1A great sign Or great symbolic display ; see Rv 12:3 appeared in heaven: Mt 24:30 a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head. Gn 37:9-10

2She was pregnant and cried out in labor and agony as she was about to give birth. Ps 48:6; Is 13:8; Jr 22:23

3Then another sign Or another symbolic display appeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragon Rv 13:2,4,11; 20:2 having seven heads and 10 horns, Dn 7:7,20,24; Rv 13:1; 17:3-18 and on his heads were seven diadems. Or crowns

4His tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. Dn 8:10; Rv 8:7,12 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. Mt 2:16

5But she gave birth to a Son — a male who is going to shepherd Or rule all nations with an iron scepter Ps 2:7-9; Rv 2:27; 19:15 — and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.

6The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, Ex 16:4; 1Kg 19:3-8; Hs 2:14 to be fed there Lit God, that they might feed her there for 1,260 days. Dt 1:31; 2:7; Dn 12:11; Rv 11:2-3; 12:14; 13:5

7Then war broke out in heaven: Michael Dn 10:13,21; 12:1; Jd 9 and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought,

8but he could not prevail, 1Sa 2:9; Ps 21:11; Jr 20:11 and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. Jb 2:1

9So the great dragon was thrown out — the ancient serpent, Gn 3:1 who is called the Devil In Gk, diabolos means slanderer. and Satan, In Hb, Satan means adversary. Lk 10:18; Rm 16:20; Rv 2:9; 3:9; 20:2,7 the one who deceives the whole world. Rv 13:14; 20:3,8,10 He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him. Mt 25:41; Lk 10:18; Jn 12:31

10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

11They conquered him

12Therefore rejoice, you heavens,

13When the dragon saw that he had been thrown to earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.

14The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, Ex 19:4; Dt 32:10-11; Is 40:31 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, = 3 1/2 years or 42 months (Rv 11:2; 13:5) or 1,260 days (Rv 11:3). Dn 7:25; 12:7; Rv 11:2; 13:5

15From his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river flowing after the woman, to sweep her away in a torrent.

16But the earth helped the woman. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth.

17So the dragon was furious with the woman and left to wage war Rv 11:7; 13:7 against the rest of her offspring Or seed Gn 3:15 — those who keep God’s commands 1Co 7:19 and have the testimony about Jesus. Rv 1:2,9; 19:10; 20:4

18He 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.