Babylon Has Fallen
1After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, with great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2He called out with a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, and a haunt for every unclean and hateful bird, 3for all the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from the extravagance of her luxury.” 4Then I heard another voice from heaven, saying: “Come out of her, my people, so that you do not share in her sins and do not receive her plagues, 5for her sins are piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. 6Pay her back as she herself has paid others; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion in the cup she mixed for others. 7Give her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. For in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen; I am no widow, and I will never see grief.’ 8Therefore, in a single day her plagues will come — death, grief, and famine — and she will be burned up with fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”
The Merchants of the Earth Mourn
9The kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality with her and shared her luxury will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. 10Standing far off, in fear of her torment, they will say, “Woe! Woe to the great city, Babylon, the mighty city! In a single hour your judgment has come!” 11The merchants of the earth also weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo anymore — 12cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; all kinds of citron wood, every article of ivory, and every article of costly wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13cinnamon and spice, incense, myrrh and frankincense, wine and olive oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and carriages, and the bodies and souls of human beings. 14“The fruit your soul longed for has departed from you. All your rich and glittering things have vanished, never to be found again.” 15The merchants of these goods, who grew rich from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, 16saying, “Woe! Woe to the great city, dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls! 17In a single hour such great wealth has been laid waste!” Every ship’s captain, and everyone who travels by sea, the sailors, and all who make their living from the sea, stood far off 18and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning: “What city was ever like the great city?” 19They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning: “Woe! Woe to the great city, where all who had ships on the sea grew rich from her wealth! In a single hour she has been laid waste!” 20“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets! For God has pronounced judgment on her for what she did to you.” 21Then a mighty angel picked up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “With this violence Babylon, the great city, will be thrown down, and will never be found again. 22The sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No craftsman 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 voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, for all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. 24And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
