We're so close to the End, I guess it ddoesn't matter much now.
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY BIBLE FOR DOWNLOAD - BEST TRANSLATION OUT THERE.
The judgment of Babylon
17 • 1 Then one of the se¬ven angels of the seven cups came to me and said, “Now I will show you the judgment of the sov¬ereign prostitute who dwells on the great waters. 2 She it is who let the kings of the earth sin with her; and with the wine of her lewdness the inhabitants of the earth have become drunk.”
3 The angel brought me to the desert: it was a new vision. There a woman was seated on a red beast. The beast, which had seven heads and ten horns, covered itself with titles and statements that offend God. 4 The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, with ornaments of gold, precious stones and pearls. She held in her hands a golden cup full of loathsome idolatry and impure prostitution. 5 Her name could be read on her forehead, written in a mysterious way: Babylon the Great, mother of prostitutes and of the loathsome idols of the whole world. 6 And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the holy ones and the martyrs of Jesus.
What I saw greatly surprised me, 7 but the angel said to me, “Why are you surprised? I will reveal to you the secret of this woman and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that she mounts. 8 The beast you saw has been, though it IS not. It will come up from the abyss and then go to perdition. What a surprise for the inhabitants of the earth whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the creation of the world! They will marvel on discovering that the beast who has been IS not and passes away.
9 Let us see if you guess: the seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. And they are also seven kings, 10 five of which have already fallen, one is in power, and the seventh has not yet come but will remain only a short while. 11 The beast that has been but IS not can be considered as the eighth though it takes place among the seven; and it goes to perdition.
12 The ten horns are ten kings who have not yet received power but will have authority for an hour with the beast. 13 They all have only one aim and they place their authority and power at the service of the beast. 14 They will fight against the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings; and with him will be his fol¬lowers who have been called and chosen and are faithful.
15 The angel went on, “Those waters you saw, on which the prostitute is seated, are peoples, multitudes and nations of every lan¬guage. 16 The ten horns, and the beast itself, will plan evil against the prostitute. They will destroy her and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and set her on fire. 17 God makes use of them to carry out his plan, so he has inspired them with their common purpose and they will place their power at the service of the beast until the words of God are fulfilled. A last word: 18 the woman you saw is the Great City which reigns over the kings of the whole world.”
18 • 1 After this I saw another angel co¬ming down from heaven. So great was his authority that the whole earth was lit up with his glory. 2 In a strong voice he cried out:
“Fallen is Babylon the great! Fallen!
She has become a haunt of demons,
a lodge for every unclean spirit,
a nest for any filthy and disgusting bird.
3 She has made all nations drunk
with the wine of her lewdness,
fornicated with kings of the earth,
and glutted the world’s merchants
with her wantonness and wealth.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven:
“Depart from her, my people,
lest you share in her evil
and so share in her punishments;
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God keeps count of her crimes.
6 Give back to her as she has given,
pay her twice for what she has done.
Let her drink a double portion
of what she made others do.
7 Give her as much torment and grief
as the wantonness she enjoyed herself.
For she said to herself,
‘I sit as queen, I am not a widow,
never will I go into mourning!’
8 And so, suddenly, her plagues will come–
death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,
for mighty is the Lord, the judge,
who has passed sentence on her.”
9 The kings who shared her luxury and com¬¬mitted adultery with her will see the smoke as she burns, and they will weep and lament. 10 They will nevertheless keep their distance, terrified at her punishment, and ex¬claim:
“Alas, alas! Great city that you are,
O Babylon, seat of power!
Your doom has come in a single hour!”
11 The merchants of the world will mourn over her, for they will lose a market for their goods—12 their cargoes of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and pur¬¬ple garments, silk and scarlet cloth, frag¬rant wood, ivory pieces and expensive furniture, bronze, iron and marble, 13 cinnamon and spices, perfume, myrrh and frankincense, wine and olive oil, fine flour and grain, cattle and sheep, horses and car¬riages, slaves and human lives. 14 They will say:
“Gone is the fruit you longed for.
Gone are your luxury and splendor.
Never will you recover them, never!”
15 The merchants who dealt in these goods, who grew rich from business with the city, will stand at a safe distance for fear of her punishment. Weeping and mourning, 16 they will cry out:
“Woe, woe to the great city,
to the linen and purple and scarlet you wore,
to your gold and pearls, your finery,
17 your great wealth destroyed in an hour!”
Every captain and navigator, every sailor and seafarer, will stand afar, 18 crying out on seeing the smoke going up as the city burns to the ground. “What city could have compared with this one?” 19 They will pour dust on their heads and cry out in mourning:
“Alas, alas, great city,
where all who had ships at sea
grew rich through her trade!
In an hour she has been devastated.”
20 Rejoice over her, O heavens!
Rejoice, prophets, saints and apostles!
God has rendered justice to you.
21 A powerful angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying:
“With such violence will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down, never again to be seen.
22 Never again will tunes of harpists, min¬strels, trumpeters and flutists be heard in you. Never again will an artisan of any trade be found in you. Never again will the noise of the mill be heard.
23 Never again will the light of a lamp shine in you. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never again be heard in you.
Because your traders were the world’s great and you led the nations astray by your magic spell. 24 In this city was found blood of prophets and saints—yes, the blood of all who have been slain on the earth.”
