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¹ Then I saw another angel ride out of heaven. You could tell by the way he rode that he had authority and by the way he sat, the saddle brightened the whole earth. ² He hollered out, "She's done for! The great Babylon has fallen. She camps in a ghost town of demons now. Vultures and buzzards live within her. ³ Every nation has partaken of her bittersweet wine of her immoral lust. Kings slept with her and businesses of the world grew rich off of her sexuality."

⁴ Then another voice from heaven shouted, "Pop your dallies and get away from her! Don't partake in her sins; you don't want to share in the punishment she's got comin'. ⁵ Her wrongs are stacked against her all the way to heaven and God will not forget her wicked deeds. ⁶ Give her a taste of her own medicine. Double-cross her like she double-crossed you. Give her twice the crap she's been giving you. ⁷ Throw a trip on her like all the times she reveled in knocking you down. She thinks she's some sort of untouchable queen who will never experience hard times. ⁸ But God's going to give her what she's got coming. In just one day, she'll be afflicted with disaster—festers, failure, and famine. And then she will be thrown in the branding fire because the One who judges her is mighty and just.

⁹ "The rulers of the earth who enjoyed her so much will grovel and weep when they see her burned to the ground. ¹⁰ But they ain't stupid, they won't get too close because they don't want to get a taste of what she's going through. They will say, 'This is horrible. What a waste! In just one hour Babylon has been brought down.'

¹¹ "The businessmen of the earth will also cry out in loss. No one will buy from them anymore. ¹² No one will purchase their gold, silver, jewels, and shiny pearls. No one will buy their fine linen, purple cloth, silk, or scarlet robes, no rare woods or things made of elephant tusk, bronze, metal, or marble. ¹³ There will be no market for their cinnamon, spice, smoking incense, myrrh, or frankincense, wine or oil, flour or wheat, cattle or sheep, horses or carriages, slaves, or even human lives.

¹⁴ "The businessmen will say to her, 'Every fancy trinket you strove for is gone with your wealth and your beauty. They will never be found again.' ¹⁵ These businessmen too will stand a long way off. Neither do they want to share in her suffering. Sure, they will cry and whine ¹⁶ and say, 'This is a total waste. How terrible is this day?! She used to be the most beautiful and decorated thing on earth, ¹⁷ but in one hour she lies in ruin.'

"Others who will stand a long way off and observe the destruction are the ships' captains, their passengers, the sailors, and all who earned their living on the water. ¹⁸ They will also cry out in anguish as the flames consume her. 'She was the greatest city ever!' ¹⁹ They will paw at the dirt and cry and wail, saying, 'This is such terrible loss. This is the worst thing that has ever happened. She made all the ships of the world rich. All of it is gone in one hour.'

²⁰ "But heaven rejoices at her destruction. God's cowboys, prophets, and apostles all let out a cheer. God has paid the whore back for all she did to God's people."

²¹ Then a huge angel picked up a boulder that looked like a millstone and threw it into the sea. He said, "This is how Babylon will be thrown down and never seen again. ²² No more music or choirs, flutes or trumpets will ever be heard from your lips again. No work or trade will ever surface around you. ²³ Never again will your lamp light the way toward sinful deeds; no more will you entice brides and grooms. Your business partners were the most powerful in the world, but now they are none. No longer will your magic influence anyone."

²⁴ Babylon was punished for the blood of God's people who were found inside her gates. Blood from every part of the earth had stained her streets.