Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: “’Woe! Woe to you, great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’ New Living Translation And they will weep and throw dust on their heads to show their grief. And they will cry out, “How terrible, how terrible for that great city! The shipowners became wealthy by transporting her great wealth on the seas. In a single moment it is all gone.” English Standard Version And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste. Berean Standard Bible 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.” Berean Literal Bible And they cast dust upon their heads, and they were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying: "Woe, woe, the great city, in which all those having ships in the sea were enriched through her wealth! For in one hour she has been brought to desolation." King James Bible 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. New King James Version “They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’ New American Standard Bible And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich from her prosperity, for in one hour she has been laid waste!’ NASB 1995 “And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!’ NASB 1977 “And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!’ Legacy Standard Bible And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, crying and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who have ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!’ Amplified Bible And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, for the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich from her great wealth, because in one hour she has been laid waste!’ Christian Standard Bible They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning, Woe, woe, the great city, where all those who have ships on the sea became rich from her wealth; for in a single hour she was destroyed. Holman Christian Standard Bible They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning: Woe, woe, the great city, where all those who have ships on the sea became rich from her wealth, for in a single hour she was destroyed. American Standard Version And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, wherein all that had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. Contemporary English Version They cried loudly, and in their sorrow they threw dust on their heads, as they said, "Pity the great city of Babylon! Everyone who sailed the seas became rich from her treasures. But in a single hour the city was destroyed. English Revised Version And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, wherein were made rich all that had their ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. GOD'S WORD® Translation Then they threw dust on their heads and shouted while crying and mourning, 'How horrible, how horrible for that important city. Everyone who had a ship at sea grew rich because of that city's high prices. In one moment it has been destroyed!' Good News Translation They threw dust on their heads, they cried and mourned, saying, "How terrible! How awful for the great city! She is the city where all who have ships sailing the seas became rich on her wealth! And in one hour she has lost everything!" International Standard Version Then they threw dust on their heads and shouted while crying and mourning: "How terrible, how terrible it is for the great city, where all who had ships at sea became rich from her wealth, because it has been destroyed in a single hour! Majority Standard Bible 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.” NET Bible And they threw dust on their heads and were shouting with weeping and mourning, "Woe, Woe, O great city--in which all those who had ships on the sea got rich from her wealth--because in a single hour she has been destroyed!" New Heart English Bible They cast dust on their heads, and shouting, weeping and mourning, 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 in one hour is she made desolate. Webster's Bible Translation And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, in which were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her opulence! for in one hour is she made desolate. Weymouth New Testament And they threw dust upon their heads, and cried out, weeping aloud and sorrowing. 'Alas, alas,' they said, 'for this great city, in which, through her vast wealth, the owners of all the ships on the sea have grown rich; because in one short hour she has been laid waste!' World English Bible They cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, 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. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd they cast dust on their heads, and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, the great city! In which were made rich all having ships in the sea, out of her costliness—for in one hour was she made desolate. Berean Literal Bible And they cast dust upon their heads, and they were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying: "Woe, woe, the great city, in which all those having ships in the sea were enriched through her wealth! For in one hour she has been brought to desolation." Young's Literal Translation and they did cast dust upon their heads, and were crying out, weeping and sorrowing, saying, Woe, woe, the great city! in which were made rich all having ships in the sea, out of her costliness -- for in one hour was she made waste. Smith's Literal Translation And they cast earth upon their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, in which all having ships in the sea were rich by her value! for in one hour was she rendered a desert. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd they cast dust upon their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying: Alas! alas! that great city, wherein all were made rich, that had ships at sea, by reason of her prices: for in one hour she is made desolate. Catholic Public Domain Version And they cast dust upon their heads. And they cried out, weeping and mourning, saying: ‘Woe! Woe! to that great city, by which all who had ships at sea were made rich from her treasures. For she has been made desolate in one hour. New American Bible They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning: “Alas, alas, great city, in which all who had ships at sea grew rich from her wealth. In one hour she has been ruined. New Revised Standard Version And they threw dust on their heads, as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in one hour she has been laid waste.” Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd they threw dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Woe, woe, that great city, where all who had ships on the sea were made rich by reason of her preciousness! for in one hour she is destroyed. Aramaic Bible in Plain English And they cast earth upon their heads and shouted as they wept and lamented and they were saying, “Alas, alas, Great City, by which those who had ships in the sea grew rich from her magnificence, which is destroyed in one hour!” NT Translations Anderson New TestamentAnd they threw dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning and saying: Alas, alas, that great city, by which all that had ships in the sea became rich by means of costly merchandise! for in one hour she is made desolate. Godbey New Testament And they continued to cast dust upon their heads, and cry, weeping and mourning, saying, Alas, alas, the great city, in which all those having ships in the sea became rich from her costliness! that in one hour she is made desolate. Haweis New Testament And they cast dust upon their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, by which all who occupied ships on the sea were enriched from her opulence! how in one hour is she made desolate! Mace New Testament they will scatter dust on their heads, and cry with tears, and bemoaning, "alas, alas, that great city, which enrich'd all the traders by sea, by the consumption she made: how is she reduc'd to a desert, in an instant!" Weymouth New Testament And they threw dust upon their heads, and cried out, weeping aloud and sorrowing. 'Alas, alas,' they said, 'for this great city, in which, through her vast wealth, the owners of all the ships on the sea have grown rich; because in one short hour she has been laid waste!' Worrell New Testament And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, wherein all who have ships in the sea became rich by reason of her costliness! because in one hour she was made desolate. Worsley New Testament And they threw dust on their heads, and cried out, weeping and moaning, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, in which all that had ships at sea were enriched by her sumptuous expences! for in one hour she is become desolate. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Lament over Babylon…18and 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. 19Then 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.” 20Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced for you His judgment against her.… Cross References Ezekiel 27:30-31 They will raise their voices for you and cry out bitterly. They will throw dust on their heads and roll in ashes. / They will shave their heads for you and wrap themselves in sackcloth. They will weep over you with anguish of soul and bitter mourning. Jeremiah 51:8 Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been shattered. Wail for her; get her balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed. Isaiah 23:1-14 This is the burden against Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus. / Be silent, O dwellers of the coastland, you merchants of Sidon, whose traders have crossed the sea. / On the great waters came the grain of Shihor; the harvest of the Nile was the revenue of Tyre; she was the merchant of the nations. ... Ezekiel 27:29 All who handle the oars will abandon their ships. The sailors and all the captains of the sea will stand on the shore. Jeremiah 50:46 At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will quake; a cry will be heard among the nations. Isaiah 47:1-15 “Go down and sit in the dust, O Virgin Daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, O Daughter of the Chaldeans! For you will no longer be called tender or delicate. / Take millstones and grind flour; remove your veil; strip off your skirt, bare your thigh, and wade through the streams. / Your nakedness will be uncovered and your shame will be exposed. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.” ... Ezekiel 26:16-18 All the princes of the sea will descend from their thrones, remove their robes, and strip off their embroidered garments. Clothed with terror, they will sit on the ground, trembling every moment, appalled over you. / Then they will lament for you, saying, “How you have perished, O city of renown inhabited by seafaring men—she who was powerful on the sea, along with her people, who imposed terror on all peoples! / Now the coastlands tremble on the day of your downfall; the islands in the sea are dismayed by your demise.”’ Jeremiah 51:25-26 “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, you who devastate the whole earth, declares the LORD. I will stretch out My hand against you; I will roll you over the cliffs and turn you into a charred mountain. / No one shall retrieve from you a cornerstone or a foundation stone, because you will become desolate forever,” declares the LORD. Isaiah 13:19-22 And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. / She will never be inhabited or settled from generation to generation; no nomad will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flock there. / But desert creatures will lie down there, and howling creatures will fill her houses. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will leap about. ... Ezekiel 28:17-19 Your heart grew proud of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor; so I cast you to the earth; I made you a spectacle before kings. / By the multitude of your iniquities and the dishonesty of your trading you have profaned your sanctuaries. So I made fire come from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the eyes of all who saw you. / All the nations who know you are appalled over you. You have come to a horrible end and will be no more.’” Jeremiah 50:13 Because of the wrath of the LORD, she will not be inhabited; she will become completely desolate. All who pass through Babylon will be horrified and will hiss at all her wounds. Isaiah 34:10-15 It will not be quenched—day or night. Its smoke will ascend forever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever again pass through it. / The desert owl and screech owl will possess it, and the great owl and raven will dwell in it. The LORD will stretch out over Edom a measuring line of chaos and a plumb line of destruction. / No nobles will be left to proclaim a king, and all her princes will come to nothing. ... Ezekiel 27:32-36 As they wail and mourn over you, they will take up a lament for you: ‘Who was ever like Tyre, silenced in the middle of the sea? / When your wares went out to sea, you satisfied many nations. You enriched the kings of the earth with your abundant wealth and merchandise. / Now you are shattered by the seas in the depths of the waters; your merchandise and the people among you have gone down with you. ... Jeremiah 51:64 Then you are to say, ‘In the same way Babylon will sink and never rise again, because of the disaster I will bring upon her. And her people will grow weary.’” Here end the words of Jeremiah. Isaiah 21:9 Look, here come the riders, horsemen in pairs.” And one answered, saying: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon! All the images of her gods lie shattered on the ground!” Treasury of Scripture 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. they cast. Joshua 7:6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. 1 Samuel 4:12 And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. 2 Samuel 13:19 And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colours that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying. weeping. Revelation 18:10,15,16 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… for. Revelation 18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. Jump to Previous Alas Aloud Cast City Cried Desolate Dust Great Heads Hour Laid Mourning Owners Reason Rich Sea Ships Short Sorrowing Threw Vast Wailing Waste Wealth Weeping Wherein WoeJump to Next Alas Aloud Cast City Cried Desolate Dust Great Heads Hour Laid Mourning Owners Reason Rich Sea Ships Short Sorrowing Threw Vast Wailing Waste Wealth Weeping Wherein WoeRevelation 18 1. Babylon is fallen.4. People commanded to depart out of her. 9. The kings of the earth, with the merchants and mariners, lament over her. 20. The saints rejoice for the judgments of God upon her. And they will throw dust on their heads This phrase is a vivid expression of mourning and despair, rooted in ancient Near Eastern customs. Throwing dust on one's head was a traditional sign of deep sorrow and lamentation, often seen in the Old Testament (e.g., Job 2:12). The act symbolizes humility and the recognition of one's mortality, as dust is a reminder of human frailty and the curse of sin (Genesis 3:19). In the context of Revelation 18, it underscores the profound grief of those who witness the fall of Babylon, representing the collapse of a once-great power and the futility of worldly pursuits. and cry out, weeping and wailing ‘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.’ (19) Alas! alas! that great city . . .--The lament is parallel with the laments of the kings and the merchants; the difference is the appropriate reference to the destruction of the shipping interests. Woe! woe! (or, Alas! alas!) the great city, in which all who had their vessels on the sea grew rich out of her costliness. By her "costliness" we are to understand her extravagances of living, and the splendour of her palaces which drew materials from all ports of the world. The lament ends with the repeated cry, "in one hour." Because in one hour she was desolated. Verse 19. - And they cast dust on their heads. This continues the description as given in Ezekiel 27:30, "Shall cast up dust upon their heads." And cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city! Weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe! etc.; an exact repetition of vers. 15, 16. Wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness. Like the merchants, the men here described regret the loss of their wealth (cf. vers. 11, 15, 16). So in Ezekiel 27:33, "When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise." For in one hour is she made desolate. Exactly as in ver. 17; and similarly to ver. 10. |