Revelation 18
New Living Translation
The Fall of Babylon
18 After all this I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splendor. 2 He gave a mighty shout:
“Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen!
She has become a home for demons.
She is a hideout for every foul[a] spirit,
a hideout for every foul vulture
and every foul and dreadful animal.[b]
3 For all the nations have fallen[c]
because of the wine of her passionate immorality.
The kings of the world
have committed adultery with her.
Because of her desires for extravagant luxury,
the merchants of the world have grown rich.”
4 Then I heard another voice calling from heaven,
“Come away from her, my people.
Do not take part in her sins,
or you will be punished with her.
5 For her sins are piled as high as heaven,
and God remembers her evil deeds.
6 Do to her as she has done to others.
Double her penalty[d] for all her evil deeds.
She brewed a cup of terror for others,
so brew twice as much[e] for her.
7 She glorified herself and lived in luxury,
so match it now with torment and sorrow.
She boasted in her heart,
‘I am queen on my throne.
I am no helpless widow,
and I have no reason to mourn.’
8 Therefore, these plagues will overtake her in a single day—
death and mourning and famine.
She will be completely consumed by fire,
for the Lord God who judges her is mighty.”
9 And the kings of the world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains. 10 They will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will cry out,
“How terrible, how terrible for you,
O Babylon, you great city!
In a single moment
God’s judgment came on you.”
11 The merchants of the world will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods. 12 She bought great quantities of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; things made of fragrant thyine wood, ivory goods, and objects made of expensive wood; and bronze, iron, and marble. 13 She also bought cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, wagons, and bodies—that is, human slaves.
14 “The fancy things you loved so much
are gone,” they cry.
“All your luxuries and splendor
are gone forever,
never to be yours again.”
15 The merchants who became wealthy by selling her these things will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will weep and cry out,
16 “How terrible, how terrible for that great city!
She was clothed in finest purple and scarlet linens,
decked out with gold and precious stones and pearls!
17 In a single moment
all the wealth of the city is gone!”
And all the captains of the merchant ships and their passengers and sailors and crews will stand at a distance. 18 They will cry out as they watch the smoke ascend, and they will say, “Where is there another city as great as this?” 19 And they will weep and throw dust on their heads to show their grief. And they will cry out,
“How terrible, how terrible for that great city!
The shipowners became wealthy
by transporting her great wealth on the seas.
In a single moment it is all gone.”
20 Rejoice over her fate, O heaven
and people of God and apostles and prophets!
For at last God has judged her
for your sakes.
21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a huge millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted,
“Just like this, the great city Babylon
will be thrown down with violence
and will never be found again.
22 The sound of harps, singers, flutes, and trumpets
will never be heard in you again.
No craftsmen and no trades
will ever be found in you again.
The sound of the mill
will never be heard in you again.
23 The light of a lamp
will never shine in you again.
The happy voices of brides and grooms
will never be heard in you again.
For your merchants were the greatest in the world,
and you deceived the nations with your sorceries.
24 In your[f] streets flowed the blood of the prophets and of God’s holy people
and the blood of people slaughtered all over the world.”
Footnotes
Revelation 18
International Standard Version
The Vision of the Fall of Babylon
18 After these things, I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority,[a] and the earth was made bright by his splendor. 2 He cried out in a powerful voice,
“Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen!
She has become a home for demons.
She is a prison for every unclean spirit,
a prison for every unclean bird,
and a prison for every unclean
and hated beast.
3 For all the nations have drunk
from the wine of her sexual immorality,
and the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her.
The world’s businesses have become rich
from her luxurious excesses.”
The Warning to Leave Babylon
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,
“Come out of her, my people,
so that you don’t participate in her sins
and also suffer from her diseases.
5 For her sins are piled as high as heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Do to her as she herself has done,
and give her double for her deeds.
Mix a double drink for her in the cup she mixed.
7 Just as she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
inflict on her just as much torture and misery.
In her heart she says,
‘I am a queen on a throne, not a widow.
I will never see misery.’
8 For this reason, her diseases that result in death, misery, and famine
will come in a single day.
She will be burned up in a fire,
because powerful is the Lord God who judges her.”
9 The kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality with her and lived in luxury with her, will cry and mourn over her when they see the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her.[b] 10 Frightened by the torture that she experiences,[c] they will stand far away and cry out,
“How terrible, how terrible it is for that great city,
the powerful city Babylon,
because your judgment arrived in a single hour!”
11 The world’s businesses cry and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo anymore— 12 cargo of gold, silver, gems, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all articles made of ivory, all articles made of very costly wood, bronze, iron, marble, 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, and slaves (that is, human souls)—
14 “The fruit that you crafted has abandoned you.
All your dainties and your splendor are lost,[d]
and no one will ever find them again.”
15 Frightened by the severity of her punishment, businesses that had become rich because of her will stand at a distance, crying and mourning:
16 “How terrible, how terrible it is for the great city
that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet
and was adorned with gold, gems, and pearls,
17 because all this wealth has been destroyed in a single hour!”
Every ship’s captain, everyone who traveled by ship, sailors, and everyone who made a living from the sea stood far away. 18 When they saw the smoke rising from the fire that consumed her,[e] they began to cry out, “What city was like that great city?” 19 Then they threw dust on their heads and shouted while crying and mourning:
“How terrible, how terrible it is for the great city,
where all who had ships at sea became rich from her wealth,
because it has been destroyed in a single hour!
20 Be happy about her, heaven, saints, apostles, and prophets,
for God has condemned her for you!”
The Vision of the Powerful Angel with the Millstone
21 Then a powerful angel picked up a stone that was like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,
“The great city Babylon will be thrown down violently—
and will never be found again.
22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters
will never be heard within you again.
No artisan of any trade
will ever be found within you again.
The sound of a millstone
will never be heard within you again.
23 The light from a lamp
will never shine within you again.
The voice of a bridegroom and bride
will never be heard within you again.
For your merchants were the important people of the world,
and all the nations were deceived by your witchcraft.
24 The blood of the world’s prophets, saints,
and all who had been murdered
was found within her.”
Footnotes
- Revelation 18:1 Or tremendous power
- Revelation 18:9 Lit. from her fire
- Revelation 18:10 Lit. by her torture
- Revelation 18:14 Lit. lost to you
- Revelation 18:18 Lit. from her fire
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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