Revelation 17

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 One of the seven angels that had the seven bowls came to speak to me, and said, 'Come here and Iwil show you the punishment of the great prostitute who is enthroned beside abundant waters,	1 And one of the seven Angels, those who hold the seven bowls, approached and spoke with me, saying: “Come, I will show you the condemnation of the great harlot, who sits upon many waters.
2 with whom al the kings of the earth have prostituted themselves, and who has made al the populationof the world drunk with the wine of her adultery.'	2 With her, the kings of the earth have fornicated. And those who inhabit the earth have been inebriated by the wine of her prostitution.”
3 He took me in spirit to a desert, and there I saw a woman riding a scarlet beast which had sevenheads and ten horns and had blasphemous titles written al over it.	3 And he carried me away in spirit to the desert. And I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, filled with names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet and glittered with gold and jewels and pearls, and shewas holding a gold winecup fil ed with the disgusting filth of her prostitution;	4 And the woman was clothed all around with purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, holding a golden cup in her hand, filled with the abomination and with the filth of her fornication.
5 on her forehead was written a name, a cryptic name: 'Babylon the Great, the mother of al theprostitutes and all the filthy practices on the earth.'	5 And a name was written upon her forehead: Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of the fornications and the abominations of the earth.
6 I saw that she was drunk, drunk with the blood of the saints, and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus;and when I saw her, I was completely mystified.	6 And I saw that the woman was inebriated from the blood of the saints and from the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And I was amazed, when I had seen her, with a great wonder.
7 The angel said to me, 'Do you not understand? I wil tel you the meaning of this woman, and of thebeast she is riding, with the seven heads and the ten horns.	7 And the Angel said to me: “Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has seven heads and ten horns.
8 'The beast you have seen was once alive and is alive no longer; it is yet to come up from the Abyss,but only to go to its destruction. And the people of the world, whose names have not been written since thebeginning of the world in the book of life, wil be astonished when they see how the beast was once alive and isalive no longer, and is stil to come.	8 The beast that you saw, was, and is not, and is soon to ascend from the abyss. And he goes forth unto destruction. And the inhabitants upon the earth (those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world) shall be amazed upon seeing the beast who was and is not.
9 'This cal s for shrewdness. The seven heads are the seven hil s, on which the woman is sitting.	9 And this is for one who understands, who has wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains, upon which the woman sits, and they are seven kings.
10 The seven heads are also seven emperors. Five of them have already gone, one is here now, andone is yet to come; once here, he must stay for a short while.	10 Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet arrived. And when he arrives, he must remain for a brief time.
11 The beast, who was alive and is alive no longer, is at the same time the eighth and one of the seven,and he is going to his destruction.	11 And the beast who was, and is not, the same is also the eighth, and he is of the seven, and he goes forth unto destruction.
12 'The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet been given their royal power but willhave royal authority only for a single hour and in association with the beast.	12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings; these have not yet received a kingdom, but they shall receive authority, as if they were kings, for one hour, after the beast.
13 They are all of one mind in putting their strength and their powers at the beast's disposal,	13 These hold to one plan, and they shall hand over their power and authority to the beast.
14 and they wil go to war against the Lamb; but because the Lamb is Lord of lords and King of kings, hewil defeat them, he and his fol owers, the cal ed, the chosen, the trustworthy.'	14 These shall fight against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall conquer them. For he is the Lord of lords and the King of kings. And those who are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”
15 The angel continued, 'The waters you saw, beside which the prostitute was sitting, are al thepeoples, the populations, the nations and the languages.	15 And he said to me: “The waters that you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples and nations and languages.
16 But the ten horns and the beast will turn against the prostitute, and tear off her clothes and leave herstark naked; then they wil eat her flesh and burn the remains in the fire.	16 And the ten horns that you saw on the beast, these shall hate the woman who fornicates, and they shall make her desolate and naked, and they shall chew her flesh, and they shall burn her completely with fire.
17 In fact, God has influenced their minds to do what he intends, to agree together to put their royalpowers at the beast's disposal until the time when God's words shal be fulfilled.	17 For God has granted to their hearts that they may do to her whatever is pleasing, so that they may give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God may be completed.
18 The woman you saw is the great city which has authority over all the rulers on earth.'	18 And the woman that you saw is the great City, which holds a kingdom above that of the kings of the earth.”