Threefold Woe Over Babylon’s Fall

⁹ “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her^(A) and shared her luxury^(B) see the smoke of her burning,^(C) they will weep and mourn over her.^{(D) 10} Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off^(E) and cry:

¹¹ “The merchants^(H) of the earth will weep and mourn^(I) over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore^(J)— ¹² cargoes 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;^{(K) 13} cargoes 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.^(L)

¹⁴ “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ ¹⁵ The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her^(M) will stand far off,^(N) terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn^{(O) 16} and cry out:

“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea,^(T) will stand far off.^{(U) 18} When they see the smoke of her burning,^(V) they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city^(W)?’^(X)

The Woman in a Basket

⁵ Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, “Look up and see what is appearing.”

⁶ I asked, “What is it?”

He replied, “It is a basket.^(A)” And he added, “This is the iniquity^[a] of the people throughout the land.”

⁷ Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! ⁸ He said, “This is wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed its lead cover down on it.^(B)

⁹ Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork,^(C) and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.

¹⁰ “Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking to me.

¹¹ He replied, “To the country of Babylonia^[b](D) to build a house^(E) for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.”^(F)