The Woman and the Dragon
1A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”12:5 Psalm 2:9 And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
7Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
11They triumphed over him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
12Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.”
13When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. 15Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
Mwanamke Na Joka
1Kukaonekana ishara kuu mbinguni: Palikuwa na mwanamke aliyevikwa jua, na mwezi ukiwa chini ya miguu yake, na taji ya nyota kumi na mbili ilikuwa kichwani mwake. 212:2 Gal 4:19Alikuwa na mimba naye akilia kwa uchungu kwa kuwa alikuwa anakaribia kuzaa. 312:3 Dan 7:7, 20; Ufu 13:1; 19:21Kisha ishara nyingine ikaonekana mbinguni: Likaonekana joka kubwa jekundu lenye vichwa saba na pembe kumi na taji saba katika vichwa vyake. 412:4 Ufu 8:7; Dan 8:10; Mt 22:16Mkia wake ukakokota theluthi ya nyota zote angani na kuziangusha katika nchi. Ndipo lile joka likasimama mbele ya yule mwanamke aliyekuwa karibu kuzaa ili lipate kumla huyo mtoto mara tu atakapozaliwa. 512:5 Za 2:9; Ufu 19:15Yule mwanamke akazaa mtoto mwanaume, atakayeyatawala mataifa yote kwa fimbo yake ya utawala ya chuma. Lakini huyo mtoto akanyakuliwa na kupelekwa kwa Mungu kwenye kiti chake cha enzi. 612:6 Ufu 11:2Yule mwanamke akakimbilia jangwani, ambako Mungu alikuwa amemtayarishia mahali ili apate kutunzwa huko kwa muda wa siku 1,260.
Malaika Mikaeli Amshinda Yule Joka
7Basi palikuwa na vita mbinguni: Mikaeli na malaika zake wakapigana na hilo joka, nalo joka pamoja na malaika zake likapigana nao. 8Lakini joka na malaika zake wakashindwa, na hapakuwa tena na nafasi yao huko mbinguni. 912:9 Mwa 3:1-7; Mt 25:41; Ufu 20:3, 8, 10; Lk 10:18; Yn 12:31Lile joka kuu likatupwa chini, yule nyoka wa zamani aitwaye ibilisi au Shetani, aupotoshaye ulimwengu wote. Akatupwa chini duniani, yeye pamoja na malaika zake.
Ushindi Mbinguni Watangazwa
1012:10 Ufu 11:15; Zek 3:1Kisha nikasikia sauti kuu mbinguni, ikisema:
“Sasa wokovu na uweza na Ufalme wa Mungu wetu umekuja
na mamlaka ya Kristo wake.
Kwa kuwa ametupwa chini
mshtaki wa ndugu zetu,
anayewashtaki mbele za Mungu
usiku na mchana.
1112:11 Ufu 7:14; 6:9; Lk 14:26Nao wakamshinda
kwa damu ya Mwana-Kondoo
na kwa neno la ushuhuda wao.
Wala wao hawakuyapenda maisha yao
hata kufa.
1212:12 Isa 44:23; Ufu 18:20; 8:13; 10:6Kwa hiyo, furahini ninyi mbingu
na wote wakaao humo!
Lakini ole wenu nchi na bahari,
kwa maana huyo ibilisi ameshuka kwenu,
akiwa amejaa ghadhabu,
kwa sababu anajua ya kuwa
muda wake ni mfupi!”
13Lile joka lilipoona kuwa limetupwa chini duniani, lilimfuatilia yule mwanamke aliyekuwa amezaa mtoto mwanaume. 1412:14 Kut 19:4; Dan 7:25Lakini huyo mwanamke akapewa mabawa mawili ya tai mkubwa, kusudi aweze kuruka mpaka mahali palipotayarishwa kwa ajili yake huko jangwani, ambako atatunzwa kwa wakati na nyakati na nusu,12:14 Maana yake ni miaka mitatu na nusu. ya wakati ambako yule joka hawezi kufika. 15Ndipo lile joka likamwaga maji kama mto kutoka kinywani mwake, ili kumfikia huyo mwanamke na kumkumba kama mafuriko. 16Lakini nchi ikamsaidia huyo mwanamke kwa kufungua kinywa na kuumeza huo mto ambao huyo joka alikuwa ameutoa kinywani mwake. 1712:17 Ufu 11:7; Mwa 3:15; Ufu 14:12; 1:2Kisha lile joka likapatwa na hasira kali kwa ajili ya huyo mwanamke na likaondoka ili kupigana vita na watoto waliosalia wa huyo mwanamke, yaani, wale wanaozitii amri za Mungu na kuushika ushuhuda wa Yesu Kristo. Lile joka likasimama kwenye mchanga wa bahari.
