17:1 Then 1 one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke to me. 2 “Come,” he said, “I will show you the condemnation and punishment 3 of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, 17:2 with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality and the earth’s inhabitants got drunk with the wine of her immorality.” 4 17:3 So 5 he carried me away in the Spirit 6 to a wilderness, 7 and there 8 I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 17:4 Now 9 the woman was dressed in purple and scarlet clothing, 10 and adorned with gold, 11 precious stones, and pearls. She held 12 in her hand a golden cup filled with detestable things and unclean things from her sexual immorality. 13 17:5 On 14 her forehead was written a name, a mystery: 15 “Babylon the Great, the Mother of prostitutes and of the detestable things of the earth.” 17:6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of those who testified to Jesus. 16 I 17 was greatly astounded 18 when I saw her. 17:7 But 19 the angel said to me, “Why are you astounded? I will interpret 20 for you the mystery of the woman and of the beast with the seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 17:8 The beast you saw was, and is not, but is about to come up from the abyss 21 and then go to destruction. The 22 inhabitants of the earth – all those whose names have not been written in the book of life since the foundation of the world – will be astounded when they see that 23 the beast was, and is not, but is to come. 17:9 (This requires 24 a mind that has wisdom.) The seven heads are seven mountains 25 the woman sits on. They are also seven kings: 17:10 five have fallen; one is, 26 and the other has not yet come, but whenever he does come, he must remain for only a brief time. 17:11 The 27 beast that was, and is not, is himself an eighth king and yet is one of the seven, and is going to destruction. 17:12 The 28 ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive ruling authority 29 as kings with the beast for one hour. 17:13 These kings 30 have a single intent, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. 17:14 They will make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those accompanying 31 the Lamb are the called, chosen, and faithful.”
17:15 Then 32 the angel 33 said to me, “The waters you saw (where the prostitute is seated) are peoples, multitudes, 34 nations, and languages. 17:16 The 35 ten horns that you saw, and the beast – these will hate the prostitute and make her desolate and naked. They 36 will consume her flesh and burn her up with fire. 37 17:17 For God has put into their minds 38 to carry out his purpose 39 by making 40 a decision 41 to give their royal power 42 to the beast until the words of God are fulfilled. 43 17:18 As for 44 the woman you saw, she is the great city that has sovereignty over the kings of the earth.”
18:1 After these things I saw another angel, who possessed great authority, coming down out of heaven, and the earth was lit up by his radiance. 45 18:2 He 46 shouted with a powerful voice:
“Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great!
She 47 has become a lair for demons,
a haunt 48 for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detested beast. 49
18:3 For all the nations 50 have fallen 51 from
the wine of her immoral passion, 52
and the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have gotten rich from the power of her sensual behavior.” 53
18:4 Then 54 I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, so you will not take part in her sins and so you will not receive her plagues, 18:5 because her sins have piled 55 up all the way to heaven 56 and God has remembered 57 her crimes. 58 18:6 Repay her the same way she repaid others; 59 pay her back double 60 corresponding to her deeds. In the cup she mixed, mix double the amount for her. 18:7 As much as 61 she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, 62 to this extent give her torment and grief because she said to herself, 63 ‘I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!’ 18:8 For this reason, she will experience her plagues 64 in a single day: disease, 65 mourning, 66 and famine, and she will be burned down 67 with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!”
18:9 Then 68 the kings of the earth who committed immoral acts with her and lived in sensual luxury 69 with her will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke from the fire that burns her up. 70 18:10 They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment, and will say,
“Woe, woe, O great city,
Babylon the powerful city!
For in a single hour your doom 71 has come!”
18:11 Then 72 the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her because no one buys their cargo 73 any longer – 18:12 cargo such as gold, silver, 74 precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, 75 scarlet cloth, 76 all sorts of things made of citron wood, 77 all sorts of objects made of ivory, all sorts of things made of expensive wood, bronze, iron and marble, 18:13 cinnamon, spice, 78 incense, perfumed ointment, 79 frankincense, 80 wine, olive oil and costly flour, 81 wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and four-wheeled carriages, 82 slaves and human lives. 83
18:14 (The ripe fruit 84 you greatly desired 85
has gone from you,
and all your luxury 86 and splendor 87
have gone from you –
they will never ever be found again!) 88
18:15 The merchants who sold 89 these things, who got rich from her, will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment. They will weep 90 and mourn, 18:16 saying,
“Woe, woe, O great city –
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet clothing, 91
and adorned with gold, 92 precious stones, and pearls –
18:17 because in a single hour such great wealth has been destroyed!” 93
And every ship’s captain, 94 and all who sail along the coast 95 – seamen, and all who 96 make their living from the sea, stood a long way off 18:18 and began to shout 97 when they saw the smoke from the fire that burned her up, 98 “Who is like the great city?” 18:19 And they threw dust on their heads and were shouting with weeping and mourning, 99
“Woe, Woe, O great city –
in which all those who had ships on the sea got rich from her wealth –
because in a single hour she has been destroyed!” 100
18:20 (Rejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and apostles and prophets,
for God has pronounced judgment 101 against her on your behalf!) 102
18:21 Then 103 one powerful angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone, threw it into the sea, and said,
“With this kind of sudden violent force 104
Babylon the great city will be thrown down 105
and it will never be found again!
18:22 And the sound of the harpists, musicians,
flute players, and trumpeters
will never be heard in you 106 again.
No 107 craftsman 108 who practices any trade
will ever be found in you again;
the noise of a mill 109 will never be heard in you again.
18:23 Even the light from a lamp
will never shine in you again!
The voices of the bridegroom and his bride
will never be heard in you again.
For your merchants were the tycoons of the world,
because all the nations 110 were deceived by your magic spells! 111
18:24 The 112 blood of the saints and prophets was found in her, 113
along with the blood 114 of all those who had been killed on the earth.”
19:1 After these things I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a vast throng in heaven, saying,
“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
19:2 because his judgments are true and just. 115
For he has judged 116 the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality,
and has avenged the blood of his servants 117 poured out by her own hands!” 118
19:3 Then 119 a second time the crowd shouted, “Hallelujah!” The smoke rises from her forever and ever. 120 19:4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures threw themselves to the ground 121 and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne, saying: “Amen! Hallelujah!”
19:5 Then 122 a voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise our God
all you his servants,
and all you who fear Him,
both the small and the great!”
19:6 Then 123 I heard what sounded like the voice of a vast throng, like the roar of many waters and like loud crashes of thunder. They were shouting: 124
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God, 125 the All-Powerful, 126 reigns!
19:7 Let us rejoice 127 and exult
and give him glory,
because the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
19:8 She was permitted to be dressed in bright, clean, fine linen” 128 (for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints). 129
19:9 Then 130 the angel 131 said to me, “Write the following: Blessed are those who are invited to the banquet at the wedding celebration of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These are the true words of God.” 19:10 So 132 I threw myself down 133 at his feet to worship him, but 134 he said, “Do not do this! 135 I am only 136 a fellow servant 137 with you and your brothers 138 who hold to the testimony about 139 Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
19:11 Then 140 I saw heaven opened and here came 141 a white horse! The 142 one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice 143 he judges and goes to war. 19:12 His eyes are like a fiery 144 flame and there are many diadem crowns 145 on his head. He has 146 a name written 147 that no one knows except himself. 19:13 He is dressed in clothing dipped 148 in blood, and he is called 149 the Word of God. 19:14 The 150 armies that are in heaven, dressed in white, clean, fine linen, 151 were following him on white horses. 19:15 From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the nations. 152 He 153 will rule 154 them with an iron rod, 155 and he stomps the winepress 156 of the furious 157 wrath of God, the All-Powerful. 158 19:16 He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”
19:17 Then 159 I saw one angel standing in 160 the sun, and he shouted in a loud voice to all the birds flying high in the sky: 161
“Come, gather around for the great banquet 162 of God,
19:18 to eat 163 your fill 164 of the flesh of kings,
the flesh of generals, 165
the flesh of powerful people,
the flesh of horses and those who ride them,
and the flesh of all people, both free and slave, 166
and small and great!”
19:19 Then 167 I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to do battle with the one who rode the horse and with his army. 19:20 Now 168 the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf 169 – signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur. 170 19:21 The 171 others were killed by the sword that extended from the mouth of the one who rode the horse, and all the birds gorged 172 themselves with their flesh.
20:1 Then 173 I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding 174 in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain. 20:2 He 175 seized the dragon – the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan – and tied him up for a thousand years. 20:3 The angel 176 then 177 threw him into the abyss and locked 178 and sealed it so that he could not deceive the nations until the one thousand years were finished. (After these things he must be released for a brief period of time.)
20:4 Then 179 I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. 180 I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These 181 had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They 182 came to life 183 and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 20:5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were finished.) 184 This is the first resurrection. 20:6 Blessed and holy is the one who takes part 185 in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, 186 but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
20:7 Now 187 when the thousand years are finished, Satan will be released from his prison 20:8 and will go out to deceive 188 the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, 189 to bring them together for the battle. They are as numerous as the grains of sand in the sea. 190 20:9 They 191 went up 192 on the broad plain of the earth 193 and encircled 194 the camp 195 of the saints and the beloved city, but 196 fire came down from heaven and devoured them completely. 197 20:10 And the devil who deceived 198 them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, 199 where the beast and the false prophet are 200 too, and they will be tormented there day and night forever and ever.