The Woman and the Dragon
1A great sign appeared in heaven. It was a woman wearing the sun like clothes. The moon was under her feet. On her head she wore a crown of 12 stars. 2She was pregnant. She cried out in pain because she was about to have a baby. 3Then another sign appeared in heaven. It was a huge red dragon. It had seven heads and ten horns. On its seven heads it wore seven crowns. 4The dragon’s tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky. It threw the stars down to earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to have a baby. The dragon wanted to eat her child the moment he was born. 5She gave birth to a son. He “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” (Psalm 2:9) And her child was taken up to God and to his throne. 6The woman escaped into the desert where God had a place prepared for her. There she would be taken care of for 1,260 days.
7Then a war began in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back. 8But the dragon wasn’t strong enough. Both he and his angels lost their place in heaven. 9The great dragon was thrown down to the earth, and his angels with him. The dragon is that old serpent called the devil, or Satan. He leads the whole world astray.
10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven. It said,
“Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God have come.
The authority of his Messiah has come.
Satan, who brings charges against our brothers and sisters,
has been thrown down.
He brings charges against them in front of our God day and night.
11They had victory over him
by the blood the Lamb spilled for them.
They had victory over him
by speaking the truth about Jesus to others.
They were willing to risk their lives,
even if it led to death.
12So be joyful, you heavens!
Be glad, all you who live there!
But how terrible it will be for the earth and the sea!
The devil has come down to you.
He is very angry.
He knows his time is short.”
13The dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth. So he chased the woman who had given birth to the boy. 14The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle. She was given these wings so that she could fly away. She could fly to the place prepared for her in the desert. There she would be taken care of for three and a half years. She would be out of the serpent’s reach. 15Then out of his mouth the serpent spit water like a river. He wanted to catch the woman and sweep her away in the flood. 16But the earth helped the woman. It opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had spit out. 17The dragon was very angry with the woman. He went off to make war against the rest of her children. They obey God’s commands. And they hold firmly to the truth they have said about Jesus.
Mayi ndi Chinjoka
1Chizindikiro chachikulu chinaoneka kuthambo; mayi atavala dzuwa, mapazi ake ataponda mwezi, pamutu pake pali chipewa chaufumu chokhala ndi nyenyezi khumi ndi ziwiri. 2Mayiyo anali woyembekezera ndipo pa nthawi yake yochira analira mokuwa chifukwa cha ululu wakubala. 3Kenaka ku thambo kunaonekanso chizindikiro china; chinjoka chachikulu kwambiri, chofiira chomwe chinali ndi mitu isanu ndi iwiri ndi nyanga khumi; pamutu uliwonse chitavala chipewa chaufumu. 4Mchira wake unakokolola gawo limodzi la magawo atatu a nyenyezi kuzichotsa ku thambo ndi kuziponya pa dziko lapansi. Chinjoka chija chinadzayima patsogolo pa mayi uja amene anali pafupi kuberekayu kuti mwanayo akangobadwa chimudye. 5Mayiyo anabereka mwana wamwamuna amene adzalamulira anthu a mitundu ina yonse ndi ndodo yachitsulo. Ndipo mwanayo analandidwa ku dzanja la mayiyo ndi kupita naye kwa Mulungu ku mpando wake waufumu. 6Mayiyo anathawira ku chipululu ku malo kumene Mulungu anamukonzera, kumene akasamalidweko masiku 1,260.
7Zitatero, kumwamba kunayambika nkhondo. Mikayeli ndi angelo ake kumenyana ndi chinjoka chija. Chinjokacho ndi angelo ake anabwezeranso. 8Koma analibe mphamvu ndipo anagonjetsedwa nathamangitsidwa kumwambako. 9Chinjoka chachikulu chija chinagwetsedwa pansi. Ichocho ndiye njoka yakalekale ija yotchedwa Mdierekezi kapena Satana, amene amasocheretsa anthu a pa dziko lonse lapansi. Chinaponyedwa pa dziko la pansi pamodzi ndi angelo ake.
10Kenaka ndinamva mawu ofuwula kumwamba akunena kuti,
“Tsopano chipulumutso, mphamvu,
ufumu wa Mulungu wathu
ndi ulamuliro wa Khristu wake zabwera.
Pakuti woneneza abale athu uja,
amene amangokhalira kuwaneneza pamaso pa Mulungu usana ndi usiku,
wagwetsedwa pansi.
11Abale athuwo anamugonjetsa
ndi magazi a Mwana Wankhosa
ndiponso mawu a umboni wawo.
Iwo anadzipereka kwathunthu,
moti sanakonde miyoyo yawo.
12Choncho, kondwerani, inu dziko lakumwamba
ndi onse okhala kumeneko!
Koma tsoka dziko lapansi ndi nyanja
chifukwa Mdierekezi wagwetsedwa kwa inu!
Iye wadzazidwa ndi ukali
chifukwa akudziwa kuti nthawi yake ndi yochepa.”
13Pamene chinjokacho chinaona kuti chagwetsedwa pa dziko lapansi, chinayamba kuthamangitsa mayi uja amene anali atabala mwana wamwamunayu. 14Mayiyo anapatsidwa mapiko awiri a chiwombankhanga chachikulu kuti athawire ku malo ake aja a ku chipululu. Kumeneko adzasamalidwako zaka zitatu ndi theka kuti chinjoka chija chisamupeze. 15Kenaka chinjoka chija chinalavulira mayiyo madzi ambiri ngati mtsinje, kuti madziwo amukokolole. 16Koma dziko lapansi linamuthandiza mayiyo. Nthaka inatsekuka ndi kumeza mtsinje uja unachokera mʼkamwa mwa chinjokacho. 17Pamenepo chinjokacho chinamupsera mtima mayiyo ndipo chinachoka kupita kukachita nkhondo ndi ana ena onse a mayiyo, ndiye kuti anthu amene anasunga malamulo a Mulungu ndi kuchitira umboni za Yesu.
18Kenaka ndinaona chinjokacho chitayima mʼmbali mwa nyanja.
