Revelation 18:9-19

New International Version

Threefold Woe Over Babylon’s Fall

⁹“When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her^(A) and shared her luxury^(B) see the smoke of her burning,^(C) they will weep and mourn over her.^(D) ¹⁰Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off^(E) and cry:

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

¹¹“The merchants^(H) of the earth will weep and mourn^(I) over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore^(J)— ¹²cargoes 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;^(K) ¹³cargoes 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.^(L)

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

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,^(P)
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!^(Q)
¹⁷In one hour^(R) such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’^(S)

“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea,^(T) will stand far off.^(U) ¹⁸When they see the smoke of her burning,^(V) they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city^(W)?’^(X) ¹⁹They will throw dust on their heads,^(Y) and with weeping and mourning^(Z) cry out:

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,^(AA)
where all who had ships on the sea
became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’^(AB)

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Revelation 18:9-19

International Standard Version

⁹The 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.^[a] ¹⁰Frightened by the torture that she experiences,^[b] 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!”

¹¹The world’s businesses cry and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo anymore— ¹²cargo 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, ¹³cinnamon, 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,^[c]
and no one will ever find them again.”

¹⁵Frightened 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,
¹⁷because 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. ¹⁸When they saw the smoke rising from the fire that consumed her,^[d] they began to cry out, “What city was like that great city?” ¹⁹Then 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!

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