And after these things I saw an angel coming down out of heaven having great power, and the earth was lightened by his glory. And he cried out mightily with a loud voice saying,
“It has fallen! Babylon the great has fallen and has become a dwelling place of demons and a hold of every unclean spirit and a hold of every unclean and hated bird, because all the nations have drunk of the wine of the fury of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have fornicated with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxury.”
And I heard another voice from heaven saying,
“Come out of her my people, so that you may not have fellowship with her sins, and so that you may not receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached as far as heaven and God has remembered her unrighteous acts. Recompense her even as she delivered to you and double to her double according to her works. In the cup, which she has poured, pour to her double. As much as she has glorified herself and lived luxuriously, so much give her: torment and mourning, because in her heart she says, ‘I’m sitting, a queen and I’m not a widow and may see no sorrow at all.’ Because of this her plagues will come in one day, death and mourning and famine, and she’ll be burnt in a fire, for the Lord God who judges her is strong. And the kings of the earth who’ve fornicated and lived luxuriously with her will weep for her and bewail her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing from far off because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, Babylon the great city, the strong city, for in one hour your judgement has come!’ And the merchants of the earth are weeping and mourning over her, because no one buys their goods any more, goods of gold and of silver and of precious stone and of pearl and of fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet and all thyine wood, and every article of ivory, and every article of most precious wood, and of brass and of iron and of marble, and cinnamon and incense and ointment and frankincense, and wine and oil and finest flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and of horses and of chariots and of bodies and souls of men.
“And the ripe fruits of your soul’s desire have departed from you and all the fat things and the brilliant things have departed from you, and you won’t find them any more at all. The merchants of these things who were made rich by her, will stand far off because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning and saying, ‘Woe! Woe! The great city which was clothed with fine linen and purple and scarlet, and gilded with gold and precious stone and pearls, for in one hour such great wealth was made desolate.’ And every captain and all the company in the ships, and sailors, and as many as work at sea, stood far off and cried out seeing the smoke of her burning saying, ‘What is like the great city?’ And they threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning, saying, “Woe! Woe! The great city in which all who had ships in the sea were made rich from her costliness, for in one hour she has been made desolate! Rejoice over her Oh heaven, and the holy apostles, and the prophets, for God has executed your judgement on her.”
And one strong angel took up a stone, like a great millstone, and hurled it into the sea saying,
“Thus with violence will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down and be found no longer at all. And the sound of harpists and musicians and flautists and trumpeters may not be heard in you any longer at all, and no craftsman of any craft at all may be found in you any longer, and the sound of a millstone may not be heard in you any longer at all. And the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer at all, and the voice of bridegroom and bride may not be heard in you any longer at all, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were misled. And in her was found blood of prophets and saints and of all the ones slaughtered on the earth.”
