³ One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed.^(A) The whole world was filled with wonder^(B) and followed the beast.

⁷ It was given power to wage war^(A) against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.^{(B) 8} All inhabitants of the earth^(C) will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life,^(D) the Lamb^(E) who was slain from the creation of the world.^[a](F)

¹² It exercised all the authority^(A) of the first beast on its behalf,^(B) and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast,^(C) whose fatal wound had been healed.^(D)

Babylon, the Prostitute on the Beast

17 One of the seven angels^(A) who had the seven bowls^(B) came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment^(C) of the great prostitute,^(D) who sits by many waters.^{(E) 2} With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”^(F)

¹⁵ Then the angel said to me, “The waters^(A) you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.^(B)