The Sibyl · a new plain-English translation from the original language
a house forever flourishing, the watchful temple of God,
born of holy things and everlasting, ever existing,
hoped for from the soul and from its own body —
for it does not carelessly praise a god out of hidden earth,
nor did a clever craftsman make it out of stone beside them,
nor did it honor an ornament of gold, a deception of souls.
but the great begetter, God of all god-inspired things,
they honored in holy sacrifices and hecatombs.
but now a hidden king, unclean, having risen up,
cast this down and left it unbuilt,
with a great multitude and glorious men.
and he himself perished, having set foot on undying ground,
and no such sign was ever wrought again among men,
so that others thought they had sacked the great city.
for a blessed man came from the heavenly ridges,
holding in his hands a scepter, which God placed there,
and he ruled over all things well and gave back to all
the good men the wealth which former men had taken.
and he took the whole city from its foundations in a great fire,
and burned the peoples of mortals who had done evil before,
and the city which God desired, this he made
more radiant than the stars, the sun, and the pale moon,
and he set the world in order, and made it holy... and made it
fair in flesh, most beautiful, and he fashioned
over many furlongs a great tower without limit,
touching the clouds themselves and visible to all,
so that every faithful soul and every just one might see
the glory of the eternal God, the longed-for form;
the risings and settings of the sun hymned the fame of God.
for terrors no longer come upon wretched mortals,
nor adulteries, nor lawless lust for children,
nor murder, nor tumult, but righteous strife among all.
this is the last season of holy things, when God who thunders on high,
the builder of the greatest temple, brings these things to pass.
alas for you, Babylon of the golden throne, golden-sandaled,
you who for many years alone ruled the world as queen,
you who were once great and a city of many, no longer will you lie
among mountains of gold and beside the Euphrates' streams;
you shall be laid low by the shock of earthquake; and the dread Parthians
shall make you master of all no more. hold your mouth shut with a muzzle, unclean
race of the Chaldeans, do not ask nor be anxious
how you shall rule the Persians or how you shall master the Medes;
for on account of your empire, which you once held, having sent
hostages to Rome and men serving in Asia,
therefore you yourself, queen, thinking to come to judgment
shall face your adversaries, for whose sake you have sent ransoms;
and instead of crooked words you shall give a bitter word to your enemies.
and in the last season the sea shall one day be dry,
and no longer then shall ships sail to Italy,
but great Asia shall then be all-bearing water