11 ¹ You also need to know that I protected and helped Darius the Mede^[a] in his first year as king.

The Angel's Message to Daniel

Part One: The Four Kings and Their Successors

² What I am going to tell you is certain to happen. Four kings will rule Persia, one after the other, but the fourth one will become much richer than the others. In fact, his wealth will make him so powerful that he will turn everyone against the kingdom of Greece. ³ Then a mighty king will come to power and will be able to do whatever he pleases. ⁴ But suddenly his kingdom will be crushed and scattered to the four corners of the earth, where four more kingdoms will rise. But these won't be ruled by his descendants or be as powerful as his kingdom.

⁵ The king of the south will grow powerful. Then one of his generals will rebel and will rule an even larger kingdom. ⁶ Years later the southern kingdom and the northern kingdom will make a treaty, and the daughter of the king of the south will marry the king of the north. But she will lose her power. Then she, her husband, their child,^[b] and the servants who came with her will all be killed.

After this, ⁷ one of her relatives will become the ruler of the southern kingdom. He will attack the army of the northern kingdom and capture its fortresses. ⁸ Then he will carry their idols to Egypt, together with their precious treasures of silver and gold, but it will be a long time before he attacks the northern kingdom again. Some years later ⁹ the king of the north will invade the southern kingdom, but he will be forced back to his own country.

¹⁰ The sons of the king of the north will gather a huge army that will sweep down like a roaring flood, reaching all the way to the fortress of the southern kingdom. ^11 (A) But this will make the king of the south angry, and he will defeat this large army from the north. ¹² The king of the south will feel proud because of the many thousands he has killed. But his victories won't last long, ¹³ because the king of the north will gather a larger and more powerful army than ever before. Then in a few years, he will start invading other countries.

¹⁴ At this time many of your own people will try to make this vision come true by rebelling against the king of the south, but their rebellion will fail. ¹⁵ Then the army from the north will surround and capture a fortress in the south, and not even the most experienced troops of the southern kingdom will be able to make them retreat. ¹⁶ The king who invaded from the north will do as he pleases, and he will even capture and destroy the holy land.^{[c] 17} In fact, he will decide to invade the south with his entire army. Then he will attempt to make peace by giving the king of the south a bride from the northern kingdom, but this won't be successful.

¹⁸ Afterwards, this proud king of the north will invade and conquer many of the nations along the coast, but a military leader will defeat him and make him lose his pride. ¹⁹ He will retreat to his fortresses in his own country, but on the way he will be defeated and never again be seen.

²⁰ The next king of the north will try to collect taxes for the glory of his kingdom. However, he will come to a sudden end in some mysterious way, instead of in battle or because of someone's anger.

Part Two: The Evil King from the North

²¹ The successor of this king of the north will be a worthless nobody, who doesn't even come from a royal family. He will suddenly appear and gain control of the kingdom by treachery. ²² Then he will destroy armies and remove God's chosen high priest. ²³ He will make a treaty, but he will be deceitful and break it, even though he has only a few followers. ²⁴ Without warning, he will successfully invade a wealthy province, which is something his ancestors never did. Then he will divide among his followers all of its treasures and property. But none of this will last very long.

²⁵ He will gather a large and powerful army, and with great courage he will attack the king of the south. The king of the south will meet him with a much stronger army, but he will lose the battle, because he will be betrayed ²⁶ by members of the royal court. He will be ruined, and most of his army will be slaughtered.

²⁷ The two kings will meet around a table and tell evil lies to each other. But their plans will fail, because God has already decided what will happen. ²⁸ Then the king of the north will return to his country with great treasures. But on the way, he will attack the religion of God's people and do whatever else he pleases.

²⁹ At the time God has decided, the king of the north will invade the southern kingdom again, but this time, things will be different. ^30 (B) Ships from the west will come to attack him, and he will be discouraged. Then he will start back to his own country and take out his anger on the religion of God's faithful people, while showing kindness to those who are unfaithful. ^31 (C) He will send troops to pollute the temple and the fortress, and he will stop the daily sacrifices. Then he will set up that “Horrible Thing” that causes destruction. ³² The king will use deceit to win followers from those who are unfaithful to God, but those who remain faithful will do everything possible to oppose him.

³³ Wise leaders will instruct many of the people. But for a while, some of these leaders will either be killed with swords or burned alive, or else robbed of their possessions and thrown into prison. ³⁴ They will receive only a little help in their time of trouble, and many of their followers will be treacherous. ³⁵ Some of those who are wise will suffer, so that God will make them pure and acceptable until the end, which will still come at the time he has decided.

^36 (D) This king will do as he pleases. He will proudly claim to be greater than any god and will insult the only true God. Indeed, he will be successful until God is no longer angry with his people. ³⁷ This king will reject the gods his ancestors worshiped and the god preferred by women.^[d] In fact, he will put himself above all gods ³⁸ and worship only the so-called god of fortresses, who was unknown to his ancestors. And he will honor it with gold, silver, precious stones, and other costly gifts. ³⁹ With the help of this foreign god, he will capture the strongest fortresses. Everyone who worships this god will be put in a position of power and rewarded with wealth and land.

Part Three: The Time of the End

⁴⁰ At the time of the end, the king of the south will attack the kingdom of the north. But its king will rush out like a storm with war chariots, cavalry, and many ships. Indeed, his forces will flood one country after another, ⁴¹ and when they reach the holy land,^[e] tens of thousands will be killed. But the countries of Edom and Moab and the ruler of Ammon^[f] will escape.

⁴² The king of the north will invade many countries, including Egypt, ⁴³ and he will take its rich treasures of gold and silver. He will also conquer Libya and Ethiopia.^{[g] 44} But he will be alarmed by news from the east and the north, and he will become furious and cause great destruction. ⁴⁵ After this, he will set up camp between the Mediterranean Sea and Mount Zion. Then he will be destroyed, and no one will be able to save him.

Nebuchadnezzar's Dream

2 During the second year that Nebuchadnezzar was king, he had such horrible nightmares that he could not sleep. ² So he called in his counselors, advisors, magicians, and wise men, ³ and said, “I am disturbed by a dream that I don't understand, and I want you to explain it.”

⁴ They answered in Aramaic,^[a] “Your Majesty, we hope you live forever! We are your servants. Please tell us your dream, and we will explain what it means.”

⁵ But the king replied, “No! I have made up my mind. If you don't tell me both the dream and its meaning, you will be chopped to pieces and your houses will be torn down. ⁶ However, if you do tell me both the dream and its meaning, you will be greatly rewarded and highly honored. Now tell me the dream and explain what it means.”

⁷ “Your Majesty,” they said, “if you will only tell us your dream, we will interpret it for you.”

⁸ The king replied, “You're just stalling for time, ⁹ because you know what's going to happen if you don't come up with the answer. You've decided to make up a bunch of lies, hoping I might change my mind. Now tell me the dream, and that will prove that you can interpret it.”

¹⁰ His advisors explained, “Your Majesty, you are demanding the impossible! No king, not even the most famous and powerful, has ever ordered his advisors, magicians, or wise men to do such a thing. ¹¹ It can't be done, except by the gods, and they don't live here on earth.”

^12-13 This made the king so angry that he gave orders for every wise man in Babylonia to be put to death, including Daniel and his three friends.

God Tells Nebuchadnezzar's Dream to Daniel

¹⁴ Arioch was the king's official in charge of putting the wise men to death. He was on his way to have it done, when Daniel very wisely went to him ¹⁵ and asked, “Why did the king give such cruel^[b] orders?” After Arioch explained what had happened, ¹⁶ Daniel rushed off and said to the king, “If you will just give me some time, I'll explain your dream.”

¹⁷ Daniel returned home and told his three friends. ¹⁸ Then he said, “Pray that the God who rules from heaven will be merciful and explain this mystery, so that we and the others won't be put to death.” ¹⁹ In a vision one night, Daniel was shown the dream and its meaning. Then he praised the God who rules from heaven:

Daniel Interprets the Dream

²⁴ Daniel went back to Arioch, the official in charge of executing the wise men. Daniel said, “Don't kill those men! Take me to the king, and I will explain the meaning of his dream.”

²⁵ Arioch rushed Daniel to the king and announced, “Your Majesty, I have found out that one of the men brought here from Judah can explain your dream.”

²⁶ The king asked Daniel,^[c] “Can you tell me my dream and what it means?”

²⁷ Daniel answered:

Your Majesty, not even the smartest person in all the world can do what you are demanding. ^28-29 But the God who rules from heaven can explain mysteries. And while you were sleeping, he showed you what will happen in the future. ³⁰ However, you must realize that these mysteries weren't explained to me because I am smarter than everyone else. Instead, it was done so that you would understand what you have seen.

³¹ Your Majesty, what you saw standing in front of you was a huge and terrifying statue, shining brightly. ³² Its head was made of gold, its chest and arms were silver, and from its waist down to its knees, it was bronze. ³³ From there to its ankles it was iron, and its feet were a mixture of iron and clay.

³⁴ As you watched, a stone was cut from a mountain—but not by human hands. The stone struck the feet, completely shattering the iron and clay. ³⁵ Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed and blown away without a trace, like husks of wheat at threshing time. But the stone became a tremendous mountain that covered the entire earth.

³⁶ That was the dream, and now I'll tell you what it means. ³⁷ Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings, and God has highly honored you with power ³⁸ over all humans, animals, and birds. You are the head of gold. ³⁹ After you are gone, another kingdom will rule, but it won't be as strong. Then it will be followed by a kingdom of bronze that will rule the whole world. ⁴⁰ Next, a kingdom of iron will come to power, crushing and shattering everything.^[d]

^41-42 This fourth kingdom will be divided—it will be both strong and brittle, just as you saw that the feet and toes were a mixture of iron and clay. ⁴³ This kingdom will be the result of a marriage between kingdoms, but it will crumble, just as iron and clay don't stick together.

^44-45 During the time of those kings, the God who rules from heaven will set up an eternal kingdom that will never fall. It will be like the stone that was cut from the mountain, but not by human hands—the stone that crushed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. Your Majesty, in your dream the great God has told you what is going to happen, and you can trust this interpretation.

Daniel Is Promoted

⁴⁶ King Nebuchadnezzar bowed low to the ground and worshiped Daniel. Then he gave orders for incense to be burned and a sacrifice of grain to be offered in honor of Daniel. ⁴⁷ The king said, “Now I know that your God is above all other gods and kings, because he gave you the power to explain this mystery.” ⁴⁸ The king then presented Daniel with a lot of gifts; he promoted him to governor of Babylon Province and put him in charge of the other wise men. ⁴⁹ At Daniel's request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to high positions in Babylon Province, and he let Daniel stay on as a palace official.

The Lord Will Judge the Nations

3 At that time I, the Lord, will make Judah and Jerusalem prosperous again. ² Then in Judgment Valley^[a] I will bring together the nations that scattered my people Israel everywhere in the world, and I will bring charges against those nations. They divided up my land ³ and gambled to see who would get my people; they sold boys and girls to pay for prostitutes and wine.

^4 (A) You people of Tyre and Sidon^[b] and you Philistines, why are you doing this? Are you trying to get even with me? I'll strike back before you know what's happened. ⁵ You've taken my prized possessions, including my silver and gold, and carried them off to your temples.^{[c] 6} You have dragged the people of Judah and Jerusalem from their land and sold them to the Greeks.

⁷ But I'll make the people of Judah determined to come home, and what happened to them will happen to you. ⁸ I'll hand over your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans,^[d] who live far away. I, the Lord, have spoken!

Judgment in Judgment Valley

⁹ Say to the nations:

God Will Bless His People

Israel's Enemies Will Be Punished

The Lord Tells about the Coming King

The Lord Promises To Rescue Captives

The Lord Will Protect His People

Gog Invades Israel

38 The Lord said:

^2 (A) Ezekiel, son of man, condemn Gog, that wicked ruler of the kingdoms of Meshech and Tubal in the land of Magog. Tell him:

³ I, the Lord God, am your enemy, ⁴ and I will make you powerless! I will put a hook in your jaw and drag away both you and your large army. You command cavalry troops that wear heavy armor and carry shields and swords. ⁵ Your army includes soldiers from Persia, Ethiopia,^[a] and Libya, ⁶ as well as from Gomer and Beth-Togarmah in the north. Your army is enormous!

⁷ So keep your troops prepared to fight, ⁸ because in a few years, I will command you to invade Israel, a country that was ruined by war. It was deserted for a long time, but its people have returned from the foreign nations where they once lived. The Israelites now live in peace in the mountains of their own land. ⁹ But you and your army will attack them like a fierce thunderstorm and surround them like a cloud.

¹⁰ When that day comes, I know that you will have an evil plan ¹¹ to take advantage of Israel, that weak and peaceful country where people live safely inside towns that have no walls or gates or locks. ¹² You will rob the people in towns that were once a pile of rubble. These people lived as prisoners in foreign nations, but they have returned to Israel, the most important place in the world, and they own livestock and property. ¹³ The people of Sheba and Dedan, along with merchants from villages in^[b] southern Spain,^[c] will be your allies. They will want some of the silver and gold, as well as the livestock and property that your army takes from Israel.

¹⁴ I, the Lord God, know that when you see^[d] my people Israel living in peace, ¹⁵ you will lead your powerful cavalry from your kingdom in the north. ¹⁶ You will attack my people like a storm-cloud that covers their land. I will let you invade my country Israel, so that every nation on earth will know that I, the Lord, am holy.

Judgment on Gog

¹⁷ The Lord said to Gog:

Long ago, I ordered my prophets to warn the people of Israel that someday I would send an enemy to attack them. You, Gog, are that enemy, and that day is coming. ¹⁸ When you invade Israel, I will become furious, ¹⁹ and in my anger I will send a terrible earthquake to shake Israel. ²⁰ Every living thing on earth will tremble in fear of me—every fish and bird, every wild animal and reptile, and every human. Mountains will crumble, cliffs will fall, and cities will collapse. ²¹ I, the Lord, will make the mountains of Israel turn against you.^[e] Your troops will be so terrified that they will attack each other. ²² I will strike you with diseases and punish you with death. You and your army will be pounded with rainstorms, hailstones, and burning sulfur. ²³ I will do these things to show the world that I, the Lord, am holy.

Judgment on the King of Tyre

28 The Lord God said:

² Ezekiel, son of man, tell the king of Tyre^[a] that I am saying:

You are so arrogant that you think you're a god and that the city of Tyre is your throne. You may claim to be a god, though you're nothing but a mere human. ³ You think you're wiser than Daniel^[b] and know everything.^[c]

⁴ Your wisdom has certainly made you rich, because you have storehouses filled with gold and silver. ⁵ You're a clever businessman and are extremely wealthy, but your wealth has led to arrogance!

⁶ You compared yourself to a god, so now I, the Lord God, ⁷ will make you the victim of cruel enemies. They will destroy all the possessions you've worked so hard to get. ⁸ Your enemies will brutally kill you, and the sea will be your only grave.

⁹ When you face your enemies, will you still claim to be a god? They will attack, and you will suffer like any other human. ¹⁰ Foreigners will kill you, and you will die the death of those who don't worship me. I, the Lord, have spoken.

A Funeral Song for the King of Tyre

¹¹ The Lord said:

¹² Ezekiel, son of man, sing a funeral song for the king of Tyre^[d] and tell him I am saying:

At one time, you were perfect,^[e] intelligent, and good-looking. ¹³ You lived in the garden of Eden and wore jewelry made of brightly colored gems and precious stones. They were all set in gold^[f] and were ready for you on the day you were born. ¹⁴ I appointed a winged creature to guard your home^[g] on my holy mountain, where you walked among gems that dazzled like fire.

¹⁵ You were truly good from the time of your birth, but later you started doing wicked things. ¹⁶ You traded with other nations and became more and more cruel and evil. So I forced you to leave my mountain, and the creature that had been your protector now chased you away from the jewels.

¹⁷ It was your good looks that made you arrogant, and you were so famous that you started acting like a fool. That's why I threw you to the ground and let other kings sneer at you. ¹⁸ You have cheated so many other merchants that your places of worship are corrupt. So I set your city on fire and burned it down. Now everyone sees only ashes where your city once stood, ¹⁹ and the people of other nations are shocked. Your punishment was horrible, and you are gone forever.

Judgment on Sidon and Peace for Israel

^20 (A) The Lord said:

²¹ Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the city of Sidon^{[h] 22} and tell its people:

I, the Lord God, am your enemy! People will praise me when I punish you, and they will see that I am holy. ²³ I will send deadly diseases to wipe you out, and I will send enemies to invade and surround you. Your people will be killed, and you will know that I am the Lord.

²⁴ When that happens, the people of Israel will no longer have cruel neighbors that abuse them and make them feel as though they are in a field of thorns and briers. And the Israelites will know that I, the Lord God, have done these things.

A Blessing for Israel

²⁵ The Lord God said:

Someday I will gather the people of Israel from the nations where they are now scattered, and every nation will see that I am holy. The Israelites will once again live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob. ²⁶ They will be safe and will build houses and plant vineyards. They will no longer be in danger, because I will punish their hateful neighbors. Israel will know that I am the Lord their God.

Egypt Will Be a Barren Desert

30 The Lord said:

² Ezekiel, son of man, tell the people of Egypt that I am saying:

⁵ Soldiers hired from Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, Arabia, Kub, as well as from Israel,^[b] will die in that battle. ⁶ All of your allies will be killed, and your proud strength will crumble. People will die from Migdol in the north to Aswan in the south. I, the Lord, have spoken.

⁷ Your nation of Egypt will be the most deserted place on earth, and its cities will lie in complete ruin. ⁸ I will set fire to your land, and anyone who defended your nation will die. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

⁹ On the same day I destroy Egypt, I will send messengers to the Ethiopians to announce their coming destruction. They think they are safe, but they will be terrified.

¹⁰ Your Egyptian army is very strong, but I will send King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia to completely defeat that army. ¹¹ He and his cruel troops will invade and destroy your land and leave your dead bodies piled everywhere.

¹² I will dry up the Nile River, then sell the land to evil buyers. I will send foreigners to turn your entire nation into a barren desert. I, the Lord, have spoken.

Egypt's Proud Cities Will Lie in Ruins

The Lord said to the people of Egypt:

¹³ All the idols and images you Egyptians worship in the city of Memphis^[c] will be smashed. No one will be left to rule your nation, and terror will fill the land. ¹⁴ The city of Pathros will be left in ruins, and Zoan will be burned to the ground. Thebes,^[d] your capital city, will also be destroyed! ¹⁵ The fortress city of Pelusium will feel my fierce anger, and all the troops stationed at Thebes will be slaughtered.

¹⁶ I will set fire to your nation of Egypt! The city of Pelusium will be in anguish. Thebes will fall, and the people of Memphis will live in constant fear.^{[e] 17} The young soldiers in the cities of Heliopolis and Bubastis^[f] will die in battle, and the rest of the people will be taken prisoner. ¹⁸ You were so proud of your nation's power, but when I crush that power and kill that pride, darkness will fall over the city of Tahpanhes. A dark, gloomy cloud will cover the land as you are being led away into captivity. ¹⁹ When I'm through punishing Egypt, you will know that I am the Lord.

Egypt's King Is Powerless

²⁰ Eleven years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, the Lord spoke to me on the seventh day of the first month.^[g] He said:

²¹ Ezekiel, son of man, I, the Lord, have defeated the king of Egypt! I broke his arm, and no one has wrapped it or put it in a sling, so that it could heal and get strong enough to hold a sword. ²² So tell him that I am now his worst enemy. I will break both his arms—the good one and the broken one! His sword will drop from his hand forever, ²³ and I will scatter the Egyptians all over the world.

^24-25 I will strengthen the power of Babylonia's king and give him my sword to use against Egypt. I will also make the wounded king of Egypt powerless, and he will moan in pain and die in front of the Babylonian king. Then everyone on earth will know that I am the Lord. ²⁶ I will force the Egyptians to live as prisoners in foreign nations, and they will know that I, the Lord, have punished them.

A Funeral Song for the King of Egypt

32 Twelve years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, the Lord spoke to me on the first day of the twelfth month.^[a] He said:

² Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the king of Egypt and tell him I am saying:

³ King of Egypt, listen to me. I, the Lord God, will catch you in my net and let a crowd of foreigners drag you to shore. ⁴ I will throw you into an open field, where birds and animals will come to feed on your flesh. ⁵ I will spread your rotting flesh^[b] over the mountains and in the valleys, ⁶ and your blood will flow throughout the land and fill up the streams. ^7 (A) I will cover the whole sky and every star with thick clouds, so that the sun and moon will stop shining. ⁸ The heavens will become black, leaving your country in total darkness. I, the Lord God, have spoken.

⁹ Foreign nations you have never heard of will be shocked when I tell them how I destroyed you.^{[c] 10} They will be horrified, and when I flash my sword in victory on the day of your death, their kings will tremble in the fear of what could happen to them.

¹¹ The king of Babylonia is coming to attack you, king of Egypt! ¹² Your soldiers will be killed by the cruelest army in the world, and everything you take pride in will be crushed. ¹³ I will slaughter your cattle that graze by the river,^[d] and no people or livestock will be left to muddy its water. ¹⁴ The water will be clear, and streams will be calm. I, the Lord God, have spoken.

¹⁵ Egypt will become a barren wasteland, and no living thing will ever survive there. Then you and your people will know that I am the Lord.

¹⁶ This is your warning, and it will be used as a funeral song by foreign women to mourn the death of your people. I, the Lord God, have spoken.

A Sad Ending for Egypt

¹⁷ On the fifteenth day of that same month,^[e] the Lord said:

¹⁸ Ezekiel, son of man, mourn for the Egyptians and condemn them to the world of the dead, where they will be buried alongside the people of other powerful nations.^{[f] 19} Say to them:

²⁰ You cannot escape! The enemy's sword is ready to slaughter every one of you.^{[g] 21} Brave military leaders killed in battle will gladly welcome you and your allies into the world of the dead.

^22-23 The graves of soldiers from Assyria are there. They once terrified people, but they were killed in battle and now lie deep in the world of the dead.^[h]

^24-25 The graves of soldiers from Elam are there. The very sight of those godless soldiers once terrified their enemies and made them panic. But now they are disgraced and ashamed as they lie in the world of the dead, alongside others who were killed in battle.

²⁶ The graves of soldiers from Meshech and Tubal are there. These godless soldiers who terrified people were all killed in battle. ²⁷ They were not given a proper burial like the heroes of long ago,^[i] who were buried with their swords under their heads and with their shields^[j] over their bodies. These were the heroes who made their enemies panic.

²⁸ You Egyptians will be cruelly defeated, and you will be buried alongside these other godless soldiers who died in battle.

²⁹ The graves of kings and leaders from Edom are there. They were powerful at one time. Now they are buried in the world of the dead with other godless soldiers killed in battle.

³⁰ The graves of the rulers of the north^[k] are there, as well as those of the Sidonians. Their powerful armies once terrified enemies. Now they lie buried in the world of the dead, where they are disgraced like other soldiers killed in battle.

³¹ The Lord God says:

When your king of Egypt sees all of these graves, he and his soldiers will be glad they are not the only ones suffering. ³² I sent him to terrify people all over the earth. But he and his army will be killed and buried alongside other godless soldiers in the world of the dead. I, the Lord God, have spoken.