Vision of the Four Beasts

7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a ^(A)dream and visions ^[a]in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he ^(B)wrote the dream down and told the ^[b]following summary of ^[c]it. ² Daniel ^[d]said, “I was ^(C)looking in my vision by night, and behold, the ^(D)four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. ³ And four great ^(E)beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. ⁴ The first was ^(F)like a lion but had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and set up on two feet like a man; a human ^[e]mind also was given to it. ⁵ And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and they said this to it: ‘Arise, devour much meat!’ ⁶ After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, ^(G)like a leopard, which had on its ^[f]back four wings of a bird; the beast also had ^(H)four heads, and dominion was given to it. ⁷ After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a ^(I)fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ^(J)ten horns. ⁸ While I was thinking about the horns, behold, ^(K)another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the previous horns were plucked out before it; and behold, ^[g]this horn possessed eyes like human eyes, and ^(L)a mouth uttering great boasts.

The Ancient of Days Reigns

¹¹ Then I kept looking because of the sound of the ^[j]boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was killed, and its body was destroyed and given to the ^(V)burning ^[k]fire. ¹² As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.

The Son of Man Presented

The Vision Interpreted

¹⁵ “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within ^[n]me, and the ^(AB)visions ^[o]in my mind kept ^(AC)alarming me. ¹⁶ I approached one of those who were ^(AD)standing by and began requesting of him the ^[p]exact meaning of all this. So he ^(AE)told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ¹⁷ ‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. ¹⁸ But the ^[q](AF)saints of the Highest One will ^(AG)receive the kingdom and take possession of the kingdom forever, ^[r]for all ages to come.’

¹⁹ “Then I desired to know the ^[s]exact meaning of the ^(AH)fourth beast, which was different from all ^[t]the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet, ²⁰ and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three of the horns fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts, and ^[u]which was larger in appearance than its associates. ²¹ I kept looking, and that horn was ^(AI)waging war with the ^[v]saints and prevailing against them, ²² until the Ancient of Days came and ^(AJ)judgment was ^[w]passed in favor of the ^[x]saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the ^[y]saints took possession of the kingdom.

²³ “This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and will devour the whole earth and trample it down and crush it. ²⁴ As for the ^(AK)ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will ^[z]humble three kings. ²⁵ And he will ^[aa](AL)speak against the ^(AM)Most High and ^(AN)wear down the ^[ab]saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make ^(AO)alterations in times and in law; and ^[ac]they will be handed over to him for a ^[ad](AP)time, ^[ae]times, and half a ^[af]time. ²⁶ But the court will ^[ag]convene for judgment, and his dominion will be ^(AQ)taken away, ^[ah]annihilated and destroyed ^[ai]forever. ²⁷ Then the ^[aj](AR)sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the ^[ak]saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an ^(AS)everlasting kingdom, and all the empires will ^(AT)serve and obey Him.’

²⁸ “^[al]At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were ^(AU)greatly alarming me and my ^[am]face became pale, but I ^(AV)kept the matter ^[an]to myself.”

Melchizedek’s Priesthood like Christ’s

7 For this ^(A)Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the ^(B)Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, ² to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. ³ Without father, without mother, ^(C)without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like ^(D)the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.

⁴ Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the ^(E)patriarch, ^(F)gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. ⁵ And those indeed of ^(G)the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have a commandment ^[a]in the Law to collect ^[b]a tenth from the people, that is, from their countrymen, although they ^[c]are descended from Abraham. ⁶ But the one ^(H)whose genealogy is not traced from them ^(I)collected ^[d]a tenth from Abraham and ^[e](J)blessed the one who ^(K)had the promises. ⁷ But without any dispute the lesser person is blessed by the greater. ⁸ In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, ^(L)of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. ⁹ And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, has paid tithes, ¹⁰ for he was still in the loins of his ^[f]forefather when Melchizedek met him.

^11 (M)So if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it ^(N)the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise ^(O)according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? ¹² For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. ¹³ For ^(P)the one about whom ^(Q)these things are said belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. ¹⁴ For it is evident that our Lord ^[g]was ^(R)descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses said nothing concerning priests. ¹⁵ And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, ¹⁶ who has become a priest not on the basis of a law of ^[h](S)physical requirement, but according to the power of ^(T)an indestructible life. ¹⁷ For it is attested of Him,

¹⁸ For, on the one hand, there is the nullification of a former commandment ^(V)because of its weakness and uselessness ¹⁹ (for ^(W)the Law made nothing perfect); on the other hand, there is the introduction of a better ^(X)hope, through which we ^(Y)come near to God. ²⁰ And to the extent that it was not without an oath ²¹ (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him,

²² by the same extent Jesus also has become the ^[i](AC)guarantee of ^(AD)a better covenant.

^23 [j]The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing; ^24 [k]Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues ^(AE)forever, holds His priesthood permanently. ²⁵ Therefore He is also able to ^(AF)save ^[l]forever those who ^(AG)come to God through Him, since He always lives to ^(AH)make intercession for them.

²⁶ For it was fitting for us to have such a ^(AI)high priest, ^(AJ)holy, ^(AK)innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and ^(AL)exalted above the heavens; ²⁷ who has no daily need, like those high priests, to ^(AM)offer up sacrifices, ^(AN)first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because He did this ^(AO)once for all time when He ^(AP)offered up Himself. ²⁸ For the Law appoints men as high priests ^(AQ)who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints ^(AR)a Son, who has been ^(AS)made perfect forever.

A Better Ministry

8 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a ^(AT)high priest, who has taken His seat at ^(AU)the right hand of the throne of the ^(AV)Majesty in the heavens, ² a ^(AW)minister ^[m]in the sanctuary and ^[n]in the ^(AX)true ^[o]tabernacle, which the Lord ^(AY)set up, not man. ³ For every ^(AZ)high priest is appointed ^(BA)to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. ⁴ Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are ^[p]those who ^(BB)offer the gifts according to the Law; ⁵ who serve ^(BC)a copy and ^(BD)shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses ^[q]was ^(BE)warned by God when he was about to erect the ^[r]tabernacle; for, “^(BF)See,” He says, “that you make all things by the pattern which was shown to you on the mountain.” ⁶ But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, to the extent that He is also the ^(BG)mediator of ^(BH)a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.

A New Covenant

⁷ For ^(BI)if that first covenant had been free of fault, no ^[s]circumstances would have been sought for a second. ⁸ For in finding fault with ^[t]the people, He says,

^13 [x]When He said, “^(BS)A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. ^(BT)But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ^[y]about to disappear.

BOOK 5

The Lord Rescues People from Many Troubles.

Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked