سقوط بابل
1 ورَأيتُ بَعدَ ذلِكَ مَلاكًا آخَرَ نازِلاً مِنَ السّماءِ، لَه سُلطانٌ عظيمٌ، فاَستَنارَتِ الأرضُ مِنْ بَهائِهِ. 2 وصاحَ بِأعلى صَوتِهِ: «سَقَطَتْ، سَقَطَتْ بابِلُ العظيمةُ! صارَتْ مَسكِنًا لِلشَياطينِ ومأَوًى لِجميعِ الأرواحِ النّجِسَةِ وجميعِ الطّيورِ النّجسَةِ البغيضَةِ! 3 لأنّ الأُمَمَ كُلّها شَرِبَت مِنْ فَورَةِ خَمرِ زِناها، ومُلوك الأرضِ زَنَوا بِها، وتُجّار العالَمِ اَغتَنوا مِنْ كَثرةِ نَعيمِها!»
4 وسَمِعتُ صوتًا آخرَ مِنَ السّماءِ يَقولُ:
أُخرُجْ مِنها، يا شَعبـي!
لِئَلاّ تُشارِكَ في خَطاياها
فَتُصِيبَكَ نكَباتُها.
5 خَطاياها تكَدّسَتْ إلى السّماءِ
واللهُ تَذكّرَ شُرورَها.
6 عامِلوها بِمِثلِ ما عامَلَتْكُم
وضاعِفوا لها جَزاءَ أعمالِها
وضاعِفوا المَزجَ في الكَأسِ التي مَزَجَتْها
7 عَذّبوها واَجعَلوا حُزْنَها
على قَدْرِ ما تَمَجّدَتْ وتَنَعّمَتْ.
تَقولُ في قَلبِها:
أَجلِسُ هُنا كَمَلِكَةٍ!
ما أنا أرمَلَةٌ ولَنْ أَعرِفَ الحُزنَ.
8 لذلِكَ تَنزِلُ بِها النّكَباتُ في يومٍ واحِدٍ:
وباءٌ وحُزنٌ وجُوعٌ،
وتَحتَرِقُ بِالنّارِ لأنّ الذي يَدينُها
هُوَ الرّبّ الإلهُ القَديرُ».
9 سَيَبكي علَيها مُلوكُ الأرضِ الذينَ زَنَوا بِها وتَنَعّموا مَعَها، ويَنوحونَ حينَ يُشاهِدونَ دُخانَ لَهيبِها، 10 ويَقِفونَ على بُعدٍ مِنها خَوفًا مِنْ عَذابِها وهُمْ يَقولونَ: «الوَيلُ! الوَيلُ! أيّتُها المدينةُ العظيمةُ، يا بابِلُ المدينةُ الجَبّارَةُ، في ساعةٍ واحِدةٍ جاءَتْ دينونتُكِ!»
11 وسَيَبكي علَيها تُجّارُ الأرضِ ويَندُبونَها، لأنّ بِضاعَتَهُم لَنْ تَجِدَ مَنْ يَشتَريها. 12 بِضاعَةٌ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ وفِضّةٍ وحَجَرٍ كَريمٍ ولُؤلُؤٍ وكَتّانٍ وأُرجوانٍ وحَريرٍ وقِرمِزٍ وأنواعِ الطّيوبِ ومَصنوعاتِ العاجِ والخَشَبِ الثّمينِ، ونُحاسٍ وحَديدٍ ورُخامٍ 13 وقُرفَةٍ وبَخورٍ وعُطرٍ ومُرّ ولُبانٍ وخمرٍ وزَيتٍ ودَقيقٍ وحِنطَةٍ وبَهائِمَ وغَنَمٍ وخَيلٍ وعَرَباتٍ وأجسادِ عَبـيدٍ ونُفوسِ بَشَرٍ. 14 يَقولُ التُجّارُ: «الثَمَرُ الذي اَشتَهَتْهُ نَفسُكِ ذهَبَ عَنكِ وزالَ التّرَفُ والبَهاءُ جَميعًا ولَنْ تَجديهِ!» 15 هَؤُلاءِ التّجّارُ الذينَ اَغتَنَوا بِتِجارَتِهِم مِنْ تِلكَ المدينةِ سيَقِفونَ على بُعدٍ مِنها، خَوفًا مِنْ عَذابِها، فيبكُونَ ويَنوحونَ 16 ويَقولونَ: «الوَيلُ، الوَيلُ! أيّتُها المدينةُ العَظيمةُ! كانَت تَلبَسُ الكَتّانَ والأُرجُوانَ والقِرمِزَ، وتَتَحلّى بِالذّهَبِ والحَجَرِ الكَريمِ واللُؤلُؤِ! 17 في ساعَةٍ واحِدَةٍ تَبَدّدَ كُلّ هذا الغِنى».
ورَبابِنَةُ السّفُنِ ورُكّابُها وبَحّارَتُها وجميعُ الذينَ يَرتَزِقونَ في البحرِ وَقَفوا مِنْ بَعيدٍ 18 وصاحوا، وهُمْ يَنظُرونَ إلى دُخانِ لَهيبِها: «أيّ مدينةٍ تُشبِهُ المدينةَ العظيمةَ!» 19 وألقوا التّرابَ على رُؤُوسِهِم وأخذوا يَبكونَ ويَندُبونَ ويَصيحونَ: «الوَيلُ! الوَيلُ! أيّتُها المدينةُ العظيمةُ! مِنْ نَفائِسِها اَغتَنَى جميعُ أصحابِ السّفُنِ في البحرِ! في ساعَةٍ واحِدةٍ تَبَدّدَ كُلّ شيءٍ فيها».
20 «إفرَحي أيّتُها السّماءُ لِخرابِها! إِفرَحوا أيّها القِدّيسونَ والرّسُلُ والأنبِـياءُ، لأنّ اللهَ عاقَبَها على ما فعَلَتْ بِكُم».
21 وتَناوَلَ ملاكٌ جَبّارٌ حَجَرًا كَحَجرِ طاحونٍ عَظيمةٍ ورَماهُ في البحرِ وقالَ: «هكذا تُرمى بابِلُ العَظيمةُ بِعُنفٍ، ولَنْ تُوجَدَ منْ بَعدُ أبدًا. 22 لَنْ يُسمَعَ فيكِ أصواتُ المُغَنّينَ وأنغامُ القيثارَةِ والمِزمارِ والبوقِ، ولَنْ يُوجَدَ فيكِ صانِـعٌ، أيّا كانَت صِناعَتُهُ، ولَنْ يُسمَعَ فيكِ صوتُ الطّاحونِ، 23 ولَنْ يُسمَعَ فيكِ صوتُ عَريسٍ وعَروسٍ، لأنّ تُجّارَكِ كانوا عُظماءَ الأرضِ وسِحْرَكِ أضَلّ جَميعَ الأُمَمِ. 24 وفيها شوهِدَ دَمُ الأنبِـياءِ والقِدّيسينَ وجميعُ الذينَ سَقَطوا قَتلى في الأرضِ».
The Fall of Babylon
1 I saw another angel come from heaven. This one had great power, and the earth was bright because of his glory. 2 The angel shouted,
“Fallen! Powerful Babylon
has fallen
and is now the home
of demons.
It is the den
of every filthy spirit
and of all unclean birds,
and every dirty
and hated animal.
3 Babylon's evil and immoral wine
has made all nations drunk.
Every king on earth
has slept with her,
and every merchant on earth
is rich because of
her evil desires.”
4 Then I heard another voice
from heaven shout,
“My people, you must escape
from Babylon.
Don't take part in her sins
and share her punishment.
5 Her sins are piled
as high as heaven.
God has remembered the evil
she has done.
6 Treat her as she
has treated others.
Make her pay double
for what she has done.
Make her drink twice as much
of what she mixed
for others.
7 That woman honored herself
with a life of luxury.
Reward her now
with suffering and pain.
“Deep in her heart
Babylon said,
‘I am the queen!
Never will I be a widow
or know what it means
to be sad.’
8 And so, in a single day
she will suffer the pain
of sorrow, hunger, and death.
Fire will destroy
her dead body,
because her judge
is the powerful Lord God.”
9 Every king on earth who slept with her and shared in her luxury will mourn. They will weep, when they see the smoke from that fire. 10 Her sufferings will frighten them, and they will stand at a distance and say,
“Pity that great
and powerful city!
Pity Babylon!
In a single hour
her judgment has come.”
11 Every merchant on earth will mourn, because there is no one to buy their goods. 12 There won't be anyone to buy their gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, sweet-smelling wood, fancy carvings of ivory and wood, as well as things made of bronze, iron, or marble. 13 No one will buy their cinnamon, spices, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, slaves, and other humans.
14 Babylon, the things
your heart desired
have all escaped
from you.
Every luxury
and all your glory
will be lost forever.
You will never
get them back.
15 The merchants had become rich because of her. But when they saw her sufferings, they were terrified. They stood at a distance, crying and mourning. 16 Then they shouted,
“Pity the great city
of Babylon!
She dressed in fine linen
and wore purple
and scarlet cloth.
She had jewelry
made of gold
and precious stones
and pearls.
17 Yet in a single hour
her riches disappeared.”
Every ship captain and passenger and sailor stood at a distance, together with everyone who does business by traveling on the sea. 18 When they saw the smoke from her fire, they shouted, “This was the greatest city ever!”
19 They cried loudly, and in their sorrow they threw dust on their heads, as they said,
“Pity the great city
of Babylon!
Everyone who sailed the seas
became rich
from her treasures.
But in a single hour
the city was destroyed.
20 The heavens should be happy
with God's people
and apostles and prophets.
God has punished her
for them.”
21 A powerful angel then picked up a huge stone and threw it into the sea. The angel said,
“This is how the great city
of Babylon
will be thrown down,
never to rise again.
22 The music of harps and singers
and of flutes and trumpets
will no longer be heard.
No workers will ever
set up shop in that city,
and the sound
of grinding grain
will be silenced forever.
23 Lamps will no longer shine
anywhere in Babylon,
and couples will never again
say wedding vows there.
Her merchants ruled
the earth,
and by her witchcraft
she fooled all nations.
24 On the streets of Babylon
is found the blood
of God's people
and of his prophets,
and everyone else.”