1 And one of the seven angels who had the seven vials, came and spoke with me, saying, Come, and I will show you the judgment of the great harlot, that sits upon many waters:

2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and all the inhabitants of the earth have been drunk with the wine of her whoredom.

3 And he brought me, in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, full of slanderous names, having seven heads and ten horns.

4 And the woman was clothed with purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold, and precious stones, and pearls; having a golden cup in her hand, full of the abominations and pollution of her whoredom.

5 And she had upon her forehead her name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS, AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

6 And I saw the woman 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 secret of the woman, and of the beast which carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.

8 The beast which you saw, was, and is not; and he will ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go to destruction; and the inhabitants of the earth (whose names are not written in the book of life, from the foundation of the world) shall wonder, seeing the beast who was, and is not, yet shall be.

9 Here is the mind that 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 endure for a little time.

11 And the beast that was, and is not, he is the eighth, and is of the seven, but goes to destruction.

12 And the ten horns which you saw, are ten kings, which have not yet received their kingdom, but they shall receive authority with the beast, as kings at the same time.

13 These have one mind, and shall deliver their own power and authority to the beast.

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

15 And he said to me, The waters which you saw, on which the harlot sat, are people, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

16 And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and make her desolate and naked; and they shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her with fire.

17 For God has given it into the hearts to execute his sentence, even to perform one purpose; and to give their kingdoms to the beast, till the words of God be fulfilled.

18 And the woman which you saw, is the great city, that rules over the kings of the earth.