REV 18:9-20

Lament over Babylon

9And the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived luxuriously with her will weep and beat their breasts over her when they see the smoke of her burning, [18:10] standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying: 'Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.' [18:11] And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any longer — [18:12] cargo of gold and of silver and of precious stone and of pearls and of fine linen and of purple and of silk and of scarlet, and all citron wood and every article of ivory and every article of most precious wood and of bronze and of iron and of marble, [18:13] and cinnamon and amomum and incense and myrrh and frankincense and wine and oil and finest flour and wheat and cattle and sheep and of horses and of chariots and of bodies — that is, souls of men. [18:14] And the ripe fruit of the desire of your soul has departed from you, and all the sumptuous things and the splendid things have perished from you, and they will certainly no longer find them. [18:15] The merchants of these things, who were enriched from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, [18:16] saying: 'Woe, woe, the great city, clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stone and pearl! [18:17] For in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste.' And every ship's captain and everyone sailing to any place and sailors and all who work the sea stood at a distance — stood at a distance — [18:18] and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying: 'What city is like the great city?' [18:19] And they threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning, saying: 'Woe, woe, the great city, by which all who had ships at sea were made rich from her wealth! For in one hour she has been laid waste.' [18:20] Rejoice over her, O heaven, and the saints and the apostles and the prophets! For God has rendered your judgment against her.

In the world it was spoken into

In the first century, the imagery of Babylon in Revelation 18:9-20 would evoke Rome’s imperial dominance and its economic exploitation of the Mediterranean world. The ‘kings of the earth’ who ‘committed sexual immorality’ with Babylon likely refer to political alliances and idolatrous compromises with Rome’s power. The merchants’ lament over the loss of luxury goods—gold, silver, precious stones, and even human bodies —reflects Rome’s vast trade networks, which relied on enslaved labor and the extraction of wealth from conquered provinces. The term ‘living luxuriously’ suggests not just indulgence but a reckless, insolent excess that characterized Rome’s elite. The physical grief expressed by kings and merchants underscores the shock of Babylon’s sudden downfall, a reversal of fortunes that would resonate with subjugated peoples who suffered under Roman rule. The passage critiques Rome’s economic and moral corruption through the lens of prophetic judgment, drawing on Old Testament imagery of Babylon’s destruction.

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How other translations render this

REV 18:9

KJV: And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
BSB: Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her.
Koinōnos: And the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived luxuriously with her will weep and beat their breasts over her when they see the smoke of her burning,

REV 18:10

KJV: Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
BSB: In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”
Koinōnos: standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying: 'Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.

REV 18:11

KJV: And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
BSB: And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo—
Koinōnos: And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any longer —

REV 18:12

KJV: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
BSB: cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble;
Koinōnos: cargo of gold and of silver and of precious stone and of pearls and of fine linen and of purple and of silk and of scarlet, and all citron wood and every article of ivory and every article of most precious wood and of bronze and of iron and of marble,

REV 18:13

KJV: And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
BSB: of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages; of bodies and souls of slaves.
Koinōnos: and cinnamon and amomum and incense and myrrh and frankincense and wine and oil and finest flour and wheat and cattle and sheep and of horses and of chariots and of bodies — that is, souls of men.

REV 18:14

KJV: And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
BSB: And they will say: “The fruit of your soulʼs desire has departed from you; all your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be seen again.”
Koinōnos: And the ripe fruit of the desire of your soul has departed from you, and all the sumptuous things and the splendid things have perished from you, and they will certainly no longer find them.

REV 18:15

KJV: The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
BSB: The merchants who sold these things and grew gaimed wealth from her will stand at a distance, in fear of her torment. They will weep and mourn,
Koinōnos: The merchants of these things, who were enriched from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning,

REV 18:16

KJV: And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
BSB: saying: “Woe, woe to the great city, clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!
Koinōnos: saying: 'Woe, woe, the great city, clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stone and pearl!

REV 18:17

KJV: For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
BSB: For in a single hour such fabulous wealth has been destroyed!” Every shipmaster, passenger, and sailor, and all who make their living from the sea, will stand at a distance
Koinōnos: For in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste.' And every ship's captain and everyone sailing to any place and sailors and all who work the sea stood at a distance — stood at a distance —

REV 18:18

KJV: And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
BSB: and cry out at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. “What city was ever like this great city?” they will exclaim.
Koinōnos: and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying: 'What city is like the great city?

REV 18:19

KJV: And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
BSB: Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, where all who had ships on the sea were enriched by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been destroyed.”
Koinōnos: And they threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning, saying: 'Woe, woe, the great city, by which all who had ships at sea were made rich from her wealth! For in one hour she has been laid waste.

REV 18:20

KJV: Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
BSB: Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced for you His judgment against her.
Koinōnos: Rejoice over her, O heaven, and the saints and the apostles and the prophets! For God has rendered your judgment against her.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Translator's notes

REV 18:9

and:The word translated 'and' here is part of a phrase that means to beat one's breast in lamentation, a common gesture of intense grief and mourning in the ancient world.
her:The term used here for 'her' refers to engaging in illicit sexual activity, often with a connotation of spiritual unfaithfulness or idolatry when applied metaphorically.
and:The word translated 'and' here describes living luxuriously and wantonly, often implying arrogance or excessive indulgence that leads to moral decay.

REV 18:13

of slaves:The word translated 'of slaves' literally means 'bodies,' and in this context, it refers to human beings as property, emphasizing their status as commodities to be bought and sold.