Daniel

8 In the year three of King Belshassar’s reign a vision appeared to me, Daniel, following out the one I had seen at first. 2 And I saw in the vision—and when I saw it I was in Susa Citadel in the province of ʽElam—I saw in the vision that I was by Ulai Run, 3 and I raised my eyes and saw that there was a ram standing in front of the Run; and it had two horns, and the horns were tall, the one taller than the other, and the taller coming up behind. 4* I saw the ram butting west and north and south, and no beasts could stand before it, and there was nobody to give deliverance from its power, and it did as it pleased and made a great record.

5 And as I was taking it in, there, coming from the west over the face of all the earth, was a he-goat; and the goat had a strikingly large horn between its eyes. 6 And it came through to the two-horned ram that I had seen standing in front of the Run, and ran at it in its rage of strength; 7* and I saw it come on alongside the ram and quarrel with it and hit the ram and break both its horns, and there was in the ram no strength to stand before it, and it knocked it down and trampled it, and there was nobody that delivered the ram out of its power. 8* And the he-goat did very great things; but when it was at its mightiest the great horn broke, and four others came up instead, to the four winds of the sky.

9* And out of one of them came out another horn, a tiny one, and it grew extremely large toward the south and toward the east and toward the crowning glory; 10 and it grew large up to the legions of the sky and knocked some of the legions and some of the stars down to the earth and trampled them; 11*** and up to the Chief of the Legions it grew large, and the regular sacrifice was taken off from him and the footing of his sanctuary thrown down; 12 and a campaign is undertaken against the regular sacrifice with crime; and he shall throw truth down on the ground, and carry on and be successful. 13**** And I heard one holy one speak; and one holy one said to whoever it was that spoke “How long does the vision run? the regular sacrifice, and the crime appalling, his making sanctuary and host things to trample on?” 14*** And he said to him “Through twenty-three hundred evenings, mornings; and sacred things shall be vindicated.”

15 And when I, Daniel, saw the vision I sought for insight; and there before me stood what looked like a man, 16* and I heard a human voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called out “Gabriel, give yonder man an insight into the apparition!” 17** And he came beside me as I stood; and at his coming I was perturbed and threw myself down on my face. And he said to me “Understand, man; for the vision is for an ultimate time.”

18 And as he spoke to me I was in a trance on my face on the ground; but he came up to me and set me on my feet. 19* And he said to me “Here, I am going to make known to you that which is to be in the latter end of the unfriendliness, for it is for an ultimate date. 20 The two-horned ram that you saw is the kings of Media and Persia; 21* and the he-goat is the king of Greece; and the great horn between its eyes is the first king; 22 and the broken horn, and four standing up instead, four kingdoms are to stand up out of his nation but not with his power. 23* But toward the latter end of their empire, while criminals are finishing their work, there is to stand a king stiff-faced and ingenious at riddles. 24*** And his power is to be immense, but not by his power; and he is to think up marvelous things and be successful and carry on; and he is to make away with mighty ones and a people of holy ones; 25* and owing to his longheadedness he is to handle deceit successfully, and build great things in his heart, and make away with many while they are off their guard; and he is to stand against a Chief of Chiefs, but be broken without touch of a hand. 26* And the spoken disclosure of the evenings and mornings is truth. But as for you, keep the vision under a stopper, for it is a longtime one.”

27* And I, Daniel, broke down and was ill for a while; but I got on my feet and did the king’s business. But I was appalled at the inexplicable vision.