Revelation 18:1-24
18 After this I saw coming down out of the sky another angel, one that had great dominion, and the earth was lighted up with his glory.
2 And he cried with a strong voice “She has fallen, she has fallen, great Babylon has fallen and become a home of demons and a haunt of every unclean spirit and a haunt of every unclean and odious bird,
3 because all the nations have drunk the wine of her rage of unchastity and the kings of the earth have debauched themselves with her and the merchants of the earth have grown rich out of the rush of her luxurious life.”
4 And I heard another voice out of the sky say “Come out of her, my people, that you may not be a party to her sins and may not share in her scourges,
5 because her sins have been crowded up to the sky and God has remembered her iniquities.
6 Pay her in the same coin that she paid in, and redouble to her the double of her own deeds; in the cup that she mixed in mix a double draft for her;
7 for every bit of her self-glorification and luxury give her as much of torment and mourning. Because she says in her heart ‘I am enthroned queen, I am not a widow, I shall not see mourning,’
8 * for this reason her scourges shall come in one day, pestilence and mourning and starvation, and she shall be burned in a fire, because strong is the Lord God who has judged her.
9 And the kings of the earth, who have debauched themselves with her and lived luxuriously in her company, shall weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of the burning of her,
10 standing far away for the fear of her torture, saying ‘Alas, alas, great city, Babylon, powerful city! because in one moment your judgment has come.’
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her because nobody buys their cargoes any longer,
12 cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and lawn and purple and silk and crimson, and every variety of sandarac-wood and every article of ivory and every article made of costliest wood and of bronze and iron and marble,
13 and cinnamon and amomum and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and oil and farina and wheat and cattle and sheep, and horses and carriages and slaves, and human lives.
14 And your summer dainties of heart’s desire are gone from you, and everything sumptuous and splendid of yours has perished, and nevermore shall anyone find them.
15 The merchants of these things, those who had grown rich from her, shall stand far away for the fear of her torture weeping and mourning,
16 saying ‘Alas, alas, great city clad in lawn and purple and crimson and jeweled with gold and precious stones and pearls!
17 * because in one moment such wealth has been desolated.’ And every ship-captain and every voyager, and sailors and as many as get their living from the sea, stood far away
18 and cried, as they saw the smoke of the burning of her, ‘Who is like the great city?’
19 and threw earth on their heads and cried, weeping and mourning, ‘Alas, alas, great city where all who had shipping at sea grew rich out of her costly fashions! because in one moment she has been desolated.’
20 Jubilate over her, heaven! and God’s people and the apostles and the prophets! because God has passed judgment on her in your cause.”
21 And one strong angel took up a stone that seemed like a great millstone and hurled it into the sea, saying “Thus shall the great city Babylon be hurled down with a plunge and never be found again.
22 And there shall never be heard in you again the sound of harpers and minstrels and flute-players and trumpeters; and there shall never be found in you again any master of any art; and there shall never be heard in you again the sound of a mill;
23 and there shall never shine in you again the light of a lamp; and there shall never be heard in you again the voices of bridegroom and bride; because it was the magnates of the earth who were your merchants, because by your witchcraft all the nations were misguided.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and holy men and of all who have been slaughtered on earth.”
Footnotes
^ 18:8 Or death and mourning and starvation
^ 18:17 (every voyager) Lit. everyone who sails to a place
