Revelation 12
1 Then something very unusual appeared in the sky. It was a woman, whose [appearance and] clothing were [MET] as bright as the sun. The moon was under her feet. On her head was a crown [that was made] of twelve stars.
Then a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
2 She was pregnant. Then, as she was about to give birth, she cried out because she was suffering pain.
She was with child and cried out in the pain and agony of giving birth.
3 Something else very unusual appeared in the sky. It was a huge red dragon. It had seven heads and ten horns. On each of its heads was a royal crown.
Then another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great fiery red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.
4 The dragon’s tail dragged a third of the stars from the sky and threw them to the earth. The dragon set himself in front of the woman who was about to give birth, in order that he might eat her child as soon as it was born.
His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and hurled them to the earth. Then the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.
5 The woman gave birth to a son, who [is destined] to rule all the nations with [complete authority as if he was using] [MET] an iron rod [MET]. [God] snatched away her child and took him to [rule from] his throne.
She gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne.
6 The woman fled to a desert. She has a place there that God has prepared for her, in order that [the angels] may take care of her for 1,260 days.
And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had a place prepared for her to be nourished for one thousand two hundred sixty days.
7 [In the vision I saw that] there was a battle in heaven. Michael and the angels that he [commanded] fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back [against Michael and his angels].
Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. And the dragon fought back, along with his angels.
8 But the dragon did not win the battle, so [God] did not allow the dragon and his angels to stay in heaven any longer.
But he did not prevail, and there was no longer any place found for him in heaven.
9 The huge dragon was thrown {[Michael and his angels] threw the huge dragon} out [of heaven]. The dragon is the ancient serpent, [the one] who is called the Devil and Satan. He is the one who deceives [people all over] the earth. He was thrown down to the earth, along with all his angels.
The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
10 Then I heard [someone] in heaven shout loudly, saying, Now our God has saved his people by his power, and he rules everyone! Now the Messiah, the one who is the supreme ruler whom God appointed, has authority to rule all people, because our God has thrown out of heaven the one who accuses our fellow believers! The dragon is the one who accuses them day and night before our God, saying that they have sinned and that God ought to punish them.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, “The salvation, power, and kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ, have now come. For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, he who accuses them day and night before our God.
11 Our fellow believers overcame the dragon because they never stopped trusting (OR, never stopped telling people about) Jesus, and because they trusted in what Jesus, the one who is like a lamb, accomplished when his blood flowed when he died. Even though those believers wanted to live, they were willing to let people kill them for speaking the truth about him.
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.
12 So, all you angels living [MTY] in heaven, rejoice! But terrible things will happen to you ungodly people who [MTY] live on the earth and on the ocean, because the devil has come down to you! He is very angry because he knows that he has only a short time during which he can harm people.
Therefore rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you with great wrath, because he knows that his time is short.”
13 When the dragon realized that he had been thrown {that [the angels] had thrown him} down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to a son.
When the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.
14 But the woman was given two wings like the wings of a very large eagle, in order that she might fly to a desolate place. That is a place [that God] has prepared for her. There she was taken care of {[God’s angels] took care of her} for three and a half years. The serpent, [that is, the dragon], was not able to reach her there.
But the woman was given two wings like those of a great eagle so that she could fly away from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, to be nourished there for a time, times, and half a time.
15 The serpent spewed water like a river from his mouth in the direction of the woman, in order that the water might sweep her away.
Then out of his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood.
16 But the ground helped the woman [by] opening up and swallowing the river that the dragon spewed out from his mouth!
But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
17 Then the dragon was very angry with the woman, so he went away to fight against [the people who are like] the rest of her descendants. They are the people who obey God’s commandments and who tell other people about Jesus (OR, hold fast to what Jesus taught them).
So the dragon was angry with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
