Revelation, 12

1. A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

1. Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, robed with the sun, standing on the moon, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

2. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.

2. She was pregnant, and in labour, crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth.

3. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems.

3. Then a second sign appeared in the sky: there was a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and each of the seven heads crowned with a coronet.

4. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth.

4. Its tail swept a third of the stars from the sky and hurled them to the ground, and the dragon stopped in front of the woman as she was at the point of giving birth, so that it could eat the child as soon as it was born.

5. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne.

5. The woman was delivered of a boy, the son who was to rule all the nations with an iron sceptre, and the child was taken straight up to God and to his throne,

6. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of for twelve hundred and sixty days.

6. while the woman escaped into the desert, where God had prepared a place for her to be looked after for twelve hundred and sixty days.

7. Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back,

7. And now war broke out in heaven, when Michael with his angels attacked the dragon. The dragon fought back with his angels,

8. but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

8. but they were defeated and driven out of heaven.

9. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.

9. The great dragon, the primeval serpent, known as the devil or Satan, who had led all the world astray, was hurled down to the earth and his angels were hurled down with him.

10. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed. For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night.

10. Then I heard a voice shout from heaven, 'Salvation and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ, now that the accuser, who accused our brothers day and night before our God, has been brought down.

11. They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; love for life did not deter them from death.

11. They have triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word to which they bore witness, because even in the face of death they did not cling to life.

12. Therefore, rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them. But woe to you, earth and sea, for the Devil has come down to you in great fury, for he knows he has but a short time."

12. So let the heavens rejoice and all who live there; but for you, earth and sea, disaster is coming -- because the devil has gone down to you in a rage, knowing that he has little time left.'

13. When the dragon saw that it had been thrown down to the earth, it pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

13. As soon as the dragon found himself hurled down to the earth, he sprang in pursuit of the woman, the mother of the male child,

14. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent, she was taken care of for a year, two years, and a half-year.

14. but she was given a pair of the great eagle's wings to fly away from the serpent into the desert, to the place where she was to be looked after for a time, two times and half a time.

15. The serpent, however, spewed a torrent of water out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away with the current.

15. So the serpent vomited water from his mouth, like a river, after the woman, to sweep her away in the current,

16. But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth and swallowed the flood that the dragon spewed out of its mouth.

16. but the earth came to her rescue; it opened its mouth and swallowed the river spewed from the dragon's mouth.

17. Then the dragon became angry with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep God's commandments and bear witness to Jesus. (18) It took its position on the sand of the sea.

17. Then the dragon was enraged with the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her children, who obey God's commandments and have in themselves the witness of Jesus.

18.

18. And I took my stand on the seashore.