Revelation 17:8 nasb — "The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who…

NASB

""The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come."

— Revelation 17:8, NASB

Read in Another Translation

5 of 21 translations

Revelation 17:8 in Other Translations

7 versions All translations
  • KJV

    “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”

  • ASV

    “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition. And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, they whose name hath not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast, how that he was, and is not, and shall come. ”

  • WEB

    “The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present.”

  • NET

    “The 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.”

  • DRB

    “The beast which thou sawest, was, and is not, and shall come up out of the bottomless pit and go into destruction. And the inhabitants on the earth (whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world) shall wonder, seeing the beast that was and is not.”

  • BBE

    “The beast which you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the great deep, and to go into destruction. And those who are on the earth, whose names have not been put in the book of life from the first, will be full of wonder when they see the beast, that he was, and is not, and still will be.”

  • KJVA

    “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”

Revelation 17 — Context

5

and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

6

And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly.

7

And the angel said to me, "Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.

8

"The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.

9

"Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits,

10

and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.

11

"The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.

Revelation 17:8 — Frequently Asked Questions

7 questions
What does Revelation 17:8 say?
Revelation 17:8 in the NASB reads: “"The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.”
Where is Revelation 17:8 in the Bible?
Revelation 17:8 is found in the New Testament, in the book of Revelation, chapter 17, verse 8.
Who wrote Revelation?
Revelation is traditionally attributed to John (traditionally John the Apostle, exiled on Patmos). It was written c. AD 95.
What is the book of Revelation about?
Revelation is the unveiling of Jesus Christ — risen, reigning, returning. Through vivid, symbolic visions it shows the church's suffering, Christ's victory, the judgment of evil, and the new heavens and new earth where God dwells with his people forever. The Bible's grand finale.
What are the major themes of Revelation?
Revelation explores themes including Christ Victorious, Judgment, Worship, Endurance, New Creation. These themes shape the meaning and context of Revelation 17:8.
What translation should I read Revelation 17:8 in?
Revelation 17:8 is available on GodsGoodBook in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), World English Bible (WEB), NET Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible, and the Bible in Basic English. Each translation reflects different translation philosophies — use the translation picker on this page to compare them, or browse our full translations directory.
How can I memorize Revelation 17:8?
Revelation 17:8 reads (NASB): “"The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.” Read it aloud, break it into short phrases, repeat each phrase three times before adding the next, then put the phrases together. Reading it in multiple translations (above) often helps the meaning settle.
GodsGoodBook logo

GodsGoodBook

Making God's Word accessible to everyone

Experience the Bible like never before with multiple translations, powerful search tools, and features to make God's Word personal to you. Completely free, forever.

Features

15+ Bible Translations
Powerful Search Tools
Highlight & Annotate
Share Verses
100% Free Forever
© 2025 GodsGoodBookVersion 1.8.2