The Fall of Babylon
After this I saw aanother angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and bthe earth was made bright with his glory. 2 And he called out with a mighty voice,
a“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become ba dwelling place for demons,
a haunt cfor every unclean spirit,
a haunt dfor every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
3 For all nations have drunk
athe wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,
and bthe kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,
and cthe merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,
a“Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;
5 for aher sins are heaped high as heaven,
and bGod has remembered her iniquities.
6 aPay her back as she herself has paid back others,
and repay her bdouble for her deeds;
mix a double portion for her cin the cup she mixed.
7 aAs she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
so give her a like measure of torment and mourning,
since in her heart she says,
b‘I sit as a queen,
I am no widow,
and mourning I shall never see.’
8 For this reason her plagues will come ain a single day,
death and mourning and famine,
and bshe will be burned up with fire;
for cmighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”
9 And athe kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, bwill weep and wail over her cwhen they see the smoke of her burning. 10 aThey will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,
“Alas! Alas! bYou great city,
you mighty city, Babylon!
For cin a single hour your judgment has come.”
11 And athe merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, 12 cargo 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, 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.
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 aThe merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, bwill stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,
16 “Alas, alas, for the great city
athat was clothed in fine linen,
in purple and scarlet,
adorned with gold,
with jewels, and with pearls!
17 For ain a single hour all this wealth bhas been laid waste.”
And call shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off 18 and acried out bas they saw the smoke of her burning,
c“What city was like the great city?”
19 And they threw adust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out,
“Alas, alas, for the great city
bwhere all who had ships at sea
grew rich by her wealth!
For cin a single hour she has been laid waste.
20 aRejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and bapostles and prophets,
for cGod has given judgment for you against her!”
21 Then aa mighty angel btook up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,
“So will Babylon cthe great city be thrown down with violence,
and will be found no more;
22 and athe 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 bthe sound of the mill
will be heard in you no more,
23 and the light of a lamp
will shine in you no more,
and athe voice of bridegroom and bride
will be heard in you no more,
for byour merchants were the great ones of the earth,
and all nations were deceived cby your sorcery.
24 And ain her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
and of ball who have been slain on earth.”