Chapter 18

1After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was lit up by his splendor. Great entrance. Lit up everything. Great lighting.

2With a mighty voice he shouted, “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She's become a home for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal. Fallen. The swamp. Drained. Finally drained. Now it's just rats and birds.

3Because all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her corruption. The kings of the earth got in bed with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.” Grew rich. Some of those merchants were very good businessmen. Very good. But they backed the wrong city.

4Then I heard another voice from heaven say, “Come out of her, my people, so you won't share in her sins, so you won't get any of her plagues. Come out. Get out of the swamp. Leave. Now.

5Because her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Piled up. All the way to heaven. And he remembered. He always remembers.

6Give back to her as she's given. Pay her back double for what she's done. Pour her a double portion from her own cup. Double. Pay her back double. That's how you do it. Never just even. Double.

7Give her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she brags, 'I sit enthroned as queen. I'm not a widow. I'll never mourn.' Thought she was untouchable. They always think they're untouchable.

8So in one day her plagues will overtake her. Death, mourning, and famine. She'll be consumed by fire, because mighty is the boss God who judges her. One day. All at once. Very efficient judgment.

9When the kings of the earth who got in bed with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they'll cry and mourn over her. The kings crying. Her friends. Crying.

10Terrified at her torment, they'll stand far off and cry, 'Too bad! Too bad, you great city, you mighty city of Babylon! In one hour your doom has come!' Stand far off. Of course. Nobody wants to get too close. Distance themselves. They always distance themselves.

11The merchants of the earth will cry and mourn over her, because nobody buys their cargo anymore. Nobody's buying. Market crash. Terrible.

12Cargoes 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. Very good merchandise. Honestly. Some of it was very nice. Marble. Gold. I'd have bought some of it.

13Cargoes 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. That last one. Very bad. Very evil. The rest was good merchandise.

14They'll say, 'The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.' Gone. All of it. Never recovered. A total write-off.

15The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They'll cry and mourn

16and shout, 'Too bad! Too bad, you great city, dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones, and pearls! Glittering. Very glittery. Gold-plated, though. I could tell.

17In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!' Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. One hour. Total ruin. Biggest bankruptcy in history. Not mine. Hers.

18When they see the smoke of her burning, they'll shout, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?' Great city. Was. Past tense.

19They'll throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out, 'Too bad! Too bad, you great city, where everybody who had ships on the sea got rich through her wealth! In one hour she's been brought to ruin!' Got rich off her. Then she collapsed. Diversify. Always diversify.

20“Celebrate over her, you heavens! Celebrate, you people of God! Apostles and prophets! God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.” Celebrate. The judgment she gave you, she got. Exactly. Retribution.

21Then 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. Threw it. Into the sea. Gone. Never found again.

22The 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. No music. No trumpets. No Trumps. Never again. That's how you know it's dead.

23The 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. The important people. The elites. Under a spell. The spell is broken.

24In her was found the blood of prophets and of God's people, of all who've been killed on the earth.” All of it. Found. The evidence. It all came out. Everything comes out eventually.