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this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendour. 2 He cried out with a mighty voice:
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great!
She has become a dwelling place for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every foul bird,
a haunt for ever foul and disgusting beast!
3 For all the nations have drunk
the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
The kings of the earth have committed fornication with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from her excessive luxuries.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
“Come out of her, My people,
so that you do not share in her sins,
and so you do not receive any of her plagues;
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.
6 Give back to her as she has given;
repay her double for her deeds.
In the cup in which she mixed, mix her a double portion.
7 As she glorified herself and lived luxuriously,
give back to her the same measure of torment and grief.
Since she says in her heart,
‘I sit as a queen; I am not a widow;
I will never see grief’,
8 therefore her plagues will come in a single day—
death, mourning, and famine.
She will be utterly burned up with fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
9 “The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke of her burning. 10 They will stand far off for fear of her torment, and say:
‘Woe, woe, the great city,
Babylon, the mighty city!
For in a single hour
your judgment has come!’
11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her, because no one buys their merchandise anymore— 12 merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; all kinds of fragrant wood, objects of ivory, objects of costly wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and chariots; and bodies and souls of men.
14 “The fruit your soul longed for
is gone from you.
All your luxury and your splendour
are lost to you,
never to be recovered!
15 “The merchants of these things, who became wealthy from her, will stand far off in fear of her torment. They will weep and mourn 16 and cry out:
‘Woe, woe, O great city,
clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet,
and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls!
17 In a single hour all this fabulous wealth has been laid waste!
“And every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who trade over the sea, stood far off 18 and as they watched the smoke of her burning, they kept crying out: ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’ 19 They threw dust on their heads, and they kept crying out, weeping and mourning:
‘Woe, woe, the great city,
where all who had ships on the sea
grew rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin’.
20 Rejoice over her, O heaven,
and you, O saints and apostles and prophets,
for God has avenged you on her!”
21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying:
“With such violence
the great city Babylon shall be thrown down,
and will never be found again.
22 The sound of harpists and musicians,
and of 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
will never be heard in you again.
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.
For your merchants were the great men of the earth,
and all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.
24 And in you was found the blood of prophets and saints,
and of all who have been slain on the earth.”