The Fall of Babylon the Great
1 After this I saw another angel with great authority coming down from heaven, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.
2 He cried in a mighty voice:
3
3
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven:
5 6 7
5 6 7
As 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.”(I)
8 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.”(I)
For this reason her plagues will come in one day(f)—
death and grief and famine.
She will be burned up with fire,
because the Lord God who judges her is mighty.
death and grief and famine.
She will be burned up with fire,
because the Lord God who judges her is mighty.
The World Mourns Babylon’s Fall
9 The 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.
10 They will stand far off in fear of her torment, saying:
11 The merchants of the earth will also weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their merchandise any longer—
12 merchandise 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,(h) iron, and marble;
13 cinnamon, spice,(i)(j) incense, myrrh,(k) and frankincense; wine, olive oil, fine wheat flour, and grain; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and slaves(l) and human lives.(m)(J)
14
The fruit you craved has left you.
All your splendid and glamorous things are gone;
they will never find them again.
All your splendid and glamorous things are gone;
they will never find them again.
15 The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning,
16 saying:
And every shipmaster, seafarer, the sailors, and all who do business by sea, stood far off 18 as they watched the smoke from her burning and kept crying out: “Who is like the great city?”(K) 19 They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning:(L)
20
Woe, woe, the great city,
dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet,
adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls,
17 dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet,
adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls,
And every shipmaster, seafarer, the sailors, and all who do business by sea, stood far off 18 as they watched the smoke from her burning and kept crying out: “Who is like the great city?”(K) 19 They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning:(L)
20
The Finality of Babylon’s Fall
21 Then a mighty angel(O) picked up a stone like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying:
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22
The sound of harpists, musicians,
flutists, and trumpeters
will never be heard in you again;(R)
no craftsman of any trade
will ever be found in you again;
the sound of a mill
will never be heard in you again;
23
24
flutists, and trumpeters
will never be heard in you again;(R)
no craftsman of any trade
will ever be found in you again;
the sound of a mill
will never be heard in you again;
Footnotes:
a.
Revelation 18:2: Other mss omit It has fallen
b.
Revelation 18:2: Or prison
c.
Revelation 18:2: 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.
d.
Revelation 18:3: Some mss read have collapsed; other mss read have fallen
e.
Revelation 18:5: Or sins have reached up
f.
Revelation 18:8: Suddenly
g.
Revelation 18:10: Suddenly
h.
Revelation 18:12: Or bronze, or copper
i.
Revelation 18:13: Other mss omit spice
j.
Revelation 18:13: Or amomum, an aromatic plant
k.
Revelation 18:13: Or perfume
l.
Revelation 18:13: Or bodies
m.
Revelation 18:13: Slaves; “bodies” was the Gk way of referring to slaves; “souls of men” was the Hb way.
n.
Revelation 18:17: Suddenly
o.
Revelation 18:19: Suddenly
p.
Revelation 18:20: Or God pronounced on her the judgment she passed on you; see Rv 18:6
q.
Revelation 18:23: 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.
r.
Revelation 18:24: Lit in her