⁶ “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard.^(A) And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

² The beast I saw resembled a leopard,^(A) but had feet like those of a bear^(B) and a mouth like that of a lion.^(C) The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.^(D)

³ Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases.^{(A) 4} After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven.^(B) It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted^(C) and given to others.

⁵ “The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. ⁶ After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power^[a] will not last. In those days she will be betrayed, together with her royal escort and her father^[b] and the one who supported her.

⁷ “One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North^(D) and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. ⁸ He will also seize their gods,^(E) their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt.^(F) For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. ⁹ Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country. ¹⁰ His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood^(G) and carry the battle as far as his fortress.

¹¹ “Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated.^{(H) 12} When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant. ¹³ For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped.

¹⁴ “In those times many will rise against the king of the South. Those who are violent among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success. ¹⁵ Then the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps^(I) and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. ¹⁶ The invader will do as he pleases;^(J) no one will be able to stand against him.^(K) He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it.^{(L) 17} He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans^[c] will not succeed^(M) or help him. ¹⁸ Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands^(N) and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him.^{(O) 19} After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall,^(P) to be seen no more.^(Q)

²⁰ “His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor.^(R) In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle.

²⁰ So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece^(A) will come;

²⁰ The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia.^{(A) 21} The shaggy goat is the king of Greece,^(B) and the large horn between its eyes is the first king.^{(C) 22} The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power.

⁵ As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. ⁶ It came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at it in great rage. ⁷ I saw it attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering its two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against it; the goat knocked it to the ground and trampled on it,^(A) and none could rescue the ram from its power.^{(B) 8} The goat became very great, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off,^(C) and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.^(D)

⁴ “The first was like a lion,^(A) and it had the wings of an eagle.^(B) I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.

³⁹ “After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.^(A)