Daniel 8
New Century Version
Daniel’s Vision
8 During the third year of King Belshazzar’s rule, I, Daniel, saw another vision, which was like the first one. 2 In this vision I saw myself in the capital city of Susa, in the area of Elam. I was standing by the Ulai Canal 3 when I looked up and saw a male sheep standing beside the canal. It had two long horns, but one horn was longer and newer than the other. 4 I watched the sheep charge to the west, the north, and the south. No animal could stand before him, and none could save another animal from his power. He did whatever he wanted and became very powerful.
5 While I was watching this, I saw a male goat come from the west. This goat had one large horn between his eyes that was easy to see. He crossed over the whole earth so fast that his feet hardly touched the ground.
6 In his anger the goat charged the sheep with the two horns that I had seen standing by the canal. 7 I watched the angry goat attack the sheep and break the sheep’s two horns. The sheep was not strong enough to stop it. The goat knocked the sheep to the ground and then walked all over him. No one was able to save the sheep from the goat, 8 so the male goat became very great. But when he was strong, his big horn broke off and four horns grew in place of the one big horn. Those four horns pointed in four different directions and were easy to see.
9 Then a little horn grew from one of those four horns, and it became very big. It grew to the south, the east, and toward the beautiful land of Judah. 10 That little horn grew until it reached to the sky. It even threw some of the army of heaven to the ground and walked on them! 11 That little horn set itself up as equal to God, the Commander of heaven’s armies. It stopped the daily sacrifices that were offered to him, and the Temple, the place where people worshiped him, was pulled down. 12 Because there was a turning away from God, the people stopped the daily sacrifices. Truth was thrown down to the ground, and the horn was successful in everything it did.
13 Then I heard a holy angel speaking. Another holy angel asked the first one, “How long will the things in this vision last—the daily sacrifices, the turning away from God that brings destruction, the Temple being pulled down, and the army of heaven being walked on?”
14 The angel said to me, “This will happen for twenty-three hundred evenings and mornings. Then the holy place will be repaired.”
15 I, Daniel, saw this vision and tried to understand what it meant. In it I saw someone who looked like a man standing near me. 16 And I heard a man’s voice calling from the Ulai Canal: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”
17 Gabriel came to where I was standing. When he came close to me, I was very afraid and bowed facedown on the ground. But Gabriel said to me, “Human being, understand that this vision is about the time of the end.”
18 While Gabriel was speaking, I fell into a deep sleep with my face on the ground. Then he touched me and lifted me to my feet. 19 He said, “Now, I will explain to you what will happen in the time of God’s anger. Your vision was about the set time of the end.
20 “You saw a male sheep with two horns, which are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The male goat is the king of Greece, and the big horn between its eyes is the first king. 22 The four horns that grew in the place of the broken horn are four kingdoms. Those four kingdoms will come from the nation of the first king, but they will not be as strong as the first king.
23 “When the end comes near for those kingdoms, a bold and cruel king who tells lies will come. This will happen when many people have turned against God. 24 This king will be very powerful, but his power will not come from himself. He will cause terrible destruction and will be successful in everything he does. He will destroy powerful people and even God’s holy people. 25 This king will succeed by using lies and force. He will think that he is very important. He will destroy many people without warning; he will try to fight even the Prince of princes! But that cruel king will be destroyed, and not by human power.
26 “The vision that has been shown to you about these evenings and mornings is true. But seal up the vision, because those things won’t happen for a long time.”
27 I, Daniel, became very weak and was sick for several days after that vision. Then I got up and went back to work for the king, but I was very upset about the vision. I didn’t understand what it meant.
Daniel 8
Lexham English Bible
The Vision of a Small Horn that Oppresses Israel and Threatens the Temple
8 In the third year of the kingdom of Belshazzar the king, a vision appeared to me, Daniel,[a] after the one that appeared to me previously.[b] 2 And I saw in the vision, and when I saw,[c] I was in Susa, the citadel that was in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I myself[d] was at the stream of Ulai.[e] 3 And I lifted up my eyes and I saw, and look! A ram[f] standing before[g] the stream, and it had[h] two horns, and the horns were long, but the one was longer than the second, and the longer one came up after the other one.[i] 4 I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward, and none of the beasts stood before it,[j] and there was no rescuing from its power,[k] and it did what it wanted[l] and it became strong.[m]
5 And I was considering this, and look, a he-goat coming from the west across the face of the whole earth, and it was not touching the ground;[n] and the he-goat had a conspicuous horn[o] between its eyes. 6 Then it came toward the ram that had the two horns[p] that I saw standing before[q] the stream, and it ran at it with[r] the rage of its power. 7 And I saw it approaching the ram and it was furious at it, and it struck the ram, and it broke its two horns, and there was not strength in the ram to stand before him,[s] and he threw it down to the ground and trampled it, and there was no one who could rescue the ram[t] from its power. 8 And the he-goat grew exceedingly great,[u] and at the height of its power[v] the great horn was broken, and four conspicuous horns[w] came up in place of it toward the four winds of heaven.
9 And from one of them[x] came forth a horn, a little one,[y] and it grew exceedingly[z] toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the beautiful land. 10 And it grew up to the host of heaven, and it threw down to the ground some of the host and some of the stars and trampled them. 11 Even against the prince of the hosts it acted arrogantly and took away from him the regular burnt offering, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. 12 And on account of transgression, the host was given over to the horn in addition to the regular burnt offering. And it cast down truth to the ground, and it acted,[aa] and it had success.
13 And I heard a certain holy one speaking, and a certain other holy one said to the specific one who was speaking,[ab] “For how long[ac] is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, and the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and the host to trampling?” 14 And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings, then the sanctuary will be restored.”
Gabriel Gives Angelic Help and Interprets the Vision
15 And then[ad] when I, Daniel, saw the vision, and I was seeking understanding, there was one standing before me with the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard the voice of a human at the Ulai, and he called and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 And he came beside where I was standing,[ae] and when he came[af] I became terrified and I fell prostrate on my face. And he said to me, “Understand, son of man,[ag] that the vision is for the time of the end.”
18 And when he spoke[ah] with me I fell into a trance with my face to the ground, and he touched me and made me stand on by feet. 19 And he said, “Look, I am making known to you what will happen in the period of wrath,[ai] for it refers to the appointed time of the end.
20 “The ram that you saw who had two horns[aj] represents the kings of Media and Persia.
21 “And the hairy he-goat is the kingdom[ak] of Greece, and the great horn that is between his eyes—he is the first king. 22 And the horn that was broken, and then there arose four horns in place of it—these are four kingdoms that will arise from his nation, but not with his power. 23 And at the end of their kingdom, when the transgressions are completed, a king will arise, fierce in countenance and skilled in riddles. 24 And his power will grow, but not by his own power, and he will cause fearful destruction, and he will succeed and he will act,[al] and he will destroy the mighty and the people of the holy ones.[am] 25 And by his planning[an] he will make a success of deceit by[ao] his hand, and in his mind[ap] he will boast,[aq] and in their ease he will destroy many, and even against the prince of princes he will rise up, and he will be broken, but not by human hands. 26 And the vision of the evening and the morning that has been described,[ar] it is true; and you, seal up the vision, for it refers to many days to come.”[as]
27 And I, Daniel, was overcome, and I became ill for some days, and I performed[at] the business of the king, and I was dismayed over the vision and I did not understand it.[au]
Footnotes
- Daniel 8:1 Literally “I Daniel”
- Daniel 8:1 Literally “in the beginning”
- Daniel 8:2 Literally “and it was at my seeing”
- Daniel 8:2 Literally “I, I was”
- Daniel 8:2 Or “Ulai Canal” (NASB); “stream of the Ulai” (NEB)
- Daniel 8:3 Hebrew “One ram”
- Daniel 8:3 Literally “to the face of”
- Daniel 8:3 Literally “for it”
- Daniel 8:3 Literally “in the behind of the other”
- Daniel 8:4 Literally “all the beasts not they withstood to the face of him”
- Daniel 8:4 Literally “its hand”
- Daniel 8:4 Literally “according to its will”
- Daniel 8:4 Or “it/he magnified itself/himself”
- Daniel 8:5 Or “earth,” or “land”
- Daniel 8:5 Literally “a horn of vision”
- Daniel 8:6 Literally “the owner of the two horns”
- Daniel 8:6 Literally “to the face of”
- Daniel 8:6 Or “in”
- Daniel 8:7 Literally “and not was strength in the ram to withstand to the face of him”
- Daniel 8:7 Literally “and not he/it was one rescuing”
- Daniel 8:8 Literally “until much”
- Daniel 8:8 Literally “and at his being powerful”
- Daniel 8:8 LXX reads “others” here for “conspicuous.” The words in Hebrew can be confused for each other
- Daniel 8:9 Literally “And from the one from them”
- Daniel 8:9 Literally “one from little”
- Daniel 8:9 Or “pre-eminently”
- Daniel 8:12 Literally “did”
- Daniel 8:13 Literally “the one speaking”
- Daniel 8:13 Literally “Until when”
- Daniel 8:15 Literally “And it happened”
- Daniel 8:17 Literally “my standing”
- Daniel 8:17 Literally “at his coming”
- Daniel 8:17 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Daniel 8:18 Literally “at his speaking”
- Daniel 8:19 Or “the wrath”
- Daniel 8:20 Literally “the owner of the two horns”
- Daniel 8:21 Literally “king”
- Daniel 8:24 Literally “he will do”
- Daniel 8:24 Or “saints”
- Daniel 8:25 Or “cunning”
- Daniel 8:25 Hebrew “in”
- Daniel 8:25 Literally “heart”
- Daniel 8:25 Literally “magnify himself”
- Daniel 8:26 Literally “told”
- Daniel 8:26 Literally “for to days many”
- Daniel 8:27 Literally “did”
- Daniel 8:27 Literally “there was not understanding”
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