20 “Gather together(A) and come;
    assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant(B) are those who carry(C) about idols of wood,
    who pray to gods that cannot save.(D)

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20 Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.

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Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,
    their idols cannot speak;(A)
they must be carried
    because they cannot walk.(B)
Do not fear them;
    they can do no harm(C)
    nor can they do any good.”(D)

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They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

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17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
    he bows down to it and worships.(A)
He prays(B) to it and says,
    “Save(C) me! You are my god!”
18 They know nothing, they understand(D) nothing;
    their eyes(E) are plastered over so they cannot see,
    and their minds closed so they cannot understand.
19 No one stops to think,
    no one has the knowledge or understanding(F) to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;(G)
    I even baked bread over its coals,
    I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable(H) thing from what is left?
    Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”(I)
20 Such a person feeds on ashes;(J) a deluded(K) heart misleads him;
    he cannot save himself, or say,
    “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?(L)

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17 And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.

18 They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.

19 And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?

20 He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?

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All the nations gather together(A)
    and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretold(B) this
    and proclaimed to us the former things?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,
    so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”

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Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.

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Gods of Babylon

46 Bel(A) bows down, Nebo stoops low;
    their idols(B) are borne by beasts of burden.[a]
The images that are carried(C) about are burdensome,
    a burden for the weary.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 46:1 Or are but beasts and cattle

46 Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast.

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Those who make them will be like them,
    and so will all who trust in them.

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They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.

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For all the nations have drunk
    the maddening wine of her adulteries.(A)
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,(B)
    and the merchants of the earth grew rich(C) from her excessive luxuries.”(D)

Warning to Escape Babylon’s Judgment

Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

“‘Come out of her, my people,’[a](E)
    so that you will not share in her sins,
    so that you will not receive any of her plagues;(F)
for her sins are piled up to heaven,(G)
    and God has remembered(H) her crimes.
Give back to her as she has given;
    pay her back(I) double(J) for what she has done.
    Pour her a double portion from her own cup.(K)
Give her as much torment and grief
    as the glory and luxury she gave herself.(L)
In her heart she boasts,
    ‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;[b]
    I will never mourn.’(M)
Therefore in one day(N) her plagues will overtake her:
    death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,(O)
    for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

Threefold Woe Over Babylon’s Fall

“When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her(P) and shared her luxury(Q) see the smoke of her burning,(R) they will weep and mourn over her.(S) 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off(T) and cry:

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,(U)
    you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hour(V) your doom has come!’

11 “The merchants(W) of the earth will weep and mourn(X) over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore(Y) 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble;(Z) 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.(AA)

14 “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ 15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her(AB) will stand far off,(AC) terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn(AD) 16 and cry out:

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,(AE)
    dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
    and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!(AF)
17 In one hour(AG) such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’(AH)

“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea,(AI) will stand far off.(AJ) 18 When they see the smoke of her burning,(AK) they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city(AL)?’(AM)

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 18:4 Jer. 51:45
  2. Revelation 18:7 See Isaiah 47:7,8.

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,

16 And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

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16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross,(A) by which he put to death their hostility.

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16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

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12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners(A) to the covenants of the promise,(B) without hope(C) and without God in the world.

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12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

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21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.(A) 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools(B) 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images(C) made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

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21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

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18 “Of what value(A) is an idol(B) carved by a craftsman?
    Or an image(C) that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
    he makes idols that cannot speak.(D)
19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
    Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’(E)
Can it give guidance?
    It is covered with gold and silver;(F)
    there is no breath in it.”(G)

20 The Lord is in his holy temple;(H)
    let all the earth be silent(I) before him.

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18 What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.

20 But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

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17 “Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
    every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;(A)
    they have no breath in them.
18 They are worthless,(B) the objects of mockery;
    when their judgment comes, they will perish.

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17 Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

18 They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

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“Flee(A) from Babylon!
    Run for your lives!
    Do not be destroyed because of her sins.(B)
It is time(C) for the Lord’s vengeance;(D)
    he will repay(E) her what she deserves.
Babylon was a gold cup(F) in the Lord’s hand;
    she made the whole earth drunk.
The nations drank her wine;
    therefore they have now gone mad.
Babylon will suddenly fall(G) and be broken.
    Wail over her!
Get balm(H) for her pain;
    perhaps she can be healed.

“‘We would have healed Babylon,
    but she cannot be healed;
let us leave(I) her and each go to our own land,
    for her judgment(J) reaches to the skies,
    it rises as high as the heavens.’

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Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence.

Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.

We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.

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