18
Babylon Is Fallen
(Isaiah 21:1–10)
1 After this I saw another angel descending from heaven with great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory. 2 And he cried out in a mighty voice:
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!*See Isaiah 21:9 and Revelation 14:8.
She has become a lair for demons
and a haunt for every unclean spirit,
every unclean bird,
and every detestable beast.†NE, WH, BYZ, and TR a haunt for every unclean spirit and every unclean and detestable bird.
3 All the nations have drunk ‡SBL and WH have fallen by the wine
of the passion of her immorality.
The kings of the earth were immoral with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy
from the extravagance of her luxury.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
“Come out of her, My people,§See Jeremiah 51:45.
so that you will not share in her sins
or contract any of her plagues.
5 For her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.
6 Give back to her as she has done to others;
pay her back double for what she has done;
mix her a double portion in her own cup.
7 As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury,
give her the same measure of torment and grief.
In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen;
I am not a widow and will never see grief.’
8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day—
death and grief and famine—
and she will be consumed by fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”
Lament over Babylon
9 Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her.*Literally when they see the smoke of her burning; also in verse 18 10 In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out:
“Woe, woe to the great city,
the mighty city of Babylon!
For in a single hour
your judgment has come.”
11 And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo— 12 cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and chariots; of slaves and souls of men. 14 And they will say:†Literally And:
“The fruit of your soul’s desire
has departed from you;
all your luxury and splendor have vanished,
never to be seen again.”
15 The merchants who sold these things and grew their wealth from her will stand at a distance, in fear of her torment. They will weep and mourn, 16 saying:
“Woe, woe to the great city,
clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet,
adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!
17 For in a single hour
such fabulous wealth has been destroyed!”
Every shipmaster, passenger, and sailor, and all who make their living from the sea, will stand at a distance 18 and cry out at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. “What city was ever like this great city?” they will exclaim.
19 Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out:
“Woe, woe to the great city,
where all who had ships on the sea
were enriched by her wealth!
For in a single hour
she has been destroyed.”
20 Rejoice over her, O heaven,
O saints and apostles and prophets,
because God has pronounced for you
His judgment against her.
The Doom of Babylon
21 Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying:
“With such violence
the great city of Babylon will be cast down,
never to be seen again.
22 And the sound of harpists and musicians,
of flute players and trumpeters,
will never ring out in you again.
Nor will any craftsmen of any trade
be found in you again,
nor the sound of a millstone
be heard in you again.
23 The light of a lamp
will never shine in you again,
and the voices of a bride and bridegroom
will never call out in you again.
For your merchants were the great ones of the earth,
because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.”
24 And there was found in her the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who had been slain on the earth.
*18:2 See Isaiah 21:9 and Revelation 14:8.
†18:2 NE, WH, BYZ, and TR a haunt for every unclean spirit and every unclean and detestable bird.
‡18:3 SBL and WH have fallen by
§18:4 See Jeremiah 51:45.
*18:9 Literally when they see the smoke of her burning; also in verse 18
†18:14 Literally And: