Doom to the City of Darkness

1–8  18 Following this I saw another Angel descend from Heaven. His authority was immense, his glory flooded earth with brightness, his voice thunderous:

Ruined, ruined, Great Babylon, ruined!

A ghost town for demons is all that’s left!

A garrison of carrion spirits,

garrison of loathsome, carrion birds.

All nations drank the wild wine of her whoring;

kings of the earth went whoring with her;

entrepreneurs made millions exploiting her.

Just then I heard another shout out of Heaven:

Get out, my people, as fast as you can,

so you don’t get mixed up in her sins,

so you don’t get caught in her doom.

Her sins stink to high Heaven;

God has remembered every evil she’s done.

Give her back what she’s given,

double what she’s doubled in her works,

double the recipe in the cup she mixed;

Bring her flaunting and wild ways

to torment and tears.

Because she gloated, “I’m queen over all,

and no widow, never a tear on my face,”

In one day, disasters will crush her—

death, heartbreak, and famine—

Then she’ll be burned by fire, because God,

the Strong God who judges her,

has had enough.

9–10  “The kings of the earth will see the smoke of her burning, and they’ll cry and carry on, the kings who went night after night to her brothel. They’ll keep their distance for fear they’ll get burned, and they’ll cry their lament:

Doom, doom, the great city doomed!

City of Babylon, strong city!

In one hour it’s over, your judgment come!