Daniel 11
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
11 1
2 “Now I will announce the truth to you. Three more kings shall arise in Persia. The fourth shall be far richer than all of them, and when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a warrior king shall arise who shall rule with great dominion and take action as he pleases.(B) 4 And while still rising in power, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven but not to his posterity nor according to the dominion with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be uprooted and go to others besides these.(C)
5 “Then the king of the south shall grow strong, but one of his officers shall grow stronger than he and shall rule a realm greater than his own realm. 6 After some years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to ratify the agreement. But she shall not retain her power, and his offspring shall not endure. She shall be given up, she and her attendants and her child and the one who supported her.
“In those times(D) 7 a branch from her roots shall rise up in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of the north, and he shall take action against them and prevail.(E) 8 Even their gods, with their idols and with their precious vessels of silver and gold, he shall carry off to Egypt as spoils of war. For some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north;(F) 9 then the latter shall invade the realm of the king of the south but will return to his own land.
10 “His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces that shall advance like a flood and pass through and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress.(G) 11 Moved with rage, the king of the south shall go out and do battle against the king of the north, who shall muster a great multitude, but the multitude shall be given over to his hand.(H) 12 When the multitude has been carried off, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall overthrow tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail. 13 For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude larger than the former, and after some years[a] he shall advance with a great army and abundant supplies.(I)
14 “In those times many shall rise against the king of the south. The lawless among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail. 15 Then the king of the north shall come and throw up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, not even his picked troops, for there shall be no strength to resist.(J) 16 But he who comes against him shall take the actions he pleases, and no one shall withstand him. He shall take a position in the beautiful land, and all of it shall be in his power.(K) 17 He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom. He shall make peace with him and shall give him a woman in marriage, in order to destroy the kingdom,[b] but it shall not succeed or be to his advantage.(L) 18 Afterward he shall turn to the coastlands and shall capture many, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence; indeed,[c] he shall turn his insolence back upon him.(M) 19 Then he shall turn back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall and shall not be found.(N)
20 “Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an official for the glory of the kingdom, but within a few days he shall be broken, though not in anger or in battle.[d](O) 21 In his place shall arise a contemptible person on whom royal majesty had not been conferred; he shall come in suddenly and seize the kingdom through intrigue.(P) 22 Armies shall be utterly swept away and broken before him, and the prince of the covenant as well.(Q) 23 And after an alliance is made with him, he shall act deceitfully and become strong with a small party.(R) 24 Suddenly he shall come into the richest parts[e] of the province and do what none of his predecessors had ever done, lavishing plunder, spoil, and wealth on them. He shall devise plans against strongholds but only for a time.(S) 25 He shall stir up his power and determination against the king of the south with a great army, and the king of the south shall wage war with a much greater and stronger army. But he shall not succeed, for plots shall be devised against him. 26 Those who eat of the royal rations shall break him, his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall slain.(T) 27 The two kings, their minds bent on evil, shall sit at one table and exchange lies. But it shall not succeed, for there remains an end at the time appointed.(U) 28 He shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. He shall work his will and return to his own land.
29 “At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but this time it shall not be as it was before. 30 For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall lose heart and withdraw. He shall be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and come to an understanding with those who forsake the holy covenant.(V) 31 Forces sent by him shall occupy and profane the temple and fortress. They shall abolish the regular burnt offering and set up the desolating sacrilege.(W) 32 He will flatter with smooth words those who violate the covenant, but the people who are loyal to their God shall stand firm and take action.(X) 33 The wise among the people shall give understanding to many; for some days, however, they shall fall by sword and flame and suffer captivity and plunder.(Y) 34 When they fall, they shall receive a little help, and many shall join them insincerely.(Z) 35 Some of the wise shall fall, so that they may be refined, purified, and cleansed,[f] until the time of the end, for there is still an interval until the time appointed.(AA)
36 “The king shall act as he pleases. He shall exalt himself and consider himself greater than any god and shall speak horrendous things against the God of gods. He shall prosper until the period of wrath is completed, for what is determined shall be done.(AB) 37 He shall pay no respect to the gods of his ancestors or to the one beloved by women; he shall pay no respect to any other god, for he shall consider himself greater than all. 38 He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these; a god whom his ancestors did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall make more wealthy and shall appoint them as rulers over many and shall distribute the land for a price.
The Time of the End
40 “At the time of the end the king of the south shall attack him. But the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen and with many ships. He shall advance against countries and pass through like a flood.(AC) 41 He shall come into the beautiful land, and tens of thousands shall fall victim, but Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites shall escape from his power.(AD) 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall gain control of the treasures of gold and of silver and all the riches of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train.(AE) 44 But reports from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to bring ruin and complete destruction to many. 45 He shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with no one to help him.(AF)
Daniel 11
Holman Christian Standard Bible
11 1 In the first year of Darius the Mede,(A) I stood up to strengthen and protect him. 2 Now I will tell you the truth.(B)
Prophecies about Persia and Greece
“Three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth will be far richer than the others. By the power he gains through his riches, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.(C) 3 Then a warrior king will arise; he will rule a vast realm and do whatever he wants.(D) 4 But as soon as he is established, his kingdom will be broken up and divided to the four winds of heaven,(E) but not to his descendants; it will not be the same kingdom that he ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and will go to others besides them.(F)
Kings of the South and the North
5 “The king of the South(G) will grow powerful, but one of his commanders will grow more powerful and will rule a kingdom greater than his. 6 After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North(H) to seal the agreement. She will not retain power, and his strength will not endure. She will be given up, together with her entourage, her father,[a] and the one who supported her during those times. 7 In the place of the king of the South, one from her family[b] will rise up, come against the army, and enter the fortress of the king of the North. He will take action against them and triumph. 8 He will take even their gods captive to Egypt, with their metal images and their precious articles of silver and gold.(I) For some years he will stay away from the king of the North, 9 who will enter the kingdom of the king of the South and then return to his own land.
10 “His sons will mobilize for war and assemble a large number of armed forces. They will advance, sweeping through like a flood,[c](J) and will again wage war as far as his fortress. 11 Infuriated, the king of the South will march out to fight with the king of the North who will raise a large army but they will be handed over to his enemy. 12 When the army is carried off, he will become arrogant and cause tens of thousands to fall, but he will not triumph. 13 The king of the North will again raise a multitude larger than the first. After some years[d](K) he will advance with a great army and many supplies.
14 “In those times many will rise up against the king of the South. Violent ones among your own people will assert themselves to fulfill a vision, but they will fail. 15 Then the king of the North will come, build up an assault ramp,(L) and capture a well-fortified city. The forces of the South will not stand; even their select troops will not be able to resist. 16 The king of the North who comes against him will do whatever he wants,(M) and no one can oppose him. He will establish himself in the beautiful land[e](N) with total destruction in his hand. 17 He will resolve(O) to come with the force of his whole kingdom and will reach an agreement with him.[f] He will give him a daughter in marriage[g] to destroy it,[h] but she will not stand with him or support him. 18 Then he will turn his attention to the coasts and islands[i](P) and capture many. But a commander will put an end to his taunting; instead, he will turn his taunts against him.(Q) 19 He will turn his attention back to the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble, fall,(R) and be no more.(S)
20 “In his place one will arise who will send out a tax collector(T) for the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he will be shattered, though not in anger[j] or in battle.
21 “In his place a despised(U) person will arise; royal honors will not be given to him, but he will come during a time of peace[k](V) and seize the kingdom by intrigue. 22 A flood of forces will be swept away before him; they will be shattered, as well as the covenant prince. 23 After an alliance is made with him, he will act deceitfully. He will rise to power with a small nation.[l] 24 During a time of peace,[m] he will come into the richest parts of the province(W) and do what his fathers and predecessors never did. He will lavish plunder, loot, and wealth on his followers, and he will make plans against fortified cities, but only for a time.
25 “With a large army he will stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will prepare for battle with an extremely large and powerful army, but he will not succeed, because plots will be made against him. 26 Those who eat his provisions(X) will destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall slain. 27 The two kings, whose hearts are bent on evil, will speak lies(Y) at the same table but to no avail, for still the end will come at the appointed time.(Z) 28 The king of the North will return to his land with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant;[n] he will take action, then return to his own land.
29 “At the appointed time he will come again to the South, but this time[o] will not be like the first. 30 Ships of Kittim[p](AA) will come against him, and being intimidated, he will withdraw. Then he will rage against the holy covenant and take action. On his return, he will favor those who abandon the holy covenant. 31 His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the daily sacrifice(AB) and set up the abomination of desolation.(AC) 32 With flattery he will corrupt those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will be strong and take action.(AD) 33 Those who are wise among the people(AE) will give understanding to many, yet they will die by sword and flame,(AF) and be captured and plundered for a time. 34 When defeated, they will be helped by some, but many others will join them insincerely.(AG) 35 Some of the wise will fall so that they may be refined,(AH) purified, and cleansed(AI) until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.
36 “Then the king will do whatever he wants.(AJ) He will exalt and magnify himself above every god,(AK) and he will say outrageous things against the God of gods.(AL) He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed,(AM) because what has been decreed will be accomplished. 37 He will not show regard for the gods[q] of his fathers, the god longed for by women, or for any other god,(AN) because he will magnify himself above all. 38 Instead, he will honor a god of fortresses—a god his fathers did not know—with gold, silver, precious stones, and riches. 39 He will deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. He will greatly honor those who acknowledge him,[r] making them rulers over many and distributing land as a reward.
40 “At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm against him(AO) with chariots, horsemen, and many ships. He will invade countries and sweep through them like a flood.(AP) 41 He will also invade the beautiful land,(AQ) and many will fall. But these will escape from his power: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people[s] of the Ammonites.(AR) 42 He will extend his power against the countries, and not even the land of Egypt will escape. 43 He will get control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the riches of Egypt. The Libyans and Cushites will also be in submission.[t](AS) 44 But reports from the east(AT) and the north will terrify him, and he will go out with great fury to annihilate and completely destroy many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the sea and[u] the beautiful holy mountain,(AU) but he will meet his end with no one to help him.
Footnotes
- Daniel 11:6 Some Hb mss, Theod read the child; Syr, Vg read her children
- Daniel 11:7 Lit from the shoot of her roots
- Daniel 11:10 Lit advance and overflow and pass through
- Daniel 11:13 Lit At the end of the times
- Daniel 11:16 = Israel
- Daniel 11:17 = the king of the South
- Daniel 11:17 Lit him the daughter of women
- Daniel 11:17 Perhaps the kingdom
- Daniel 11:18 of the Mediterranean
- Daniel 11:20 Or not openly
- Daniel 11:21 Or come without warning
- Daniel 11:23 Or a few people
- Daniel 11:24 Or Without warning
- Daniel 11:28 Or the Jewish people and religion
- Daniel 11:29 Lit but the last
- Daniel 11:30 = the Romans
- Daniel 11:37 Or God
- Daniel 11:39 Or those he acknowledges
- Daniel 11:41 Lit the first
- Daniel 11:43 Lit Cushites at his steps
- Daniel 11:45 Or the seas at
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