Daniel 7

English Standard Version

Daniel's Vision of the Four Beasts

7 In the first year of ^(A)Belshazzar king of Babylon, ^(B)Daniel saw a dream and ^(C)visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. ²Daniel declared,^[a] “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, ^(D)the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. ³And four great beasts ^(E)came up out of the sea, different from one another. ⁴The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. ⁵And behold, ^(F)another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ ⁶After this I looked, and behold, another, like a ^(G)leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and ^(H)dominion was given to it. ⁷After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, ^(I)terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; ^(J)it devoured and broke in pieces ^(K)and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and ^(L)it had ten horns. ⁸I considered the horns, and behold, ^(M)there came up among them another horn, a little one, ^(N)before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and ^(O)a mouth speaking great things.

The Ancient of Days Reigns

⁹“As I looked,

^(P)thrones were placed,
    and the ^(Q)Ancient of Days took his seat;
^(R)his clothing was white as snow,
    and ^(S)the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames;
    ^(T)its wheels were burning fire.
¹⁰^(U)A stream of fire issued
    and came out from before him;
^(V)a thousand thousands ^(W)served him,
    ^(X)and ten thousand times ten thousand ^(Y)stood before him;
the ^(Z)court sat in judgment,
    and ^(AA)the books were opened.

¹¹“I looked then because of the sound of ^(AB)the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, ^(AC)the beast was killed, and its body destroyed ^(AD)and given over to be burned with fire. ¹²As for the rest of the beasts, ^(AE)their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

The Son of Man Is Given Dominion

¹³“I saw in the night visions,

and ^(AF)behold, with the clouds of heaven
    there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the ^(AG)Ancient of Days
    and was presented before him.
¹⁴^(AH)And to him was given dominion
    and glory and a kingdom,
that all ^(AI)peoples, nations, and languages
    should serve him;
^(AJ)his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
    which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
    that shall not be destroyed.

Daniel's Vision Interpreted

¹⁵“As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me^[b] was anxious, and ^(AK)the visions of my head alarmed me. ¹⁶I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. ¹⁷^(AL)‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. ¹⁸But ^(AM)the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’

¹⁹“Then I desired to know the truth about ^(AN)the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, ²⁰^(AO)and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. ²¹As I looked, this horn ^(AP)made war with the saints and prevailed over them, ²²until the ^(AQ)Ancient of Days came, and ^(AR)judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when ^(AS)the saints possessed the kingdom.

²³“Thus he said: ‘As for ^(AT)the fourth beast,

there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,
    which shall be different from all the kingdoms,
and it shall devour the whole earth,
    and trample it down, and break it to pieces.
²⁴As for the ten horns,
out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,
    and another shall arise after them;
he shall be different from the former ones,
    and shall put down three kings.
²⁵^(AU)He shall speak words against the Most High,
    and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,
    and shall think to ^(AV)change the times and the law;
and they shall be given into his hand
    for ^(AW)a time, times, and half a time.
²⁶^(AX)But the court shall sit in judgment,
    and ^(AY)his dominion shall be taken away,
    to be consumed and destroyed ^(AZ)to the end.
²⁷^(BA)And the kingdom and the dominion
    and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven
    shall be given to the people of ^(BB)the saints of the Most High;
^(BC)his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,
    and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’^[c]

²⁸“Here is the end of the matter. ^(BD)As for me, Daniel, my ^(BE)thoughts greatly alarmed me, ^(BF)and my color changed, but ^(BG)I kept the matter in my heart.”

Footnotes

Daniel 7:2 Aramaic answered and said
Daniel 7:15 Aramaic within its sheath
Daniel 7:27 Or their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them

Revelation 3

English Standard Version

To the Church in Sardis

3 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him ^(A)who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation ^(B)of being alive, ^(C)but you are dead. ²Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works ^(D)complete in the sight of my God. ³^(E)Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, ^(F)I will come ^(G)like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. ⁴Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not ^(H)soiled their garments, and they will walk with me ^(I)in white, for they are ^(J)worthy. ⁵^(K)The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never ^(L)blot his name out of ^(M)the book of life. ^(N)I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. ⁶^(O)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Philadelphia

⁷“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of ^(P)the holy one, ^(Q)the true one, ^(R)who has the key of David, ^(S)who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

⁸“‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you ^(T)an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. ⁹Behold, I will make those of ^(U)the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, ^(V)I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that ^(W)I have loved you. ¹⁰^(X)Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try ^(Y)those who dwell on the earth. ¹¹^(Z)I am coming soon. ^(AA)Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize ^(AB)your crown. ¹²^(AC)The one who conquers, I will make him ^(AD)a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him ^(AE)the name of my God, and ^(AF)the name of the city of my God, ^(AG)the new Jerusalem, ^(AH)which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own ^(AI)new name. ¹³^(AJ)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Laodicea

¹⁴“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the ^(AK)Amen, ^(AL)the faithful and true witness, ^(AM)the beginning of God's creation.

¹⁵“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. ^(AN)Would that you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷^(AO)For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, ^(AP)blind, and naked. ¹⁸I counsel you ^(AQ)to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and ^(AR)white garments so that you may clothe yourself and ^(AS)the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, ^(AT)so that you may see. ¹⁹^(AU)Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. ²⁰Behold, I stand at the door and ^(AV)knock. ^(AW)If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, ^(AX)I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. ²¹^(AY)The one who conquers, ^(AZ)I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as ^(BA)I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²²^(BB)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”