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Revelation 18
Legacy Standard Bible
Revelation 18
Legacy Standard Bible
Fallen Is Babylon
18 After these things I saw another (A)angel (B)coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was (C)illumined with his glory. 2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “[a](D)Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! And she (E)has become a dwelling place of demons and a [b]prison of every (F)unclean spirit, and a [c]prison of every unclean bird [d]and a [e]prison of every unclean and hateful beast. 3 For all the nations [f]have drunk of the (G)wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality, and (H)the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her, and the (I)merchants of the earth have become rich by the power of her [g](J)sensuality.”
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “(K)Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; 5 for her sins have [h](L)piled up as high as heaven, and God has (M)remembered her iniquities. 6 (N)Pay her back even as she paid, and [i]give her back double according to her deeds; in the (O)cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. 7 (P)To the degree that she glorified herself and (Q)lived [j]sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning, for she says in her heart, ‘(R)I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.’ 8 For this reason (S)in one day her plagues will come, [k]pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be (T)burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her (U)is strong.
9 “And (V)the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and (W)lived [l]sensuously with her, will (X)cry and lament over her when they (Y)see the smoke of her burning, 10 (Z)standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘(AA)Woe, woe, (AB)the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in (AC)one hour your judgment has come.’
11 “And the (AD)merchants of the earth (AE)cry and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo anymore— 12 cargo of (AF)gold and silver and precious [m]stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from precious wood and [n]bronze and iron and marble, 13 and cinnamon and amomum and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargo of horses and carriages and [o]human beings and [p](AG)human lives. 14 And the fruit [q]you long for has gone from you, and all things that were splendid and shining have passed away from you and men will no longer find them. 15 The (AH)merchants of (AI)these things, who became rich from her, will (AJ)stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, crying and mourning, 16 saying, ‘(AK)Woe, woe, (AL)the great city, she who (AM)was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and [r]adorned with gold and precious [s]stones and pearls; 17 for in (AN)one hour such great wealth has been laid (AO)waste!’ And (AP)every shipmaster and every [t]passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, (AQ)stood at a distance, 18 and were (AR)crying out as they (AS)saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘(AT)What is like (AU)the great city?’ 19 And they threw (AV)dust on their heads and were crying out, crying and mourning, saying, ‘(AW)Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who have ships at sea (AX)became rich by her [u]wealth, for in (AY)one hour she has been laid (AZ)waste!’ 20 (BA)Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and (BB)apostles and prophets, because (BC)God has [v]pronounced judgment for you against her.”
21 Then [w]a (BD)strong angel (BE)picked up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, (BF)the great city, be thrown down with violence, and (BG)will not be found any longer. 22 And (BH)the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the (BI)sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer; 23 and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the (BJ)voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your (BK)merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived (BL)by your sorcery. 24 And in her was found the (BM)blood of prophets and of saints and of (BN)all who have been slain on the earth.”
Footnotes
- Revelation 18:2 Lit Babylon...fell, fell
- Revelation 18:2 Or haunt
- Revelation 18:2 Or haunt
- Revelation 18:2 Some mss omit and a prison of every unclean and hateful beast
- Revelation 18:2 Or haunt
- Revelation 18:3 Two early mss have fallen by
- Revelation 18:3 Or luxury
- Revelation 18:5 Lit joined together
- Revelation 18:6 Lit double to her
- Revelation 18:7 Or luxuriously
- Revelation 18:8 Lit death
- Revelation 18:9 Or luxuriously
- Revelation 18:12 Lit stone
- Revelation 18:12 Or brass
- Revelation 18:13 Lit bodies
- Revelation 18:13 Lit souls of people
- Revelation 18:14 Lit of your soul’s desire
- Revelation 18:16 Lit gilded
- Revelation 18:16 Lit stone and pearl
- Revelation 18:17 Lit one who sails to a place
- Revelation 18:19 Lit costliness
- Revelation 18:20 Lit judged your judgment of her
- Revelation 18:21 Lit one
Revelation 18
New Catholic Bible
Revelation 18
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 18
The Fall of Babylon the Great.[a] 1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and his splendor illumined the earth. 2 He cried out in a mighty voice:
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great!
She has become a dwelling place for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit
and for every filthy and loathsome bird.
3 For all the nations have drunk
the wine of the wrath of her harlotry.
The kings of the earth have committed fornication with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown rich
from her wealth and luxury.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying:
“Depart from her, my people,
so that you will not take part in her sins
and share in her plagues.
5 For her sins are piled up as high as the heavens,
and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Pay her back as she has done to others,
and repay her double for her deeds;
mix her a double portion of her own poison.
7 Give her torment and grief
to equal the measure of her glory and luxury.
In her heart she says,
‘I rule as a queen.
I am not a widow,
and I will never experience grief.’
8 Therefore, in a single day
her plagues will come upon her:
pestilence and mourning and famine.
And she will be consumed by fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
Funereal Ode over Rome.[b] 9 “The kings of the earth who committed fornication with her and shared in her luxury will weep and mourn over her when they behold the smoke of her immolation. 10 In terror at her torment, they will keep their distance and say:
“ ‘Woe, woe, O great city,
mighty city of Babylon.
In one hour your judgment has come.’
11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, since no one buys their cargo anymore: 12 their cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; purple and scarlet cloth, silks, and fine linens; all sorts of fragrant wood and all kinds of objects of ivory, all kinds of objects of expensive wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 cinnamon and spices; incense, myrrh, and frankincense; wine and olive oil; fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and chariots; and slaves, that is, human lives. They will say:
14 “ ‘The fruit you longed for
is no longer available to you.
All your riches and splendor are gone,
and you will never find them again.’
15 “The merchants of these things who made a fortune from her will stand far off, weeping and mourning aloud, and terrified as they behold her torment:
16 “ ‘Woe, woe, O great city,
clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet,
adorned with gold, jewels, and precious stones!
17 Within one hour
all this wealth has been destroyed.’
“All the ship captains and voyagers, all the sailors and those who make their living by trading upon the sea, will stand far off 18 and exclaim as they see the smoke caused by her immolation, ‘Has there ever been a city to compare with this great city?’ 19 Then they will throw dust on their heads and with mourning and weeping cry out:
“ ‘Woe, woe, O great city,
where all who had ships at sea
became rich through her wealth!
Within one hour
she has been brought to ruin.
20 Rejoice over her, O heaven,
you holy ones, apostles, and prophets!
For God has passed judgment on her for you.’ ”
21 Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying:
“This is how
the great city of Babylon will be thrown down,
never to be found again.
22 The sound of harpists and minstrels,
flute players and trumpeters,
will never be heard in you again.
Craftsmen of every trade
never will be found in you again.
The sound of a millstone
will never be heard in you again.
23 The light from a lamp
will never be seen in you again.
The voices of a bridegroom and bride
will never be heard in you again.
Since your merchants were the world’s great men,
all the nations were led astray by your enticements.
24 In you[c] was found the blood of the Prophets,
of the saints,
and of all who have been slain on the earth.”
Footnotes
- Revelation 18:1 The fall of Rome is described as if the empire were already collapsing.
- Revelation 18:9 Drawing upon the laments of Ezekiel over the fall of Tyre (Ezek 26–28), the author greets the fall of Rome as already complete. This satire on the ruins of the empire also harbors, in its final lines, a tone of poignant complaint. The tableau nicely sketches the maritime grandeur of Rome, the development of commercial exchanges—without forgetting the traffic in slaves and prostitutes (v. 13)—and the extraordinary accumulation of riches.
- Revelation 18:24 You: the Greek has “her.”
Revelation 18
King James Version
Revelation 18
King James Version
18 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 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.
4 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.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 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.
7 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.
8 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.
9 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!
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
Revelation 18
New King James Version
Revelation 18
New King James Version
The Fall of Babylon the Great
18 After(A) these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, (B)and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 And he cried [a]mightily with a loud voice, saying, (C)“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and (D)has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and (E)a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations (F)have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, (G)and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the [b]abundance of her luxury.”
4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, (H)“Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 (I)For her sins [c]have reached to heaven, and (J)God has remembered her iniquities. 6 (K)Render to her just as she rendered [d]to you, and repay her double according to her works; (L)in the cup which she has mixed, (M)mix double for her. 7 (N)In the measure that she glorified herself and lived [e]luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as (O)queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ 8 Therefore her plagues will come (P)in one day—death and mourning and famine. And (Q)she will be utterly burned with fire, (R)for strong is the Lord God who [f]judges her.
The World Mourns Babylon’s Fall
9 (S)“The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her (T)will weep and lament for her, (U)when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, (V)‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! (W)For in one hour your judgment has come.’
11 “And (X)the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: 12 (Y)merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and (Z)souls of men. 14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have [g]gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 and saying, ‘Alas, alas, (AA)that great city (AB)that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 (AC)For in one hour such great riches [h]came to nothing.’ (AD)Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 18 (AE)and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, (AF)‘What is like this great city?’
19 (AG)“They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! (AH)For in one hour she [i]is made desolate.’
20 (AI)“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you [j]holy apostles and prophets, for (AJ)God has avenged you on her!”
Finality of Babylon’s Fall
21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, (AK)“Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and (AL)shall not be found anymore. 22 (AM)The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. 23 (AN)The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, (AO)and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For (AP)your merchants were the great men of the earth, (AQ)for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. 24 And (AR)in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who (AS)were slain on the earth.”
Footnotes
- Revelation 18:2 NU, M omit mightily
- Revelation 18:3 Lit. strengths
- Revelation 18:5 NU, M have been heaped up
- Revelation 18:6 NU, M omit to you
- Revelation 18:7 sensually
- Revelation 18:8 NU, M has judged
- Revelation 18:14 NU, M been lost to you
- Revelation 18:17 have been laid waste
- Revelation 18:19 have been laid waste
- Revelation 18:20 NU, M saints and apostles
Revelation 18
New International Version
Revelation 18
New International Version
Lament Over Fallen Babylon
18 After this I saw another angel(A) coming down from heaven.(B) He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.(C) 2 With a mighty voice he shouted:
“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’[a](D)
She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit,(E)
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.(F)
3 For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries.(G)
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,(H)
and the merchants of the earth grew rich(I) from her excessive luxuries.”(J)
Warning to Escape Babylon’s Judgment
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
“‘Come out of her, my people,’[b](K)
so that you will not share in her sins,
so that you will not receive any of her plagues;(L)
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven,(M)
and God has remembered(N) her crimes.
6 Give back to her as she has given;
pay her back(O) double(P) for what she has done.
Pour her a double portion from her own cup.(Q)
7 Give her as much torment and grief
as the glory and luxury she gave herself.(R)
In her heart she boasts,
‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;[c]
I will never mourn.’(S)
8 Therefore in one day(T) her plagues will overtake her:
death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,(U)
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
Threefold Woe Over Babylon’s Fall
9 “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her(V) and shared her luxury(W) see the smoke of her burning,(X) they will weep and mourn over her.(Y) 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off(Z) and cry:
11 “The merchants(AC) of the earth will weep and mourn(AD) over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore(AE)— 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;(AF) 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.(AG)
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(AH) will stand far off,(AI) terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn(AJ) 16 and cry out:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,(AK)
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!(AL)
17 In one hour(AM) such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’(AN)
“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea,(AO) will stand far off.(AP) 18 When they see the smoke of her burning,(AQ) they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city(AR)?’(AS) 19 They will throw dust on their heads,(AT) and with weeping and mourning(AU) cry out:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,(AV)
where all who had ships on the sea
became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’(AW)
20 “Rejoice over her, you heavens!(AX)
Rejoice, you people of God!
Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her
with the judgment she imposed on you.”(AY)
The Finality of Babylon’s Doom
21 Then a mighty angel(AZ) picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea,(BA) and said:
“With such violence
the great city(BB) of Babylon will be thrown down,
never to be found again.
22 The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters,
will never be heard in you again.(BC)
No worker of any trade
will ever be found in you again.
The sound of a millstone
will never be heard in you again.(BD)
23 The light of a lamp
will never shine in you again.
The voice of bridegroom and bride
will never be heard in you again.(BE)
Your merchants were the world’s important people.(BF)
By your magic spell(BG) all the nations were led astray.
24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people,(BH)
of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”(BI)
Footnotes
- Revelation 18:2 Isaiah 21:9
- Revelation 18:4 Jer. 51:45
- Revelation 18:7 See Isaiah 47:7,8.
Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)
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New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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