18:1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated from his glory.
18:2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “ ①Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a ②prison of every unclean spirit, and a ③prison of every unclean and hateful bird.
▷ ①Lit Babylon...fell, fell ②Or haunt ③Or haunt
18:3 For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich from the ①excessive wealth of her ②luxury.”
▷ ①Lit power ②Or sensuality
18:4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive any of her plagues;
18:5 for her sins have ①piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her offenses.
▷ ①Lit joined together
18:6 Pay her back even as she has paid, and ①give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her.
▷ ①Lit double to her
18:7 To the extent that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, to the same extent give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.’
18:8 For this reason in one day her plagues will come, ①plague and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.
▷ ①Lit death; i.e., a particular kind of death
18:9 “And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of sexual immorality and lived luxuriously with her, will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke of her burning,
18:10 standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’
18:11 “And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any more—
18:12 cargo of gold, silver, precious ①stones, 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, ②bronze, iron, and marble;
▷ ①Lit stone ②Or brass
18:13 cinnamon, ①spice, incense, perfume, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, and cargo of horses, carriages, ②slaves, and human lives.
▷ ①Gr amomon, an Indian spice plant ②Lit bodies
18:14 The fruit ①you 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.
▷ ①Lit of your soul’s desire
18:15 The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning,
18:16 saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and ①adorned with gold, precious ②stones, and pearls;
▷ ①Lit gilded ②Lit stone and pearl
18:17 for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!’ And every shipmaster and every ①passenger and sailor, and all who ②make their living by the sea, stood at a distance,
▷ ①Lit one who sails to a place ②Lit work the sea
18:18 and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What city is like the great city?’
18:19 And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich from her prosperity, for in one hour she has been laid waste!’
18:20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you ①saints and apostles and prophets, because God has ②pronounced judgment for you against her.”
▷ ①Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people ②Lit judged your judgment of her
18:21 Then ①a strong angel picked up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will never be found again.
▷ ①Lit one
18:22 And 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 sound of a mill will never be heard in you again;
18:23 and the light of a lamp will never shine in you again; and the voice of the groom and bride will never be heard in you again; for your merchants were the powerful people of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your witchcraft.
18:24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of ①saints, and of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
▷ ①Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people