The Great Prostitute and the Beast
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Then 1one of the seven angels who had 2the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of 3the great prostitute 4who is seated on many waters,
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5with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and 6with the wine of whose sexual immorality 7the dwellers on earth have become drunk."
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And 8he carried me away in the Spirit 9into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on 10a scarlet beast that was full of 11blasphemous names, and 12it had seven heads and ten horns.
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The woman 13was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned 14with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand 15a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.
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And on her forehead was written a name of 16mystery: 17"Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations."
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And I saw the woman, drunk 18with the blood of the saints, the blood of 19the martyrs of Jesus.aWhen I saw her, I marveled greatly.
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But the angel said to me, "Why do you marvel? I will tell you 20the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her.
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The beast that you saw 21was, and is not, and 22is about to rise from 23the bottomless pitb and 24go to destruction. And 25the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in 26the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because 27it was and is not and is to come.
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28This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated;
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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.
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As for the beast 29that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction.
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And 30the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings 31for one hour, together with the beast.
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These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast.
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They 32will make war on the Lamb, and 33the Lamb will conquer them, for he is 34Lord of lords and 35King of kings, and those with him are 36called and chosen and faithful."
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And the angelc said to me, 37"The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.
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And 38the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast 39will hate the prostitute. They will make her 40desolate and 41naked, and 42devour her flesh and 43burn her up with fire,
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)