Revelation 18

The Fall of Babylon

1After all this I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splendor. 2He gave a mighty shout:

“Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen!

She has become a home for demons.

She is a hideout for every foul#18:2a Greek unclean; also in each of the two following phrases. spirit,

a hideout for every foul vulture

and every foul and dreadful animal.#18:2b Some manuscripts condense the last two lines to read a hideout for every foul [unclean] and dreadful vulture.

3For all the nations have fallen#18:3 Some manuscripts read have drunk.

because of the wine of her passionate immorality.

The kings of the world

have committed adultery with her.

Because of her desires for extravagant luxury,

the merchants of the world have grown rich.”

4Then I heard another voice calling from heaven,

“Come away from her, my people.

Do not take part in her sins,

or you will be punished with her.

5For her sins are piled as high as heaven,

and God remembers her evil deeds.

6Do to her as she has done to others.

Double her penalty#18:6a Or Give her an equal penalty. for all her evil deeds.

She brewed a cup of terror for others,

so brew twice as much#18:6b Or brew just as much. for her.

7She glorified herself and lived in luxury,

so match it now with torment and sorrow.

She boasted in her heart,

‘I am queen on my throne.

I am no helpless widow,

and I have no reason to mourn.’

8Therefore, these plagues will overtake her in a single day—

death and mourning and famine.

She will be completely consumed by fire,

for the Lord God who judges her is mighty.”

9And the kings of the world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains. 10They will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will cry out,

“How terrible, how terrible for you,

O Babylon, you great city!

In a single moment

God’s judgment came on you.”

11The merchants of the world will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods. 12She bought great quantities of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; things made of fragrant thyine wood, ivory goods, and objects made of expensive wood; and bronze, iron, and marble. 13She also bought cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, wagons, and bodies—that is, human slaves.

14“The fancy things you loved so much

are gone,” they cry.

“All your luxuries and splendor

are gone forever,

never to be yours again.”

15The merchants who became wealthy by selling her these things will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will weep and cry out,

16“How terrible, how terrible for that great city!

She was clothed in finest purple and scarlet linens,

decked out with gold and precious stones and pearls!

17In a single moment

all the wealth of the city is gone!”

And all the captains of the merchant ships and their passengers and sailors and crews will stand at a distance. 18They will cry out as they watch the smoke ascend, and they will say, “Where is there another city as great as this?” 19And they will weep and throw dust on their heads to show their grief. And they will cry out,

“How terrible, how terrible for that great city!

The shipowners became wealthy

by transporting her great wealth on the seas.

In a single moment it is all gone.”

20Rejoice over her fate, O heaven

and people of God and apostles and prophets!

For at last God has judged her

for your sakes.

21Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a huge millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted,

“Just like this, the great city Babylon

will be thrown down with violence

and will never be found again.

22The sound of harps, singers, flutes, and trumpets

will never be heard in you again.

No craftsmen and no trades

will ever be found in you again.

The sound of the mill

will never be heard in you again.

23The light of a lamp

will never shine in you again.

The happy voices of brides and grooms

will never be heard in you again.

For your merchants were the greatest in the world,

and you deceived the nations with your sorceries.

24In your#18:24 Greek her. streets flowed the blood of the prophets and of God’s holy people

and the blood of people slaughtered all over the world.”

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Revelation 18

The Fall of Babylon

1After this I saw #ch. 17:1, 7another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and #Ezek. 43:2the earth was made bright with his glory. 2And he called out with a mighty voice,

# See ch. 14:8 “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!

She has become #Isa. 13:21; 34:14; Jer. 50:39; 51:37; [Zeph. 2:14, 15] a dwelling place for demons,

a haunt #ch. 16:13for every unclean spirit,

a haunt #Isa. 14:23; 34:11for every unclean bird,

a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.

3For all nations have drunk#18:3 Some manuscripts fallen by

# ch. 14:8 the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,

and #ver. 9; ch. 17:2the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,

and #ver. 11, 15; Ezek. 27:33the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”

4Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,

# [ 2 Cor. 6:17 ]; See Isa. 48:20 “Come out of her, my people,

lest you take part in her sins,

lest you share in her plagues;

5for #Jer. 51:9; [Gen. 18:20, 21; Ezra 9:6; Jonah 1:2] her sins are heaped high as heaven,

and #ch. 16:19God has remembered her iniquities.

6 # Ps. 137:8; Jer. 50:15, 29; 51:24, 49 Pay her back as she herself has paid back others,

and repay her #Jer. 16:18double for her deeds;

mix a double portion for her #[ch. 14:10; 16:19; 17:4]in the cup she mixed.

7 # [ Ezek. 28:2-8 ] As she glorified herself and lived in luxury,

so give her a like measure of torment and mourning,

since in her heart she says,

# Isa. 47:7, 8; Zeph. 2:15; [ch. 3:17 ] ‘I sit as a queen,

I am no widow,

and mourning I shall never see.’

8For this reason her plagues will come #Isa. 47:9; [ver. 10] in a single day,

death and mourning and famine,

and #ch. 17:16she will be burned up with fire;

for #Jer. 50:34mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”

9And #ver. 3; ch. 17:2; [Ezek. 26:16, 17] the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, #[Jer. 50:46] will weep and wail over her #ver. 18; ch. 19:3when they see the smoke of her burning. 10#ver. 15, 17They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,

“Alas! Alas! #See ch. 14:8You great city,

you mighty city, Babylon!

For #ver. 17, 19; [ver. 8]in a single hour your judgment has come.”

11And #ver. 3, 15; [Ezek. 27:36]the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, 12cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, 13cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.#18:13 Or and slaves, and human lives

14“The fruit for which your soul longed

has gone from you,

and all your delicacies and your splendors

are lost to you,

never to be found again!”

15 # ver. 3, 11 The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, #ver. 10will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,

16“Alas, alas, for the great city

# ch. 17:4 that was clothed in fine linen,

in purple and scarlet,

adorned with gold,

with jewels, and with pearls!

17For #ver. 10, 19in a single hour all this wealth #ch. 17:16has been laid waste.”

And #Ezek. 27:28, 29all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off 18and #Ezek. 27:30cried out #ver. 9as they saw the smoke of her burning,

# Ezek. 27:32; [ch. 13:4 ] “What city was like the great city?”

19And they threw #See Josh. 7:6; Job 2:12dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out,

“Alas, alas, for the great city

# ver. 3, 15 where all who had ships at sea

grew rich by her wealth!

For #ver. 10, 17in a single hour she has been laid waste.

20 # Deut. 32:43; Jer. 51:48; See ch. 12:12 Rejoice over her, O heaven,

and you saints and #Luke 11:49, 50apostles and prophets,

for #ch. 19:2God has given judgment for you against her!”

21Then #ch. 5:2; 10:1a mighty angel #[Jer. 51:63, 64] took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,

“So will Babylon #ver. 10the great city be thrown down with violence,

and will be found no more;

22and #Isa. 14:11; 24:8; Ezek. 26:13the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters,

will be heard in you no more,

and a craftsman of any craft

will be found in you no more,

and #Eccles. 12:4; Jer. 25:10the sound of the mill

will be heard in you no more,

23and the light of a lamp

will shine in you no more,

and #Jer. 7:34; 16:9; 33:11the voice of bridegroom and bride

will be heard in you no more,

for #Isa. 23:8your merchants were the great ones of the earth,

and all nations were deceived #Nah. 3:4by your sorcery.

24And #ch. 17:6; [Matt. 23:35, 36] in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,

and of #[Jer. 51:49]all who have been slain on earth.”

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