Revelation 18:2
1 After this I saw another angel descending from heaven with great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory.
And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast.
3 All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from the extravagance of her luxury.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or contract any of her plagues.
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast.
- KJV
- And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
- WEB
- He cried with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and she has become a habitation of demons, a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hated bird!
- ASV
- And he cried with a mighty voice, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and is become a habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird.
- DARBY
- And he cried with a strong voice, saying, Great Babylon has fallen, has fallen, and has become the habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hated bird;
- BLB
- And he cried out in a strong voice, saying: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! And she has become a habitation of demons, and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean bird, and a prison of every unclean creature also having been hated.
- ÅB
- og han ropte med sterk røst og sa: Falt, falt er Babylon, den store, og den er blitt et bosted for onde ånder, og et fengsel for hver uren ånd, og et fengsel for hver uren og hatet fugl;
- OTB
- Han ropte med kraftig røst og sa:
"Falt, falt er Babylon den store!
Hun har blitt et tilholdssted for demoner
og et fengsel for hver uren ånd,
et fengsel for hver uren og avskyelig fugl. - B1930
- og han ropte med sterk røst og sa: Falt, falt er Babylon, den store, og den er blitt et bosted for onde ånder, og et fengsel for hver uren ånd, og et fengsel for hver uren og hatet fugl;
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Jeremiah 51:8
Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been shattered. Wail for her; get her balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed.
Read in contextRevelation 14:8
Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.”
Read in contextJeremiah 51:37
Babylon will become a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals, an object of horror and scorn, without inhabitant.
Read in contextJeremiah 50:39–40
So the desert creatures and hyenas will live there and ostriches will dwell there. It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation.
Read in contextJeremiah 51:60–64
Jeremiah had written on a single scroll about all the disaster that would come upon Babylon—all these words that had been written concerning Babylon.
Read in contextRevelation 16:19
The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. And God remembered Babylon the great and gave her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath.
Read in contextIsaiah 21:8–9
Then the lookout shouted: “Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; night after night I stay at my post.
Read in contextRevelation 18:21
Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be cast down, never to be seen again.
Read in context