12:1 Then 1 a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and on her head was a crown of twelve stars. 2 12:2 She 3 was pregnant and was screaming in labor pains, struggling 4 to give birth. 12:3 Then 5 another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadem crowns. 6 12:4 Now 7 the dragon’s 8 tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. Then 9 the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. 12:5 So 10 the woman gave birth to a son, a male child, 11 who is going to rule 12 over all the nations 13 with an iron rod. 14 Her 15 child was suddenly caught up to God and to his throne, 12:6 and she 16 fled into the wilderness 17 where a place had been prepared for her 18 by God, so she could be taken care of 19 for 1,260 days.
12:7 Then 20 war broke out in heaven: Michael 21 and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 12:8 But 22 the dragon was not strong enough to prevail, 23 so there was no longer any place left 24 in heaven for him and his angels. 25 12:9 So 26 that huge dragon – the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world – was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him. 12:10 Then 27 I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,
“The salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the ruling authority 28 of his Christ, 29 have now come,
because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, 30
the one who accuses them day and night 31 before our God,
has been thrown down.
12:11 But 32 they overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their lives 33 so much that they were afraid to die.
12:12 Therefore you heavens rejoice, and all who reside in them!
But 34 woe to the earth and the sea
because the devil has come down to you!
He 35 is filled with terrible anger,
for he knows that he only has a little time!”
12:13 Now 36 when the dragon realized 37 that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 12:14 But 38 the woman was given the two wings of a giant eagle so that she could fly out into the wilderness, 39 to the place God 40 prepared for her, where she is taken care of – away from the presence of the serpent – for a time, times, and half a time. 41 12:15 Then 42 the serpent spouted water like a river out of his mouth after the woman in an attempt to 43 sweep her away by a flood, 12:16 but 44 the earth came to her rescue; 45 the ground opened up 46 and swallowed the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth.