BWE - Revelation of John - 18

18:1  After that I saw another angel coming down from the sky. He had much power. The bright light that shone from him lit up the earth.

18:2  He called in a loud voice and said, ‘The big city of Babylon has fallen down! It has fallen down! Bad spirits live in it. All bad spirits hide there. And all kinds of dirty birds that people hate hide there.

18:3  All the nations are broken down because they are full of its wrong ways. The kings of the earth have joined with it. The traders of the earth have become rich because of its wrong ways.’

18:4  Then I heard another voice from the sky that said, ‘Come out of it, my people, so that you will have no part in the wrong things it does. Come out of it so that you will not have the big troubles it will have.

18:5  Its wrong ways are piled as high as the sky and God has remembered the wrong things it has done.

18:6  Do to it what it did to you. Yes, do two times as much to it as it did to you! From the cup it gave you to drink, give it two times as much to drink as it gave to you.

18:7  It is proud of itself and has done wrong things. Give it that much trouble and crying. It says in its heart, “I am like a queen. I am not like a woman who has lost her husband. I will never know sorrow.”

18:8  So then, its big troubles will come in one day. Those troubles are death, crying, hunger, and being burned in a fire. The Lord who has punished it is strong.’

18:9  ‘And the kings of the earth were joined with it in its wrong ways. They will cry and be sad about it when they see the smoke while it burns.

18:10  They will stand far away from it because they are afraid of the trouble it is having. They will say, “Trouble! Trouble! You big, strong city Babylon! In one hour your punishment has come!”

18:11  ‘And the traders of the earth will cry and be sad about it, because no one buys the things they bring to sell.

18:12  They have many things to sell: gold, silver, fine stones, and pearls. They have linen clothes and blue cloth, silk cloth and red cloth. They have all kinds of sweet smelling wood. They have all kinds of things made of ivory. They have all kinds of things made of wood that costs much money, of brass, of iron, and of a stone called marble.

18:13  They have spices and perfume. They have incense and a sweet-smelling oil. They have frankincense and wine and oil. They have fine flour and wheat. They have cows, sheep, horses, and wagons. They have slaves and people to sell.

18:14  The things that your heart wanted are gone from you. All your fine food and clothes are gone from you. You will never find them again.

18:15  The traders will sell these things and got much money from the city. They will stand far away from it because they are afraid of the trouble it is having. They will cry and be sad about it.

18:16  They will say “How terrible for you, you big strong city! You were wearing linen clothes and purple and red clothes. You were shining with gold, fine stones, and pearls.

18:17  In one hour all your great riches are lost.” ‘And all the captains of the boats and all the seamen, the sailors, and all that do business on the sea stood away from it.

18:18  They called out loud when they saw the smoke while it burned. They said, “What city is like that big city?”

18:19  They threw dust on their heads and they called out loud. They cried and were sad. They said, “How terrible for that big city! All the men who had boats on the sea became rich because it was rich. In one hour it is all lost.”

18:20  ‘Be glad for what has happened to it, all you who are in heaven, God’s people, apostles and prophets. God has punished it for what it did to you!’

18:21  Then a strong angel took up a very heavy stone and threw it into the sea. He said, ‘So hard will Babylon the big city be thrown down. It will not be seen again.

18:22  People will not hear music in you again. No harps, no singing, no pipes or horns will ever be heard in you again. No one will make things in you again. The noise of people grinding grain will not be heard in you again.

18:23  No lamp will shine in you again. No one will hear the voice of people being married. Your traders were the big people of the world. All the countries were fooled by your witch doctors.

18:24  The blood of prophets and of God’s people and of all who have been killed on earth was found in that city.’