Rev 12 | HCSB | STEP | A great sign appeared in heaven : a woman clothed with the sun , with the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head .

Revelation of John 12

The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon

1 A great sign ^{▼▼Or great symbolic display; see Rv 12:3} appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head. ^b 2 She was pregnant and cried out in labor and agony as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign ^{▼▼Or another symbolic display} appeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and 10 horns, ^d and on his heads were seven diadems. ^{▼▼Or crowns} 4 His tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. ^f And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth he might devour her child. 5 But she gave birth to a Son – a male who is going to shepherd ^{▼▼Or rule} all nations with an iron scepter ^h – and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, ⁱ to be fed there ^{▼▼Lit God, that they might feed her there} for 1,260 days. ^k

The Dragon Thrown Out of Heaven

7 Then war broke out in heaven: Michael ^l and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, 8 but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was thrown out – the ancient serpent, ^m who is called the Devil ^{▼▼In Gk, diabolos means slanderer.} and Satan, ^{▼▼In Hb, Satan means adversary.
,} ^p the one who deceives the whole world. ^q He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

The salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of His ^{▼▼Messiah: Or the Christ; the Greek word Christos means "the anointed one".}Messiah
have now come,
because the accuser ^s of our ^{▼▼brother(s): The Greek word adelphoi can be used as a reference to males only or to groups that include males and females. It is the context of each usage that determines the proper meaning.}brothers
has been thrown out:
the one who accuses them
before our God day and night.
11 They conquered him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony,
for they did not love their lives
in the face of death. ^u
12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens,
and you who dwell in them!
Woe to the earth and the sea,
for the Devil has come down to you
with great fury,
because he knows he has a short time.

The Woman Persecuted

13 When the dragon saw that he had been thrown to earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent’s presence to her place in the wilderness, where she was fed for a time, times, and half a time. ^{▼▼This expression, occurring in Dn 7:25; 12:7, = 3¹/₂ years or 42 months (Rv 11:2; 13:5) or 1,260 days (Rv 11:3).
,} ^w 15 From his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river flowing after the woman, to sweep her away in a torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. 17 So the dragon was furious with the woman and left to wage war ^x against the rest of her offspring ^{▼▼Or seed} – those who keep God’s commands and have the testimony about Jesus. ^z 18 He ^{▼▼Other mss read I. “He” is apparently a reference to the dragon.} stood on the sand of the sea. ^{▼▼Some translations put Rv 12:18 either in Rv 12:17 or Rv 13:1.}