< Revelation 18 >
1 After these things, I saw another messenger, coming down out of heaven, —having great authority; and, the earth, was illumined with his glory.
2 And he cried out, with a mighty voice, saying—Fallen! fallen! is Babylon the Great, and hath become a habitation of demons, and a prison of every impure spirit, and a prison of every impure and hated bird;
3 Because, by reason [of the wine] of the wrath of her lewdness, have all the nations fallen, and, the kings of the earth, with her, did commit lewdness, and, the merchants of the earth, by reason of the power of her wantonness, waxed rich.
4 And I heard another voice out of heaven, saying—Come forth, my people, out of her, —that ye may have no fellowship with her sins, and, of her plagues, that ye may not receive;
5 because her sins were joined together as far as heaven, and God hath remembered her unrighteous deeds.
6 Render ye unto her, as, she also, rendered, and double [the] double, according to her works, —in the cup wherein she mixed, mix, unto her, double, —
7 As much as she glorified herself, and waxed wanton, so much give, unto her, torment and grief: —because, in her heart, she saith—I sit a Queen, and, widow, am I not, and, grief, in nowise shall I see!
8 Therefore, in one day, shall have come her plagues, —death and grief and famine; and, with fire, shall she be burned up; —because, mighty, is the [Lord] God who hath judged her.
9 And they shall weep and wail over her—shall the kings of the earth who, with her, committed lewdness and waxed wanton, —as soon as they see the smoke of her burning, —
10 afar off, standing, because of their fear of her torment, saying—Alas! alas! the great city! Babylon, the mighty city! That, in one hour, hath come thy judgment.
11 And, the merchants of the earth, weep and grieve over her, because, their cargo, no one, buyeth any more:
12 cargo of gold, and silver, and precious stone, and pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and every article of ivory, and every article of wood most precious, and of copper, and of iron, and of marble,
13 and cinnamon, and spice, and incense, and unguent, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep, and [cargo] of horses, and of chariots, and of bodies, and lives of men.
14 And, the fruit of the coveting of thy soul, hath departed from thee, and, all things rich and bright, have perished from thee; and, no more, in anywise, for them, shall they seek.
15 The merchants of these things, who were enriched by her, afar off, shall stand, because of their fear of her torment, weeping, and grieving,
16 as they say—Alas! alas! the great city! She that was arrayed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stone, and pearl, —
17 That, in one hour, hath been laid waste, such great wealth as this! And, every pilot, and every passenger, and mariners, and as many as, by the sea, carry on traffic, afar off did stand,
18 and they cried out, seeing the smoke of her burning, saying—What city is like unto the great city?
19 And they cast dust upon their heads, and cried out, weeping and grieving, saying—Alas! alas! the great city! Whereby were made rich all that had ships in the sea, by reason of her costliness, —that, in one hour, she hath been laid waste!
20 Be glad over her, thou heaven! And ye saints, and ye apostles, and ye prophets! For that God hath exacted your vindication from her.
21 And one mighty messenger lifted a stone, as it were a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying—Thus, with main force, shall be cast down, Babylon the great city, —and in nowise be found any more;
22 And sound of harp-singers, and musicians, and flute-players, and trumpeters, —in nowise be heard in thee any more; and any artisan [of any art], —in nowise be found in thee any more; and sound of millstone, —in nowise be found in thee any more;
23 And light of lamp, —in nowise shine in thee any more; and voice of bridegroom and bride, —in nowise be heard in thee any more; because, thy merchants, were the great ones of the earth, because, with thy sorcery, were all the nations deceived:
24 And, in her, blood of prophets and saints, was found, —and of all who had been slain upon the earth.