18
The Fall of Babylon the Great
1 After this I saw
*another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.
2 He cried out
†with a mighty voice,
“
‡Fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become a dwelling place for demons,
a haunt for every unclean
§spirit,
and a haunt for every unclean and hated bird.
3 For
*all the nations have fallen
because of the
†wine of the wrath of her fornication.
The kings of the earth have committed fornication with her,
and the merchants of the earth have become rich from the power of her luxury.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say,
“Come out of her, my people,
so that you do not participate in her sins,
and so that you do not receive any of her plagues;
5 for her sins
‡are heaped as high as heaven,
and God has remembered her unrighteous acts.
6 Render to her as she herself has
§rendered;
*make it double, as she has done,
even according to her works.
Mix a double portion for her in the cup she has mixed.
7 As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury,
give her the same amount of torment
†and mourning,
for in her heart she says,
‘I sit enthroned as a queen;
I am not a widow
and will never see mourning.’
8 Therefore her plagues will come in a single day—
death, mourning, and famine.
She will be burned up with fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who
‡has judged her.”
9 The kings of the earth who have committed fornication with her and lived in luxury with her will
§weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.
10 In fear of her torment they will stand at a distance and say,
“Alas, alas, for the great city,
Babylon, the mighty city!
For in a single hour yoʋr judgment has come.”
11 The merchants of the earth
*will weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo anymore,
12 cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of citron wood, all kinds of articles made of ivory, all kinds of articles made of costly wood, bronze, iron, and marble;
13 cargo of
†cinnamon, incense, myrrh, frankincense,
‡wine, oil, fine flour, wheat,
§sheep, cattle, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men.
14 “The ripe fruit that was the desire of yoʋr soul
and all yoʋr delicacies and splendors
yoʋ will never find them again!”
15 The merchants of these wares, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,
16 “Alas,
§alas, for the great city
that was clothed in fine linen,
in purple and scarlet,
adorned with gold,
with precious stone and pearls!
17 For in a single hour such great wealth has been laid waste!”
And every shipmaster and seafaring man, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood at a distance 18 and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning,
“What city is like the great city?”
19 They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning aloud,
“Alas, alas, for the great city,
where all who had ships at sea
grew rich from her valuable merchandise!
For in a single hour she has been laid waste.
20 Rejoice over her, O heaven,
and you
*saints, apostles, and prophets,
for God has given judgment for you against her.”
21 Then a mighty angel picked up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, and said,
“With
†such violence Babylon the great city
will be thrown down,
never to be found again.
22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters
will never be heard in yoʋ again.
No craftsman of any trade
will ever be found in yoʋ again.
The sound of a mill
will never be heard in yoʋ again.
23 The light of a lamp
will never shine in yoʋ again.
The voice of bridegroom and bride
will never be heard in yoʋ again.
‡For yoʋr merchants were the magnates of the earth,
and all the nations were deceived by yoʋr sorcery.”
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on the earth.