Revelation 18:2-4
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
2 [a]He cried out in a mighty voice:
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.(A)
She has become a haunt for demons.
She is a cage for every unclean spirit,
a cage for every unclean bird,
[a cage for every unclean] and disgusting [beast].
3 For all the nations have drunk[b]
the wine of her licentious passion.
The kings of the earth had intercourse with her,
and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her drive for luxury.”(B)
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
“Depart from her,[c] my people,
so as not to take part in her sins
and receive a share in her plagues,(C)
Footnotes
- 18:2 Many Greek manuscripts and versions omit a cage for every unclean…beast.
- 18:3–24 Rome is condemned for her immorality, symbol of idolatry (see note on Rev 14:4), and for persecuting the church; cf. Rev 19:2.
- 18:4 Depart from her: not evacuation of the city but separation from sinners, as always in apocalyptic literature.
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