الزانية العظيمة والوحش
1 وَجاءَني أحَدُ الملائِكَةِ السّبعةِ الذينَ مَعَهُمُ الكُؤوسُ السّبعُ وقالَ لي: «تَعالَ فَأُريَكَ عِقابَ الزّانِـيَةِ العَظيمةِ القائِمَةِ على جانِبِ المِياهِ الكثيرةِ. 2 بِها زَنى مُلوكُ الأرضِ، وسكِرَ سُكّانُ الأرضِ مِنْ خَمرِ كأْسِ زِناها».
3 فحَمَلَني بِالرّوحِ إلى الصّحراءِ، فرَأَيتُ امرَأةً تَجلِسُ على وَحشٍ قِرمِزيّ مُغَطّى بِأَسماءِ التجدّيفِ، لَه سَبعَةُ رُؤوسٍ وعَشَرَةُ قُرونٍ. 4 وكانَتِ المرأَةُ تَلبَسُ الأُرجُوانَ والقِرمزَ وتتَحَلّى بِالذّهَبِ والحِجارَةِ الكَريمَةِ واللُؤلُؤِ، وبِـيَدِها كأْسٌ مِنْ ذهَبٍ مُمَتِلئَةٌ بِرِجسِ زِناها ونَجاسَتِهِ، 5 وعلى جَبـينِها اَسمٌ يَرمُزُ إلى بابِلَ العَظيمةِ، أُمّ الزّنى ودَنَسِ الأرضِ. 6 ورأَيتُ المرأَةَ سَكرى مِنْ دَمِ القِدّيسينَ ومِنْ دَمِ شُهَداءِ يَسوعَ. فلمّا رأيتُها تَعجَّبتُ كَثيرًا. 7 فقالَ لِـيَ الملاكُ: «لِماذا تَعَجّبتَ؟ سأكْشِفُ لكَ سِرّ المرأَةِ والوَحشِ الذي يَحمِلُها، صاحِبِ السّبعةِ الرُؤوسِ والعَشَرَةِ القُرونِ. 8 والوَحشُ الذي رأيتَهُ كانَ وما عادَ كائِنًا. سَيصعَدُ بَعدَ قليلٍ مِنَ الهاوِيَةِ ويَمضي إلى الهلاكِ. وسيَتَعجّبُ سُكّانُ الأرضِ الذينَ أسماؤُهُم غَيرُ مَكتوبَةٍ مُنذُ بَدءِ العالَمِ في كِتابِ الحياةِ عِندَما يَرَوْنَ الوَحشَ، لأنّهُ كانَ وما عادَ كائِنًا وسيَظهَرُ ثانِـيَةً.
9 وهُنا لا بُدّ مِنَ الحِكمَةِ والفَهمِ: فالرُؤوسُ السّبعةُ هِـيَ التّلالُ السّبعةُ التي تَجلِسُ علَيها المرأَةُ. وهِـيَ أيضًا سَبعةُ مُلوكٍ، 10 مِنهُم خَمسةٌ سَقَطوا، وواحِدٌ لا يَزالُ يَملِكُ، والآخَرُ ما جاءَ بَعدُ. ومتى جاءَ لا يَبقى إلاّ قَليلاً. 11 أمّا الوَحشُ الذي كانَ وما عادَ كائِنًا، فهوَ مَلِكٌ ثامِنٌ، معَ أنّهُ مِنَ السّبعةِ، ويَمضي إلى الهلاكِ».
12 وهذِهِ القُرونُ العَشَرَةُ التي تَراها هِـيَ عَشَرَةُ مُلوكٍ ما مَلَكوا بَعدُ، لكنّهُم سَيَملِكونَ ساعةً واحِدةً معَ الوَحشِ. 13 هَؤُلاءِ اَتّفَقوا على أنْ يُعطوا الوَحشَ قُوّتَهُم وسُلطانَهُم. 14 وهُمْ سَيُحارِبونَ الحَمَلَ، والحَمَلُ يَغلِبُهُم لأنّهُ رَبّ الأربابِ ومَلِكُ المُلوكِ، والذينَ معَهُ هُمُ المَدُعّوونَ والمُختارُونَ والمُؤمِنونَ».
15 ثُمّ قالَ لِـيَ الملاكُ: «تِلكَ المياهُ التي رأَيتَها ورَأيتَ الزّانِـيَةَ قائِمةً علَيها هِـيَ شُعوبٌ وأجناسٌ وأُمَمٌ وألسِنةٌ. 16 وتِلكَ القُرونُ العَشَرَةُ التي رَأيتَها والوَحشُ سَيُبغِضونَ الزّانِـيَةَ ويَعزِلونَها ويُعرّونَها مِنْ ثِـيابِها ويَأكُلونَ لَحمَها ويَحرقونَها بِالنّارِ، 17 لأنّ اللهَ جَعَلَ في قُلوبِهِم أنْ يُنَفّذوا رأيَهُ وأنْ يَتّفِقوا على إعطاءِ الوَحشِ سُلطانَ مُلْكِهِمْ إلى أنْ تَتِمّ أقوالُ اللهِ.
18 وتِلكَ المرأَةُ التي رأَيتَها هِـيَ المدينةُ العَظيمَةُ التي تَتَسلّطُ على مُلوكِ الأرضِ».
The Prostitute and the Beast
1 One of the seven angels who had emptied the bowls came over and said to me, “Come on! I will show you how God will punish that shameless prostitute who sits on many oceans. 2 Every king on earth has slept with her, and her shameless ways are like wine that has made everyone on earth drunk.”
3 With the help of the Spirit, the angel took me into a desert, where I saw a woman sitting on a red beast. The beast was covered with names that were an insult to God, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet robes, and she wore jewelry made of gold, precious stones, and pearls. In her hand she held a gold cup filled with the filthy and nasty things she had done. 5 On her forehead a mysterious name was written:
I AM THE GREAT CITY OF BABYLON, THE MOTHER OF EVERY IMMORAL AND FILTHY THING ON EARTH.6 I could tell that the woman was drunk on the blood of God's people who had given their lives for Jesus. This surprising sight amazed me, 7 and the angel said:
Why are you so amazed? I will explain the mystery about this woman and about the beast she is sitting on, with its seven heads and ten horns. 8 The beast you saw is one that used to be and no longer is. It will come back from the deep pit, but only to be destroyed. Everyone on earth whose names were not written in the book of life before the time of creation will be amazed. They will see this beast that used to be and no longer is, but will be once more.
9 Anyone with wisdom can figure this out. The seven heads that the woman is sitting on stand for seven hills. These heads are also seven kings. 10 Five of the kings are dead. One is ruling now, and the other one has not yet come. But when he does, he will rule for only a little while.
11 You also saw a beast that used to be and no longer is. That beast is one of the seven kings who will return as the eighth king, but only to be destroyed.
12 The ten horns you saw are ten more kings, who have not yet come into power, and they will rule with the beast for only a short time. 13 They all think alike and will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 These kings will go to war against the Lamb. But he will defeat them, because he is Lord over all lords and King over all kings. His followers are chosen and special and faithful.
15 The oceans you saw the prostitute sitting on are crowds of people from all races and languages. 16 The ten horns and the beast will start hating the shameless woman. They will strip off her clothes and leave her naked. Then they will eat her flesh and throw the rest of her body into a fire. 17 God is the one who made these kings all think alike and decide to give their power to the beast. And they will do this until what God has said comes true.
18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over all kings on earth.