RevelationChapter 18

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¹After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority. His glory lit up the earth. ²He shouted with a mighty voice: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a home for demons. She is a hiding place for every unclean spirit. She is a nest for every unclean bird and a den for every hated beast. ³All the nations have drunk the wine of her passion for sexual sin. The kings of the earth committed sexual sin with her. And the merchants of the earth grew rich from her wild luxury." ⁴Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people! Come out so that you will not share in her sins. Come out so that you will not catch any of her plagues. ⁵For her sins are piled up as high as heaven. And God has remembered her wrongs. ⁶Pay her back as she has done to others. Pay her back double for what she has done. In her own cup, mix her a double portion. ⁷She gave herself glory and lived in luxury. Give her that much pain and sorrow in return. In her heart she says, 'I sit as a queen. I am not a widow. I will never see sorrow.' ⁸So her plagues will come in one day. Death and sorrow and hunger will come. She will be burned up with fire. For the Lord God who judges her is mighty." ⁹The kings of the earth committed sexual sin with her and shared her luxury. They will see the smoke rising from the fire that burns her up. Then they will weep and wail over her. ¹⁰They will stand far away, afraid of her pain. They will cry out: "How terrible, how terrible for the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in just one hour your judgment has come." ¹¹The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her. That is because no one is left to buy their cargo, ¹²cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple cloth, silk, and scarlet cloth; of all kinds of citron wood; and of every kind of thing made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron, and marble; ¹³of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages; and of the bodies and souls of slaves. ¹⁴They will say, "The fruit your soul longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and beauty have disappeared. They will never be seen again." ¹⁵The merchants who sold these things got rich from her. They will stand far away, afraid of her pain. They will weep and mourn, ¹⁶saying: "How terrible, how terrible for the great city! She was dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet. She was decorated with gold, precious stones, and pearls! ¹⁷For in just one hour all this great wealth has been destroyed!" Every ship captain, passenger, and sailor will stand far away. So will everyone who earns a living from the sea. ¹⁸They will cry out when they see the smoke rising from the fire that burns her up. "Was there ever a city like this great city?" they will shout. ¹⁹Then they will throw dust on their heads. They will weep and mourn and cry out: "How terrible, how terrible for the great city! All who had ships on the sea got rich from her wealth. For in just one hour she has been destroyed!" ²⁰Rejoice over her, heaven! Rejoice, you people of God, you apostles and prophets! For God has judged her for your sake. ²¹Then a mighty angel picked up a stone as big as a large millstone. He threw it into the sea and said: "This is how violently the great city of Babylon will be thrown down. It will never be seen again. ²²The sound of harp players and musicians will never be heard in you again. Neither will the sound of flute players and trumpet players. No worker of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. ²³The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voices of a bride and groom will never be heard in you again. For your merchants were the great men of the earth. That was because all the nations were fooled by your magic spells." ²⁴The blood of prophets and of God's people was found in her. The blood of all who had been killed on the earth was found there too.