11 “玛代人大流士元年,我去帮助、护卫米迦勒。 现在我要把真相告诉你。波斯将再有三位王兴起,随后的第四位王远比其他王富有。他靠财富强盛后,便会煽动众民去攻打希腊国。 那时必有一位英勇的王兴起,执掌大权,随心所欲。 但他兴起后不久,他的国必土崩瓦解,在天下一分为四,既不归他的后代统治,也不如他掌权时强盛。因为他的国必被连根拔除,归给外人。

“南方王必强盛,他的将领中将有一位比他更强盛,这人执掌王权,势力强大。 若干年后,南方王将与北方王联盟。南方王的女儿将到北方王那里缔结盟约。但她必保不住自己的势力,王权也无法长久。她和她的随从、父亲和辅佐者必遭杀害。

“她家族中必有一人继承王位,率军攻打北方王,侵入他们的堡垒,击败他们, 将他们的神像、铸造的偶像及金银宝器掳到埃及。此后数年,他不再去攻击北方王。 后来,北方王必侵入南方王的国土,但终必撤回本国。

10 “北方王的儿子们必发动战争,召集大军,如洪水席卷而来,直打到南方王的堡垒。 11 南方王必大怒,出来迎战北方王的大军,并击败他们。 12 南方王获胜后必心高气傲,杀戮成千上万的人,但他的胜利不能持久。 13 因为数年后,北方王必召集更庞大的军队,带着大量装备卷土重来。

14 “那时,许多人必起来反抗南方王。你同胞中的残暴之徒也必反叛,从而使异象应验,但他们必失败。 15 北方王必修筑高台攻取南方王的坚城,南方的军兵必无力抵挡,就是精兵也抵挡不住。 16 北方王必为所欲为,所向无敌。他必侵占佳美之地,手握毁灭之权。 17 他决意倾全国之力而来,与南方王建立联盟,并将自己的女儿嫁给南方王,旨在推翻他的国。但北方王的计划必然失败,毫无收益。

18 “后来,他将转而攻打沿海地区,征服许多地方。但一位将领必制止他的嚣张气焰,使他自取其辱。 19 他将返回本国的堡垒,从此一蹶不振,销声匿迹。 20 继承他王位的人将派税吏横征暴敛,以维持王国的荣耀。但不久他必灭亡,并非死于民怨,也非死于战争。

21 “接着继位的是一个卑鄙的人。他无权继位,却乘人不备用奸计夺取王位。 22 他横扫千军,击溃他们,包括盟国的王。 23 他与人结盟后,必行欺诈,借不多的人掌握大权。 24 他必乘人不备入侵最富庶的地区,行他祖先从未行过的事,将掳掠的财物分给部下,并策划攻打堡垒,但这都是短暂的。 25 他集中力量,鼓起勇气,率领大军进攻南方王。南方王也率领强大的军队迎战,却敌不过他,因为有人暗算南方王。 26 南方王必遭亲信暗算,全军溃败,许多人被杀。 27 两个王心怀叵测,同席而坐,尔虞我诈,但都不成功,因为结局必在所定的时间到来。 28 北方王必带着大量财物回国,但他决意反对圣约,在回国的路上任意妄为。

29 “到了所定的时间,他必再次攻打南方,但结果与上次不同, 30 因为基提的战船必来攻击他,使他丧胆而回。他必向圣约之民发泄愤怒,任意妄为,支持背弃圣约的人。 31 他的军队必亵渎圣地,亵渎那堡垒,废除日常献的祭,设立带来毁灭的可憎之物。 32 他必花言巧语笼络违背圣约的人,但认识上帝的人必奋起反抗。 33 那些智者必教导许多民众,但他们将在一段时间内被刀剑杀戮,或被烧死,或被掳去,或被抢掠。 34 他们败亡时必得不到多少援助,许多人并非真心实意地加入他们的行列。 35 有些智者将被害,但这是为了熬炼、净化他们,使他们洁白无瑕,一直到末了。因为结局必在所定的时间到来。

36 “北方王必任意妄为,自高自大,自以为超越一切神明,肆意诋毁万神之神。他必亨通,一直到上帝发烈怒的日子结束。因为所定的必然成就。 37 他不尊崇他祖先的神明,也不尊崇妇女们爱慕的神明或其他任何神明,因为他自认为超越一切。 38 他反倒祭拜他祖先不认识的堡垒之神,向它献上金银宝石及贵重的礼物。 39 他必靠外族神明的帮助攻打坚固的堡垒,将尊荣赐给顺从他的人,派他们治理民众,分给他们土地作奖赏。

40 “到了末后,南方王必与北方王交战。北方王必率领战车、骑兵和大批战船攻击他,又如洪水般横扫列国。 41 他必侵入佳美之地,杀死成千上万的人,只有以东、摩押及亚扪人的首领得以逃脱。 42 他必攻击列国,埃及也无法幸免。 43 他必掌管埃及的金银财宝,利比亚人和古实人必归顺他。 44 但从东方和北方传来的消息必令他震惊,他必大怒,出兵杀戮、毁灭许多人。 45 他必在海和荣美的圣山之间搭起他宫殿般的帐幕。但他必灭亡,无人相助。

11 And I, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood to confirm and to strengthen him.

And now will I declare unto thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall enrich himself with great riches more than all; and when he hath become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.

And a mighty king shall stand up that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.

And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of the heavens; but not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion wherewith he ruled; for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside these.

And the king of the south, who is one of his princes, shall be strong; but [another] shall be stronger than he, and have dominion: his dominion shall be a great dominion.

And after the course of years they shall join affinity; and the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make equitable conditions: but she shall not retain the strength of her arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm; and she shall be given up, she and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in [those] times.

But out of a shoot from her roots shall one stand up in his place, who shall come to the army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shew himself mighty.

He shall also carry captive into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall subsist for more years than the king of the north;

and [the same] shall come into the realm of the king of the south, but shall return into his own land.

10 And his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces; and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through; and he shall return and carry the war even to his fortress.

11 And the king of the south shall be enraged, and shall come forth and fight with him, with the king of the north, who shall set forth a great multitude, but the multitude shall be given into his hand.

12 And when the multitude shall have been taken away, his heart shall be exalted; and he shall cast down myriads; but he shall not prevail.

13 For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former; and shall certainly come at the end of the times of years with a great army and with much substance.

14 And in those times shall many stand up against the king of the south; and the violent of thy people will exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.

15 And the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mound, and take the well-fenced city; and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, for there shall be no strength to withstand.

16 And he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him; and he shall stand in the land of beauty, and destruction shall be in his hand.

17 And he shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; and he shall practise; and he shall give him the daughter of women, to corrupt her; but she shall not stand, neither shall she be for him.

18 And he shall turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many; but a captain for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease: he shall turn it upon him, without reproach for himself.

19 And he shall turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land; and he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.

20 And in his place shall one stand up who shall cause the exactor to pass through the glory of the kingdom; but in a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle.

21 And in his place shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom; but he shall come in peaceably and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.

22 And the overflowing forces shall be overflowed from before him, and shall be broken: yea, also the prince of the covenant.

23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully, and he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.

24 In time of peace shall he enter even into the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers: he shall scatter among them prey, and spoil, and substance, and he shall plan his devices against the fortified places, even for a time.

25 And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall engage in battle with an exceeding great and mighty army; but he shall not stand, for they shall plan devices against him.

26 And they that eat of his delicate food shall break him, and his army shall be dissolved; and many shall fall down slain.

27 And both these kings' hearts [shall meditate] mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper; for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.

28 And he shall return into his land with great substance; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall practise, and return to his own land.

29 At the set time he shall return, and come towards the south; but not as the former time shall be the latter;

30 for ships of Chittim shall come against him; and he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant; and will practise; and he shall return and direct his attention to those that forsake the holy covenant.

31 And forces shall stand on his part, and they shall profane the sanctuary, the fortress, and shall take away the continual [sacrifice], and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he pervert by flatteries; but the people that know their God shall be strong, and shall act.

33 And they that are wise among the people shall instruct the many; and they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, [many] days.

34 And when they fall, they shall be helped with a little help; but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.

35 And [some] of the wise shall fall, to try them, and to purge and to make them white, to the time of the end: for it shall yet be for the time appointed.

36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he shall prosper until the indignation be accomplished: for that which is determined shall be done.

37 And he will not regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women; nor regard any +god: for he will magnify himself above all.

38 And in his place will he honour the +god of fortresses; and a +god whom his fathers knew not will he honour with gold and silver, and with precious stones and pleasant things.

39 And he will practise in the strongholds of fortresses with a strange +god: whoso acknowledgeth him will he increase with glory; and he shall cause them to rule over the many, and shall divide the land [to them] for a reward.

40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him; and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and overflow and pass through.

41 And he shall enter into the land of beauty, and many [countries] shall be overthrown; but these shall escape out of his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.

42 And he shall stretch forth his hand upon the countries; and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

43 And he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him; and he shall go forth with great fury to exterminate, and utterly to destroy many.

45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the sea and the mountain of holy beauty; and he shall come to his end, and there shall be none to help him.