| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke to me. "Come," he said, "I will show you the condemnation and punishment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, | 1One of the seven angels who had poured out the seven bowls came over and spoke to me. “Come with me,” he said, “and I will show you the judgment that is going to come on the great prostitute, who rules over many waters. |
| 2with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality and the earth's inhabitants got drunk with the wine of her immorality." | 2The kings of the world have committed adultery with her, and the people who belong to this world have been made drunk by the wine of her immorality.” |
| 3So he carried me away in the Spirit to a wilderness, and there I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. | 3So the angel took me in the Spirit into the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that had seven heads and ten horns, and blasphemies against God were written all over it. |
| 4Now the woman was dressed in purple and scarlet clothing, and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup filled with detestable things and unclean things from her sexual immorality. | 4The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing and beautiful jewelry made of gold and precious gems and pearls. In her hand she held a gold goblet full of obscenities and the impurities of her immorality. |
| 5On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: "Babylon the Great, the Mother of prostitutes and of the detestable things of the earth." | 5A mysterious name was written on her forehead: “Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World.” |
| 6I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of those who testified to Jesus. I was greatly astounded when I saw her. | 6I could see that she was drunk—drunk with the blood of God’s holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her in complete amazement. |
| 7But the angel said to me, "Why are you astounded? I will interpret for you the mystery of the woman and of the beast with the seven heads and ten horns that carries her. | 7“Why are you so amazed?” the angel asked. “I will tell you the mystery of this woman and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns on which she sits. |
| 8The beast you saw was, and is not, but is about to come up from the abyss and then go to destruction. The inhabitants of the earth--all those whose names have not been written in the book of life since the foundation of the world--will be astounded when they see that the beast was, and is not, but is to come. | 8The beast you saw was once alive but isn’t now. And yet he will soon come up out of the bottomless pit and go to eternal destruction. And the people who belong to this world, whose names were not written in the Book of Life before the world was made, will be amazed at the reappearance of this beast who had died. |
| 9(This requires a mind that has wisdom.) The seven heads are seven mountains the woman sits on. They are also seven kings: | 9“This calls for a mind with understanding: The seven heads of the beast represent the seven hills where the woman rules. They also represent seven kings. |
| 10five have fallen; one is, and the other has not yet come, but whenever he does come, he must remain for only a brief time. | 10Five kings have already fallen, the sixth now reigns, and the seventh is yet to come, but his reign will be brief. |
| 11The beast that was, and is not, is himself an eighth king and yet is one of the seven, and is going to destruction. | 11“The scarlet beast that was, but is no longer, is the eighth king. He is like the other seven, and he, too, is headed for destruction. |
| 12The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive ruling authority as kings with the beast for one hour. | 12The ten horns of the beast are ten kings who have not yet risen to power. They will be appointed to their kingdoms for one brief moment to reign with the beast. |
| 13These kings have a single intent, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. | 13They will all agree to give him their power and authority. |
| 14They will make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those accompanying the Lamb are the called, chosen, and faithful." | 14Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him.” |
| 15Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw (where the prostitute is seated) are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. | 15Then the angel said to me, “The waters where the prostitute is ruling represent masses of people of every nation and language. |
| 16The ten horns that you saw, and the beast--these will hate the prostitute and make her desolate and naked. They will consume her flesh and burn her up with fire. | 16The scarlet beast and his ten horns all hate the prostitute. They will strip her naked, eat her flesh, and burn her remains with fire. |
| 17For God has put into their minds to carry out his purpose by making a decision to give their royal power to the beast until the words of God are fulfilled. | 17For God has put a plan into their minds, a plan that will carry out his purposes. They will agree to give their authority to the scarlet beast, and so the words of God will be fulfilled. |
| 18As for the woman you saw, she is the great city that has sovereignty over the kings of the earth." | 18And this woman you saw in your vision represents the great city that rules over the kings of the world.” |
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