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171 THEN ONE OF THE SEVEN ANGELS that held the seven bowls came and spoke to me and said, 'Come, and I will show you the judgement on the great whore, enthroned above the ocean. 2 The kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and on the wine of her fornication men all over the world have made themselves drunk.' 3 In the Spirit he carried me away into the wilds, and there I saw a woman mounted on a scarlet beast which was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet and bedizened with gold and jewels and pearls. In her hand she held a gold cup, full of obscenities and the foulness of her fornication; 5 and written on her forehead was a name with a secret meaning: 'Babylon the great, the mother of whores and of every obscenity on earth.' 6 The woman, I saw, was drunk with the blood of God's people and with the blood of those who had bome their testimony to Jesus.
As I looked at her I was greatly astonished.
7 But the angel said to me, 'Why are you so astonished? I will tell you the secret of the woman and of the beast she rides, with the seven heads and the ten horns. 8 The beast you have seen is he who once was alive, and is alive no longer, but has yet to ascend out of the abyss before going to perdition. Those on earth whose names have not been inscribed in the roll of the living ever since the world was made will all be astonished to see the beast; for he once was alive, and is alive no longer, and has still to appear.
9 'But here is the clue for those who can interpret it. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. 10 They represent also seven kings, of whom five have already fallen, one is now reigning, and the other has yet to come; and when he does come he is only to last for a little while. 11 As for the beast that once was alive and is alive no longer, he is an eighth-and yet he is one of the seven, and he is going to perdition. 12 The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet begun to reign, but who for one hour are to share with the beast the exercise of royal authority; 13 for they have but a single purpose among them and will confer their power and authority upon the beast. 14 They will wage war upon the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and his victory will be shared by his followers, called and chosen and faithful.'
15 Then he said to me, 'The ocean you saw, where the great whore sat, is an ocean of peoples and populations, nations and languages. 16 As for the ten horns you saw, they together with the beast will come to hate the whore; they will strip her naked and leave her desolate, they will batten on her flesh and burn her to ashes. 17 For God has put it into their heads to carry out his purpose, by making common cause and conferring their sovereignty upon the beast until all that God has spoken is fulfilled. 18 The woman you saw is the great city that holds sway over the kings of the earth.'
181 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven; he came with great authority and the earth was lit up with his splendour. 2 Then in a mighty voice he proclaimed, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great'. She has become a dwelling for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, for every foul and loathsome bird. 3 For all nations have drunk deep of the fierce wine of her fornication; the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and merchants the world over have grown rich on her bloated wealth.'
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven that said: 'Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins and share in her plagues. 5 For her sins are piled high as heaven, and God has not forgotten her crimes. 6 Pay her back in her own coin, repay her twice over for her deeds! Double for her the strength of the potion she mixed! 7 Mete out grief and torment to match her voluptuous pomp! She says in her heart, "I am a queen on my throne! No mourning for me, no widow's weeds!" 8 Because of this her plagues shall strike her in a single day - pestilence, bereavement, famine, and burning - for mighty is the Lord God who has pronounced her doom!'
9 The kings of the earth who committed fornication with her and wallowed in her luxury will weep and wail over her, as they see the smoke of her conflagration. 10 They will stand at a distance, for horror at her torment, and will say, 'Alas, alas for the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! In a single hour your doom has struck!'
11 The merchants of the earth also will weep and mourn for her, because no one any longer buys their cargoes, 12 cargoes of gold and silver, jewels and pearls, cloths of purple and scarlet, silks and fine linens; all kinds of scented woods, ivories, and every sort of thing made of costly woods, bronze, iron, or marble; 13 cinnamon and spice, incense, perfumes and frankincense; wine, oil, flour and wheat, sheep and cattle, horses, chariots, slaves, and the lives of men. 14 'The fruit you longed for', they will say, 'is gone from you; all the glitter and the glamour are lost, never to be yours again!' 15 The traders in all these wares, who gained their wealth from her, will stand at a distance for horror at her torment, weeping and mourning 16 and saying, 'Alas, alas for the great city, that was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, bedizened with gold and jewels and pearls! 17 Alas that in one hour so much wealth should be laid waste!'
Then all the sea-captains and voyagers, the sailors and those who traded by sea, stood at a distance 18 and cried out as they saw the smoke of her conflagration: 'Was there ever a city like the great city?' 19 They threw dust on their heads, weeping and mourning and saying, 'Alas, alas for the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich on her wealth! Alas that in a single hour she should be laid waste!'
20 But let heaven exult over her; exult, apostles and prophets and people of God; for in the judgement against her he has vindicated your cause!
21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and hurled it into the sea and said, 'Thus shall Babylon, the great city, be sent hurtling down, never to be seen again! 22 No more shall the sound of harpers and minstrels, of flute-players and trumpeters, be heard in you; no more shall craftsmen of any trade be found in you; 23 no more shall the sound of the mill be heard in you; no more shall the light of the lamp be seen in you; no more shall the voice of the bride and bridegroom be heard in you! Your traders were once the merchant princes of the world, and with your sorcery you deceived all the nations.'
24 For the blood of the prophets and of God's people was found in her, the blood of all who had been done to death on earth.
191 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a vast throng in heaven; and they were shouting:
9 Then the angel said to me, 'Write this: "Happy are those who are invited to the wedding-supper of the Lamb!" ' And he added, 'These are the very words of God.' 10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, 'No, not that! I am but a fellow-servant with you and your brothers who bear their testimony to Jesus. It is God you must worship. Those who bear testimony to Jesus are inspired like the prophets.'