Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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The Fall of Babylon
1 After this I saw another angel
coming down out of heaven.
He had great authority, and his
splendor brightened the whole earth.
2 He cried out in a loud voice: “She
has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen!
She is now haunted by demons and
unclean spirits; all kinds of filthy and
hateful birds live in her. note
3 For all the
nations have drunk her wine—the
strong wine of her immoral lust. The
kings of the earth practiced sexual
immorality with her, and the businessmen
of the world grew rich
from her unrestrained lust.” note
-- --
4 Then I heard another voice from
heaven, saying,
“Come out, my people! Come out from her!
You must not take part in her sins;
you must not share in her punishment! note
5
For her sins are piled up as high as heaven,
and God remembers her wicked ways. note
6
Treat her exactly as she has treated you;
pay her back double for all she has done.
Fill her cup with a drink twice as strong
as the drink she prepared for you. note
7
Give her as much suffering and grief
as the glory and luxury she gave herself.
For she keeps telling herself:
‘Here I sit, a queen!
I am no widow,
I will never know grief!’
8
Because of this, in one day she will be struck with plagues—
disease, grief, and famine.
And she will be burned with fire,
because the Lord God, who judges her, is mighty.” note
9 The kings of the earth who took
part in her immorality and lust will
cry and weep over the city when
they see the smoke from the flames
that consume her.
10 They stand a
long way off, because they are afraid
of sharing in her suffering. They say,
“How terrible! How awful! This
great and mighty city Babylon! In
just one hour you have been punished!” note
11 The businessmen of the earth
also cry and mourn for her, because
no one buys their goods any longer; note
12 no one buys their gold, silver, precious
stones, and pearls; their goods
of linen, purple cloth, silk, and scarlet
cloth; all kinds of rare woods and
all kinds of objects made of ivory
and of expensive wood, of bronze,
iron, and marble;
13 and cinnamon,
spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense;
wine and oil, flour and wheat,
cattle and sheep, horses and carriages,
slaves, and even human lives. note
14 The businessmen say to her, “All
the good things you longed to own
have disappeared, and all your
wealth and glamor are gone, and
you will never find them again!”
15 The businessmen, who became
rich from doing business in that city,
will stand a long way off, because
they are afraid of sharing in her suffering.
They will cry and mourn, note
16 and say, “How terrible! How awful
-- --
for the great city! She used to dress
herself in linen, purple, and scarlet,
and cover herself with gold ornaments,
precious stones, and pearls!
17 And in one hour she has lost all
this wealth!”
17 All the ships' captains and passengers,
the sailors and all others who
earn their living on the sea, stood a
long way off, note
18 and cried out as they
saw the smoke from the flames that
consumed her: “There never has
been another city like this great
city!” note
19 They threw dust on their
heads, they cried and mourned, saying,
“How terrible! How awful for
the great city! She is the city where
all who have ships sailing the seas
became rich on her wealth! And in
one hour she has lost everything!” note
20 Be glad, heaven, because of her
destruction! Be glad, God's people
and the apostles and prophets! For
God has condemned her for what
she did to you! note
21 Then a mighty angel picked up a
stone the size of a large millstone
and threw it into the sea, saying,
“This is how the great city Babylon
will be violently thrown down and
will never be seen again. note
22 The music
of harps and of human voices, of
players of the flute and the trumpet,
will never be heard in you again! No
workman in any trade will ever be
found in you again; and the sound of
the millstone will be heard no more! note
23 Never again will the light of a
lamp be seen in you; nor more will
the voices of brides and grooms be
heard in you. Your businessmen
were the most powerful in all the
world, and with your false magic
you deceived all the peoples of the
world!” note
24 Babylon was punished because
the blood of prophets and of God's
people was found in the city; yes, the
blood of all those who have been
killed on earth. note
Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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