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The Fall of Babylon

18 I saw another angel come from heaven. This one had great power, and the earth was bright because of his glory. (A) The angel shouted,

“Fallen! Powerful Babylon
    has fallen
and is now the home
    of demons.
It is the den
    of every filthy spirit
and of all unclean birds,
and every dirty
    and hated animal.
(B) Babylon's evil and immoral wine
    has made all nations drunk.
Every king on earth
    has slept with her,
and every merchant on earth
is rich because of
    her evil desires.”

(C) Then I heard another voice
    from heaven shout,
“My people, you must escape
    from Babylon.
Don't take part in her sins
    and share her punishment.
(D) Her sins are piled
    as high as heaven.
God has remembered the evil
    she has done.
(E) Treat her as she
    has treated others.
Make her pay double
    for what she has done.
Make her drink twice as much
of what she mixed
    for others.
(F) That woman honored herself
    with a life of luxury.
Reward her now
    with suffering and pain.

“Deep in her heart
Babylon said,
    ‘I am the queen!
Never will I be a widow
or know what it means
    to be sad.’
And so, in a single day
she will suffer the pain
    of sorrow, hunger, and death.
Fire will destroy
    her dead body,
because her judge
    is the powerful Lord God.”

(G) Every king on earth who slept with her and shared in her luxury will mourn. They will weep, when they see the smoke from that fire. 10 Her sufferings will frighten them, and they will stand at a distance and say,

“Pity that great
    and powerful city!
Pity Babylon!
In a single hour
    her judgment has come.”

11 (H) Every merchant on earth will mourn, because there is no one to buy their goods. 12 (I) There won't be anyone to buy their gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, sweet-smelling wood, fancy carvings of ivory and wood, as well as things made of bronze, iron, or marble. 13 No one will buy their cinnamon, spices, incense, myrrh, frankincense,[a] wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, slaves, and other humans.

14 Babylon, the things
    your heart desired
have all escaped
    from you.
Every luxury
and all your glory
    will be lost forever.
You will never
    get them back.

15 (J) The merchants had become rich because of her. But when they saw her sufferings, they were terrified. They stood at a distance, crying and mourning. 16 Then they shouted,

“Pity the great city
    of Babylon!
She dressed in fine linen
and wore purple
    and scarlet cloth.
She had jewelry
    made of gold
and precious stones
    and pearls.
17 (K) Yet in a single hour
    her riches disappeared.”

Every ship captain and passenger and sailor stood at a distance, together with everyone who does business by traveling on the sea. 18 (L) When they saw the smoke from her fire, they shouted, “This was the greatest city ever!”

19 (M) They cried loudly, and in their sorrow they threw dust on their heads, as they said,

“Pity the great city
    of Babylon!
Everyone who sailed the seas
became rich
    from her treasures.
But in a single hour
    the city was destroyed.
20 (N) The heavens should be happy
with God's people
    and apostles and prophets.
God has punished her
    for them.”

21 (O) A powerful angel then picked up a huge stone and threw it into the sea. The angel said,

“This is how the great city
    of Babylon
will be thrown down,
    never to rise again.
22 (P)(Q) The music of harps and singers
and of flutes and trumpets
    will no longer be heard.
No workers will ever
    set up shop in that city,
and the sound
of grinding grain
    will be silenced forever.
23 Lamps will no longer shine
    anywhere in Babylon,
and couples will never again
    say wedding vows there.
Her merchants ruled
    the earth,
and by her witchcraft
    she fooled all nations.
24 (R) On the streets of Babylon
is found the blood
    of God's people
    and of his prophets,
    and everyone else.”

Footnotes

  1. 18.13 myrrh, frankincense: Myrrh was a valuable sweet-smelling powder often used in perfume. Frankincense was a valuable powder that was burned to make a sweet smell.

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