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Daniel 7
New American Standard Bible

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

9 “I kept looking
Until (M)thrones were set up,
And the Ancient of Days took His seat;
His (N)garment was white as snow,
And the (O)hair of His head like pure wool.
His (P)throne was [h]ablaze with flames,
Its (Q)wheels were a burning fire.
10 A river of (R)fire was flowing
And coming out from before Him;
(S)Thousands upon thousands were serving Him,
And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him;
The (T)court [i]convened,
And (U)the books were opened.

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

13 “I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a son of man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.
14 And to Him was given (W)dominion,
Honor, and [l](X)a kingdom,
(Y)So that all the peoples, nations, and populations of all [m]languages
Might serve Him.
(Z)His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
(AA)And His kingdom is one
Which will not be destroyed.

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.”

Footnotes

  1. Daniel 7:1 Lit of his head
  2. Daniel 7:1 Or beginning
  3. Daniel 7:1 Lit words
  4. Daniel 7:2 Lit began speaking and said
  5. Daniel 7:4 Lit heart
  6. Daniel 7:6 Or sides
  7. Daniel 7:8 Lit in this horn were eyes
  8. Daniel 7:9 Lit flames of fire
  9. Daniel 7:10 Lit took its place
  10. Daniel 7:11 Lit great
  11. Daniel 7:11 Lit of the fire
  12. Daniel 7:14 Or sovereignty
  13. Daniel 7:14 Lit tongues
  14. Daniel 7:15 Lit its sheath
  15. Daniel 7:15 Lit of my head
  16. Daniel 7:16 Lit what was certain
  17. Daniel 7:18 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
  18. Daniel 7:18 Lit and unto the age of the ages
  19. Daniel 7:19 Lit truth concerning
  20. Daniel 7:19 Lit of them
  21. Daniel 7:20 Lit its appearance was larger
  22. Daniel 7:21 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
  23. Daniel 7:22 Lit given for
  24. Daniel 7:22 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
  25. Daniel 7:22 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
  26. Daniel 7:24 Or humiliate
  27. Daniel 7:25 Lit speak words
  28. Daniel 7:25 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
  29. Daniel 7:25 I.e., the saints
  30. Daniel 7:25 I.e., year(s)
  31. Daniel 7:25 I.e., year(s)
  32. Daniel 7:25 I.e., year(s)
  33. Daniel 7:26 Lit take its place
  34. Daniel 7:26 Lit to annihilate and to destroy
  35. Daniel 7:26 Lit to the end
  36. Daniel 7:27 Or kingdom
  37. Daniel 7:27 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
  38. Daniel 7:28 Lit To here the end of the word
  39. Daniel 7:28 Lit brightness was changing upon me
  40. Daniel 7:28 Lit in my heart
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Daniel 7
Holman Christian Standard Bible

Daniel’s Vision of the Four Beasts

7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream with visions in his mind(A) as he was lying in his bed. He wrote down the dream,(B) and here is the summary[a] of his account. 2 Daniel said, “In my vision at night I was watching, and suddenly the four winds of heaven(C) stirred up the great sea. 3 Four huge beasts(D) came up from the sea,(E) each different from the other.

4 “The first was like a lion(F) but had eagle’s wings. I continued watching until its wings were torn off. It was lifted up from the ground, set on its feet like a man, and given a human mind.

5 “Suddenly, another beast appeared, a second one, that looked like a bear.(G) It was raised up on one side, with three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up! Gorge yourself on flesh.’

6 “While I was watching, another beast appeared. It was like a leopard(H) with four wings of a bird on its back. It had four heads(I) and was given authority to rule.

7 “While I was watching in the night visions, a fourth beast(J) appeared, frightening and dreadful, and incredibly strong, with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and it trampled with its feet whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had 10 horns.(K)

8 “While I was considering the horns, suddenly another horn,(L) a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. There were eyes in this horn like a man’s, and it had a mouth that spoke arrogantly.(M)

The Ancient of Days and the Son of Man

9 “As I kept watching,

thrones were set in place,(N)
and the Ancient of Days took His seat.
His clothing was white like snow,(O)
and the hair of His head like whitest wool.(P)
His throne was flaming fire;(Q)
its wheels were blazing fire.(R)
10 A river of fire was flowing,
coming out from His presence.
Thousands upon thousands(S) served Him;
ten thousand times ten thousand(T) stood before Him.
The court was convened,(U)
and the books were opened.(V)

11 “I watched, then, because of the sound of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued watching, the beast was killed and its body destroyed and given over to the burning fire.(W) 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their authority to rule was removed, but an extension of life was granted to them for a certain period of time.(X) 13 I continued watching in the night visions,

and I saw One like a son of man(Y)
coming with the clouds of heaven.(Z)
He approached the Ancient of Days
and was escorted before Him.
14 He was given authority to rule,(AA)
and glory, and a kingdom;
so that those of every people,
nation, and language(AB)
should serve(AC) Him.
His dominion is an everlasting(AD) dominion
that will not pass away,
and His kingdom is one
that will not be destroyed.

Interpretation of the Vision

15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was deeply distressed within me,[b] and the visions in my mind terrified me.(AE) 16 I approached one of those who were standing by and asked him(AF) the true meaning of all this. So he let me know the interpretation of these things:(AG) 17 ‘These huge beasts, four in number, are four kings who will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever, yes, forever and ever.’(AH)

19 “Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast,(AI) the one different from all the others, extremely terrifying, with iron teeth and bronze claws, devouring, crushing, and trampling with its feet whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the 10 horns(AJ) on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three fell—the horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke arrogantly,(AK) and that was more visible than the others. 21 As I was watching, this horn waged war(AL) against the holy ones and was prevailing over them 22 until the Ancient of Days arrived and a judgment(AM) was given in favor of the holy ones of the Most High, for the time had come, and the holy ones took possession of the kingdom.

23 “This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms. It will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it. 24 The 10 horns(AN) are 10 kings who will rise from this kingdom. Another, different from the previous ones, will rise after them and subdue three kings. 25 He will speak words against the Most High(AO) and oppress[c] the holy ones(AP) of the Most High. He will intend to change religious festivals[d] and laws,(AQ) and the holy ones will be handed over to him for a time, times, and half a time.[e](AR) 26 But the court will convene,(AS) and his dominion will be taken away, to be completely destroyed forever.(AT) 27 The kingdom, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people, the holy ones of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom,(AU) and all rulers will serve and obey Him.’

28 “This is the end of the interpretation. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts terrified me greatly,(AV) and my face turned pale,[f] but I kept the matter to myself.”(AW)

Footnotes

  1. Daniel 7:1 Lit beginning
  2. Daniel 7:15 Lit was distressed in the middle of its sheath
  3. Daniel 7:25 Lit wear out
  4. Daniel 7:25 Lit change times
  5. Daniel 7:25 Or for three and a half years
  6. Daniel 7:28 Lit my brightness changed on me
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Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.