Daniel
Daniel Brought to Babylon
1In the third year of the reign of aJehoiakim king of Judah, bNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2And the aLord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the bvessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of cShinar, to the house of his 1god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his 2,dgod.
3Then the king said for Ashpenaz, the chief of his 1officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal aseed and of the nobles, 4youths in whom was ano defect, who were good in appearance, showing binsight in every branch of wisdom, being thoroughly 1knowledgeable and discerning knowledge, and who had ability to stand in the king’s palace; and he said for him to teach them the 2literature and ctongue of the dChaldeans. 5And the king appointed for them a daily ration from the aking’s choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be 1educated three years, at the end of which they were to bstand before the king. 6Now among them from the sons of Judah were aDaniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7Then the commander of the officials set names for them; and for Daniel he set the name aBelteshazzar, for Hananiah bShadrach, for Mishael cMeshach, and for Azariah dAbed-nego.
Daniel’s Heart
8But Daniel set in his heart that he would not adefile himself with the bking’s choice food or with the cwine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. 9Now God granted Daniel alovingkindness and compassion before the commander of the officials, 10and the commander of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would 1make me forfeit my head to the king.” 11But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12“Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be agiven some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13“Then let our appearance be 1observed before you and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.”
14So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days. 15At the end of ten days it was seen that their appearance was abetter and that 1they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food. 16So the overseer continued to 1withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept agiving them vegetables.
17And as for these four youths, aGod gave them knowledge and insight in every branch of 1literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of bvisions and dreams.
18Then at the end of the days which the king had spoken of for bringing them in, the commander of the officials brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19And the king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like aDaniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; so they bstood in service before the king. 20And as for every matter of awisdom in understanding which the king sought from them, he found them bten times cbetter than all the 1,dmagicians and conjurers who were in all his kingdom. 21And Daniel 1continued until the afirst year of Cyrus the king.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Troubling Dream
2Now in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar 1,ahad dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his bsleep 2left him. 2Then the king said to call in the 1,amagicians, the conjurers, the sorcerers, and the 2Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 3Then the king said to them, “I 1,ahad a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.”
4Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in 1,aAramaic: “bO king, live forever! cSay the dream to your servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” 5The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be 1,atorn limb from limb, and your houses will be made a rubbish heap. 6“But if you declare the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me agifts and a reward and great glory; therefore declare to me the dream and its interpretation.” 7They answered a second time and said, “Let the king asay the dream to his servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” 8The king answered and said, “I know for certain that you are buying time, inasmuch as you have seen that the word from me is firm, 9that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is only aone law for you. Indeed, you have agreed together to speak lying and corrupt 1words before me until the time is changed; therefore say the dream to me, that I may bknow that you can declare to me its interpretation.” 10The Chaldeans answered 1the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who is able to declare the matter 2for the king, inasmuch as no great king or powerful ruler has ever asked about a matter like this of any 3,amagician, conjurer, or Chaldean. 11“Moreover, the matter which the king asks is 1difficult, and there is no one else who could declare it 2to the king except agods, whose bdwelling place is not with flesh.”
12Because of this the king became aindignant and very furious and said for them to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13So the law went forth that the wise men were to be killed; and they sought out aDaniel and his friends to 1kill them.
14Then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment to aArioch, the captain of the king’s 1bodyguard, who had gone forth to kill the wise men of Babylon; 15he answered and said to Arioch, a powerful 1official for the king, “For what reason is the law from the king so 2urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. 16So Daniel went in and sought from the king that he would 1give him time, in order that he might declare the interpretation to the king.
God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
17Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to his friends, to aHananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 18so that they might aseek compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be bdestroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night avision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; 20Daniel answered and said, “Let the name of God be ablessed forever and ever,For bwisdom and might belong to Him.
21“And He achanges the times and the seasons;He bremoves kings and 1establishes kings;He gives cwisdom to wise menAnd knowledge to 2men of understanding.22“He areveals the deep and hidden things;bHe knows what is in the darkness,And the clight dwells with Him.23“To You, O aGod of my fathers, I give thanks and praise,For You have given me bwisdom and might;Even now You have made known to me what we csought from You,For You have made known to us the king’s matter.”24Therefore, Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and said thus to him: “aDo not destroy the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will declare the interpretation to the king.”
25Then Arioch hurriedly abrought Daniel before the king and said thus to him: “I have found a man among the 1,bexiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king!” 26The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was aBelteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?” 27Daniel answered before the king and said, “As for the mystery about which the king is asking, neither awise men, conjurers, 1magicians, nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. 28“However, there is a aGod in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the 1,blast days. This was your dream and the cvisions of your head while on your bed. 29“As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts 1turned to what would happen 2in the future; and aHe who reveals mysteries has made known to you what will happen. 30“But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me by any awisdom which is in me more than in any other living man, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may know the bthoughts of your heart.
Daniel Interprets the Dream
31“You, O king, were looking, and behold, there was a single great 1image; that image, which was large and 2of extraordinary splendor, was rising up in front of you, and its appearance was 3,aawesome. 32“The ahead of that image was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, 33its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34“You 1continued looking until a astone was cut out bwithout hands, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and ccrushed them. 35“Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed 1all at the same time and became alike chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that bnot a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the image became a great cmountain and filled the whole earth.
36“This was the dream; now we will say aits interpretation before the king. 37“You, O king, are the aking of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the 1kingdom, the bpower, the strength, and the glory; 38and wherever the sons of men inhabit, or the abeasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has made you rule with power over them all. You are the head of gold. 39“But after you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule with power over all the earth. 40“Then there will be a afourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces. 41“Now in that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron; it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with 1common clay. 42“And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. 43“And in that you saw the iron mixed with 1common clay; they will combine with one another 2in the seed of men; but they will not cling to one another, even as iron does not combine with clay. 44“And in the days of those kings the aGod of heaven will bcause a ckingdom to rise up which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be 1left for another people; it will dcrush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself stand forever. 45“Inasmuch as you saw that a astone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the bgreat God has made known to the king what cwill happen 1in the future; so the dream is certain, and its interpretation is trustworthy.”
Daniel and Friends Promoted
46Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did ahomage to Daniel and said for them to present to him an offering and 1,bfragrant incense. 47The king answered Daniel and said, “Truly ayour God is a bGod of gods and a Lord of kings and a crevealer of mysteries since you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48Then the king 1,apromoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him rule with power over the whole bprovince of Babylon and chief 2prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49And Daniel sought of the king, and he aappointed bShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king’s 1,ccourt.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Golden Image
3Nebuchadnezzar the king made an aimage of gold, the height of which was 1sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the bprovince of Babylon. 2Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the asatraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 3Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they were standing before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4Then the herald loudly called out: “To you it is said, aO peoples, nations, and men of every tongue, 5that at the time you ahear the sound of the horn, flute, 1lyre, 2trigon, 3psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. 6“But whoever does not fall down and worship shall 1immediately be acast into the midst of a bfurnace of blazing fire.” 7Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, 1lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and men of every tongue fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
We Will Not Serve Your Gods
8For this reason at that time certain aChaldeans came near and 1,bbrought charges against the Jews. 9They answered and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: “aO king, live forever! 10“You, O king, have amade a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, 1lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to bfall down and worship the golden image. 11“But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. 12“There are certain Jews whom you have aappointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. These men, O king, do not pay attention to you; they do not serve your gods and do not worship the golden image which you have set up.”
13Then Nebuchadnezzar in arage and wrath said to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king. 14Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that you are not serving amy gods and do not worship the golden image that I have set up? 15“Now if you are ready, aat the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, 1lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, then you shall fall down and worship the image that I have made. But if you do not worship, you will 2immediately be bcast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and cwhat god is there who can save you out of my hands?”
16aShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to respond to you with an answer concerning this matter. 17“1If it be so, our aGod whom we serve is able to save us from the furnace of blazing fire; 2and bHe will save us out of your hand, O king. 18“aBut if not, blet it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods, and we will not worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Daniel’s Friends Delivered
19Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with awrath, and the image of his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. He answered and said to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20And he said to certain mighty men of valor who were in his military 1host to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21Then these men were tied up in their 1,atrousers, their 2coats, their caps, and their other clothes and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. 22For this reason, because the king’s word was 1,aurgent and the furnace had been heated to an extraordinary degree, the flame of the fire killed those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. 23But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, afell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.
24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and hurriedly stood up; he answered and said to his high officials, “Was it not three men we cast tied up into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “Certainly, O king.” 25He answered and said, “Look! I see four men loosed and awalking about in the midst of the fire 1without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the bgods!” 26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he answered and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the aMost High God, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego bcame out of the midst of the fire. 27Then the asatraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the bfire had no power over 1the bodies of these men, nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their 2,ctrousers 3damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.
28Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the aGod of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has bsent His angel and saved His servants who put their ctrust in Him, 1violating the king’s word, and gave up their bodies so as dnot to serve and not to worship any god except their own God. 29“Therefore I amake a decree that any people, nation, or tongue that says anything offensive against the God of bShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their chouses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is dno other god who is able to deliver in this way.” 30Then the king acaused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to succeed in the province of Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar Declares the Most High God
41Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and men of every tongue that inhabit all the earth: “May your 2,apeace abound! 2“It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the aMost High God has done for me.
3“How great are His asigns,And how strong are His wonders!His bkingdom is an everlasting kingdom,And His 1dominion is from generation to generation.Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of a Great Tree
4“1I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and aflourishing in my palace. 5“I saw a adream, and it made me fearful; and these fantasies as I lay on my bed and the bvisions in my head kept alarming me. 6“So I gave a decree to abring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7“Then the 1,amagicians, the conjurers, the 2Chaldeans, and the diviners came in, and I said the dream 3to them, but they could not make its binterpretation known to me. 8“But at last Daniel came in before me, whose name is aBelteshazzar according to the name of my god, and in whom is 1,ba spirit of the holy gods; and I said the dream 2to him: 9‘O Belteshazzar, achief of the magicians, since I know that ba spirit of the holy gods is in you, and cno mystery is difficult for you, dsay to me the visions of my dream which I have seen, along with its interpretation.
10‘Now these were the avisions in my head as I lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, there was a btree in the midst of the 1earth, and its height was great.
11‘The tree grew large and became strong,And its height areached to the sky,And it was visible to the end of the whole earth.12‘Its foliage was abeautiful and its fruit abundant,And in it was food for all.The bbeasts of the field found cshade under it,And the dbirds of the sky inhabited its branches,And all flesh fed itself from it.13‘I was looking in the avisions in my head as I lay on my bed, and behold, ba 1watcher, a choly one, descended from heaven.
14‘He called out loudly and said thus:“aChop down the tree and cut off its branches,Strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit;Let the bbeasts flee from under itAnd the birds from its branches.15“Yet aleave the stump 1with its roots in the earth,But with a band of iron and bronze around itIn the new grass of the field;And let him be drenched with the dew of heaven,And let 2him share with the beasts in the grass of the earth.16“Let his heart be changed from that of a man,And let the heart of a beast be given to him,And let aseven 1periods of time pass over him.17“This edict is by the resolution of the watchers,And the decision is a command of the holy ones,In order that the living may aknowThat the Most High is the powerful ruler over the kingdom of mankindAnd bgives it to whom He wishesAnd sets up over it the clowliest of men.”18‘This is the dream which I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, say to me its interpretation, inasmuch as none of the awise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for a bspirit of the holy gods is in you.’
Daniel Interprets the Dream
19“Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his athoughts were alarming him. The king answered and said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not blet the dream or its interpretation alarm you.’ Belteshazzar answered and said, ‘cMy lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to dyour adversaries! 20‘The atree that you saw, which became large and grew strong, whose height reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth, 21and whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field inhabited, and in whose branches the birds of the sky dwelt— 22it is ayou, O king; for you have become great and grown strong, and your greatness has become even greater and reached to the sky and your 1,bdominion to the end of the earth. 23‘But in that the king saw a watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven and saying, “aChop down the tree and destroy it; yet leave the stump 1with its roots in the earth, but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field, and let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let 2him share with the beasts of the field until bseven 3periods of time pass over him,” 24this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the resolution of the Most High, which has areached my lord the king: 25that you be adriven away from mankind and your place of habitation be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven 1periods of time will pass over you, until you know that the bMost High is the powerful ruler over the kingdom of mankind and cgives it to whomever He wishes. 26‘And in that they said to aleave the stump 1with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will endure for you after you know that it is bHeaven that rules with power. 27‘Therefore, O king, may my aadvice seem good to you: 1,bbreak away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by cshowing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a dprolonging of your prosperity.’
The Dream Is Accomplished
28“All this areached Nebuchadnezzar the king. 29“aAt the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. 30“The king answered and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the agreat, which I myself have built as a royal house by the strength of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’ 31“While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice 1came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is said: the kingdom has been removed from you, 32and ayou will be driven away from mankind, and your place of habitation will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and bseven 1periods of time will pass over you until you know that the cMost High is the powerful ruler over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whomever He wishes.’ 33“Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was accomplished; and he was adriven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.
34“But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes toward heaven, and my knowledge returned to me, and I blessed the aMost High and praised and honored bHim who lives forever; For His 1dominion is an ceverlasting 2dominion,And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
35“aAnd all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,But bHe does according to His will in the host of heavenAnd among the inhabitants of earth;And cno one can strike against His handOr say to Him, ‘dWhat have You done?’36“At that time my aknowledge returned to me. And my majesty and bsplendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my high officials and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my kingdom, and extraordinary cgreatness was added to me. 37“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the King of aheaven, for ball His works are 1true and His ways 2just, and He is able to humble those who cwalk in pride.”
Belshazzar’s Feast
5Belshazzar the king 1held a great afeast for one thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. 2When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he said to bring the gold and silver avessels which Nebuchadnezzar his 1father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. 3Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4They adrank the wine and praised the gods of bgold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand came out and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the 1back of the hand that did the writing. 6Then the 1,asplendor of the king’s face changed, and his thoughts alarmed him, and his bhip joints 2went slack, and his cknees were knocking against each other. 7The king called out loudly to bring in the aconjurers, the 1Chaldeans, and the diviners. The king answered and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Any man who can read this writing and declare its interpretation to me shall be bclothed with purple and have a cnecklace of gold around his neck and rule with power as 2,dthird ruler in the kingdom.” 8Then all the king’s wise men came in, but athey could not read the writing or make known its interpretation to the king. 9Then King Belshazzar was greatly aalarmed, and the 1,bsplendor of his face changed further, and his nobles were perplexed.
10The queen entered the banquet 1hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen answered and said, “aO king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or the 2splendor of your face be changed. 11“There is a aman in your kingdom in whom is 1a bspirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father 2,cthe king, set him as chief of the 3magicians, conjurers, 4Chaldeans, and diviners. 12“This was because an aextraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas, and 1solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named bBelteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned, and he will declare the interpretation.”
Daniel Interprets the Writing on the Wall
13Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the 1,aexiles from Judah, whom my father the king bbrought from Judah? 14“Now I have heard about you that 1a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight, and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you. 15“Just now the awise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this writing and make its interpretation known to me, but they bcould not declare the interpretation of the 1message. 16“But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and 1solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read the writing and make its ainterpretation known to me, you will be bclothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will rule with power as the 2third ruler in the kingdom.”
17Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your agifts remain with you or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the writing to the king and make the interpretation known to him. 18“1O king, the aMost High God bgranted the kingdom, cgrandeur, glory, and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father. 19“And because of the grandeur which He bestowed on him, all the peoples, nations, and men of every tongue feared and were in dread before him; awhomever he wished he killed, and whomever he wished he kept alive, and whomever he wished he raised up, and whomever he wished he made low. 20“But when his heart was araised up and his spirit became so bstrong that he behaved arrogantly, he was cdeposed from his royal throne, and his glory was taken away from him. 21“He was also adriven away from the sons of 1men, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his place of habitation was with the bwild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of the sky until he knew that the cMost High God is the powerful ruler over the kingdom of mankind and that He sets up over it whomever He wishes. 22“Yet you, his 1son, Belshazzar, have anot made your heart lowly, 2even though you knew all this, 23but you have araised yourself up against the bLord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the cgods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear, or know. But the God din whose hand are your life-breath and all your eways, you have not honored. 24“Then the 1,ahand was sent from Him, and this writing was 2inscribed.
25“Now this is the writing that was 1inscribed: ‘2MENE, 3MENE, 4TEKEL, 5UPHARSIN.’ 26“This is the interpretation of the 1message: ‘MENE’—God has numbered your kingdom and aput an end to it. 27“‘TEKEL’—you have been aweighed on the scales and found lacking. 28“‘PERES’—your kingdom has been divided and given over to the aMedes and 1Persians.”
29Then Belshazzar said the word, and they aclothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now would be the 1third powerful ruler in the kingdom.
Darius’ Officials Seek to Accuse Daniel
61It seemed good to Darius that he set 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom, 2and over them three commissioners (of whom aDaniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer bloss. 3Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself 1among the commissioners and satraps because an aextraordinary spirit was in him, and the king planned to set him over the bentire kingdom. 4Then the commissioners and satraps began aseeking to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to matters of the kingdom; but they were not able to find bany ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. 5Then these men said, “We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the alaw of his God.”
6Then these commissioners and satraps came 1by agreement to the king and said thus to him: “King Darius, alive forever! 7“All the acommissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have bcounseled together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who seeks to make a petition 1to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall cbe cast into the lions’ 2den. 8“Now, O king, aestablish the injunction and 1sign the written document so that it may not be changed, according to the blaw of the Medes and Persians, which 2may not be revoked.” 9Therefore King Darius asigned the written document, that is, the injunction.
10Now when Daniel knew that the written document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open atoward Jerusalem); and he continued bkneeling on his knees three times a day, cpraying and dgiving thanks before his God, 1as he had been doing previously. 11Then these men came 1,aby agreement and found Daniel seeking to make a petition and making supplication before his God. 12Then they came near and asaid before the king concerning the king’s injunction, “Did you not sign an injunction that any man who seeks to make a petition 1to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be cast into the lions’ den?” The king answered and said, “The word is certain, according to the blaw of the Medes and Persians, which 2may not be revoked.” 13Then they answered and said before the king, “aDaniel, who is one of the 1exiles from Judah, pays bno attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps seeking to make his petition three times a day.”
14Then, as soon as the king heard this word, he was greatly adistressed within himself and set his mind on saving Daniel; and even until sunset he kept exerting himself to deliver him. 15Then these men came 1by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a alaw of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”
Daniel in the Lions’ Den
16Then the king said the word, and Daniel was brought in and acast into the lions’ den. The king answered and said to Daniel, “1,bYour God whom you constantly serve will Himself save you.” 17And a astone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel. 18Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night afasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his bsleep fled from him.
19Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and hurriedly went to the lions’ den. 20When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king answered and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has ayour God, whom you constantly serve, been bable to save you from the lions?” 21Then Daniel spoke 1to the king, “aO king, live forever! 22“My God asent His angel and bshut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as 1I was found innocent before Him; and also 2toward you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23Then the king was greatly pleased and said for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and ano harm whatsoever was found on him because he had bbelieved in his God. 24The king then said the word, and they brought those men who had 1brought charges against Daniel, and they acast them, their bchildren, and their wives into the lions’ den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
25Then Darius the king wrote to all the apeoples, nations, and men of every tongue who were inhabiting all the land: “bMay your 1peace abound! 26“1I amake a decree that in all the 2dominion of my kingdom, men are to fear and be in dread before the God of Daniel; For He is the bliving God and cenduring forever,And dHis kingdom is one which will not be destroyed,And His 3dominion will be unto the end.
27“He saves and delivers and does asigns and wondersIn heaven and on earth,Who has also saved Daniel from the 1power of the lions.”28So this aDaniel enjoyed success in the kingdom of Darius and in the kingdom of bCyrus the Persian.
The Vision of the Four Beasts
7In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a adream and visions in his head as he lay on his bed; then he bwrote the dream down and said the 1following summary of the matter. 2Daniel answered and said, “I was alooking in my vision by night, and behold, the bfour winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3“And four great abeasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. 4“The first was alike a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; and a heart of a man was given to it. 5“And behold, another beast, a second one in the likeness of a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, ‘Arise, devour much meat!’ 6“After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, alike a leopard, which had on its 1back four wings of a bird; the beast also had bfour heads, and 2dominion was given to it. 7“After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a afourth beast, fearsome and terrifying and extraordinarily strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had bten horns. 8“While I was contemplating the horns, behold, aanother horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, 1this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and ba mouth speaking great boasts.
The Ancient of Days
9“I kept lookingUntil athrones were set up,And the Ancient of Days was seated;His bclothing was like white snowAnd the chair of His head like pure wool.His dthrone was 1ablaze with fire,Its ewheels were a burning fire.10“A river of afire was flowingAnd coming out from before Him;bThousands upon thousands were attending Him,And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him;The ccourt sat,And dthe books were opened.11“Then I kept looking because of the sound of the great boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was killed, and its body was destroyed and given to the aburning 1fire. 12“As for the rest of the beasts, their 1dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was given to them for an appointed season of time.
The Son of Man
13“I kept looking in the night visions,And behold, with the clouds of heavenOne like a aSon of Man was coming,And He came up to the Ancient of DaysAnd came near before Him.14“And to Him was given 1,adominion,Glory, and ba kingdom,cThat all the peoples, nations, and men of every tongueMight serve Him.dHis 2dominion is an everlasting 3dominionWhich will not be taken away;eAnd His kingdom is oneWhich will not be destroyed.The Vision Interpreted
15“As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed 1within me, and the avisions of my head kept balarming me. 16“I came near to one of those who were astanding by and began seeking out from him the 1exact meaning of all this. So he bsaid it to me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: 17‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. 18‘But the 1,asaints of the Highest One will breceive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, 2for all ages to come.’
19“Then I desired to know the 1exact meaning of the afourth beast, which was different from all 2the others, extraordinarily fearsome, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet, 20and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth speaking great boasts and 1which was larger in appearance than its associates. 21“I kept looking, and that horn was awaging war with the saints and overcoming them 22until the Ancient of Days came and ajudgment was given in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the season arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.
23“Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. 24‘As for the aten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will make low three kings. 25‘He will aspeak words against the bMost High and cwear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make dchanges in seasons and in law; and 1they will be given into his hand for a 2,etime, 3times, and half a 4time. 26‘But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be ataken away, 1annihilated and destroyed 2forever. 27‘Then the 1,areign, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an beverlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will cserve and obey Him.’
28“1At this point the matter of this revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were agreatly alarming me, and the 2splendor of my face changed, but I bkept the matter in my heart.”
The Vision of the Ram and Goat
8In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king, a vision appeared to me, 1Daniel, after the one which appeared to me 2previously. 2And I alooked in the vision. And it happened that while I was looking, I was in the citadel of bSusa, which is in the province of cElam; and I looked in the vision, and I myself was beside the Ulai 1Canal. 3Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a aram which had two horns was standing in front of the 1canal. Now the two horns were 2long, but one was 3longer than the other, with the 4longer one coming up last. 4I saw the ram abutting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before it, nor was there anyone to deliver from its 1power, but bit did as it pleased and magnified itself.
5And while I was considering, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the 1goat had a aconspicuous horn between its eyes. 6Then it came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the 1canal, and ran at it in his strong wrath. 7And I saw it reach the side of the ram, and it was enraged at it; and it struck the ram and broke its two horns in pieces, and the ram had no strength to stand in 1opposition to it. So it threw it down to the ground and trampled on it, and there was none to deliver the ram from its 2power. 8Then the male goat magnified itself exceedingly. But as soon as ait was mighty, the blarge horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the cfour winds of 1heaven.
The Small Horn
9And out of one of them came forth a rather asmall horn. And it grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the 1,bBeautiful Land. 10Then it grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the astars to fall to the earth, and it btrampled them down. 11And it even amagnified itself 1to be equal with the 2Commander of the host; and it removed the bregular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. 12And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will athrow truth down to the ground and do its will and succeed. 13Then I heard a aholy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, “bHow long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, 1while the transgression causes desolation, so as to allow both the holy place and the host 2to be ctrampled?” 14He said to me, “For a2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be 1made righteous.”
Daniel Seeks to Understand the Vision
15Now it happened when aI, Daniel, had seen the vision, that I sought 1to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one 2who had the appearance of a bman. 16And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “aGabriel, give this man an understanding of what has appeared.” 17So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was terrified and afell on my face; but he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the btime of the end.”
18Now while he was talking with me, I asank into a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he btouched me and made me stand 1upright. 19Then he said, “Behold, I am going to alet you know what will happen at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end. 20“The aram which you saw with the two horns is the kings of Media and Persia. 21“Now the shaggy 1goat is the 2king of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king. 22“And the abroken horn and the four horns that stood in its place are four kingdoms which will take their stand from his nation, although not with his power.
23“In the latter period of their 1reign,When the transgressors have 2run their course,A king will stand,3Insolent and skilled in 4intrigue.24“His power will be mighty, but not by his own power,And he will 1,adestroy to an 2astonishing degreeAnd succeed and do his will;He will 3destroy mighty men and 4the holy people.25“And through his insightHe will cause deceit to succeed by his hand;And he will magnify himself in his heart,And he will 1destroy many while they are 2at ease.He will even astand against the Prince of princes,But he will be broken bwithout hands.26“And what had appeared about the evenings and morningsWhich has been told is atrue;But as for you, bconceal the vision,For it pertains to many cdays in the future.”27Then I, Daniel, was 1,aexhausted and sick for days. Then I rose up again and bdid the king’s work; but I was 2appalled at what had appeared, and there was none to make me understand it.
Daniel’s Prayer of Supplication
9In the first year of aDarius the son of Ahasuerus, from the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— 2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, discerned in the books the anumber of the years concerning which the word of 1Yahweh came to bJeremiah the prophet for the fulfillment of the laying waste of Jerusalem, namely, cseventy years. 3So I gave my face to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4And I prayed to Yahweh my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the agreat and awesome God, who bkeeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 5awe have sinned and committed iniquity and acted wickedly and brebelled, even cturning aside from Your commandments and judgments. 6“Moreover, we have not alistened to Your slaves the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and all the people of the land.
7“aTo You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us 1,bopen shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in call the countries to which You have banished them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. 8“O Yahweh, to us belongs 1open shame, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9“To the Lord our God belong acompassion and forgiveness, 1for we have brebelled against Him; 10nor have we listened to the voice of Yahweh our God, to walk in His 1laws which He aput before us through His slaves the prophets. 11“Indeed aall Israel has trespassed against Your law, even turning aside, not listening to Your voice; so the bcurse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the 1law of Moses the 2servant of God, for we have sinned against Him. 12“Thus He has aestablished His words which He had spoken against us and against our bjudges who judged us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has cnot been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. 13“As it is written in the 1,alaw of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have bnot 2entreated the favor of Yahweh our God by cturning from our iniquity and acting wisely in Your truth. 14“Therefore Yahweh has awatched over the calamity and brought it on us; for Yahweh our God is brighteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not listened to His voice.
15“So now, O Lord our God, who have abrought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand and have bmade a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned; we have acted wickedly. 16“O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteousness, let now Your aanger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your bholy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a creproach to all those around us. 17“So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your slave and to his supplications, and for 1Your sake, O Lord, alet Your face shine on Your bdesolate sanctuary. 18“O my God, aincline Your ear and listen! Open Your eyes and bsee our desolations and the city which is ccalled by Your name; for we are not 1,dpresenting our supplications before You on account of any righteousness of our own, but on account of Your abundant compassion. 19“O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, give heed and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, ado not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”
Gabriel Brings Understanding
20Now while I was aspeaking and praying, and bconfessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and 1presenting my supplication before Yahweh my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21and while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man aGabriel, whom I had seen in the vision 1previously, 2touched me 3in my extreme weariness about the time of the bevening offering. 22Then he made me understand and spoke with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with aunderstanding. 23“At the abeginning of your supplications the word was issued, so I have come to tell you, for you are 1,bhighly esteemed; so understand the message and gain cunderstanding in what has appeared.
Seventy Weeks and the Messiah
24“Seventy 1,aweeks have been determined for your people and for your holy city, to 2finish the transgression, to 3make an end of sin, to bmake atonement for iniquity, to bring in ceverlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and 4prophecy, and to anoint the Holy of Holies. 25“So you are to know and have insight that from the going out of a 1,aword to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until 2,bMessiah the cPrince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be restored and rebuilt, with 3plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26“Then after the sixty-two weeks the 1Messiah will be acut off and have 2nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will bdestroy the city and the sanctuary. And 3its end will come with a cflood; even to the end 4there will be war; desolations are decreed. 27“And he will make a 1firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will make sacrifice and grain offering cease; and on the wing of 2,aabominations will come one who 3makes desolate, even until a bcomplete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who 4makes desolate.”
Daniel’s Terrifying Vision of a Man
10In the third year of aCyrus king of Persia, a word was revealed to bDaniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the cword was true and one of great 1conflict, but he understood the word and had an dunderstanding of what had appeared.
2In those days, I, Daniel, had been amourning for three entire 1weeks. 3I adid not eat any 1tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three 2weeks were fulfilled.
4And on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, while I was by the bank of the great ariver, that is, the 1Tigris, 5I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a certain man adressed in linen, whose loins were bgirded with a belt of pure cfine gold of Uphaz. 6His body also was like 1beryl, his face 2had the appearance of lightning, ahis eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. 7Now I, Daniel, aalone saw the vision that appeared, but the bmen who were with me did not see the vision that appeared; nevertheless, a great cterror fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. 8So I alone aremained and saw this great vision that appeared; yet bno might remained in me, for my outward splendor turned to 1a deathly pallor, and I retained no might. 9But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I afell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.
Daniel Is Strengthened
10Then behold, a hand atouched me and set me shaking on my 1hands and knees. 11And he said to me, “O aDaniel, man of 1high esteem, bunderstand the words that I am about to speak to you and cstand 2upright, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up dtrembling. 12Then he said to me, “aDo not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you gave your heart to understand this and to bhumble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response cto your words. 13“But the 1prince of the kingdom of Persia was 2standing against me for twenty-one days; then behold, aMichael, one of the chief princes, came to help me. Now I had been left there with the kings of Persia. 14“Now I have come to agive you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the 1,blast days, for the vision pertains to cthe days yet future.” 15Now when he had spoken to me according to these words, I 1turned my face toward the ground and became aspeechless.
16And behold, aone 1in the likeness of the sons of men was btouching my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him who was standing before me, “O my lord, as a result of the vision that appeared, cpains have come upon me, and I have retained no might. 17“Now ahow can such a servant of my lord talk with such as my lord? As for me, right now bno might stands within me, nor does any breath remain within me.”
18Then this one with the appearance of a man touched me again and astrengthened me. 19And he said, “O man of 1high esteem, ado not be afraid. Peace 2be with you; gather bstrength and be strong!” Now as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength and said, “May my lord speak, for you have cstrengthened me.” 20Then he said, “Do you know why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the 1prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the 2,aprince of 3Greece is about to come. 21“However, I will tell you what is 1inscribed in the writing of atruth. Now there is no one who 2exerts strength with me against these forces except bMichael your prince.
Kingdoms and Wars
11“Now I, in the afirst year of Darius the Mede, 1I stood to strengthen and to be a fortress for him. 2“So now I will tell you the atruth. Behold, three more kings are going to stand 1in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all of them; as soon as he becomes strong through his riches, 2he will arouse the whole empire against the kingdom of 3,bGreece. 3“And a amighty king will stand, and he will 1dominate with great 2domination and bdo as he pleases. 4“But as soon as he stands, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out atoward the bfour winds of 1heaven, but not to his own descendants, nor according to his 2domination with which he 3dominated, for his kingdom will be cuprooted and given to others besides 4them.
5“Then the aking of the South will grow strong, 1along with one of his princes 2who will grow strong over him and 3obtain dominion; indeed, his 4domain will be a great 5dominion. 6“And 1after some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will come to the aking of the North to carry out 2an equitable arrangement. But she will not retain her 3position of power, nor will he continue to stand with his 4power, but she will be given up, along with those who brought her in and the one who fathered her as well as he who strengthened her in those times. 7“But one of the 1descendants of her line will stand in his place, and he will come against their military force and enter the afortress of the king of the North, and he will deal with them and display strength. 8“And also their agods with their 1metal images and their desirable vessels of silver and gold he will bring into captivity to Egypt, and he on his part will stand back from attacking the king of the North for some years. 9“Then 1the latter will enter the kingdom of the king of the South, but will return to his own land.
10“And his sons will wage war. So they will gather a multitude of great forces; and one of them will keep on coming and aoverflow and pass through, that he may 1again wage war up to his very fortress. 11“And the aking of the South will be enraged and go forth and fight 1with the king of the North. Then the latter will cause a great multitude to stand, but that multitude will be given into 2the hand of the former. 12“Then the multitude will be carried away, his heart will be lifted up, and he will cause tens of thousands to fall; yet he will not prevail. 13“And the king of the North will again cause a much greater multitude than the former to stand, and at the aend of the times of those years, he will keep on coming with a great military force and much equipment.
14“Now in those times many will stand against the king of the South; the violent ones among your people will also lift themselves up in order to cause the vision to stand, but they will 1fall down. 15“Then the king of the North will come, cast up a asiege ramp, and capture a well-fortified city; and the might of the South will not stand, not even 1their choicest troops, for there will be no strength to make a stand. 16“But he who comes against him will ado as he pleases, and bno one will be able to stand in 1opposition to him; he will also stand for a time in the 2,cBeautiful Land, with destruction in his hand. 17“And he will aset his face to come with the authority of his whole kingdom, 1bringing with him 2an equitable proposal which he will 3put into effect; he will also give him the daughter of women to destroy it. But she will not take a stand for him or be 4on his side. 18“Then he will turn his face to the acoastlands and capture many. But a ruler will make his reproach against him cease; moreover, he will brepay him for his reproach. 19“So he will turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will astumble and fall and be bfound no more.
20“Then in his place one will stand who will ahave an 1oppressor pass through the 2Jewel of his kingdom; yet within a few days he will be broken, though not in anger nor in battle. 21“And in his place a despised person will stand, to whom the splendor of the kingdom has not been given, but he will come in a time of ease and atake hold of the kingdom by intrigue. 22“But the overflowing 1,amight will be flooded away before him and broken, and also the prince of the covenant. 23“And after an alliance is made with him, he will 1practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people. 24“1In a time of ease he will enter the arichest parts of the province, and he will do what his fathers never did, nor his fathers’ fathers; he will distribute plunder, spoil, and possessions among them, and he will devise his schemes against strongholds, but only for a time. 25“And he will stir up his strength and heart against the aking of the South with a great military force; so the king of the South will wage war with an extremely large and mighty military force for war; but he will not stand, for schemes will be devised against him. 26“And those who eat his choice food will break him, and his military force will 1,aoverflow, but many will fall down slain. 27“And as for both kings, their hearts will be intent on aevil, and they will bspeak falsehood at the same table; but it will not succeed, for the cend is still to come at the appointed time. 28“Then he will return to his land with great possessions; but his heart will be set against the holy covenant, and he will take action and then return to his own land.
29“At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but 1this last time it will not happen the way it did before. 30“Indeed, ships of 1,aKittim will come against him; therefore he will be disheartened and will return and become indignant at the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. 31“Mighty forces from him will stand, aprofane the sanctuary fortress, and abolish the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the babomination 1of desolation. 32“And by asmooth words he will 1turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display bstrength and take action. 33“And 1,athose who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will bfall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder for many days. 34“Now when they fall, they will be granted a little help, and many will ajoin with them in 1,bintrigue. 35“And some of 1those who have insight will fall, in order to arefine, bpurge, and make them 2,cpure until the time of the dend, because it is still to come at the appointed time.
36“Then the king will ado as he pleases, and he will exalt and bmagnify himself above every god and will cspeak 1astonishing things against the dGod of gods; and he will succeed until the eindignation is finished, for that which is fdecreed will be done. 37“He will show no regard for the 1gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all. 38“But 1instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones, and desirable things. 39“And he will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to 1those who recognize him and will cause them to rule over the many and will apportion land for a price.
40“And at athe time of the end, the bking of the South will collide with him, and the cking of the North will dstorm against him with chariots, with horsemen, and with many ships; and he will enter lands, eoverflow them, and pass through. 41“And he will also enter the 1,aBeautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, bMoab, and the foremost of the sons of cAmmon. 42“Then he will send forth his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. 43“But he will rule over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the desirable things of Egypt; and aLibyans and bEthiopians will follow at his 1heels. 44“But reports from the East and from the North will dismay him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and 1devote many to destruction. 45“And he will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful aHoly Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.
The End of the Days
12“Now at that time, aMichael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will stand. And there will be a btime of distress csuch as never happened since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the dbook, will be rescued. 2“aAnd many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, bthese to everlasting life, but the others to reproach and everlasting 1contempt. 3“1And those who have ainsight will bshine brightly like the brightness of the 2expanse of heaven, and those who clead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4“But as for you, Daniel, aconceal these words and bseal up the book until the ctime of the end; dmany will go to and fro, and knowledge will increase.”
5Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river. 6And aone said to the man bdressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “cHow long will it be until the end of these wonders?” 7And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, 1as he araised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by bHim who lives forever that it would be for a 2,ctime, 3times, and half a 4time; and as soon as 5they complete dshattering the 6power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. 8As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the 1outcome of these events?” 9Then he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and asealed up until the time of the end. 10“aMany will be purged, 1purified, and refined, but the bwicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but 2those who chave insight will understand. 11“But from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the 1,aabomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12“How ablessed is he who keeps waiting and reaches the b1,335 days! 13“But as for you, go your way to the 1end; then you will enter into arest and stand again for your ballotted portion at the end of the days.”