Daniel 8:15-27

Common English Bible

Vision interpreted

¹⁵Now I, Daniel, needed help understanding the vision I saw. Suddenly standing in front of me was someone who looked like a man. ¹⁶I then heard a human voice coming out of the center of the Ulai canal. It called out: “Gabriel, help this person understand what he has seen.”

¹⁷Gabriel approached me, and I was terrified when he came. I fell with my face to the ground. Gabriel said to me, “Know this, human one: the vision is for the end time.” ¹⁸As soon as he said this to me, I fell into a trance. My face was still on the ground. Then Gabriel touched me and set me up on my feet.

¹⁹He said, “Now, I am going to tell you what will happen during the time of doom that is coming, because at the appointed time there will be an end. ²⁰The two-horned ram you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. ²¹The long-haired he-goat is the king of Greece, and the big horn between its eyes is the first king. ²²The horn that snapped so that four came up in its place means that four kingdoms will come from one nation, but these four won’t have the strength of the first one.

²³When their kingship nears its end
    and their sins^[a] are almost complete,
        a king will step forward.
He will be stern and a master of deception.
²⁴    At the height of his power,^[b]
        he will wreak unbelievable destructions.
He will succeed in all he does.
    He will destroy both the mighty
        and the people of the holy ones.
²⁵Along with his cunning,
    he will succeed by using deceit.
In his own mind, he will be great.
    In a time of peace,
        he will bring destruction on many,
        opposing even the supreme leader.
But he will be broken—
    and not by a human hand.

²⁶Now this vision of evening and morning, which has been announced, is true. But you must seal it up, because it is for days far in the future.”

²⁷Then I, Daniel, was overwhelmed and felt sick for days. When I finally got up and went about the king’s business, I remained troubled by the vision and couldn’t understand it.

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