Revelation 18
18
The Fall of Babylon the Great
1After this I saw another angel with great authority coming down from heaven, # Dn 4:13,23; Rv 10:1; 20:1 and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2He cried in a mighty voice:
It has fallen, # Other mss omit It has fallen
Babylon the Great has fallen! # Is 21:9; Dn 4:30; Rv 14:8; 16:19; 17:5
She has become a dwelling for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
and a haunt # Or prison for every unclean and despicable beast. # Other mss omit the words and a haunt for every unclean beast. The words and despicable then refer to the bird of the previous line. # Is 13:20-22; Mal 1:3
3For all the nations have drunk # Some mss read have collapsed ; other mss read have fallen
the wine of her sexual immorality,
which brings wrath. # Rv 14:8; 17:2
The kings of the earth
have committed sexual immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth
have grown wealthy from her excessive luxury. # Ezk 16:29
4Then I heard another voice from heaven:
Come out of her, My people,
so that you will not share in her sins # Is 52:11; Jr 50:8; 51:6,9,45; 2Co 6:17
or receive any of her plagues.
5For her sins are piled up # Or sins have reached up to heaven, # Jr 51:9
and God has remembered her crimes. # 2Sm 19:19; Neh 6:14; Ps 74:22; Is 64:9; Jr 14:10; 31:34; Hs 8:13
6Pay her back the way she also paid, # Jr 50:29
and double it according to her works. # Ex 22:4,7,9; Is 40:2; Jr 16:18; 17:18
In the cup in which she mixed, # Rv 14:8
mix a double portion for her.
7As much as she glorified herself and lived luxuriously,
give her that much torment and grief,
for she says in her heart,
“I sit as a queen;
I am not a widow,
and I will never see grief.” # Is 47:7-8; Ezk 28:2-8; Zph 2:15
8For this reason her plagues will come in one day # Suddenly —
death and grief and famine. # Is 47:9
She will be burned up with fire, # Ps 21:9; 97:3; Is 33:12; 47:14; Rv 16:8; 17:16
because the Lord God who judges # Ps 7:8; 58:11; 96:10 her is mighty. # Dt 10:17; Jos 4:24; Ps 24:8; Is 1:24
The World Mourns Babylon’s Fall
9The kings of the earth who have committed sexual immorality and lived luxuriously with her will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke of her burning. 10They will stand far off in fear of her torment, # Ezk 26:16-18 saying:
Woe, woe, the great city, # Rv 11:8; 16:19; 17:18
Babylon, the mighty city!
For in a single hour # Suddenly
your judgment has come.
11The merchants of the earth will also weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their merchandise any longer — 12merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; fine fabrics of linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; all kinds of fragrant wood products; objects of ivory; objects of expensive wood, brass, # Or bronze, or copper iron, and marble; 13cinnamon, spice, # Other mss omit spice # Or amomum, an aromatic plant incense, myrrh, # Or perfume and frankincense; wine, olive oil, fine wheat flour, and grain; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and slaves # Or bodies and human lives. # Slaves; “bodies” was the Gk way of referring to slaves; “souls of men” was the Hb way. # Gn 36:6; Nm 31:32-35; 1Ch 5:21; Ezk 27:12-22
14The fruit you craved has left you.
All your splendid and glamorous things are gone;
they will never find them again.
15The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, 16saying:
Woe, woe, the great city,
dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet,
adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls, # Rv 17:4
17for in a single hour # Suddenly
such fabulous wealth was destroyed!
And every shipmaster, seafarer, the sailors, and all who do business by sea, stood far off 18as they watched the smoke from her burning and kept crying out: “Who is like the great city? ” # Ex 15:11; Dt 33:29; 2Sm 7:23; Ezk 27:32; Rv 13:4 19They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning: # Ezk 27:30
Woe, woe, the great city, # Rv 18:10,16
where all those who have ships on the sea
became rich from her wealth,
for in a single hour # Suddenly she was destroyed.
20Rejoice over her, heaven,
and you saints, apostles, and prophets, # Rv 12:12
because God has executed your judgment # Ps 48:11; 97:8 on her! # Or God pronounced on her the judgment she passed on you ; see Rv 18:6
The Finality of Babylon’s Fall
21Then a mighty angel # Rv 5:2; 10:1 picked up a stone like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying:
In this way, Babylon the great city
will be thrown down violently # Jr 51:59-64
and never be found again. # Rv 16:20; 18:11,14,22-23
22The sound of harpists, musicians,
flutists, and trumpeters
will never be heard in you again; # Is 24:8
no craftsman of any trade
will ever be found in you again;
the sound of a mill
will never be heard in you again;
23the light of a lamp
will never shine in you again;
and the voice of a groom and bride
will never be heard in you again. # Jr 25:10
All this will happen
because your merchants
were the nobility of the earth,
because all the nations were deceived
by your sorcery, # Ancient sorcery or witchcraft often used spells and drugs. Here the term may be non-literal, that is, Babylon drugged the nations with her beauty and power.
24and the blood of prophets and saints, # Rv 16:6
and of all those slaughtered on earth,
was found in you. # Lit in her # Rv 6:10; 16:6
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Revelation 18: HCSB
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Ḥazon (Revelation) 18
18
1And after this I saw another messenger coming down from the heaven, having great authority, and the earth was lightened from his esteem.
2And he cried with a mighty voice, saying, “Baḇel the great is fallen, is fallen,#Isa. 21:9 and has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, and a haunt for every unclean and hated bird,
3because all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her whoring, and the sovereigns of the earth have committed whoring with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the power of her riotous living.”
4And I heard another voice from the heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.#See Jer. 51:6; Jer. 51:9; Jer. 51:45. See also Jer. 50:8; Jer. 50:13; Jer. 50:28
5“Because her sins have piled up to reach the heaven, and Elohim has remembered her unrighteousnesses.
6“Render to her as she indeed did render, and repay her double according to her works. In the cup which she has mixed, mix for her double.
7“As much as she esteemed herself and lived riotously, so much torture and grief give to her, because in her heart she says, ‘I sit as sovereigness, and I am not a widow, and I do not see mourning at all.’
8“Because of this her plagues shall come in one day: death and mourning and scarcity of food. And she shall be burned up with fire, because יהוה Elohim who judges her is mighty.
9“And the sovereigns of the earth who committed whoring and lived riotously with her shall weep and mourn over her, when they see the smoke of her burning,
10standing at a distance for fear of her torture, saying, ‘Woe! Woe, the great city Baḇel, the mighty city, because your judgment has come in one hour!’
11“And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their merchandise any more –
12merchandise of gold and silver, and precious stone and pearls, and fine linen and purple, and silk and scarlet, and all citron wood, and every object of ivory, and every object of most precious wood and bronze and iron and marble,
13and cinnamon and incense, and fragrant oil and frankincense, and wine and oil, and fine flour and wheat, and cattle and sheep, and horses and carriages, and bodies and lives of men.
14“And the fruit that your being longed for has gone from you. And all your riches and splendour are lost to you, and you shall find them no more, not at all.
15“The merchants of these, those who became rich by her, shall stand at a distance for fear of her torture, weeping and mourning,
16and saying, ‘Woe! Woe, the great city that was dressed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!
17For in one hour such great riches was laid waste.’ And every shipmaster, and every passenger, and sailors, and as many as work the sea for their living, stood at a distance,
18and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’
19“And they threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning, and saying, ‘Woe! Woe, the great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she was laid waste.’
20“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you set-apart emissaries and prophets, for Elohim has completely avenged you on her!”
21And one mighty messenger picked up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “With such a rush the great city Baḇel shall be thrown down, and shall not be found any more at all.
22“And the sound of harpists, and musicians, and flautists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you any more at all. And no craftsman of any trade shall be found in you any more at all. And the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you any more at all.
23“And the light of a lamp shall not shine in you any more at all. And the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you any more at all. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, for by your drug sorcery all the nations were led astray.
24“And in her was found the blood of prophets and set-apart ones, and of all who were slain on the earth.”
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