Bible Gateway passage: Revelation 17 - New King James Version (2024)

The Scarlet Woman and the Scarlet Beast

17Then ^(A)one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying ^[a]to me, “Come, ^(B)I will show you the judgment of ^(C)the great harlot ^(D)who sits on many waters, ^2(E)with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and ^(F)the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”

³So he carried me away in the Spirit ^(G)into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting ^(H)on a scarlet beast which was full of ^(I)names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. ⁴The woman ^(J)was arrayed in purple and scarlet, ^(K)and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, ^(L)having in her hand a golden cup ^(M)full of abominations and the filthiness of ^[b]her fornication. ⁵And on her forehead a name was written:

^(N)MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH.

⁶I saw ^(O)the woman, drunk ^(P)with the blood of the saints and with the blood of ^(Q)the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

The Meaning of the Woman and the Beast

⁷But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the ^[c]mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. ⁸The beast that you saw was, and is not, and ^(R)will ascend out of the bottomless pit and ^(S)go to ^[d]perdition. And those who ^(T)dwell on the earth ^(U)will marvel, ^(V)whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and ^[e]yet is.

^9(W)“Here is the mind which has wisdom: ^(X)The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. ¹⁰There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must ^(Y)continue a short time. ¹¹The ^(Z)beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to ^[f]perdition.

^12(AA)“The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. ¹³These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. ^14(AB)These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will ^(AC)overcome them, ^(AD)for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; ^(AE)and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

¹⁵Then he said to me, ^(AF)“The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, ^(AG)are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. ¹⁶And the ten horns which you ^[g]saw on the beast, ^(AH)these will hate the harlot, make her ^(AI)desolate ^(AJ)and naked, eat her flesh and ^(AK)burn her with fire. ^17(AL)For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, ^(AM)until the words of God are fulfilled. ¹⁸And the woman whom you saw ^(AN)is that great city ^(AO)which reigns over the kings of the earth.”