Revelation 18

18 ¹After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, holding great authority; the earth lit with his glory. ²He shouted loudly: "Fallen, fallen—great Babylon! She's become a home for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean, hated beast. ³For all the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality; the kings of the earth committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxury."

⁴Then I heard another voice from heaven: "Come out of her, my people, so you don't share her sins or receive her plagues;

⁵for her sins are piled up as high as heaven, and our Father has remembered her crimes. ⁶Pay her back as she herself has paid out, and repay her double for what she has done; in the cup she mixed, mix a double portion for her. ⁷As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief; for in her heart she says, 'I sit enthroned as a queen; I am no widow, and I will never see grief.' ⁸For this reason her plagues will come in a single day—death and grief and famine—and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is our Father, who has judged her."

⁹Earth's kings who sinned sexually and shared luxury with her will weep and wail over her, seeing the smoke of her burning. ¹⁰Standing far off, fearing her torment, they say: "Woe, woe, great city, Babylon, mighty city! In one hour your judgment came." ¹¹Earth's merchants weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their cargo anymore. ¹²Cargo of gold, silver, gems, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet; all scented wood, every ivory item, costly wood, bronze, iron, marble. ¹³Cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, carriages, and human bodies and souls.

¹⁴"The ripe fruit your soul craved is gone from you; all your riches and splendor lost, never found again." ¹⁵The merchants of these things who grew rich from her will stand far off, afraid of her torment, weeping and mourning, ¹⁶and crying: "Grief, grief on the great city, dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, gilded with gold, jewels, and pearls! In one hour such wealth is ruined." ¹⁷And every ship's captain, everyone who sails the seas, the sailors, and all who make their living from the sea stood far off, ¹⁸and cried out seeing the smoke of her burning: "What city was ever like the great city?" ¹⁹They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning: "Woe, woe to the great city, where all with ships at sea grew rich from her wealth! In one hour she is ruined." ²⁰Rejoice over her, heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets! For our Father has judged your case against her.

²¹A mighty angel hurled a stone like a great millstone into the sea, saying: "So Babylon the great city will be thrown down violently, never found again. ²²The sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No craftsman of any craft will ever be found in you again. The sound of the mill will never be heard in you again. ²³The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of groom and bride will never be heard in you again. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. ²⁴In her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all slaughtered on the earth."