The Fall of Babylon
18 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, vand the earth was made bright with his glory. 2 And he called out with a mighty voice,
w“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become a dwelling place for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
xa haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
3 For all nations have drunk1
the ywine of the passion of her sexual immorality,
and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,
and the zmerchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,
a“Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;
5 for bher sins are heaped high as heaven,
and cGod has remembered her iniquities.
6 dPay her back eas she herself has paid back others,
and repay her fdouble for her deeds;
mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.
7 As she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
so give her a like measure of torment and mourning,
since in her heart she says,
g‘I sit as a queen,
I am no widow,
and mourning I shall never see.’
8 For this reason her plagues will come hin a single day,
death and mourning and famine,
and she will be iburned up with fire;
for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”
9 jAnd the kings of the earth, kwho committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. 10 They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,
“Alas! Alas! You great city,
you mighty city, Babylon!
For in a single hour your judgment has come.”
11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, 12 cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.2
14 “The fruit for which your soul longed
has gone from you,
and all your delicacies and your splendors
are lost to you,
never to be found again!”
15 The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,
16 “Alas, alas, for the great city
that was clothed in fine linen,
lin purple and scarlet,
adorned with gold,
with jewels, and with pearls!
17 For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.”
mAnd all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off 18 and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning,
“What city was like the great city?”
19 And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out,
“Alas, alas, for the great city
where all who had ships at sea
grew rich by her wealth!
For in a single hour she has been laid waste.
20 nRejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and apostles and prophets,
for God has given judgment for you against her!”
21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and othrew it into the sea, saying,
“So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence,
and will be found no more;
22 and pthe sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters,
will be heard in you no more,
and a craftsman of any craft
will be found in you no more,
and qthe sound of the mill
will be heard in you no more,
23 and the light of a lamp
will shine in you no more,
and rthe voice of bridegroom and bride
will be heard in you no more,
for your merchants were the great ones of the earth,
and all nations were deceived by your ssorcery.
24 And in her was found the tblood of prophets and of saints,
and of uall who have been slain on earth.”
Rejoicing in Heaven
19 After this I heard what seemed to be the vloud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power wbelong to our God,
2 for his judgments are xtrue and just;
for he has judged the ygreat prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and has zavenged on her the blood of his servants.”
3 Once more they cried out,
“Hallelujah!
4 And the ctwenty-four elders and the dfour living creatures efell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, f“Amen. Hallelujah!” 5 And from the throne came a voice saying,
g“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who hfear him,
ismall and great.”
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, jlike the roar of many waters and klike the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty lreigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the mLamb has come,
and his nBride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
9 And the angel said1 to me, o“Write this: pBlessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, q“These are the true words of God.” 10 Then rI fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is sthe spirit of prophecy.
The Rider on a White Horse
11 Then I saw theaven opened, and behold, a uwhite horse! The one sitting on it is called vFaithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 wHis eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written xthat no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe ydipped in2 blood, and the name by which he is called is zThe Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 aFrom his mouth comes a sharp sword bwith which to strike down the nations, and che will rule3 them dwith a rod of iron. He will etread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, fKing of kings and Lord of lords.
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice ghe called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18 hto eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave,4 both small and great.” 19 And I saw ithe beast and the kings of the earth with their armies jgathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with it kthe false prophet lwho in its presence5 had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who mworshiped its image. nThese two were thrown alive into the olake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.
The Thousand Years
20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand pthe key to the bottomless pit1 and a great chain. 2 And he seized qthe dragon, rthat ancient serpent, who is the sdevil and tSatan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not udeceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
4 Then I saw vthrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw wthe souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their xforeheads or their hands. They came to life and yreigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such zthe second death has no power, but they will be apriests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
The Defeat of Satan
7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, bGog and Magog, to cgather them for battle; dtheir number is like the sand of the sea. 9 eAnd they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but ffire came down from heaven2 and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them gwas thrown into the hlake of ifire and sulfur where the beast and jthe false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Judgment Before the Great White Throne
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky kfled away, and lno place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and mbooks were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the nbook of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, oDeath and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 pThen Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
The New Heaven and the New Earth
21 Then I saw a qnew heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, rnew Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a sbride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a tloud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place1 of God is with man. uHe will vdwell with them, and wthey will be his people,2 and God himself will be with them as their God.3 4 He will xwipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, y“Write this down, for zthese words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! aI am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the bwater of life cwithout payment. 7 dThe one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my eson. 8 But as for fthe cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the glake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is hthe second death.”
The New Jerusalem
9 Then came one of the iseven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the jBride, the wife of the kLamb.” 10 And he lcarried me away in the Spirit mto a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance nlike a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a ogreat, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and pon the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had qtwelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve rapostles of the Lamb.
15 And the one who spoke with me had a smeasuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16 The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia.4 Its length and width and height are equal. 17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits5 by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. 18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned twith every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has uno need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 vBy its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and wits gates will never be shut by day—and xthere will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But ynothing unclean zwill ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s abook of life.
The River of Life
22 Then the angel1 showed me the briver of the cwater of life, bright as dcrystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the eLamb 2 through the middle of fthe street of the city; also, gon either side of the river, the htree of life2 with its twelve kinds of fruit, iyielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 jNo longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will ksee his face, and lhis name will be on their foreheads. 5 And mnight will be no more. nThey will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will oreign forever and ever.
Jesus Is Coming
6 And he said to me, p“These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of qthe spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants rwhat must soon take place.”
7 “And behold, sI am coming soon. tBlessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, uI fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
10 And he said to me, “Do not vseal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for wthe time is near. 11 xLet the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, yand the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
12 “Behold, I am coming soon, zbringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 aI am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
14 Blessed are those who bwash their robes,3 cso that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 dOutside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my eangel to testify to you about these things for fthe churches. I am the groot and the descendant of David, the bright hmorning star.”
17 The Spirit and the iBride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And jlet the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone kadds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. lCome, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.4 Amen.
