you the condemnation of the great harlot who sits upon many waters:² With whom the kings of the earth have committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her adultery.³ So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet wild beast inscribed with many words of blasphemy and having seven heads and ten horns.⁴ And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; and she had a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her adultery on earth.⁵ And upon her forehead was a name written, that not all could understand, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.⁶ And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great amazement.

⁷ And the angel said to me, Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the wild beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.⁸ The wild beast that you saw was, and is not, and is ready to come up from the bottomless pit and go to be destroyed: and those who dwell on earth whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, shall wonder when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and now whose end has come.⁹ Here is understanding for him who has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.¹⁰ And there are seven kings of whom five have fallen, and one is, and the other has not yet come; and when he comes he shall continue only for a short time.¹¹ And the wild beast that was, and no longer is, even he is the eighth, and is one of the seven destined to be destroyed.¹² And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet; but receive authority as kings for one hour with the beast.¹³ These are in one accord, and they shall give their strength and authority to the beast.

¹⁴ They will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall conquer them: for he is LORD of lords, and King of kings; and those who are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.¹⁵ Then he said to me, The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.¹⁶ And the ten horns, and the wild beast which you saw shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.¹⁷ For God has put into their hearts to do his will, and to be of one accord, and to give their Kingdom to the wild beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.¹⁸ And the woman whom you saw is that great city, which has dominion over the kings of the earth.