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For this reason, she will experience her plagues[a] in a single day: disease,[b] mourning,[c] and famine, and she will be burned down[d] with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!”

Then[e] the kings of the earth who committed immoral acts with her and lived in sensual luxury[f] with her will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke from the fire that burns her up.[g] 10 They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment, and will say,

“Woe, woe, O great city,
Babylon the powerful city!
For in a single hour your doom[h] has come!”

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 18:8 tn Grk “For this reason, her plagues will come.”
  2. Revelation 18:8 tn Grk “death.” θάνατος (thanatos) can in particular contexts refer to a manner of death, specifically a contagious disease (see BDAG 443 s.v. 3; L&N 23.158).
  3. Revelation 18:8 tn This is the same Greek word (πένθος, penthos) translated “grief” in vv. 7-8.
  4. Revelation 18:8 tn Here “burned down” was used to translate κατακαυθήσεται (katakauthēsetai) because a city is in view.
  5. Revelation 18:9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
  6. Revelation 18:9 tn On the term ἐστρηνίασεν (estrēniasen) BDAG 949 s.v. στρηνιάω states, “live in luxury, live sensually Rv 18:7. W. πορνεύειν vs. 9.”
  7. Revelation 18:9 tn Grk “from the burning of her.” For the translation “the smoke from the fire that burns her up,” see L&N 14.63.
  8. Revelation 18:10 tn Or “judgment,” condemnation,” “punishment.” BDAG 569 s.v. κρίσις 1.a.β states, “The word oft. means judgment that goes against a person, condemnation, and the sentence that follows…ἡ κ. σου your judgment Rv 18:10.”

Therefore in one day(A) her plagues will overtake her:
    death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,(B)
    for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

Threefold Woe Over Babylon’s Fall

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

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,(H)
    you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hour(I) your doom has come!’

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