24 “Why are (A)not times of judgment (B)kept by the Almighty,
    and why do those who know him never see his (C)days?
Some move (D)landmarks;
    they seize flocks and pasture them.
They drive away the donkey of the fatherless;
    they (E)take the widow's ox for a pledge.
They (F)thrust the poor off the road;
    the poor of the earth (G)all hide themselves.
Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert
    the poor[a] (H)go out to their toil, (I)seeking game;
    the wasteland yields food for their children.
They gather their[b] fodder in the field,
    and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man.
They (J)lie all night naked, without clothing,
    and have no covering in the cold.
They are wet with the rain of the mountains
    and (K)cling to the rock for lack of shelter.
(There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast,
    and they take a pledge against the poor.)
10 They go about naked, without clothing;
    hungry, they (L)carry the sheaves;
11 among the olive rows of the wicked[c] they make oil;
    they tread the winepresses, but suffer thirst.
12 From out of the city the dying[d] groan,
    and the soul of (M)the wounded cries for help;
    yet God charges no one with (N)wrong.

13 “There are those who rebel (O)against the light,
    who are not acquainted with its ways,
    and do not stay in its paths.
14 The murderer rises before it is light,
    that he (P)may kill the poor and needy,
    and in the night he is like a thief.
15 The eye of the adulterer also waits for (Q)the twilight,
    saying, ‘No (R)eye will see me’;
    and he veils his face.
16 In the dark they (S)dig through houses;
    by day they shut themselves up;
    they do not know the light.
17 For (T)deep darkness is morning to all of them;
    for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.

18 “You say, (U)‘Swift are they on the face of the waters;
    their portion is cursed in the land;
    no treader turns toward their vineyards.
19 Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters;
    so does (V)Sheol those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them;
    the worm finds them sweet;
they are (W)no longer remembered,
    so wickedness is broken like (X)a tree.’

21 “They wrong the barren, childless woman,
    and do no good to the widow.
22 Yet God[e] prolongs the life of the mighty by his power;
    they rise up when they despair of life.
23 He gives them security, and they are supported,
    and his (Y)eyes are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted (Z)a little while, and then (AA)are gone;
    they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
    they are (AB)cut off like the heads of grain.
25 If it is (AC)not so, who will prove me a liar
    and show that there is nothing in what I say?”

Bildad Speaks: Man Cannot Be Righteous

25 Then (AD)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

“Dominion and fear are with God;[f]
    he makes peace in his high heaven.
Is there any number to his (AE)armies?
    Upon whom does his (AF)light not arise?
How then can man be (AG)in the right before God?
    How can he who is (AH)born of woman be (AI)pure?
Behold, even the moon is not bright,
    and the stars are not pure in his eyes;
(AJ)how much less man, who is (AK)a maggot,
    and (AL)the son of man, who is a worm!”

Job Replies: God's Majesty Is Unsearchable

26 Then Job answered and said:

“How you have (AM)helped him who has no power!
    How you have saved (AN)the arm that has no strength!
How you have (AO)counseled him who has no wisdom,
    and plentifully declared sound knowledge!
With whose help have you uttered words,
    and whose breath (AP)has come out from you?
The (AQ)dead tremble
    under the waters and their inhabitants.
Sheol is (AR)naked before God,[g]
    and (AS)Abaddon has no covering.
He (AT)stretches out the north over (AU)the void
    and hangs the earth on nothing.
He (AV)binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
    and the cloud is not split open under them.
He covers the face of the full moon[h]
    and (AW)spreads over it his cloud.
10 He has inscribed (AX)a circle on the face of the waters
    at the boundary between light and darkness.
11 (AY)The pillars of heaven tremble
    and are astounded at his (AZ)rebuke.
12 By his power he (BA)stilled the sea;
    by his understanding he shattered (BB)Rahab.
13 (BC)By his wind the heavens were made fair;
    his hand pierced (BD)the fleeing serpent.
14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his (BE)ways,
    and how small (BF)a whisper do we hear of him!
    But the thunder of his power who can understand?”

Job Continues: I Will Maintain My Integrity

27 And Job again (BG)took up his discourse, and said:

“As God lives, who has (BH)taken away my right,
    and the Almighty, who has (BI)made my soul bitter,
as long as my breath is in me,
    and (BJ)the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
my lips will not speak (BK)falsehood,
    and my tongue will not utter (BL)deceit.
Far be it from me to say that you are right;
    till I die I will not put away my (BM)integrity from me.
I (BN)hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go;
    my heart does not (BO)reproach me for any of my days.

“Let my enemy be as the wicked,
    and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
(BP)For what is the hope of the godless (BQ)when God cuts him off,
    when God takes away his life?
(BR)Will God hear his cry
    when distress comes upon him?
10 Will he (BS)take delight in the Almighty?
    Will he call upon God at all times?
11 I will teach you concerning the hand of God;
    (BT)what is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves;
    why then have you become altogether vain?

13 (BU)“This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
    and the heritage that (BV)oppressors receive from the Almighty:
14 If his (BW)children are multiplied, it is for (BX)the sword,
    and his descendants have not enough bread.
15 Those who survive him the pestilence buries,
    and his (BY)widows do not weep.
16 Though he (BZ)heap up silver like dust,
    and pile up clothing like clay,
17 he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it,
    and (CA)the innocent will divide the silver.
18 He builds his (CB)house like a moth's,
    like (CC)a booth that (CD)a watchman makes.
19 He goes to bed rich, but will (CE)do so no more;
    he opens his eyes, and (CF)his wealth is gone.
20 (CG)Terrors overtake him like (CH)a flood;
    in the night a whirlwind (CI)carries him off.
21 (CJ)The east wind lifts him up and he is gone;
    it (CK)sweeps him out of his place.
22 It[i] hurls at him (CL)without pity;
    he flees from its[j] power in headlong flight.
23 It (CM)claps its hands at him
    and (CN)hisses at him from its place.

Footnotes

  1. Job 24:5 Hebrew they
  2. Job 24:6 Hebrew his
  3. Job 24:11 Hebrew their olive rows
  4. Job 24:12 Or the men
  5. Job 24:22 Hebrew he
  6. Job 25:2 Hebrew him
  7. Job 26:6 Hebrew him
  8. Job 26:9 Or his throne
  9. Job 27:22 Or He (that is, God); also verse 23
  10. Job 27:22 Or his; also verse 23

24 “Why does the Almighty not set times(A) for judgment?(B)
    Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?(C)
There are those who move boundary stones;(D)
    they pasture flocks they have stolen.(E)
They drive away the orphan’s donkey
    and take the widow’s ox in pledge.(F)
They thrust the needy(G) from the path
    and force all the poor(H) of the land into hiding.(I)
Like wild donkeys(J) in the desert,
    the poor go about their labor(K) of foraging food;
    the wasteland(L) provides food for their children.
They gather fodder(M) in the fields
    and glean in the vineyards(N) of the wicked.(O)
Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;
    they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.(P)
They are drenched(Q) by mountain rains
    and hug(R) the rocks for lack of shelter.(S)
The fatherless(T) child is snatched(U) from the breast;
    the infant of the poor is seized(V) for a debt.(W)
10 Lacking clothes, they go about naked;(X)
    they carry the sheaves,(Y) but still go hungry.
11 They crush olives among the terraces[a];
    they tread the winepresses,(Z) yet suffer thirst.(AA)
12 The groans of the dying rise from the city,
    and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.(AB)
    But God charges no one with wrongdoing.(AC)

13 “There are those who rebel against the light,(AD)
    who do not know its ways
    or stay in its paths.(AE)
14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,
    kills(AF) the poor and needy,(AG)
    and in the night steals forth like a thief.(AH)
15 The eye of the adulterer(AI) watches for dusk;(AJ)
    he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’(AK)
    and he keeps his face concealed.
16 In the dark, thieves break into houses,(AL)
    but by day they shut themselves in;
    they want nothing to do with the light.(AM)
17 For all of them, midnight is their morning;
    they make friends with the terrors(AN) of darkness.(AO)

18 “Yet they are foam(AP) on the surface of the water;(AQ)
    their portion of the land is cursed,(AR)
    so that no one goes to the vineyards.(AS)
19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,(AT)
    so the grave(AU) snatches away those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them,
    the worm(AV) feasts on them;(AW)
the wicked are no longer remembered(AX)
    but are broken like a tree.(AY)
21 They prey on the barren and childless woman,
    and to the widow they show no kindness.(AZ)
22 But God drags away the mighty by his power;(BA)
    though they become established,(BB) they have no assurance of life.(BC)
23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security,(BD)
    but his eyes(BE) are on their ways.(BF)
24 For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;(BG)
    they are brought low and gathered up like all others;(BH)
    they are cut off like heads of grain.(BI)

25 “If this is not so, who can prove me false
    and reduce my words to nothing?”(BJ)

Bildad

25 Then Bildad the Shuhite(BK) replied:

“Dominion and awe belong to God;(BL)
    he establishes order in the heights of heaven.(BM)
Can his forces be numbered?
    On whom does his light not rise?(BN)
How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
    How can one born of woman be pure?(BO)
If even the moon(BP) is not bright
    and the stars are not pure in his eyes,(BQ)
how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—
    a human being,(BR) who is only a worm!”(BS)

Job

26 Then Job replied:

“How you have helped the powerless!(BT)
    How you have saved the arm that is feeble!(BU)
What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
    And what great insight(BV) you have displayed!
Who has helped you utter these words?
    And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?(BW)

“The dead are in deep anguish,(BX)
    those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
The realm of the dead(BY) is naked before God;
    Destruction[b](BZ) lies uncovered.(CA)
He spreads out the northern skies(CB) over empty space;
    he suspends the earth over nothing.(CC)
He wraps up the waters(CD) in his clouds,(CE)
    yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
He covers the face of the full moon,
    spreading his clouds(CF) over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters(CG)
    for a boundary between light and darkness.(CH)
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,(CI)
    aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;(CJ)
    by his wisdom(CK) he cut Rahab(CL) to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies(CM) became fair;
    his hand pierced the gliding serpent.(CN)
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
    how faint the whisper(CO) we hear of him!(CP)
    Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”(CQ)

Job’s Final Word to His Friends

27 And Job continued his discourse:(CR)

“As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,(CS)
    the Almighty,(CT) who has made my life bitter,(CU)
as long as I have life within me,
    the breath of God(CV) in my nostrils,
my lips will not say anything wicked,
    and my tongue will not utter lies.(CW)
I will never admit you are in the right;
    till I die, I will not deny my integrity.(CX)
I will maintain my innocence(CY) and never let go of it;
    my conscience(CZ) will not reproach me as long as I live.(DA)

“May my enemy be like the wicked,(DB)
    my adversary(DC) like the unjust!
For what hope have the godless(DD) when they are cut off,
    when God takes away their life?(DE)
Does God listen to their cry
    when distress comes upon them?(DF)
10 Will they find delight in the Almighty?(DG)
    Will they call on God at all times?

11 “I will teach you about the power of God;
    the ways(DH) of the Almighty I will not conceal.(DI)
12 You have all seen this yourselves.
    Why then this meaningless talk?

13 “Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,
    the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:(DJ)
14 However many his children,(DK) their fate is the sword;(DL)
    his offspring will never have enough to eat.(DM)
15 The plague will bury those who survive him,
    and their widows will not weep for them.(DN)
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust(DO)
    and clothes like piles of clay,(DP)
17 what he lays up(DQ) the righteous will wear,(DR)
    and the innocent will divide his silver.(DS)
18 The house(DT) he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,(DU)
    like a hut(DV) made by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;(DW)
    when he opens his eyes, all is gone.(DX)
20 Terrors(DY) overtake him like a flood;(DZ)
    a tempest snatches him away in the night.(EA)
21 The east wind(EB) carries him off, and he is gone;(EC)
    it sweeps him out of his place.(ED)
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy(EE)
    as he flees headlong(EF) from its power.(EG)
23 It claps its hands(EH) in derision
    and hisses him out of his place.”(EI)

Footnotes

  1. Job 24:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  2. Job 26:6 Hebrew Abaddon

24 Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?

Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof.

They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge.

They turn the needy out of the way: the poor of the earth hide themselves together.

Behold, as wild asses in the desert, go they forth to their work; rising betimes for a prey: the wilderness yieldeth food for them and for their children.

They reap every one his corn in the field: and they gather the vintage of the wicked.

They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that they have no covering in the cold.

They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter.

They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor.

10 They cause him to go naked without clothing, and they take away the sheaf from the hungry;

11 Which make oil within their walls, and tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.

12 Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out: yet God layeth not folly to them.

13 They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.

14 The murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief.

15 The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth his face.

16 In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the daytime: they know not the light.

17 For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.

18 He is swift as the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth: he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards.

19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned.

20 The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.

21 He evil entreateth the barren that beareth not: and doeth not good to the widow.

22 He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life.

23 Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth; yet his eyes are upon their ways.

24 They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.

25 And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?

25 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places.

Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise?

How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?

Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight.

How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?

26 But Job answered and said,

How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength?

How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is?

To whom hast thou uttered words? and whose spirit came from thee?

Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof.

Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.

He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.

He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them.

He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it.

10 He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.

11 The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof.

12 He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.

13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

14 Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?

27 Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,

As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;

All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;

My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.

God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.

My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.

For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?

Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?

10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?

11 I will teach you by the hand of God: that which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.

12 Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye thus altogether vain?

13 This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty.

14 If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.

15 Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep.

16 Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;

17 He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.

18 He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh.

19 The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not.

20 Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.

21 The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.

22 For God shall cast upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.

23 Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.

The Great Prostitute and the Beast

17 Then (A)one of the seven angels who had (B)the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of (C)the great prostitute (D)who is seated on many waters, (E)with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and (F)with the wine of whose sexual immorality (G)the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” And (H)he carried me away in the Spirit (I)into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on (J)a scarlet beast that was full of (K)blasphemous names, and (L)it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman (M)was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned (N)with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand (O)a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of (P)mystery: (Q)“Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” And I saw the woman, drunk (R)with the blood of the saints, the blood of (S)the martyrs of Jesus.[a]

When I saw her, I marveled greatly. But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you (T)the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw (U)was, and is not, and (V)is about to rise from (W)the bottomless pit[b] and (X)go to destruction. And (Y)the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in (Z)the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because (AA)it was and is not and is to come. (AB)This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast (AC)that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. 12 And (AD)the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings (AE)for one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. 14 They (AF)will make war on the Lamb, and (AG)the Lamb will conquer them, for he is (AH)Lord of lords and (AI)King of kings, and those with him are (AJ)called and chosen and faithful.”

15 And the angel[c] said to me, (AK)“The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 16 And (AL)the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast (AM)will hate the prostitute. They will make her (AN)desolate and (AO)naked, and (AP)devour her flesh and (AQ)burn her up with fire, 17 for (AR)God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and (AS)handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman that you saw is (AT)the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 17:6 Greek the witnesses to Jesus
  2. Revelation 17:8 Greek the abyss
  3. Revelation 17:15 Greek he

Babylon, the Prostitute on the Beast

17 One of the seven angels(A) who had the seven bowls(B) came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment(C) of the great prostitute,(D) who sits by many waters.(E) With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”(F)

Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit(G) into a wilderness.(H) There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet(I) beast that was covered with blasphemous names(J) and had seven heads and ten horns.(K) The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls.(L) She held a golden cup(M) in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries.(N) The name written on her forehead was a mystery:(O)

babylon the great(P)

the mother of prostitutes(Q)

and of the abominations of the earth.

I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people,(R) the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.

When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery(S) of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns.(T) The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss(U) and go to its destruction.(V) The inhabitants of the earth(W) whose names have not been written in the book of life(X) from the creation of the world will be astonished(Y) when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.

“This calls for a mind with wisdom.(Z) The seven heads(AA) are seven hills on which the woman sits. 10 They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. 11 The beast who once was, and now is not,(AB) is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.

12 “The ten horns(AC) you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour(AD) will receive authority as kings along with the beast. 13 They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast.(AE) 14 They will wage war(AF) against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over(AG) them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings(AH)—and with him will be his called, chosen(AI) and faithful followers.”

15 Then the angel said to me, “The waters(AJ) you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.(AK) 16 The beast and the ten horns(AL) you saw will hate the prostitute.(AM) They will bring her to ruin(AN) and leave her naked;(AO) they will eat her flesh(AP) and burn her with fire.(AQ) 17 For God has put it into their hearts(AR) to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority,(AS) until God’s words are fulfilled.(AT) 18 The woman you saw is the great city(AU) that rules over the kings of the earth.”

17 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.

And 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 great admiration.

And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.