Revelation 18

And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

1After this, I saw another angel come down from heaven. He had great power. His shining brightness lit up the earth.

2And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

2He shouted in a strong voice: "The great city Babylon has fallen! It has fallen! Now evil spirits live there. Every filthy spirit hides there. Every dirty, hated bird nests there."

3For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

3"All the nations drank the wine of her wrongdoing. The kings of the earth joined her in it. The traders of the earth grew rich from all her fancy things."

4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

4Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people. Do not join in the wrong things she does. Do not get the terrible troubles she gets."

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

5"Her sins are piled up as high as heaven. God has not forgotten the wrong things she did."

6Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

6"Give back to her what she gave to others. Pay her back twice as much for what she did. Fill her cup twice as full as she filled it."

Note"Reward" here means pay back, not give a prize.

7How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

7"She made herself look great and lived in rich comfort. Give her that much pain and sadness. In her heart she says, 'I sit like a queen. I am not a widow. I will never be sad.'"

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

8"So her troubles will come in one day. Death, sadness, and hunger will come. Fire will burn her up. The Lord God who judges her is strong."

9And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

9The kings of the earth had joined her wrongdoing and lived in rich comfort with her. They will cry and weep for her when they see the smoke of her fire.

10Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

10They will stand far away, afraid of her pain. They will say, "How sad, how sad for that great city Babylon, that strong city! In one hour your punishment came."

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

11The traders of the earth will cry and be sad about her. No one buys the things they sell anymore.

12The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

12They sold gold, silver, jewels, and pearls. They sold fine cloth, purple cloth, silk, and red cloth. They sold sweet-smelling wood and things made of ivory. They sold things made of costly wood, brass, iron, and stone.

13And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

13They sold cinnamon and sweet spices. They sold perfume and incense. They sold wine, oil, fine flour, and wheat. They sold cattle, sheep, horses, and carts. They also sold slaves and the lives of people.

Note"Souls of men" means human beings sold as goods, along with the slaves named just before.

14And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

14They will say, "The good things you wanted so much are gone. All your rich and lovely things are gone. You will never find them again."

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

15The traders who sold these things had grown rich from her. They will stand far away because they are afraid of her pain. They will cry and weep.

16And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

16They will say, "How sad, how sad for that great city! She wore fine cloth, purple cloth, and red cloth. She was covered with gold, jewels, and pearls!"

17For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

17"In one hour all that great wealth is gone!" Every ship captain stood far away. So did the people who sailed with them, the sailors, and all who work at sea.

18And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

18They cried out when they saw the smoke of her fire. They said, "Was any city ever like this great city?"

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

19They threw dust on their heads to show they were sad. They cried and wept and said, "How sad, how sad for that great city! Everyone with ships at sea grew rich from her riches. In one hour she is left empty."

20Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

20Rejoice over her, heaven! Rejoice, you who belong to God, and you apostles and prophets! God has judged her for what she did to you.

Note"God hath avenged you on her" means God has judged the city for the harm it did to them.

21And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

21Then a strong angel picked up a stone. It was as big as a huge grinding stone. He threw it into the sea and said, "The great city Babylon will be thrown down just as hard. No one will ever find her again."

NoteA millstone is a huge, heavy round stone used to crush grain into flour. It is far too heavy for one person to lift.

22And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;

22"No one will hear harps or singers or flutes or trumpets in you again. No worker of any kind will be found in you again. No one will hear the sound of a grinding stone in you again."

23And the light of a candle 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 great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

23"No lamp will shine in you again. No bride and groom will call out in you again. Your traders were the important men of the earth. You tricked all the nations with your magic."

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

24In her was found the blood of prophets, who told people what God said. There too was the blood of God's people, and of all who were killed on the earth.