The Woman and the Dragon

12 And then a great wonder appeared in heaven: A woman was clothed with the sun, and the moon was under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars was on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out with pain, because she was about to give birth. 3 Then another wonder appeared in heaven: There was a giant red dragon with seven heads and seven crowns on each head. He also had ten horns. 4 His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and threw them down to the earth. He stood in front of the woman who was ready to give birth so he could eat her baby as soon as it was born. 5 Then the woman gave birth to a son who will rule all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was taken up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman ran away into the desert to a place God prepared for her where she would be taken care of for one thousand two hundred sixty days.

7 Then there was a war in heaven. Michael n and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But the dragon was not strong enough, and he and his angels lost their place in heaven. 9 The giant dragon was thrown down out of heaven. (He is that old snake called the devil or Satan, who tricks the whole world.) The dragon with his angels was thrown down to the earth.

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying:

“The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God

and the authority of his Christ have now come.

The accuser of our brothers and sisters,

who accused them day and night before our God,

has been thrown down.

11  And our brothers and sisters defeated him

by the blood of the Lamb’s death

and by the message they preached.

They did not love their lives so much

that they were afraid of death.

12  So rejoice, you heavens

and all who live there!

But it will be terrible for the earth and the sea,

because the devil has come down to you!

He is filled with anger,

because he knows he does not have much time.”

13 When the dragon saw he had been thrown down to the earth, he hunted for the woman who had given birth to the son. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of a great eagle so she could fly to the place prepared for her in the desert. There she would be taken care of for three and one-half years, away from the snake. 15 Then the snake poured water out of its mouth like a river toward the woman so the flood would carry her away. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that came from the mouth of the dragon. 17 Then the dragon was very angry at the woman, and he went off to make war against all her other children—those who obey God’s commands and who have the message Jesus taught.

18 And the dragon n stood on the seashore.