Revelation 12
New Testament · English Majority Text Version with Greek parallel
Revelation chapter 12 is given here in full, verse by verse, in the English Majority Text Version (EMTV), with the Byzantine Majority Text set beneath each verse. The text follows the Byzantine textual tradition used in the Orthodox Church.
9 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Victorinus of Pettau.
Revelation 12
1And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman having been clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.Καὶ σημεῖον μέγα ὤφθη ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, γυνὴ περιβεβλημένη τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ ἡ σελήνη ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῆς στέφανος ἀστέρων δώδεκα,
2And being pregnant, she was crying out, being in labor and being in great pain to give birth.καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα ἔκραζεν ὠδίνουσα καὶ βασανιζομένη τεκεῖν.
3And another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great, fiery dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns on his heads.καὶ ὤφθη ἄλλο σημεῖον ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἰδού, δράκων πυρὸς μέγας ἔχων κεφαλὰς ἑπτὰ καὶ κέρατα δέκα, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτοῦ ἑπτὰ διαδήματα.
4And his tail dragged a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that whenever she might give birth, he might devour her Child.καὶ ἡ οὐρὰ αὐτοῦ σύρει τὸ τρίτον τῶν ἀστέρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἔβαλεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν γῆν. καὶ ὁ δράκων ἕστηκεν ἐνώπιον τῆς γυναικὸς τῆς μελλούσης τεκεῖν, ἵνα ὅταν τέκῃ τὸ τέκνον αὐτῆς καταφάγῃ.
5And she gave birth to a Son, a male who would shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. And her Child was caught up to God and to His throne.καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱὸν ἄρρενα, ὃς μέλλει ποιμαίνειν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ, καὶ ἡρπάσθη τὸ τέκνον αὐτῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ πρὸς τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ.
6Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place having been prepared by God, so that they may nourish her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἔφυγεν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον, ὅπου ἔχει ἐκεῖ τόπον ἡτοιμασμένον ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα ἐκεῖ ἐκτρέφωσιν αὐτὴν ἡμέρας χιλίας διακοσίας ἑξήκοντα.
7And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels, waging war with the dragon; and the dragon made war, and his angels,Καὶ ἐγένετο πόλεμος ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ· ὁ Μιχαὴλ καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ πολεμῆσαι μετὰ τοῦ δράκοντος. καὶ ὁ δράκων ἐπολέμησε καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ,
8and he was not strong enough, nor was a place found for him any longer in heaven.καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν, οὐδὲ τόπος εὑρέθη αὐτῷ ἔτι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ.
9And the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.καὶ ἐβλήθη ὁ δράκων ὁ μέγας, ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος, ὁ καλούμενος διάβολος καὶ Σατανᾶς, ὁ πλανῶν τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην—ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐβλήθησαν.
10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ, because the accuser of our brothers, the one who accused them before our God day and night, has been thrown out of heaven.καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν μεγάλην ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ λέγουσαν, Ἄρτι ἐγένετο ἡ σωτηρία καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐβλήθη ὁ κατήγορος τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν, ὁ κατηγορῶν αὐτῶν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός.
11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐνίκησαν αὐτὸν διὰ τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀρνίου καὶ διὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς μαρτυρίας αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἠγάπησαν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῶν ἄχρι θανάτου.
12Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and to the sea! Because the devil has been thrown down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time.”διὰ τοῦτο εὐφραίνεσθε, οὐρανοὶ καὶ οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς σκηνοῦντες. οὐαὶ τῇ γῇ καὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ, ὅτι κατέβη ὁ διάβολος πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἔχων θυμὸν μέγαν, εἰδὼς ὅτι ὀλίγον καιρὸν ἔχει.
13Now when the dragon saw that he was cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child.Καὶ ὅτε εἶδεν ὁ δράκων ὅτι ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἐδίωξε τὴν γυναῖκα ἥτις ἔτεκε τὸν ἄρρενα.
14And the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly into the desert to her place, so that she might be nourished there for a time and times and half a time, from the face of the serpent.καὶ ἐδόθησαν τῇ γυναικὶ δύο πτέρυγες τοῦ ἀετοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου, ἵνα πέτηται εἰς τὴν ἔρημον εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς, ὅπως τρέφηται ἐκεῖ καιρὸν καὶ καιροὺς καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ ὄφεως.
15And the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a river after the woman, so that he might cause her to be carried off by the river.καὶ ἔβαλεν ὁ ὄφις ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ὀπίσω τῆς γυναικὸς ὕδωρ ὡς ποταμόν, ἵνα αὐτὴν ποταμοφόρητον ποιήσῃ.
16But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon had cast out of his mouth.καὶ ἐβοήθησεν ἡ γῆ τῇ γυναικί, καὶ ἤνοιξεν ἡ γῆ τὸ στόμα αὐτῆς καὶ κατέπιε τὸν ποταμὸν ὃν ἔβαλεν ὁ δράκων ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ.
17And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went off to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.καὶ ὠργίσθη ὁ δράκων ἐπὶ τῇ γυναικὶ καὶ ἀπῆλθε ποιῆσαι πόλεμον μετὰ τῶν λοιπῶν τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῆς, τῶν τηρούντων τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἐχόντων τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ.
The Fathers on Revelation 12
Victorinus of Pettau comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Revelation 12:1Victorinus of Pettau1. “And there was seen a great sign in heaven. A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. And being with child, she cried out travailing, and bearing torments that she might bring forth.”] The woman clothed with the sun, and having the moon under her feet, and...
Read Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John →
On Revelation 12:3Victorinus of Pettau3. “And there appeared another sign in heaven; and behold a red dragon, having seven heads.”] Now, that he says that this dragon was of a red colour—that is, of a purple colour—the result of his work gave him such a colour. For from the beginning (as the Lord says) he was a murderer; and he has oppressed the whole of...
Read Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John →
On Revelation 12:4Victorinus of Pettau4. “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them upon the earth.”] Now, that he says that the dragon’s tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, this may be taken in two ways. For many think that he may be able to seduce the third part of the men who believe. But it should more truly...
Read Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John →
On Revelation 12:5Victorinus of Pettau5. “And she brought forth a son, who begins to rule all nations with a rod of iron.”] The rod of iron is the sword of persecution. “I saw that all men withdrew from his abodes.”] That is, the good will be removed, flying from persecution. “And her son was caught up to God, and to His throne.”] We read also in the Acts...
Read Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John →
On Revelation 12:6Victorinus of Pettau6. “But the woman fled into the wilderness, and there were given to her two great eagle’s wings.”] The aid of the great eagle’s wings—to wit, the gift of prophets—was given to that Catholic Church, whence in the last times a hundred and forty-four thousands of men should believe on the preaching of Elias; but,...
Read Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John →
On Revelation 12:14Victorinus of Pettau14. “Two great wings”] are the two prophets—Elias, and the prophet who shall be with him.
Read Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John →
On Revelation 12:15Victorinus of Pettau15. “And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman water as a flood, that he might carry her away with the flood.”] He signifies by the water which the serpent cast out of his mouth, the people who at his command would persecute her.
Read Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John →
On Revelation 12:16Victorinus of Pettau16. “And the earth helped the woman, and opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.”] That the earth opened her month and swallowed up the waters, sets forth the vengeance for the present troubles. Although, therefore, it may signify this woman bringing forth, it shows her...
Read Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John →
On Revelation 12:7–9Open Revelation 12 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Victorinus of Pettau7–9. “There was a battle in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon warred, and his angels, and they prevailed not; nor was their place found any more in heaven. And that great dragon was cast forth, that old serpent: he was cast forth into the earth.”] This is the beginning of...
Read Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John →