Revelation 18

The Fall of Babylon

1 After this I saw *ch. 17:1,7another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and *Ezek. 43:2the earth was made bright with his glory. 2 And he called out with a mighty voice,

*See ch. 14:8"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!

She has become *Isa. 13:21;34:14;Jer. 50:39;51:37;[Zeph. 2:14,15] a dwelling place for demons,

a haunt *ch. 16:13for every unclean spirit,

a haunt *Isa. 14:23;34:11for every unclean bird,

a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.

3 For all nations have drunk*18:3 Some manuscripts fallen by

*ch. 14:8the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,

and *ver. 9;ch. 17:2the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,

and *ver. 11, 15;Ezek. 27:33the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living."

4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,

*[2 Cor. 6:17]; See Isa. 48:20"Come out of her, my people,

lest you take part in her sins,

lest you share in her plagues;

5 for *Jer. 51:9;[Gen. 18:20,21;Ezra 9:6;Jonah 1:2] her sins are heaped high as heaven,

and *ch. 16:19God has remembered her iniquities.

6 *Ps. 137:8;Jer. 50:15,29;51:24,49Pay her back as she herself has paid back others,

and repay her *Jer. 16:18double for her deeds;

mix a double portion for her *[ch. 14:10;16:19;17:4]in the cup she mixed.

7 *[Ezek. 28:2-8] As she glorified herself and lived in luxury,

so give her a like measure of torment and mourning,

since in her heart she says,

*Isa. 47:7,8;Zeph. 2:15;[ch. 3:17]‘I sit as a queen,

I am no widow,

and mourning I shall never see.’

8 For this reason her plagues will come *Isa. 47:9;[ver. 10] in a single day,

death and mourning and famine,

and *ch. 17:16she will be burned up with fire;

for *Jer. 50:34mighty is the Lord God who has judged her."

9 And *ver. 3;ch. 17:2;[Ezek. 26:16,17] the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, *[Jer. 50:46] will weep and wail over her *ver. 18;ch. 19:3when they see the smoke of her burning. 10 *ver. 15, 17They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,

"Alas! Alas! *See ch. 14:8You great city,

you mighty city, Babylon!

For *ver. 17, 19;[ver. 8]in a single hour your judgment has come."

11 And *ver. 3, 15;[Ezek. 27:36]the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, 12 cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.*18:13 Or and slaves, and human lives

14 "The fruit for which your soul longed

has gone from you,

and all your delicacies and your splendors

are lost to you,

never to be found again!"

15 *ver. 3, 11The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, *ver. 10will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,

16 "Alas, alas, for the great city

*ch. 17:4that was clothed in fine linen,

in purple and scarlet,

adorned with gold,

with jewels, and with pearls!

17 For *ver. 10, 19in a single hour all this wealth *ch. 17:16has been laid waste."

And *Ezek. 27:28,29all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off 18 and *Ezek. 27:30cried out *ver. 9as they saw the smoke of her burning,

*Ezek. 27:32;[ch. 13:4]"What city was like the great city?"

19 And they threw *See Josh. 7:6;Job 2:12dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out,

"Alas, alas, for the great city

*ver. 3, 15where all who had ships at sea

grew rich by her wealth!

For *ver. 10, 17in a single hour she has been laid waste.

20 *Deut. 32:43;Jer. 51:48;See ch. 12:12Rejoice over her, O heaven,

and you saints and *Luke 11:49,50apostles and prophets,

for *ch. 19:2God has given judgment for you against her!"

21 Then *ch. 5:2;10:1a mighty angel *[Jer. 51:63,64] took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,

"So will Babylon *ver. 10the great city be thrown down with violence,

and will be found no more;

22 and *Isa. 14:11;24:8;Ezek. 26:13the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters,

will be heard in you no more,

and a craftsman of any craft

will be found in you no more,

and *Eccles. 12:4;Jer. 25:10the sound of the mill

will be heard in you no more,

23 and the light of a lamp

will shine in you no more,

and *Jer. 7:34;16:9;33:11the voice of bridegroom and bride

will be heard in you no more,

for *Isa. 23:8your merchants were the great ones of the earth,

and all nations were deceived *Nah. 3:4by your sorcery.

24 And *ch. 17:6;[Matt. 23:35,36] in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,

and of *[Jer. 51:49]all who have been slain on earth."