Revelation 17

1 Then there came one of the seuen Angels, which had the seuen vials, and talked with me, saying vnto me, Come: I will shewe thee the damnation of the great whore that sitteth vpon many waters,

Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls came and spoke to me. ‘Come here,’ he said, ‘and I will show you the sentence passed upon that Great Harlot who is seated at the meeting of many waters,

2 With whom haue committed fornication the Kings of the earth, and the inhabitants of the earth are drunken with the wine of her fornication.

and with whom all the kings of the earth have had licentious intercourse; while all who live upon the earth have been make drunk by the wine of her licentiousness.’

3 So he caried me away into the wildernesse in the Spirit, and I sawe a woman sit vpon a skarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemie, which had seuen heads, and tenne hornes.

And he bore me away in a trance to a lonely place, and I saw a woman seated upon a scarlet Beast, which was covered with blasphemous names; it had seven heads and ten horns.

4 And the woman was arayed in purple and skarlet, and gilded with golde, and precious stones, and pearles, and had a cup of gold in her hand, full of abominations, and filthines of her fornication.

The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold ornaments, precious stones, and pearls. In her hand she held a gold cup, full of idolatrous abominations, and the unclean fruits of her licentiousness;

5 And in her forehead was a name written, A mysterie, that great Babylon, that mother of whoredomes, and abominations of the earth.

while on her forehead there was written this mystic name — ‘BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF ALL IDOLATROUS ABOMINATIONS UPON EARTH.’

6 And I sawe ye woman drunken with the blood of Saintes, and with the blood of the Martyrs of IESVS: and when I sawe her, I wondred with great marueile.

And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of Christ’s People and with the blood of the martyrs for Jesus. When I saw her, I was amazed beyond measure;

7 Then the Angel saide vnto me, Wherefore marueilest thou? I will shewe thee the misterie of that woman, and of that beast, that beareth her, which hath seuen heads, and tenne hornes.

but the angel said to me — ‘Why were you amazed? I will tell you the mystic meaning of the vision of this woman, and of the Beast, with the seven heads and ten horns, that carries her.

8 The beast that thou hast seene, was, and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomles pit, and shall goe into perdition, and they that dwell on the earth, shall wonder (whose names are not written in the booke of life from the foundation of ye world) when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. (Abyssos g12)

The Beast that you saw was, but is not, and is about to rise out of the bottomless pit, and is on its way to destruction. Those who are living on earth will be amazed — those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world — when they see that the Beast was, but is not, and yet will come.’ (Abyssos g12)

9 Here is the mind that hath wisdome. The seuen heads, are seuen mountaines, whereon the woman sitteth: they are also seuen Kings.

(Here there is need for the discerning mind.) The seven heads are seven mountains upon which the woman is seated.

10 Fiue are fallen, and one is, and another is not yet come: and when he commeth, he must continue a short space.

They are also seven kings; of whom five have fallen and one remains, while one is not yet come. When he comes, he must stay for a little while.

11 And the beast that was, and is not, is euen the eight, and is one of the seuen, and shall goe into destruction.

So must the Beast that was, but is not. He counts as an eighth king, although he is one of the seven, and is on his way to destruction.

12 And the tenne hornes which thou sawest, are tenne Kings, which yet haue not receiued a kingdome, but shall receiue power, as Kings at one houre with the beast.

The ten horns that you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received their kingdoms, but for an hour they receive the authority of kings, together with the Beast.

13 These haue one minde, and shall giue their power, and authoritie vnto the beast.

These kings are of one mind in surrendering their power and authority to the Beast.

14 These shall fight with the Lambe, and the Lambe shall ouercome them: for he is Lord of Lordes, and King of Kings: and they that are on his side, called, and chosen, and faithfull.

They will fight with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings; so, too, will those with him who have received the Call and are chosen and faithful.

15 And he said vnto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are people, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

And the angel said to me — ‘The waters that you saw, where the Harlot is seated, are throngs of people and men of all nations and languages.

16 And the tenne hornes which thou sawest vpon the beast, are they that shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eate her flesh, and burne her with fire.

The ten horns that you saw, and the Beast — they will hate the Harlot, and cause her to become deserted and strip her bare; they will eat her very flesh and utterly consume her with fire.

17 For God hath put in their heartes to fulfill his will, and to doe with one consent for to giue their kingdome vnto the beast, vntill the wordes of God be fulfilled.

For God has put it into their minds to carry out his purpose, in carrying out their common purpose and surrendering their kingdoms to the Beast, until God’s decrees shall be executed.

18 And that woman which thou sawest, is that great citie, which reigneth ouer the kings of ye earth.

As for the woman whom you saw, she is the great city that holds sway over all the kings of the earth.’