¹⁶ In his right hand he held seven stars,^(A) and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword.^(B) His face was like the sun^(C) shining in all its brilliance.

²⁰ The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand^(A) and of the seven golden lampstands^(B) is this: The seven stars are the angels^[a] of the seven churches,^(C) and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.^(D)

⁴ Its tail swept a third^(A) of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.^(B) The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child^(C) the moment he was born.

⁷ Then war broke out in heaven. Michael^(A) and his angels fought against the dragon,^(B) and the dragon and his angels^(C) fought back. ⁸ But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent^(D) called the devil,^(E) or Satan,^(F) who leads the whole world astray.^(G) He was hurled to the earth,^(H) and his angels with him.