Revelation 16:19-19:2

Worldwide English (New Testament)

¹⁹ The big city was broken into three parts. And the cities of the nations fell down. God remembered Babylon, the big city. He made it feel all of his great anger.

²⁰ The islands all went away, and the mountains could not be seen.

²¹ Rain like big stones fell from the sky on men. Each stone weighed about a hundred pounds. Men cursed God because the big rain of stones fell on them. The trouble was very bad.

17 One of the seven angels who had carried the seven bowls came and talked to me. He said, `Come, and I will show you the woman who has given herself over to wrong ways of using sex. She is sitting over many waters. I will show you how she will be punished.

² The kings on earth have been with her and copied her. And the people on earth gladly copy her wrong ways.'

³ Then the angel took me away in the Spirit to a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a red beast that had names against God written all over it. It had seven heads and ten horns.

⁴ The woman was wearing blue and red clothes. She was shining with gold, fine stones, and pearls. In her hand she held a gold cup. It was full of the wrong things she did and of her dirty ways of using sex.

⁵ A name was written on her forehead. It has a secret meaning. The name is Great Babylon, the mother of all people who give their bodies for wrong ways of using sex. The mother of all things done on earth too bad to talk about.

⁶ And I saw the woman was drunk because of the blood she drank. It was the blood of God's people, and the blood of people who had been killed because they belonged to Jesus. When I saw her, I was very much surprised.

⁷ The angel asked me, `Why are you surprised? I will tell you the secret meaning of the woman and the beast with seven heads and horns that carries her.

⁸ `The beast that you saw was alive at one time, then it was dead. It will come up from the big hole that has no bottom and it will be killed. The people on earth will be surprised when they see the beast, because it was alive and then it was dead, and it comes alive again. These are the people who do not have their names written in the book of life from the time the world was made.

⁹ `To understand this, one must be wise. The seven heads are the seven hills on which the woman is sitting.

¹⁰ They are also seven kings. Five have already lost their power. One is ruling now, and the other one has not yet come. When he comes he will rule for a short time.

¹¹ The beast that was alive at the one time, and then was dead, is the eighth king. He is really one of the seven. He will be killed.

¹² The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet ruled. They will have power for one hour to rule with the animal.

¹³ These ten all think the same way, and they give to the beast their power and right to rule.

¹⁴ They will fight against the Lamb, but the Lamb will win the fight against them. He will win because he is Lord of lords and King of kings. `Those who are with the Lamb will also win. God has called them and chosen them, and they believe in him.'

¹⁵ And the angel said to me, `You saw the water on which the bad woman is sitting. The water is the many nations, many people, many countries, and many languages.

¹⁶ You saw the ten horns and the animal. They will hate the bad woman. They will take away everything she has and her fine clothes. They will eat her body and burn her up in a fire.

¹⁷ God has put it into their hearts to do what he wants done to her. They will all agree. They will give to the beast their power to rule until what God has said comes true.

¹⁸ `The woman whom you saw is the big city that rules over the kings on earth.'

18 After that I saw another angel coming down from the sky. He had much power. The bright light that shone from him lit up the earth.

² He called in a loud voice and said, `The big city of Babylon has fallen down! It has fallen down! Bad spirits live in it. All bad spirits hide there. And all kinds of dirty birds that people hate hide there.

³ All the nations are broken down because they are full of its wrong ways. The kings of the earth have joined with it. The traders of the earth have become rich because of its wrong ways.'

⁴ Then I heard another voice from the sky that said, `Come out of it, my people, so that you will have no part in the wrong things it does. Come out of it so that you will not have the big troubles it will have.

⁵ Its wrong ways are piled as high as the sky and God has remembered the wrong things it has done.

⁶ Do to it what it did to you. Yes, do two times as much to it as it did to you! From the cup it gave you to drink, give it two times as much to drink as it gave to you.

⁷ It is proud of itself and has done wrong things. Give it that much trouble and crying. It says in its heart, "I am like a queen. I am not like a woman who has lost her husband. I will never know sorrow."

⁸ So then, its big troubles will come in one day. Those troubles are death, crying, hunger, and being burned in a fire. The Lord who has punished it is strong.'

⁹ `And the kings of the earth were joined with it in its wrong ways. They will cry and be sad about it when they see the smoke while it burns.

¹⁰ They will stand far away from it because they are afraid of the trouble it is having. They will say, "Trouble! Trouble! You big, strong city Babylon! In one hour your punishment has come!"

¹¹ `And the traders of the earth will cry and be sad about it, because no one buys the things they bring to sell.

¹² They have many things to sell: gold, silver, fine stones, and pearls. They have linen clothes and blue cloth, silk cloth and red cloth. They have all kinds of sweet smelling wood. They have all kinds of things made of ivory. They have all kinds of things made of wood that costs much money, of brass, of iron, and of a stone called marble.

¹³ They have spices and perfume. They have incense and a sweet-smelling oil. They have frankincense and wine and oil. They have fine flour and wheat. They have cows, sheep, horses, and wagons. They have slaves and people to sell.

¹⁴ The things that your heart wanted are gone from you. All your fine food and clothes are gone from you. You will never find them again.

¹⁵ The traders will sell these things and got much money from the city. They will stand far away from it because they are afraid of the trouble it is having. They will cry and be sad about it.

¹⁶ They will say "How terrible for you, you big strong city! You were wearing linen clothes and purple and red clothes. You were shining with gold, fine stones, and pearls.

¹⁷ In one hour all your great riches are lost." `And all the captains of the boats and all the seamen, the sailors, and all that do business on the sea stood away from it.

¹⁸ They called out loud when they saw the smoke while it burned. They said, "What city is like that big city?"

¹⁹ They threw dust on their heads and they called out loud. They cried and were sad. They said, "How terrible for that big city! All the men who had boats on the sea became rich because it was rich. In one hour it is all lost."

²⁰ `Be glad for what has happened to it, all you who are in heaven, God's people, apostles and prophets. God has punished it for what it did to you!'

²¹ Then a strong angel took up a very heavy stone and threw it into the sea. He said, `So hard will Babylon the big city be thrown down. It will not be seen again.

²² People will not hear music in you again. No harps, no singing, no pipes or horns will ever be heard in you again. No one will make things in you again. The noise of people grinding grain will not be heard in you again.

²³ No lamp will shine in you again. No one will hear the voice of people being married. Your traders were the big people of the world. All the countries were fooled by your witch doctors.

²⁴ The blood of prophets and of God's people and of all who have been killed on earth was found in that city.'

19 After this I heard a loud sound in heaven. It sounded like many people calling. They said, `Praise our God! He saves people. He is great and power belongs to him.

² The way God punishes is true and right. He has punished the bad woman who spoiled the earth with her wrong ways. He has made her pay for the killing of his servants.'