BSB REV Chapter 18

Babylon Is Fallen

(Isaiah 21:1–10)

18 After this I saw another angel descending from heaven with great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory.

2 And he cried out in a mighty voice “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great![fn] She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast.[fn]

3 All the nations have drunk[fn] the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from the extravagance of her luxury.”

4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, My people,[fn] so that you will not share in her sins [or] contract [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 done [to others]; pay her back double for what she has done; mix her a double [portion] in [her own] cup

7 As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says ‘I sit [as] queen; I am not a widow and {will} never see grief.’

8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty [is the] Lord God who judges her.”

Lament over Babylon

9 Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke [rising] from the fire that consumes her.[fn]

10 In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance [and] cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For [in] a single hour your judgment has come.”

11 And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because [there is] no one left to buy their cargo—12 cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; [of] fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages; of bodies and souls of [slaves].

14 And [they will say]:[fn] “The fruit of your soul’s desire has departed from you; all [your] luxury and splendor have vanished never to be [seen] [again].”

15 The merchants who sold these things [and] gained their wealth from her will stand at a distance, in fear of her torment. They will weep and mourn,

16 saying: “Woe, woe to the great city, clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!

17 For [in] a single hour such fabulous wealth has been destroyed!” Every shipmaster, passenger and sailor, and all who make their living from the sea, will stand at a distance 18 and cry out at the sight of the smoke [rising] from the fire that consumes her. “What [city was ever] like [this] great city?” they will exclaim.

19 Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out “Woe, woe to the great city, [where] all who had ships on the sea were enriched by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been destroyed.”

20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, and [you] saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced for you [His] judgment against her.

The Doom of Babylon

21 Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a great millstone and cast [it] into the sea, saying: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be cast down, never to be [seen] again.

22 And [the] sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will never ring out in you again. [Nor will] any craftsmen of any trade be [found] in you again, [nor] [the] sound of a millstone be heard in you again.

23 [The] light of a lamp will never shine in you again, and [the] voices of a bride and bridegroom will never call out in you again. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.”

24 And there was found in her [the] blood of prophets and saints, and of all who had been slain on the earth.