18 After these things happened, I saw another angel. He was coming down from heaven. He had great authority. He was beautiful and he shone brightly. He gave light to the whole world. 2 He shouted with a very loud voice:
‘God has destroyed the great city of Babylon!
She has become a place where demons live.
She is a home for every disgusting spirit.
She is a home for every unclean bird.
She is a home for every unclean and disgusting animal.
3 She has been like a prostitute who makes men become drunk.
Then she leads them to have sex in a wrong way.
She has caused people from every nation to turn away from God.
It is like all the kings of the earth have had sex with that bad woman.
All the traders of the earth have become rich,
because she has bought things from them to enjoy a wicked life.’
4 Then I heard another voice which spoke from heaven. It said:
‘My people, leave the city! Come out!
Do not do the bad things that the people of that city have done.
Then you will not receive the terrible troubles that God sends to them.
5 They have done very many bad things.
Their sins have reached as high as heaven.
God has remembered to punish them.
6 Yes, punish the people of that city.
Do to them the same things that they have done to others.
Punish them with twice the bad things that they themselves have done.
She caused people to drink pain from her cup.
Now make her drink twice as much pain for herself!
7 She liked to receive honour.
She bought expensive things to enjoy a wicked life.
So now give her the trouble and pain that she deserves.
She has said to herself, “I rule people like a queen.
I do not live like a widow.
I will never need to be sad.”
8 Because she speaks like that,
she will receive many troubles in one single day.
Her people will become very ill.
They will be very sad.
They will have no food to eat.
Fire will destroy the city,
The Lord God is powerful.
So he will punish her with these troubles.’
9 When all that happens, the kings on the earth will be very sad. They enjoyed the bad things that people did in that city. They had many expensive things so that they were happy. Now they will see the smoke from the fire that burns the city. As a result, they will cry and they will weep. 10 They will stand a long way from the city because they are afraid. They do not want to suffer in the same way. They will say,
‘Terrible trouble has come to you, Babylon!
Great city! Powerful city! It is very bad for you!
In one single hour God has destroyed you!’
11 The traders of this world will also be very sad. They will weep because nobody will buy their things any more. 12 They sold many expensive things like these:
Things made from gold and silver.
Valuable stones and pearls.
Good linen and other kinds of expensive cloth that is red or purple.
Things made from wood that has a nice smell.
Many different things that are made from ivory.
Many kinds of things that people had made from expensive wood, from different metals and from stone.
13 Different kinds of spice and incense, like myrrh and frankincense.
Wine, olive oil, expensive flour and wheat.
Cows and sheep.
Horses and chariots.
Human slaves.
14 The people who sold these things will say to the city, ‘You have now lost all the good things that you wanted so much. You have lost all those expensive things that made you beautiful. You will never have them again.’
15 The traders had become rich because of the city. But now they will stand a long way from the city because they are afraid. They do not want to suffer in the same way themselves. They will weep and they will be very sad. 16 They will say,
‘Bad trouble has come to you, Babylon!
Great city! It is very bad for you!
You wore beautiful clothes that were made from good linen.
You wore bright things that made you look beautiful.
You shone with gold, valuable stones and pearls.
17 But in one single hour God has destroyed all those valuable things.’
All the sailors and the people who travel on ships will also be sad. They include every ship's captain, and everyone who works on ships on the sea. They will stand a long way from the city. 18 They will see the smoke from the fire that burns the city. Then they will shout, ‘There is no other city like this great city!’ 19 They will throw dirt from the ground on their heads because they are so sad. They will weep and they will shout,
‘Bad trouble has come to you, Babylon!
Great city! It is very bad for you!
Everyone who had ships on the sea became rich because of you.
You used your money to buy their expensive things.
But in one single hour God has destroyed that city.’
20 Yes, you who live in heaven, be happy!
Be happy because God has punished Babylon!
God's people and his apostles and his prophets, be happy!
God has punished the city because of what she did to you.
21 Then a powerful angel picked up a very big, heavy stone. He threw it into the sea. He said,
‘God will throw you down, Babylon!
You are a great city, but God will throw you down like this stone.
Nobody will ever see you again!
22 Nobody will ever hear music in the city again.
Nobody will sing there.
Nobody will make music with harps, or with flutes, or with trumpets.
There will never be workers who make things in the city.
Nobody will ever hear the sound of people who make flour again.
23 No light from people's lamps will ever shine in the city again.
Nobody will ever hear the happy voices of a man and a woman when they marry.
Your traders were the most powerful people on the earth.
You used your magic to deceive people from all nations.
24 Your people killed God's people and his prophets.
Their blood lies on the ground in the city.
The blood of everyone on earth that people have killed is also there.
This shows that you are guilty of their murder.’ [ a ]
18 Then I saw another angel coming down from heaven. This angel had great power. The angel’s glory made the earth bright. 2 The angel shouted with a powerful voice,
“She is destroyed!
The great city of Babylon is destroyed!
She has become a home for demons.
That city has become a place for every unclean spirit to live.
She is a city filled with all kinds of unclean birds.
She is a place where every unclean and hated animal lives.
3 All the peoples of the earth have drunk the wine
of her sexual sin and of God’s anger.
The rulers of the earth sinned sexually with her,
and the merchants of the world grew rich from the great wealth of her luxury.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say,
“Come out of that city, my people,
so that you will not share in her sins.
Then you will not suffer any of the terrible punishment she will get.
5 That city’s sins are piled up as high as heaven.
God has not forgotten the wrongs she has done.
6 Give that city the same as she gave to others.
Pay her back twice as much as she did.
Prepare wine for her that is twice as strong
as the wine she prepared for others.
7 She gave herself much glory and rich living.
Give her that much suffering and sadness.
She says to herself, ‘I am a queen sitting on my throne.
I am not a widow;
I will never be sad.’
8 So in one day she will suffer
great hunger, mourning, and death.
She will be destroyed by fire,
because the Lord God who judges her is powerful.
9 “The rulers of the earth who sinned sexually with her and shared her wealth will see the smoke from her burning. Then they will cry and be sad because of her death. 10 The rulers will be afraid of her suffering and stand far away. They will say,
‘Terrible! How terrible, O great city,
O powerful city of Babylon!
Your punishment came in one hour!’
11 “And the merchants of the earth will cry and be sad for her. They will be sad because now there is no one to buy the things they sell— 12 gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen cloth, purple cloth, silk, and scarlet cloth, all kinds of citron wood, and all kinds of things made from ivory, expensive wood, bronze, iron, and marble. 13 They also sell cinnamon, spice, incense, frankincense, myrrh, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, carriages, and slaves—yes, even human lives. The merchants will cry and say,
14 ‘O Babylon, the good things you wanted have left you.
All your rich and fancy things have disappeared.
You will never have them again.’
15 “The merchants will be afraid of her suffering and will stand far away from her. They are the ones who became rich from selling those things to her. They will cry and be sad. 16 They will say,
‘Terrible! How terrible for the great city!
She was dressed in fine linen;
she wore purple and scarlet cloth.
She was shining with gold, jewels, and pearls!
17 All these riches have been destroyed in one hour!’
“Every sea captain, all those who travel on ships, the sailors, and all those who earn money from the sea stood far away from Babylon. 18 They saw the smoke from her burning. They cried out, ‘There was never a city like this great city!’ 19 They threw dust on their heads and cried loudly to show the deep sorrow they felt. They said,
‘Terrible! How terrible for the great city!
All those who had ships on the sea became rich because of her wealth!
But she has been destroyed in one hour!
20 Be happy because of this, O heaven!
Be happy, God’s holy people and apostles and prophets!
God has punished her because of what she did to you.’”
21 Then a powerful angel picked up a large rock. This rock was as big as a large millstone. The angel threw the rock into the sea and said,
“That is how the great city of Babylon will be thrown down.
It will never be found again.
22 O Babylon, the music of people playing harps and other instruments, flutes and trumpets
will never be heard in you again.
No worker doing any job
will ever be found in you again.
The sound of a millstone
will never be heard in you again.
23 The light of a lamp
will never shine in you again.
The voices of a bridegroom and bride
will never be heard in you again.
Your merchants were the world’s great people.
All the nations were tricked by your magic.
24 You are guilty of the death of the prophets, of God’s holy people,
and of all those who have been killed on earth.”
18 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16 And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
18 After these things I saw another ( A ) angel ( B ) coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was ( C ) illuminated from his glory. 2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “ [ a ] ( D ) Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She ( E ) has become a dwelling place of demons and a [ b ] prison of every ( F ) unclean spirit, and a [ c ] prison of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 For all the nations have fallen because of the ( G ) wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and ( H ) the kings of the earth have committed acts of sexual immorality with her, and the ( I ) merchants of the earth have become rich from the [ d ] excessive wealth of her [ e ] ( J ) luxury.”
4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “ ( K ) Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive any of her plagues; 5 for her sins have [ f ] ( L ) piled up as high as heaven, and God has ( M ) remembered her offenses. 6 ( N ) Pay her back even as she has paid, and [ g ] give back to her double according to her deeds; in the ( O ) cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. 7 ( P ) To the extent that she glorified herself and ( Q ) lived luxuriously, to the same extent give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘ ( R ) I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.’ 8 For this reason ( S ) in one day her plagues will come, [ h ] plague and mourning and famine, and she will be ( T ) burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her ( U ) is strong.
9 “And ( V ) the kings of the earth, who committed acts of sexual immorality and ( W ) lived luxuriously with her, will ( X ) weep and mourn over her when they ( Y ) see the smoke of her burning, 10 ( Z ) standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘ ( AA ) Woe, woe, ( AB ) the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in ( AC ) one hour your judgment has come.’
11 “And the ( AD ) merchants of the earth ( AE ) weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any more— 12 cargo of ( AF ) gold, silver, precious [ i ] stones, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; every kind of citron wood, every article of ivory, and every article made from very valuable wood, [ j ] bronze, iron, and marble; 13 cinnamon, [ k ] spice, incense, perfume, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, and cargo of horses, carriages, [ l ] slaves, and ( AG ) human lives. 14 The fruit [ m ] you long for has left you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and people will no longer find them. 15 The ( AH ) merchants of ( AI ) these things, who became rich from her, will ( AJ ) stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, 16 saying, ‘ ( AK ) Woe, woe, ( AL ) the great city, she who ( AM ) was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and [ n ] adorned with gold, precious [ o ] stones, and pearls; 17 for in ( AN ) one hour such great wealth has been laid ( AO ) waste!’ And ( AP ) every shipmaster and every [ p ] passenger and sailor, and all who [ q ] make their living by the sea, ( AQ ) stood at a distance, 18 and were ( AR ) crying out as they ( AS ) saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘ ( AT ) What city is like ( AU ) the great city?’ 19 And they threw ( AV ) dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘ ( AW ) Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea ( AX ) became rich from her prosperity, for in ( AY ) one hour she has been laid ( AZ ) waste!’ 20 ( BA ) Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you [ r ] saints and ( BB ) apostles and prophets, because ( BC ) God has [ s ] pronounced judgment for you against her.”
21 Then [ t ] a ( BD ) strong angel ( BE ) picked up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, ( BF ) the great city, be thrown down with violence, and ( BG ) will never be found again. 22 And ( BH ) the sound of harpists, musicians, flute players, and trumpeters will never be heard in you again; and no craftsman of any craft will ever be found in you again; and the ( BI ) sound of a mill will never be heard in you again; 23 and the light of a lamp will never shine in you again; and the ( BJ ) voice of the groom and bride will never be heard in you again; for your ( BK ) merchants were the powerful people of the earth, because all the nations were deceived ( BL ) by your witchcraft. 24 And in her was found the ( BM ) blood of prophets and of [ u ] saints, and of ( BN ) all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
18 After this I saw another angel ( A ) coming down from heaven. ( B ) He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. ( C ) 2 With a mighty voice he shouted:
“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ [ a ] ( D )
She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit, ( E )
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal. ( F )
3 For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries. ( G )
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, ( H )
and the merchants of the earth grew rich ( I ) from her excessive luxuries.” ( J )
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
“‘Come out of her, my people,’ [ b ] ( K )
so that you will not share in her sins,
so that you will not receive any of her plagues; ( L )
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven, ( M )
and God has remembered ( N ) her crimes.
6 Give back to her as she has given;
pay her back ( O ) double ( P ) for what she has done.
Pour her a double portion from her own cup. ( Q )
7 Give her as much torment and grief
as the glory and luxury she gave herself. ( R )
In her heart she boasts,
‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow; [ c ]
I will never mourn.’ ( S )
8 Therefore in one day ( T ) her plagues will overtake her:
death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire, ( U )
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
9 “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her ( V ) and shared her luxury ( W ) see the smoke of her burning, ( X ) they will weep and mourn over her. ( Y ) 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off ( Z ) and cry:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, ( AA )
you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hour ( AB ) your doom has come!’
11 “The merchants ( AC ) of the earth will weep and mourn ( AD ) over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore ( AE ) — 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; ( AF ) 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves. ( AG )
14 “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ 15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her ( AH ) will stand far off, ( AI ) terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn ( AJ ) 16 and cry out:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, ( AK )
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! ( AL )
17 In one hour ( AM ) such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’ ( AN )
“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, ( AO ) will stand far off. ( AP ) 18 When they see the smoke of her burning, ( AQ ) they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city ( AR ) ?’ ( AS ) 19 They will throw dust on their heads, ( AT ) and with weeping and mourning ( AU ) cry out:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, ( AV )
where all who had ships on the sea
became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’ ( AW )
20 “Rejoice over her, you heavens! ( AX )
Rejoice, you people of God!
Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her
with the judgment she imposed on you.” ( AY )
21 Then a mighty angel ( AZ ) picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, ( BA ) and said:
“With such violence
the great city ( BB ) of Babylon will be thrown down,
never to be found again.
22 The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters,
will never be heard in you again. ( BC )
No worker of any trade
will ever be found in you again.
The sound of a millstone
will never be heard in you again. ( BD )
23 The light of a lamp
will never shine in you again.
The voice of bridegroom and bride
will never be heard in you again. ( BE )
Your merchants were the world’s important people. ( BF )
By your magic spell ( BG ) all the nations were led astray.
24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, ( BH )
of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.” ( BI )
