Revelation 18
International Children’s Bible
Babylon Is Destroyed
18 Then I saw another angel coming down from heaven. This angel had great power. The angel’s glory made the earth bright. 2 The angel shouted in a powerful voice:
“The great city of Babylon is destroyed!
She has become a home for demons.
She has become a city for every evil spirit,
a city for every unclean and hated bird.
3 All the peoples of the earth have drunk
the strong wine of her sexual immorality.
The kings of the earth have sinned sexually with her,
and the businessmen of the world have grown rich from the great wealth of her luxury.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
“Come out of that city, my people,
so that you will not share in her sins.
Then you will not receive the terrible things that will happen to her.
5 The city’s sins are piled up as high as the sky.
God has not forgotten the wrongs she has done.
6 Give that city the same as she gave to others.
Pay her back twice as much as she did.
Prepare wine for her that is twice as strong
as the wine she prepared for others.
7 She gave herself much glory and rich living.
Give her that much suffering and sadness.
She says to herself, ‘I am a queen sitting on my throne.
I am not a widow; I will never be sad.’
8 So these terrible things will come to her in one day:
death, crying, and great hunger.
She will be destroyed by fire,
because the Lord God who judges her is powerful.”
9 The kings of the earth who sinned sexually with her and shared her wealth will see the smoke from her burning. Then they will cry and weep because of her death. 10 They will be afraid of her suffering and stand far away. They will say:
“Terrible! How terrible, great city,
powerful city of Babylon!
Your punishment has come in one hour!”
11 And the businessmen of the earth will cry and weep for her. They will be sad because now there is no one to buy the things they sell. 12 They sell gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen cloth, purple cloth, silk, and red cloth. They sell all kinds of citron wood and all kinds of things made from ivory, expensive wood, bronze, iron, and marble. 13 They also sell cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, and olive oil; fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages. They sell the bodies and souls of men.
14 They will say,
“Babylon, the good things you wanted are gone from you.
All your rich and fancy things have disappeared.
You will never have them again.”
15 The businessmen will be afraid of her suffering and stand far away from her. These are the men who became rich from selling those things to her. The men will cry and be sad. 16 They will say:
“Terrible! How terrible for the great city!
She was dressed in fine linen, purple and red cloth.
She was shining with gold, jewels, and pearls!
17 All these riches have been destroyed in one hour!”
Every sea captain, all those who travel on ships, the sailors, and all the people who earn money from the sea stood far away from Babylon. 18 They saw the smoke from her burning. They said loudly, “There was never a city like this great city!” 19 They threw dust on their heads and cried to show how sad they were. They said:
“Terrible! How terrible for the great city!
All the people who had ships on the sea
became rich because of her wealth!
But she has been destroyed in one hour!
20 Be happy because of this, heaven!
Be happy, God’s holy people and apostles and prophets!
God has punished her because of what she did to you.”
21 Then a powerful angel picked up a stone like a large stone for grinding grain. The angel threw the stone into the sea and said:
“That is how the great city of Babylon will be thrown down.
The city will never be found again.
22 The music of people playing harps and other instruments, flutes and trumpets,
will never be heard in you again.
No workman doing any job
will ever be found in you again.
The sound of grinding grain
will never be heard in you again.
23 The light of a lamp
will never shine in you again.
The voices of a bridegroom and bride
will never be heard in you again.
Your businessmen were the world’s great men.
All the nations were tricked by your magic.
24 She is guilty of the death
of the prophets and God’s holy people
and of all who have been killed on earth.”
Revelation 18
1599 Geneva Bible
18 2 The horrible destruction of Babylon set out. 11, 16, 18 The merchants of the earth, who were enriched with the pomp and luxuriousness of it, weep and wail: 20 but all the elect rejoice for that just vengeance of God.
1 [a]And after these things, I saw another [b]Angel come down from heaven, having great power, so that the earth was lightened with his glory,
2 And he cried out mightily with a loud voice, [c]saying, (A)It is fallen, it is fallen, Babylon that great city, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of all foul spirits, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunken 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 of the abundance of her pleasures.
4 [d]And I heard another voice from heaven say, [e]Go out of her, my people, that ye be not [f]partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues:
5 For her sins are [g]come up into heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 [h]Reward her, even as she hath rewarded you, and give her double according to her works: and in the cup that she hath filled to you, fill her the double.
7 Inasmuch as she glorified herself, and lived in pleasure, so much give ye to her torment and sorrow: for she saith [i]in her heart, I sit being a queen, and am [j]no widow, and shall [k]see no mourning.
8 Therefore shall her plagues come at [l]one day, death, and sorrow, and famine, and she shall be burnt with fire: for that God which condemneth her, is a strong Lord,
9 And the [m]kings of the earth shall bewail her, and lament for her, which have committed fornication, and lived in pleasure with her, when they shall see that smoke of that her burning,
10 And shall stand afar off for fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city: for in one hour is thy judgment come.
11 [n]And the merchants of the earth shall weep and wail over her: for no man buyeth their ware anymore.
12 The ware of gold, and silver, and of precious stone, and of pearls, and of fine linen, and of purple, and of silk, and of scarlet, and of all manner of Thynewood, and of all vessels of ivory, and of all vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and of iron, and of marble,
13 And of cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and servants, and souls of men.
14 ([o]And the [p]apples that thy soul lusted after, are departed from thee, and all things which were fat and excellent, are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more.)
15 The merchants of these things which were waxed rich, shall stand afar off from her, for 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 gilded with gold, and precious stones, and pearls.
17 [q]For in one hour so great riches are come to desolation. And every shipmaster, and all the people that occupy ships and shipmen, and whosoever traffic on the sea, shall stand afar off.
18 And cry, when they see that smoke of that her burning, saying, What city was like unto this great city?
19 And they shall cast dust on their heads, and cry, weeping, and wailing, and say, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships on the sea by her coastlines: for in one hour she is made desolate.
20 [r]O heaven, rejoice of her, and ye holy Apostles and Prophets: for God hath punished her, to be revenged on her for your sakes.
21 [s]Then a mighty Angel took up a stone, like a great millstone, (B)and cast it into the sea, saying, With such violence shall that great city Babylon be cast and shall be found no more.
22 [t]And the voice of harpers, and musicians and of pipers, and trumpeters shall be heard no more in thee, and no craftsman, of whosoever craft he be, shall be found anymore in thee: and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more in thee.
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more in thee: and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth: and with thine enchantment were deceived all nations.
24 And in her was found the [u]blood of the Prophets [v]and of the Saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
Footnotes
- Revelation 18:1 The second place (as I said before, 17:1) of the history of Babylon, is of the woeful fall and ruin of that whore of Babylon. This historical prediction concerning her, is threefold. The first a plain and simple foretelling of her ruin in three verses, the second a figurative prediction by the circumstances, thence, unto verse 20. The third, a confirmation of the same by sign or wonder, unto the end of the Chapter.
- Revelation 18:1 Either Christ the eternal word of God the Father (as often elsewhere) or a created Angel, and one deputed unto this service: but thoroughly furnished with greatness of power, and with light of glory, as the ensign of power.
- Revelation 18:2 The prediction or foretelling of her ruin, containing both the fall of Babylon, in this verse, and the cause thereof uttered by way of allegory concerning her spiritual and carnal wickedness, that is, her most great impiety and injustice, in the next verse: her fall is first simply declared of the Angel: and then the greatness thereof is showed here by the events, when he saith it shall be the seat and habitation of devils, of wild beasts and of cursed souls, as of old, Isa. 13:21, and often elsewhere.
- Revelation 18:4 The second prediction, which is of the circumstances of the ruin of Babylon: of these there are two kinds: one going before it: as that beforehand the godly are delivered unto the ninth verse: the other following upon her ruin, namely the lamentation of the wicked and rejoicing of the godly, unto the twentieth verse.
- Revelation 18:4 Two circumstances going before the ruin, are commanded in this place: one is, that the godly depart out of Babylon: as I mentioned, chapter 12, to have been done in time past, before the destruction of Jerusalem: this charge is given here, and in the next verse. The other is, that every one of them occupy themselves in their own place, in executing the judgment of God, as it was commanded the Levites of old, Exod. 32:27, and that they sanctify their hands unto the Lord, verses 6, 7, 8.
- Revelation 18:4 Of his commandment there are two causes to avoid the contagion of sin, and to shun the participation of those punishments that belong thereunto.
- Revelation 18:5 He useth a word which signifieth the following of sins one after another, and rising one another in such sort, that they grew at length to such an heap that they came up even to heaven.
- Revelation 18:6 The provocation of the godly, and the commandment of executing the judgments of God, stand upon three causes which are here expressed: the unjust wickedness of the whore of Babylon, in this verse her cursed pride opposing itself against God, which is the fountain of all evil actions, verse 7, and her most just damnation by the sentence of God, verse 8.
- Revelation 18:7 With herself.
- Revelation 18:7 I am full of people and mighty.
- Revelation 18:7 I shall taste of none.
- Revelation 18:8 Shortly and at one instant.
- Revelation 18:9 The circumstances following the fall of Babylon, or the consequences thereof (as I distinguished them, verse 4) are two. Namely the lamentation of the wicked unto verse 19: and the rejoicing of the godly, verse 20. This most sorrowful lamentation, according to the person of them that lament, hath three members, the first whereof is the mourning of the kings and mighty men of the earth, in two verses. The second is the lamentation of the merchants that traffic by land thence unto verse 16. The third is the wailing of those that merchandise by sea, verses 16, 17, 18. In every [one] of these the cause and manner of their mourning is described in order, according to the condition of those [that] mourn, with observation of that which best agreeth unto them.
- Revelation 18:11 The lamentation of those that trade by land, as I distinguished immediately before.
- Revelation 18:14 An apostrophe, or turning of the speech by imitation, used for more vehemence, as if those merchants, after the manner of mourners should in passionate speech speak unto Babylon, though now utterly fallen and overthrown. So Isa. 12:9, and in many other places.
- Revelation 18:14 By this is meant that season which is next before the fall of the leaf, at what season fruits ripen, and the word signifieth such fruits as are longed for.
- Revelation 18:17 The manner of mourning used by them that trade by sea.
- Revelation 18:20 The other consequent unto the other ruin of Babylon, is the exultation or rejoicing of the godly in heaven and in earth, as was noted, verse 9.
- Revelation 18:21 The third prediction, as I said verse 1, standing of a sign, and the interpretation thereof: the interpretation thereof is in 2 sorts, first by a simple propounding of the thing itself, in this verse, and then by declaration of the events in the verses following.
- Revelation 18:22 The events are two, the one of them opposite unto the other for amplification sake. There shall be, saith he, in Babylon no mirth nor joy at all, in this and the next verse, but all heavy and lamentable things from the bloody slaughters of the righteous and the vengeance of God coming upon it for the same.
- Revelation 18:24 That is shed by bloody massacres, and calling for vengeance.
- Revelation 18:24 That is, proved and found out, as if God had appointed a just inquiry, concerning the impiety, unnaturalness and injustice of those men.
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