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.
また、巨大なしるしが天に現われた。ひとりの女が太陽を着て、月を足の下に踏み、頭には十二の星の冠をかぶっていた。
2 She was pregnant. Then, as she was about to give birth, she cried out because she was suffering pain.
この女は、みごもっていたが、産みの苦しみと痛みのために、叫び声をあげた。
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.
また、別のしるしが天に現われた。見よ。大きな赤い竜である。七つの頭と十本の角とを持ち、その頭には七つの冠をかぶっていた。
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.
その尾は、天の星の三分の一を引き寄せると、それらを地上に投げた。また、竜は子を産もうとしている女の前に立っていた。彼女が子を産んだとき、その子を食い尽くすためであった。
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.
女は男の子を産んだ。この子は、鉄の杖をもって、すべての国々の民を牧するはずである。その子は神のみもと、その御座に引き上げられた。
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.
女は荒野に逃げた。そこには、千二百六十日の間彼女を養うために、神によって備えられた場所があった。
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].
さて、天に戦いが起こって、ミカエルと彼の使いたちは、竜と戦った。それで、竜とその使いたちは応戦したが、
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.
勝つことができず、天にはもはや彼らのいる場所がなくなった。
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.
こうして、この巨大な竜、すなわち、悪魔とか、サタンとか呼ばれて、全世界を惑わす、あの古い蛇は投げ落とされた。彼は地上に投げ落とされ、彼の使いどもも彼とともに投げ落とされた。
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.
そのとき私は、天で大きな声が、こう言うのを聞いた。 「今や、私たちの神の救いと力と国と、また、神のキリストの権威が現われた。私たちの兄弟たちの告発者、日夜彼らを私たちの神の御前で訴えている者が投げ落とされたからである。
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.
兄弟たちは、小羊の血と、自分たちのあかしのことばのゆえに彼に打ち勝った。彼らは死に至るまでもいのちを惜しまなかった。
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.
それゆえ、天とその中に住む者たち。喜びなさい。しかし、地と海とには、わざわいが来る。悪魔が自分の時の短いことを知り、激しく怒って、そこに下ったからである。」
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.
自分が地上に投げ落とされたのを知った竜は、男の子を産んだ女を追いかけた。
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.
しかし、女は大わしの翼を二つ与えられた。自分の場所である荒野に飛んで行って、そこで一時と二時と半時の間、蛇の前をのがれて養われるためであった。
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.
ところが、蛇はその口から水を川のように女のうしろへ吐き出し、彼女を大水で押し流そうとした。
16 But the ground helped the woman [by] opening up and swallowing the river that the dragon spewed out from his mouth!
しかし、地は女を助け、その口を開いて、竜が口から吐き出した川を飲み干した。
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).
すると、竜は女に対して激しく怒り、女の子孫の残りの者、すなわち、神の戒めを守り、イエスのあかしを保っている者たちと戦おうとして出て行った。
