The prophets
The Judgment on Babylon, the Great Prostitute
One of the seven angels with the bowls shows John the judgment on the great prostitute who sits upon many waters. John is carried away in the Spirit into a wilderness and sees a woman clothed in purple and scarlet, seated on a scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns. On her forehead stands the name "Babylon the Great", and she is drunk with the blood of the saints. The angel explains the mystery: the seven heads are seven hills and seven kings, and the ten horns are ten kings who give their power to the beast. They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer as Lord of lords and King of kings. Finally, the ten kings turn against the prostitute and destroy her, until God's word is fulfilled.
Revelation 17,1-18
1Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me: "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters.
Καὶ ἦλθεν εἷς ἐκ τῶν ἑπτὰ ἀγγέλων τῶν ἐχόντων τὰς ἑπτὰ φιάλας, καὶ ἐλάλησεν μετʼ ἐμοῦ λέγων· Δεῦρο, δείξω σοι τὸ κρίμα τῆς πόρνης τῆς μεγάλης τῆς καθημένης ἐπὶ ⸀ὑδάτων πολλῶν,
2With her the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and those who dwell on the earth grew drunk on the wine of her immorality."
μεθʼ ἧς ἐπόρνευσαν οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐμεθύσθησαν οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν γῆν ἐκ τοῦ οἴνου τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς.
3And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman seated on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.
καὶ ἀπήνεγκέν με εἰς ἔρημον ἐν πνεύματι. καὶ εἶδον γυναῖκα καθημένην ἐπὶ θηρίον κόκκινον, ⸀γέμοντα ὀνόματα βλασφημίας, ⸀ἔχων κεφαλὰς ἑπτὰ καὶ κέρατα δέκα.
4The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, and in her hand she held a golden cup full of abominations and the filth of her immorality.
καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἦν περιβεβλημένη πορφυροῦν καὶ κόκκινον, ⸀καὶ κεχρυσωμένη ⸀χρυσίῳ καὶ λίθῳ τιμίῳ καὶ μαργαρίταις, ἔχουσα ποτήριον χρυσοῦν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτῆς γέμον βδελυγμάτων καὶ τὰ ἀκάθαρτα τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς,
5On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: "Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth."
καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῆς ὄνομα γεγραμμένον, μυστήριον, Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη, ἡ μήτηρ τῶν πορνῶν καὶ τῶν βδελυγμάτων τῆς γῆς.
6And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God's holy people and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I was utterly astonished.
καὶ εἶδον τὴν γυναῖκα μεθύουσαν ἐκ τοῦ αἵματος τῶν ἁγίων ⸀καὶ ἐκ τοῦ αἵματος τῶν μαρτύρων Ἰησοῦ. Καὶ ἐθαύμασα ἰδὼν αὐτὴν θαῦμα μέγα·
7But the angel said to me: "Why are you astonished? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, the beast with the seven heads and the ten horns.
καὶ εἶπέν μοι ὁ ἄγγελος· Διὰ τί ἐθαύμασας; ἐγὼ ἐρῶ σοι τὸ μυστήριον τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ τοῦ θηρίου τοῦ βαστάζοντος αὐτήν, τοῦ ἔχοντος τὰς ἑπτὰ κεφαλὰς καὶ τὰ δέκα κέρατα·
8The beast you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will be astonished when they see the beast, because it was, and is not, and yet will come.
τὸ θηρίον ὃ εἶδες ἦν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν, καὶ μέλλει ἀναβαίνειν ἐκ τῆς ἀβύσσου, καὶ εἰς ἀπώλειαν ⸀ὑπάγει· καὶ ⸀θαυμασθήσονται οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὧν οὐ γέγραπται ⸂τὸ ὄνομα⸃ ἐπὶ τὸ βιβλίον τῆς ζωῆς ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου, βλεπόντων ⸂τὸ θηρίον ὅτι ἦν⸃ καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν καὶ παρέσται.
9This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated. They are also seven kings:
Ὧδε ὁ νοῦς ὁ ἔχων σοφίαν. αἱ ἑπτὰ κεφαλαὶ ἑπτὰ ὄρη εἰσίν, ὅπου ἡ γυνὴ κάθηται ἐπʼ αὐτῶν. καὶ βασιλεῖς ⸂ἑπτά εἰσιν⸃·
10five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain only a little while.
οἱ πέντε ἔπεσαν, ὁ εἷς ἔστιν, ὁ ἄλλος οὔπω ἦλθεν, καὶ ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὀλίγον ⸂αὐτὸν δεῖ⸃ μεῖναι,
11As for the beast that was and is not, it is itself an eighth, and yet it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction.
καὶ τὸ θηρίον ὃ ἦν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν. καὶ ⸀αὐτὸς ὄγδοός ἐστιν καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἑπτά ἐστιν, καὶ εἰς ἀπώλειαν ὑπάγει.
12The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.
καὶ τὰ δέκα κέρατα ἃ εἶδες δέκα βασιλεῖς εἰσιν, οἵτινες βασιλείαν οὔπω ἔλαβον, ἀλλὰ ἐξουσίαν ὡς βασιλεῖς μίαν ὥραν λαμβάνουσιν μετὰ τοῦ θηρίου.
13These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast.
οὗτοι μίαν ⸂γνώμην ἔχουσιν⸃, καὶ τὴν δύναμιν ⸀καὶ ἐξουσίαν αὐτῶν τῷ θηρίῳ διδόασιν.
14They will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings — and those with him are called, chosen, and faithful."
οὗτοι μετὰ τοῦ ἀρνίου πολεμήσουσιν, καὶ τὸ ἀρνίον νικήσει αὐτούς, ὅτι κύριος κυρίων ἐστὶν καὶ βασιλεὺς βασιλέων, καὶ οἱ μετʼ αὐτοῦ κλητοὶ καὶ ἐκλεκτοὶ καὶ πιστοί.
15Then he said to me: "The waters you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.
Καὶ λέγει μοι· Τὰ ὕδατα ἃ εἶδες, οὗ ἡ πόρνη κάθηται, λαοὶ καὶ ὄχλοι εἰσὶν καὶ ἔθνη καὶ γλῶσσαι.
16And the ten horns you saw, together with the beast, will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, devour her flesh, and burn her with fire.
καὶ τὰ δέκα κέρατα ἃ εἶδες καὶ τὸ θηρίον, οὗτοι μισήσουσι τὴν πόρνην, καὶ ἠρημωμένην ποιήσουσιν αὐτὴν καὶ ⸀γυμνήν, καὶ τὰς σάρκας αὐτῆς φάγονται, καὶ αὐτὴν κατακαύσουσιν ἐν πυρί·
17For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose: to act with one mind and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.
ὁ γὰρ θεὸς ἔδωκεν εἰς τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν ποιῆσαι τὴν γνώμην αὐτοῦ, καὶ ποιῆσαι ⸂μίαν γνώμην⸃ καὶ δοῦναι τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτῶν τῷ θηρίῳ, ἄχρι ⸀τελεσθήσονται οἱ λόγοι τοῦ θεοῦ.
18And the woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth."
καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἣν εἶδες ἔστιν ἡ πόλις ἡ μεγάλη ἡ ἔχουσα βασιλείαν ἐπὶ τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς.