Revelation 12:1-17
New English Translation
The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon
12 Then[a] 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.[b] 2 She[c] was pregnant and was screaming in labor pains, struggling[d] to give birth. 3 Then[e] another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadem crowns.[f] 4 Now[g] the dragon’s[h] tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. Then[i] 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. 5 So[j] the woman gave birth to a son, a male child,[k] who is going to rule[l] over all the nations[m] with an iron rod.[n] Her[o] child was suddenly caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and she[p] fled into the wilderness[q] where a place had been prepared for her[r] by God, so she could be taken care of[s] for 1,260 days.
War in Heaven
7 Then[t] war broke out in heaven: Michael[u] and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But[v] the dragon was not strong enough to prevail,[w] so there was no longer any place left[x] in heaven for him and his angels.[y] 9 So[z] 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. 10 Then[aa] I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,
“The salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the ruling authority[ab] of his Christ,[ac] have now come,
because the accuser of our brothers and sisters,[ad]
the one who accuses them day and night[ae] before our God,
has been thrown down.
11 But[af] they overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their lives[ag] so much that they were afraid to die.
12 Therefore you heavens rejoice, and all who reside in them!
But[ah] woe to the earth and the sea
because the devil has come down to you!
He[ai] is filled with terrible anger,
for he knows that he only has a little time!”
13 Now[aj] when the dragon realized[ak] that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But[al] the woman was given the two wings of a giant eagle so that she could fly out into the wilderness,[am] to the place God[an] prepared for her, where she is taken care of—away from the presence of the serpent—for a time, times, and half a time.[ao] 15 Then[ap] the serpent spouted water like a river out of his mouth after the woman in an attempt to[aq] sweep her away by a flood, 16 but[ar] the earth came to her rescue;[as] the ground opened up[at] and swallowed the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. 17 So[au] the dragon became enraged at the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her children,[av] those who keep[aw] God’s commandments and hold to[ax] the testimony about Jesus.[ay]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Revelation 12:1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
- Revelation 12:1 sn Sun…moon…stars. This imagery is frequently identified with the nation Israel because of Joseph’s dream in Gen 37.
- Revelation 12:2 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- Revelation 12:2 tn Grk “and being tortured,” though βασανίζω (basanizō) in this context refers to birth pangs. BDAG 168 s.v. 2.b states, “Of birth-pangs (Anth. Pal. 9, 311 βάσανος has this mng.) Rv 12:2.” The καί (kai) has not been translated.
- Revelation 12:3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
- Revelation 12:3 tn For the translation of διάδημα (diadēma) as “diadem crown” see L&N 6.196.sn Diadem crowns were a type of crown used as a symbol of the highest ruling authority in a given area, and thus often associated with kingship.
- Revelation 12:4 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate that this remark is virtually parenthetical.
- Revelation 12:4 tn Grk “its”; the referent (the dragon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Revelation 12:4 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
- Revelation 12:5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion of the anticipated birth.
- Revelation 12:5 tn On this term BDAG 135 s.v. ἄρσην states: “male…The neut. ἄρσεν Rv 12:5, difft. vs. 13, comes fr. Is 66:7 and is in apposition to υἱόν. On the juxtaposition s. FBoll, ZNW 15, 1914, 253; BOlsson, Glotta 23, ’34, 112.”
- Revelation 12:5 tn Grk “shepherd.”
- Revelation 12:5 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
- Revelation 12:5 tn Or “scepter.” The Greek term ῥάβδος (rhabdos) can mean either “rod” or “scepter.” sn An allusion to Ps 2:9 (see also Rev 2:27; 19:15).
- Revelation 12:5 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- Revelation 12:6 tn Grk “and the woman,” which would be somewhat redundant in English.
- Revelation 12:6 tn Or “desert.”
- Revelation 12:6 tn Grk “where she has there a place prepared by God.”
- Revelation 12:6 tn Grk “so they can take care of her.”
- Revelation 12:7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
- Revelation 12:7 sn The archangel Michael had a special role in protecting the nation of Israel in the OT (Dan 10:13, 21; 12:1; see also Jude 9).
- Revelation 12:8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the implied contrast.
- Revelation 12:8 tn The words “to prevail” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
- Revelation 12:8 tn Grk “found.”
- Revelation 12:8 tn Grk “for them”; the referent (the dragon and his angels, v. 7) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Revelation 12:9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the war in heaven.
- Revelation 12:10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
- Revelation 12:10 tn Or “the right of his Messiah to rule.” See L&N 37.35.
- Revelation 12:10 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
- Revelation 12:10 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelphoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). The translation “fellow believer” would normally apply (L&N 11.23), but since the speaker(s) are not specified in this context, it is not clear if such a translation would be appropriate here. The more generic “brothers and sisters” was chosen to emphasize the fact of a relationship without specifying its type.
- Revelation 12:10 tn Or “who accuses them continually.”
- Revelation 12:11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.
- Revelation 12:11 sn They did not love their lives. See Matt 16:25; Luke 17:33; John 12:25.
- Revelation 12:12 tn The word “But” is not in the Greek text, but the contrast is clearly implied. This is a case of asyndeton (lack of a connective).
- Revelation 12:12 tn Grk “and is filled,” a continuation of the previous sentence. Because English tends to use shorter sentences (especially when exclamations are involved), a new sentence was started here in the translation.
- Revelation 12:13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” because the clause it introduces is clearly resumptive.
- Revelation 12:13 tn Grk “saw.”
- Revelation 12:14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present here.
- Revelation 12:14 tn Or “desert.”
- Revelation 12:14 tn The word “God” is supplied based on the previous statements made concerning “the place prepared for the woman” in 12:6.
- Revelation 12:14 tc The reading “and half a time” (καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ, kai hēmisu kairou) is lacking in the significant majuscule C. Its inclusion, however, is supported by P47 א A and the rest of the ms tradition. There is apparently no reason for the scribe of C to intentionally omit the phrase, and the fact that the word “time” (καιρὸν καὶ καιρούς, kairon kai kairous) appears twice before may indicate a scribal oversight.sn The parallel statement in Rev 12:6 suggests that the phrase a time, times, and half a time equals 1,260 days (three and a half years of 360 days each).
- Revelation 12:15 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
- Revelation 12:15 tn Grk “so that he might make her swept away.”
- Revelation 12:16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present here.
- Revelation 12:16 tn Grk “the earth helped the woman.”
- Revelation 12:16 tn Grk “the earth opened its mouth” (a metaphor for the ground splitting open).
- Revelation 12:17 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the woman’s escape.
- Revelation 12:17 tn Grk “her seed” (an idiom for offspring, children, or descendants).
- Revelation 12:17 tn Or “who obey.”
- Revelation 12:17 tn Grk “and having.”
- Revelation 12:17 tn Grk “the testimony of Jesus,” which may involve a subjective genitive (“Jesus’ testimony”) or, more likely, an objective genitive (“testimony about Jesus”).
Revelation 12
Legacy Standard Bible
The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon
12 And a great (A)sign appeared (B)in heaven: (C)a woman (D)clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 And she was with child, and she *(E)cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. 3 Then (F)another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red (G)dragon having (H)seven heads and (I)ten horns, and on his heads were (J)seven diadems. 4 And his tail *swept away a (K)third of the stars of heaven and (L)threw them to the earth. And the (M)dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth (N)he might devour her child. 5 And (O)she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to [a](P)rule all the [b]nations with a rod of iron; and her child was (Q)caught up to God and to His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she *had a place prepared by God, so that there [c]she would be nourished for (R)1,260 days.
War in Heaven
7 And there was war in heaven, (S)Michael and his angels waging war with the (T)dragon. The dragon and (U)his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great (V)dragon was thrown down, the (W)serpent of old who is called the devil and (X)Satan, who (Y)deceives the whole [d]world. He was (Z)thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 Then I heard (AA)a loud voice in heaven, saying,
“Now the (AB)salvation, and the power, and the (AC)kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the (AD)accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they (AE)overcame him because of (AF)the blood of the Lamb and because of (AG)the word of their witness, and they (AH)did not love their life even to death. 12 For this reason, (AI)rejoice, O heavens and (AJ)you who [e]dwell in them. (AK)Woe to the earth and the sea, because (AL)the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only (AM)a short time.”
13 And when the (AN)dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted (AO)the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14 But the (AP)two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly (AQ)into the wilderness to her place, where she *was nourished for (AR)a time and times and half a time, from the [f]presence of the serpent. 15 And the (AS)serpent [g]poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. 16 [h]But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon [i]poured out of his mouth. 17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman and went off to (AT)make war with the rest of her (AU)seed, who (AV)keep the commandments of God and (AW)have the witness of Jesus.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Revelation 12:5 Or shepherd
- Revelation 12:5 Or Gentiles
- Revelation 12:6 Lit they would nourish her for
- Revelation 12:9 Lit inhabited earth
- Revelation 12:12 Or tabernacle
- Revelation 12:14 Lit face
- Revelation 12:15 Lit threw
- Revelation 12:16 Lit And
- Revelation 12:16 Lit threw
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.