5. Her sins are piledas high as heaven.God has remembered the evilshe has done.
6. Treat her as shehas treated others.Make her pay doublefor what she has done.Make her drink twice as muchof what she mixedfor others.
7. That woman honoured herselfwith a life of luxury.Reward her nowwith suffering and pain.“Deep in her heartBabylon said,‘I am the queen!Never will I be a widowor know what it meansto be sad.’
8. And so, in a single dayshe will suffer the painof sorrow, hunger, and death.Fire will destroyher dead body,because her judgeis 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 greatand powerful city!Pity Babylon!In a single hourher 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 thingsyour heart desiredhave all escapedfrom you.Every luxuryand all your glorywill be lost for ever.You will neverget 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 cityof Babylon!She dressed in fine linenand wore purpleand scarlet cloth.She had jewellerymade of goldand precious stonesand pearls.