World English Bible · Under Rome
Revelation 18
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After these things, I saw another coming down out of , having great . The earth was illuminated with his . He cried with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is the great, and she has become a habitation of , a prison of every , and a prison of every and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the of the of her sexual immorality, the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from the abundance of her luxury." I heard another voice from , saying, "Come out of her, my people, that you have no participation in her , and that you don't receive of her plagues, for her have reached to , and has remembered her . Return to her as she returned, and her double as she did, and according to her works. In which she mixed, mix to her double. However much she glorified herself and grew wanton, so much give her of torment and . For she says in her , 'I sit a queen, and am no , and will in no way see .' Therefore in one day her plagues will come: , , and ; and she will be utterly burned with , for who has judged her is strong. The kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived wantonly with her will weep and over her, when they look at the smoke of her burning, standing far away for the fear of her torment, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, , the strong city! For your has come in one hour.' The merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise any more: merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, all expensive wood, every of ivory, every made of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble; and cinnamon, , perfume, , , olive oil, , wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, and people's bodies and . The fruits which your lusted after have been lost to you. All things that were dainty and sumptuous have from you, and you will find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, will stand far away for the fear of her torment, weeping and , saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, she who was dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls! For in an hour such great riches are made desolate.' Every ship master, and everyone who sails anywhere, and mariners, and as many as gain their living by sea, stood far away, and cried out as they looked at the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What is like the great city?' They cast on their heads, and cried, weeping and , saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her great wealth!' For she is made desolate in one hour. "Rejoice over her, O , you , , and , for has judged your on her." A mighty took up a stone like a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, "Thus with will , the great city, be thrown down, and will be found no more at all. The voice of harpists, minstrels, flute players, and trumpeters will be heard no more at all in you. No craftsman of whatever craft will be found any more at all in you. The sound of a mill will be heard no more at all in you. of a lamp will shine no more at all in you. The voice of the and of the will be heard no more at all in you, for your merchants were the princes of the earth; for with your all the nations were deceived. In her was found of and of , and of all who have been slain on the earth."
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.