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17 ¶ And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven vials and talked with me, saying unto me, Come here; I will show unto thee the condemnation of the great whore that sits upon many waters,
2 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.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman seated upon a scarlet-coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 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 of the filthiness of her fornication;
5 and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, 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 of Jesus; and when I saw her, I marvelled with great surprise.
7 ¶ And the angel said unto me, Why didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and shall go into perdition; and those that dwell on the earth shall wonder (whose names are 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.
9 And here is the meaning which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.
10 And they are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, is also the eighth king, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou hast seen are ten kings, which have not yet taken a kingdom, but shall take authority as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind and shall give their power and authority unto the beast.
14 ¶ These shall make war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for he is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those that are with him are called and chosen and faithful.
15 And he said unto me, The waters which thou hast seen, where the whore sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
16 And the ten horns which thou didst see 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 has 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 hast seen is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.
18 ¶ And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of demons, and the hold of every unclean spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all the Gentiles have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the power of her delicacies.
4 And I heard another voice from the heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye not be partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto the heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
6 Reward her even as she rewarded you and pay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has given thee to drink, give her double.
7 As much as she has glorified herself and lived deliciously, give her that much torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
8 Therefore, shall her plagues come in one day, death and mourning and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judges her.
9 ¶ And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her and lament for her when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city; for in one hour is thy judgment come!
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore:
12 The merchandise of gold and of silver and of precious stones and of pearls and of fine linen and of purple and of silk and of scarlet and of all thyine wood and of all manner vessels of ivory and of all manner vessels of most precious wood and of brass and of iron and of marble
13 and cinnamon and odours and ointments and frankincense and wine and oil and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and of sheep, and of horses, and of chariots and of bodies and souls of men.
14 And the fruits of the desire of thy soul are departed from thee, and all the fat and excellent things are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
15 The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16 and saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls!
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster and all the company in ships and sailors and as many as trade by sea stood afar off
18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city was like unto this great city!
19 And they cast dust on their heads and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, in which all that had ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her riches! for in one hour is she made desolate.
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye saints, apostles, and prophets; for God has judged your cause upon her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with impetus shall that great city Babylon be thrown down and shall be found no more at all.
22 And the voice of harpers and musicians and of pipers and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatever craft he is, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
23 and the light of a lamp shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the princes of the earth in whose witchcraft all the Gentiles have erred.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all that were slain upon the earth.
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