Babylon is Fallen
1And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 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. 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.
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. 5For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 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. 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. 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.
Lament over Babylon
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, 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.
11And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 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, 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. 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. 15The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 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! 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, 18And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto 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.
The Saints Rejoice
20Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
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. 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; 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. 24And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
Babylon Is Fallen
(Isaiah 21:1–10)
1 After these things, I saw another angel coming down out of the sky, having great authority. The earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 He cried with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and she has become a habitation of demons, a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality, the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from the abundance of her luxury.”
4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, that you have no participation in her sins, and that you don’t receive of her plagues, 5 for her sins have reached to the sky, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Return to her just as she returned, and repay her double as she did, and according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mix to her double. 7 However much she glorified herself, and grew wanton, so much give her of torment and mourning. For she says in her heart, ‘I sit a queen, and am no widow, and will in no way see mourning.’ 8 Therefore in one day her plagues will come: death, mourning, and famine; and she will be utterly burned with fire; for the Lord God who has judged her is strong.
Lament over Babylon
9 The kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived wantonly with her, will weep and wail over her, when they look at the smoke of her burning, 10 standing far away for the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For your judgment has come in one hour.’
11 The merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise any more; 12 merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, all expensive wood, every vessel of ivory, every vessel made of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon, incense, perfume, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, sheep, horses, chariots, and people’s bodies and souls. 14 The fruits which your soul lusted after have been lost to you, and all things that were dainty and sumptuous have perished from you, and you will find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, will stand far away for the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning; 16 saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, she who was dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 For in an hour such great riches are made desolate.’ Every shipmaster, and everyone who sails anywhere, and mariners, and as many as gain their living by sea, stood far away, 18 and cried out as they looked at the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like the great city?’ 19 They cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her great wealth!’ For in one hour is she made desolate.
20 “Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints, apostles, and prophets; for God has judged your judgment on her.”
The Doom of Babylon
21 A mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down, and will be found no more at all. 22 The voice of harpists, minstrels, flute players, and trumpeters will be heard no more at all in you. No craftsman, of whatever craft, will be found any more at all in you. The sound of a mill will be heard no more at all in you. 23 The light of a lamp will shine no more at all in you. The voice of the bridegroom and of the bride will be heard no more at all in you; for your merchants were the princes of the earth; for with your sorcery all the nations were deceived. 24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on the earth.”
Babylon Is Fallen
(Isaiah 21:1–10)
1 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! a
She has become a lair for demons
and a haunt for every unclean spirit,
every unclean bird,
and every detestable beast. b
3 All the nations have drunk c 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, d
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. e 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 chariots; of slaves and souls of men. 14 And they will say: f
“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 grew 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,
O 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.
Footnotes:
2 a See Isaiah 21:9 and Revelation 14:8.
2 b NE, WH, BYZ, and TR a haunt for every unclean spirit and every unclean and detestable bird.
3 c SBL and WH have fallen by
4 d See Jeremiah 51:45.
9 e Literally when they see the smoke of her burning ; also in verse 18
14 f Literally And:
Babylon is Fallen
1And after these things I saw another messenger coming down out of the heaven, having great authority, and the earth was lightened from his glory, 2and he did cry in might -- a great voice, saying, 'Fall, fall did Babylon the great, and she became a habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird, 3because of the wine of the wrath of her whoredom have all the nations drunk, and the kings of the earth with her did commit whoredom, and merchants of the earth from the power of her revel were made rich.
4And I heard another voice out of the heaven, saying, 'Come forth out of her, My people, that ye may not partake with her sins, and that ye may not receive of her plagues, 5because her sins did follow -- unto the heaven, and God did remember her unrighteousness. 6Render to her as also she did render to you, and double to her doubles according to her works; in the cup that she did mingle mingle to her double. 7'As much as she did glorify herself and did revel, so much torment and sorrow give to her, because in her heart she saith, I sit a queen, and a widow I am not, and sorrow I shall not see; 8because of this, in one day, shall come her plagues, death, and sorrow, and famine; and in fire she shall be utterly burned, because strong is the Lord God who is judging her;
Lament over Babylon
9and weep over her, and smite themselves for her, shall the kings of the earth, who with her did commit whoredom and did revel, when they may see the smoke of her burning, 10from afar having stood because of the fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, the great city! Babylon, the strong city! because in one hour did come thy judgment.
11'And the merchants of the earth shall weep and sorrow over her, because their lading no one doth buy any more; 12lading of gold, and silver, and precious stone, and pearl, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and every vessel of ivory, and every vessel of most precious wood, and brass, and iron, and marble, 13and cinnamon, and odours, and ointment, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep, and of horses, and of chariots, and of bodies and souls of men. 14'And the fruits of the desire of thy soul did go away from thee, and all things -- the dainty and the bright -- did go away from thee, and no more at all mayest thou find them. 15The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, far off shall stand because of the fear of her torment, weeping, and sorrowing, 16and saying, Woe, woe, the great city, that was arrayed with fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and gilded in gold, and precious stone, and pearls -- because in one hour so much riches were made waste! 17'And every shipmaster, and all the company upon the ships, and sailors, and as many as work the sea, far off stood, 18and were crying, seeing the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like to the great city? 19and they did cast dust upon their heads, and were crying out, weeping and sorrowing, saying, Woe, woe, the great city! in which were made rich all having ships in the sea, out of her costliness -- for in one hour was she made waste.
The Saints Rejoice
20'Be glad over her, O heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets, because God did judge your judgment of her!'
21And one strong messenger did take up a stone as a great millstone, and did cast it to the sea, saying, 'Thus with violence shall Babylon be cast, the great city, and may not be found any more at all; 22and voice of harpers, and musicians, and pipers, and trumpeters, may not be heard at all in thee any more; and any artisan of any art may not be found at all in thee any more; and noise of a millstone may not be heard at all in thee any more; 23and light of a lamp may not shine at all in thee any more; and voice of bridegroom and of bride may not be heard at all in thee any more; because thy merchants were the great ones of the earth, because in thy sorcery were all the nations led astray, 24and in her blood of prophets and of saints was found, and of all those who have been slain on the earth.'
The Favor of God paraphrase
The Fall of Babylon
¹ After this, I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. ² With a mighty voice he shouted:
“Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!
She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
³ For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,
and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”
A Call to Come Out of Babylon
⁴ Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
“Come out of her, My people,
so that you will not share in her sins,
so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
⁵ for her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes.
⁶ Give back to her as she has given;
pay her back double for what she has done.
Pour her a double portion from her own cup.
⁷ Give her as much torment and grief
as the glory and luxury she gave herself.
In her heart she boasts,
‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;
I will never mourn.’
⁸ Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:
death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”
The Lament of the Kings and Merchants
⁹ When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. ¹⁰ Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:
“Woe! Woe to you, great city,
you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hour your doom has come!”
¹¹ The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore—¹² cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; ¹³ cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.
¹⁴ “They will say,
‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you.
All your luxury and splendor have vanished,
never to be recovered.’
¹⁵ The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn ¹⁶ and cry out:
“Woe! Woe to you, great city,
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
¹⁷ In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!”
The Lament of the Sea Captains
Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. ¹⁸ When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, “Was there ever a city like this great city?” ¹⁹ They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out:
“Woe! Woe to you, great city,
where all who had ships on the sea
became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!”
Rejoicing Over Babylon’s Fall
²⁰ “Rejoice over her, you heavens!
Rejoice, you people of God!
Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her
with the judgment she imposed on you.”
The Finality of Babylon’s Fall
²¹ Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said:
“With such violence
the great city of Babylon will be thrown down,
never to be found again.
²² The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters,
will never be heard in you again.
No worker 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.
Your merchants were the world’s important people.
By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.
²⁴ In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people,
of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
Footnotes:
1.The fall of “Babylon the Great” (verse 2) is symbolic of the collapse of a corrupt and idolatrous world system. Babylon represents all that stands in opposition to God’s kingdom, particularly the pursuit of wealth and power at the cost of righteousness.
2.The call to “come out of her” (verse 4) is a warning to God’s people to distance themselves from the corruption and sin of the world system, so they are not caught up in its judgment. This echoes Old Testament warnings to flee from the destruction of cities under God’s judgment (Isaiah 48:20, Jeremiah 51:6).
3.Babylon’s “luxuries” (verse 3) highlight the materialism and decadence that characterized this symbolic city. The list of goods in verses 12-13 reflects a focus on wealth, power, and exploitation, even to the point of trading in human lives (slavery).
4.The lament of the kings, merchants, and sea captains (verses 9-19) emphasizes the widespread influence of Babylon and the sorrow of those who profited from her. The rapidity of her fall (“in one hour”) demonstrates the sudden and irreversible nature of God’s judgment.
5.The “millstone” (verse 21) cast into the sea represents the finality and total destruction of Babylon. This imagery is meant to show that Babylon’s downfall is permanent, and there will be no restoration of her former power.
6.The repetition of “never again” in verses 22-23 underscores the absolute end of the city’s influence. All signs of life and prosperity are gone, leaving only judgment and desolation as a result of her corrupt actions.
7.The judgment of Babylon (verse 24) is justified by her persecution of God’s people. Her destruction serves as vindication for the blood of the prophets and the righteous, showing that God remembers the suffering of His people and will bring justice.
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