Daniel 7-9

Orthodox Jewish Bible

7 In the first year of Belshatzar melech Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head upon his bed; then he wrote down the dream, and the sum of the matters he related.

² Daniel answered and said, I saw in my vision that came by night, and, hinei, the arbah ruchot (four winds) of Shomayim burst forth upon the yam hagadol (great sea).

³ And four chayyot hagedolot (great beasts) came up from the yam, different one from another.

⁴ Harishonah (the first) was like an arye (lion), and had eagle’s wings. I was beholding until its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from ha’aretz, and was made to stand upon two feet like a man, and a man’s lev was given to it [see Daniel 4:34 (4:31)].

⁵ And hinei another beast, a second, like a bear, and it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and it was said thus unto it, Arise, devour much basar (flesh).

⁶ After this I beheld, and hinei another, like a leopard, which had upon its sides four wings of a bird; the beast had also arba’ah rashim (four heads) and dominion was given to it.

⁷ After this I saw in the night visions, and hinei a fourth Chayyah (Beast), dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth; it was devouring and crushing, and trampling the residue with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had eser karnayim (ten horns).

⁸ I was contemplating the karnayim (horns), and, hinei, there came up among them another keren (horn), a little one, before whom there were three of the first karnayim plucked up by the roots; and, hinei, in this keren were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

⁹ I was beholding until kisot (thrones) were placed, and the Atik Yomin (Ancient of Days, i.e., Hashem) did sit, whose raiment was like white snow, and the hair of His rosh like pure wool; His kes (throne) was like the fiery flames, and its wheels like burning eish.

¹⁰ A river of eish was flowing and came forth from before Him; thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him; the court sat, and the sfarim (books) were opened.

¹¹ I was beholding from (the time of) the voice of the arrogant words which the keren [Anti-Moshiach] spoke, I was beholding even till the Chayyah (Beast) was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning eish.

¹² As concerning the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a time and a season.

¹³ I was beholding in visions of the night, and, hinei, one like a Bar Enosh (Ben Adam, i.e., Moshiach) came with the clouds of Shomayim, and came to the Atik Yomin (Ancient of Days, i.e., Hashem), and before Him He was brought.

¹⁴ And there was given Him (Moshiach) dominion, and honor, and sovereignty, that all people, Goyim, tongues, should pey-lammed-chet (see Dan 3:12, serve, reverence as deity Him (Moshiach). His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His (Messianic) Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

¹⁵ As for me, Daniel, my ruach was anxious in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head were troubling me.

¹⁶ I drew near to one of the attendants to ask him the certainty concerning all this; and he said to me that he would make me to have da’as of the pesher (interpretation) of the things.

¹⁷ These chayyot hagedolot (great beasts), which are arbah (four), are four melachim, which shall arise out of ha’aretz.

¹⁸ But the kadoshim Elyon (holy ones of the Most High) shall receive the Kingdom, and shall possess the Kingdom forever, even forever and ever.

¹⁹ Then I desired to make sure concerning the fourth Chayyah (Beast), which was different from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and its claws brass; it was devouring, crushing, and stamped the residue with its feet;

²⁰ And concerning the eser karnayim (ten horns) that were in its head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell, even of that horn (Anti-Moshiach) that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke arrogant things, which seemed greater than the others.

²¹ I was beholding, and the same keren (horn, Anti-Moshiach) made war against the kadoshim, and prevailed against them;

²² Until the Atik Yomin (Ancient of Days, Hashem) came, and judgment was given for the kadoshim Elyon; and the time came that the kadoshim possessed the Kingdom.

²³ This is what he said: The fourth Chayyah (Beast) shall be a fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be different from all kingdoms, and shall devour kol ha’aretz, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

²⁴ And the eser karnayim (ten horns) out of this kingdom are asarah melachim (ten kings) that shall arise, and another shall arise after them; and he shall be different from the first, and he shall subdue three melachim.

²⁵ And he (Anti-Moshiach) shall speak great words against Elyon, and shall wear out the kadoshim Elyon, and think to change set times and law, and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.

²⁶ But judgment was given, and there was taken away its [Anti-Moshiach’s] power to destroy and to annihilate unto the end.

²⁷ And the dominion and sovereignty, and greatness of the kingdom under kol HaShomayim, shall be given to the people of the kadoshim Elyon, whose kingdom is a malchut olam (an everlasting kingdom), and all dominions shall serve and obey them.

²⁸ Unto this point is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts much troubled me, and the color of my countenance changed upon me, but I kept the matter in my lev. [T.N. Chanukah remembers the restored and re-dedicated worship in Jerusalem 164 B.C.E. after the Anti-Moshiachlike activities of Antiochus Epiphanes predicted in chp 8 below.]

8 In the shnat shalosh (third year) of the reign of Belshatzar HaMelech, a chazon (vision) appeared unto me, Daniel, after that which appeared unto me in the beginning.

² And I beheld in a chazon; and it came to pass, while I was seeing, that I was in Shushan (Susa) the fortress, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a chazon, and I was by the stream Ulai.

³ Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, hinei, there stood before the stream a ram which had two karnayim (horns), and the two karnayim were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher was coming up last.

⁴ I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no chayyot (beasts) might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and made a great display of strength.

⁵ And as I was considering, hinei, a he-goat was coming from the west on the face of kol ha’aretz, and it was not touching the earth; and as to the goat it had a conspicuous keren (horn) between its eyes.

⁶ And he came to the ram that had two karnayim, which I had seen standing before the stream, and he ran against him with the wrath of his koach (strength).

⁷ And I saw him approaching the ram, and he was enraged against him, and he smote the ram, broke his two karnayim, and there was no koach in the ram to stand before him, and he cast him down to the ground, and trampled him; there was none to deliver the ram from him.

⁸ Therefore the he-goat was acting very presumptuously; and when he was powerful, the keren hagedolah (great horn, [i.e., Alexander’s Empire]) was broken; and in the place of it came up conspicuously four, toward the arbah ruchot HaShomayim (the four winds of Heaven).

⁹ And out of one of them came forth a little horn [Antiochus Epiphanes], which became exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the [eretz] hatzevi (the glorious land, [i.e., Eretz Israel]).

¹⁰ And it became great, even unto the tzva HaShomayim; and it caused to fall down to the earth some of the host and some of the kokhavim it trampled.

¹¹ Yea, he magnified himself even unto the Sar HaTzava, and the daily sacrifice was taken away from Him, and the place of His Mikdash was cast down.

¹² And a tzva (army) was given over to oppose the daily sacrifice on account of peysha (transgression, rebellion), and it cast down emes to the ground; and it acted, and prospered.

¹³ Then I heard one kadosh (angel) speaking, and another kadosh said unto that certain kadosh which spoke, How long shall be the chazon concerning the daily sacrifice, and the desolating peysha (transgression), to give both the Kodesh (Sanctuary) and the tzva (host) to be trodden under foot?

¹⁴ And he said unto me, Unto erev-boker two thousand and three hundred; then shall the Kodesh (Sanctuary) be vindicated.

¹⁵ And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, was beholding the chazon, that I sought the meaning; then, hinei, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.

¹⁶ And I heard a kol adam (man’s voice) amidst the Ulai, and he called, and said, Gavriel, cause this one to understand the vision [see Daniel 9:21].

¹⁷ So he came near where I stood; and as he came, I was filled with fear, and I fell down upon my face, but he said unto me, Understand, O ben adam, the chazon (vision) points to the time of the ketz (end).

¹⁸ Now while he was speaking with me, I swooned upon my face toward the ground, but he touched me, and made me stand upright.

¹⁹ And he said, Hineni, I will cause thee to know that which shall take place in the latter part of HaZa’am (the Wrath period), since at a mo’ed (an appointed time) the Ketz (End) shall be.

²⁰ The ram which thou sawest having two karnayim are the melachim of Media and Paras (Persia).

²¹ And the shaggy he-goat is melech Yavan (the king of Greece), and the keren hagedolah (great horn) that is between his eyes is the melech harishon (the first king [ i.e., Alexander]).

²² Now one being broken and four stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in its koach (strength).

²³ And in the latter time of their kingdom, when haposhe’im (the transgressors, the ones rebelling) are come to the full, a melech of unyielding countenance, and mastering intrigues, shall stand up.

²⁴ And his koach shall be mighty, but not by his own koach; and he shall cause astounding destruction, and shall prosper, and accomplish, and shall destroy the mighty and Am Kedoshim (the Holy People).

²⁵ And by his cunning also he shall cause mirmah (deceit) to prosper through his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his lev, and by peace shall destroy rabbim (many); he shall also stand up against the Sar Sarim (Prince of Princes); but he shall be broken without [human] hand.

²⁶ And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is emes; and thou! Shut up the chazon; for it shall be for many yamim [i.e., distant times].

²⁷ And I Daniel was faint, and lay ill several yamim; afterward I rose up, and did the king’s business; and I was astonished at the vision, but without understanding it.

9 In the shnat achat (first year) of Daryavesh ben Achashverosh, by zera (descent) a Mede, who was made melech over the realm of the Kasdim (Chaldeans);

² In the shnat achat of his reign, I, Daniel, received binah (understanding) from the Sfarim (books, Kitvei Hakodesh) of the number of the shanim, that the Devar Hashem was unto Yirmeyah HaNavi, with respect to the desolations of Yerushalayim, SHIVIM SHANAH must be completed [Yirmeyah 25:11; 29:10].

³ And I set my face unto Adonoi HaElohim, to plead by tefillah and tachanunim (supplications), with a tzom, and sackcloth, and ashes;

⁴ And I davened unto Hashem Elohai, and I made vidduy (confession of sin), and said, O Adonoi, HaEl HaGadol V’HaNorah (the great and dreadful G-d), Shomer HaBrit V’HaChesed (Who keepeth covenant and lovingkindness) to them that love Him, and to them that are shomrei mitzvot;

⁵ We have sinned, and we have committed iniquity, and we have done wickedly, and we have rebelled, even by departing from Thy mitzvot and from Thy mishpatim;

⁶ Neither have we heeded or listened unto Thy avadim the nevi’im, which spoke in Thy Name unto our Melachim, our Sarim (princes), and our Avot, and to kol Am HaAretz.

⁷ To Thee, Adonoi, is the tzedakah, but unto us is boshet hapanim (shame of face), as at yom hazeh; to the men of Yehudah, and to the yoshvei Yerushalayim, and unto kol Yisroel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither Thou hast driven them, because of their ma’al (betrayal, treachery) wherein they have dealt unfaithfully against Thee.

⁸ O Hashem, to us belongeth boshet hapanim, to our Melachim, to our Sarim (princes), and to our Avot, because we have sinned against Thee.

⁹ To Adonoi Eloheinu belong the rachamim and the selichot (forgiveness), for we have rebelled against Him;

¹⁰ Neither have we obeyed the voice of Hashem Eloheinu, to walk in His torot, which He has set before us by the hand of His avadim the Nevi’im.

¹¹ Yea, kol Yisroel has transgressed Thy Torah, even by departing, refusing to obey Thy kol (voice); therefore ha’alah (the curse [Devarim 29:18]) is poured upon us, and hashevuah (the oath) that is written in the Torat Moshe the Eved HaElohim, because we have sinned against Him. [Vayikra 26:14f; Devarim 28:15f]

¹² And He hath confirmed His words, which He spoke concerning us, and concerning our shofetim who judged us, that He would bring upon us a ra’ah gedolah, so that there has not been done under kol HaShomayim what has been done to Yerushalayim.

¹³ Even as it is written in the Torat Moshe, all hara’ah hazot (this evil) is come upon us, yet we have not mollified the face of Hashem Eloheinu, by turning away from avoneinu (our iniquities), and by having seichel (discernment) in Thy Emes.

¹⁴ Therefore hath Hashem watched upon the rah, and brought it upon us; for Hashem Eloheinu is tzaddik in all His ma’asim which He doeth, for we obeyed not His kol (voice).

¹⁵ And now, Adonoi Eloheinu, Who hast brought Thy people forth out of Eretz Mitzrayim with a yad chazakah (mighty hand), and hast gotten Thee renown, as at yom hazeh, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

¹⁶ O Adonoi, according to all Thy tzidkot, I beseech Thee, let Thine anger and Thy fury be turned away from Thy Ir (City) Yerushalayim, Thy Har Kodesh, because for chatta’einu, and for the avonot Avoteinu, Yerushalayim and Thy people are become a reproach, an object of scorn to all around about us.

¹⁷ Now therefore, shema, Eloheinu, hear the tefillah of Thy eved, and his tachanunim (supplications), and cause Thy face to shine upon Thy Mikdash [Beis HaMikdash] that is desolate, lema’an (for the sake of) Adonoi.

¹⁸ O Elohai, incline Thine ear, and shema; open Thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and HaIr which is called by Thy Name; for we do not present tachanuneinu (our supplications) before Thee on account of tzidkoteinu, but for the sake of Thy rachamim harabbim.

¹⁹ Adonoi, hear; Adonoi, forgive; Adonoi, hearken and act; delay not, for Thine own sake, O Elohai; for Thy city and Thy people are called by Thy Name.

²⁰ And while I was speaking, and davening tefillos, and making vidduy (confession of sin) for me and for Ami Yisroel, and laying my techinnah (petition) before Hashem Elohai for the sake of the Har Kodesh of Elohai;

²¹ Yea, while I was davening in tefillah, even haish [see 8:15] Gavriel, whom I had seen in the chazon in the beginning, being caused to fly in weariness, reached me about the time of the minchat erev.

²² And he instructed me, and spoke with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to make thee have seichel in binah.

²³ At the beginning of thy tachanunim (supplications) a commandment went forth, and I am come to make the word known; for thou art greatly valued; therefore understand the devar, and consider the vision.

²⁴ Shivi’im heptads is decreed upon thy people and upon thy Ir Kodesh (Holy City), to restrain the peysha (transgression), and to make an end of chattat (sin), and to make kapporah for avon, and to bring in Tzedek Olamim (Everlasting Righteousness), and to seal up the chazon and navi, and to anoint the Kodesh HaKodashim.

²⁵ Have da’as, therefore, and get seichel, that from the going forth of the decree to restore and to rebuild Yerushalayim unto Moshiach Nagid shall be shivah heptads, and threescore and two heptads; the rechov shall be built again, and the charutz, even in troublous times.

²⁶ And after threescore and two heptads, yikaret (will be cut off) Moshiach [Yeshayah 53:8], but not for himself [Yeshayah 53:4-6,8]; and the troops of the coming nagid shall destroy the Ir and the Kodesh (Beis Hamikdash, i.e., 70.C.E.); and the end thereof shall come with a flood, and unto the end there shall be war. Desolations are determined.

²⁷ And he shall confirm brit (covenant) with rabbim for one heptad; and in the midst of the heptad he shall cause the zevach and the minchah to cease, and on the kenaf (wing) of the abominations is one making desolate, even until the complete destruction, a destruction that is decreed, shall be poured out upon the Shomem (Desolator, Destroyer).