Revelation 18

1After these things I saw another angel coming down out of heaven, having great authority; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

1After this, I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great power, and his glory made the whole earth bright.

2And he cried with a mighty voice, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and is become a habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird.

2He shouted with a strong voice: "Babylon the Great has fallen! She has fallen! Now she is a home for demons, a place for every evil spirit to hide, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird."

3For by the wine of the wrath of her fornication all the nations are fallen; and the kings of the earth committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth waxed rich by the power of her wantonness.

3Because all the nations have drunk the wine of her sexual immorality and God's anger, the kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the world's businessmen grew rich from her excessive luxury.

4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come forth, my people, out of her, that ye have no fellowship with her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues:

4Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you do not take part in her sins and so that you do not suffer from her plagues."

5for her sins have reached even unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

5For her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.

6Render unto her even as she rendered, and double unto her the double according to her works: in the cup which she mingled, mingle unto her double.

6Pay her back exactly as she paid others; give her double for what she has done. Fill her cup with a drink twice as strong as the one she mixed for others.

7How much soever she glorified herself, and waxed wanton, so much give her of torment and mourning: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall in no wise see mourning.

7Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she brags, 'I sit here as a queen; I am not a widow, and I will never experience grief.'

8Therefore in one day shall her plagues come, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judged her.

8For this reason, her plagues will hit her all in one day: death, mourning, and famine. She will be completely burned with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful.

9And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and lived wantonly with her, shall weep and wail over her, when they look upon the smoke of her burning,

9The kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury will cry and sob when they see the smoke from her burning.

10standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

10They will stand far away, terrified by her torture, and say: 'How terrible, how terrible for you, great city! Babylon, you powerful city! In a single hour your judgment has come.'

11And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no man buyeth their merchandise any more;

11The businessmen of the earth will weep and mourn for her because no one buys their goods anymore—

12merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stone, and pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet; and all thyine wood, and every vessel of ivory, and every vessel made of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble;

12stocks of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; every kind of citron wood and all sorts of items made of ivory, expensive wood, bronze, iron, and marble;

13and cinnamon, and spice, and incense, and ointment, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep; and merchandise of horses and chariots and slaves; and souls of men.

13also cinnamon, spice, incense, perfume, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, carriages, and the bodies and souls of human beings.

14And the fruits which thy soul lusted after are gone from thee, and all things that were dainty and sumptuous are perished from thee, and men shall find them no more at all.

14They will say, 'The fruit you craved is gone. All your luxury and glamour have vanished, never to be found again.'

15The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning;

15The businessmen who sold these things and got rich from her will stand far away, terrified by her torture. They will weep and mourn,

16saying, Woe, woe, the great city, she that was arrayed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearl!

16shouting: 'How terrible, how terrible for the great city! She used to dress in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and glittered with gold, precious stones, and pearls.'

17for in one hour so great riches is made desolate. And every shipmaster, and every one that saileth any whither, and mariners, and as many as gain their living by sea, stood afar off,

17In one hour all that great wealth has been destroyed. Every ship captain, all who travel by ship, the sailors, and everyone who makes a living from the sea stood far away.

18and cried out as they looked upon the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like the great city?

18When they saw the smoke from her burning, they shouted, 'Was there ever a city as great as this?'

19And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, wherein all that had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

19They threw dust on their heads and shouted while weeping and mourning: 'How terrible, how terrible for the great city! All who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth. In one hour she has been ruined!'

20Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye saints, and ye apostles, and ye prophets; for God hath judged your judgment on her.

20Be glad about her destruction, O heaven! Be glad, holy people, apostles, and prophets! For God has judged her for the way she treated you.

21And a strong angel took up a stone as it were a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with a mighty fall shall Babylon, the great city, be cast down, and shall be found no more at all.

21Then a powerful angel picked up a boulder the size of a huge millstone and threw it into the sea. He said: "With this same violence, the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, and she will never be found again."

22And the voice of harpers and minstrels and flute-players and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft, shall be found any more at all in thee; and the voice of a mill shall be heard no more at all in thee;

22The sound of harpists, musicians, flute players, and trumpeters will never be heard in you again. No craftsman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone grinding grain will never be heard in you again.

23and the light of a lamp 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 princes of the earth; for with thy sorcery were all the nations deceived.

23The 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 leaders, and all the nations were led astray by your magic spells.

24And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth.

24In her was found the blood of the prophets, the holy people, and all who have been killed on the earth.