“Fallen! Powerful Babylon
    has fallen
and is now the home
    of demons.
It is the den
    of every filthy spirit
and of all unclean birds,
and every dirty
    and hated animal.
^3 (B) Babylon's evil and immoral wine
    has made all nations drunk.
Every king on earth
    has slept with her,
and every merchant on earth
is rich because of
    her evil desires.”

“Pity that great
    and powerful city!
Pity Babylon!
In a single hour
    her judgment has come.”

¹⁴ Babylon, the things
    your heart desired
have all escaped
    from you.
Every luxury
and all your glory
    will be lost forever.
You will never
    get them back.

“Pity the great city
    of Babylon!
She dressed in fine linen
and wore purple
    and scarlet cloth.
She had jewelry
    made of gold
and precious stones
    and pearls.
^17 (K) Yet in a single hour
    her riches disappeared.”

“Pity the great city
    of Babylon!
Everyone who sailed the seas
became rich
    from her treasures.
But in a single hour
    the city was destroyed.
^20 (N) The heavens should be happy
with God's people
    and apostles and prophets.
God has punished her
    for them.”

“This is how the great city
    of Babylon
will be thrown down,
    never to rise again.
^22 (P)(Q) The music of harps and singers
and of flutes and trumpets
    will no longer be heard.
No workers will ever
    set up shop in that city,
and the sound
of grinding grain
    will be silenced forever.
²³ Lamps will no longer shine
    anywhere in Babylon,
and couples will never again
    say wedding vows there.
Her merchants ruled
    the earth,
and by her witchcraft
    she fooled all nations.
^24 (R) On the streets of Babylon
is found the blood
    of God's people
    and of his prophets,
    and everyone else.”

3 The mighty Lord All-Powerful
is going to take away
    from Jerusalem and Judah
everything you need—
    your bread and water,
* ² soldiers and heroes,
judges and prophets,
    leaders and army officers,
³ officials and advisors,
fortunetellers and others
    who tell the future.
⁴ He will let children and babies^[a]
    become your rulers.
⁵ You will each be cruel
    to friends and neighbors.
Young people will insult
    their elders;
no one will show respect
    to those who deserve it.

¹⁰ Tell those who obey God,
“You're very fortunate—
    you will be rewarded
    for what you have done.”
¹¹ Tell those who disobey,
“You're in big trouble—
    what you did to others
    will come back to you.”
¹² Though you are God's people,
you are ruled and abused
    by women and children.
You are confused by leaders
who guide you
    down the wrong path.

¹⁶ The Lord says:
    The women of Jerusalem
are proud and strut around,
    winking shamelessly.
They wear anklets that jingle
and call attention
    to the way they walk.
¹⁷ But I, the Lord, will cover
    their heads with sores,
and I will uncover
    their private parts.

²⁴ In place of perfume,
    there will be a stink;
in place of belts,
    there will be ropes;
in place of fancy hairdos,
    they will have bald heads.
Instead of expensive clothes,
    they will wear sackcloth;
instead of beauty,
    they will have ugly scars.
²⁵ The fighting men of Jerusalem
    will be killed in battle.
²⁶ The city will mourn
and sit in the dirt,
    emptied of its people.

¹ I praise you, God!
    Don't keep silent.
² Destructive and deceitful lies
    are told about me,
³ and hateful things are said
    for no reason.
⁴ I had pity and prayed^[a]
    for my enemies,
but their words to me
    were harsh and cruel.
⁵ For being friendly and kind,
they paid me back
    with meanness and hatred.