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11 During Darius the Mede’s first year as king, I strengthened and defended Michael.”

Greece Will Conquer Persia

The person who looked like a human continued, “What I am about to tell you is the truth. Three more kings will rule Persia. Then there will be a fourth, who will become much richer than all the others. As he becomes strong through his wealth, he will turn everyone against the kingdom of Greece.

“Then a warrior-king will come. He will rule a vast empire and do as he pleases. But as soon as he is established, his kingdom will be broken into pieces and divided in the directions of the four winds of heaven. The empire will not be given to his descendants. It will no longer be like his empire, since it will be uprooted and given to others.

The Northern and Southern Kings

“The southern king will be strong, but one of his officers will become stronger than he is and rule a vast empire. After a few years the southern and northern kings will make an alliance. The southern king’s daughter will go to the northern king to make peace. She won’t hold on to her power, and the alliance won’t last. She, those who came with her, and the one who fathered[a] and protected her will be given away.

“At that time a shoot will grow from her roots to replace her father. He will attack the northern army, enter the stronghold of the northern king, fight against them, and be victorious. He will take the metal statues of their gods and their precious utensils of silver and gold back to Egypt. He will rule for more years than the northern king. He will invade the southern kingdom and return to his own country.

10 “Then his sons will prepare for war. They will assemble a large number of forces so that they can overwhelm the enemy and pass through its land. They will return and wage war all the way to the stronghold. 11 The southern king will be outraged. He will go to fight the northern king, who will raise a large army that will fall into the southern king’s hands. 12 When that army is captured, the southern king will become conceited. Although he will dominate tens of thousands of people, he will not always be strong.

13 “The northern king will return and raise an army larger than the first one. After a few years he will invade with a large army and a lot of equipment. 14 In those times many people will rebel against the southern king, and violent men from your own people will rebel in keeping with this vision, but they will be defeated. 15 Then the northern king will come, build dirt attack ramps, and capture a fortified city. The southern forces will not be able to withstand him. Even their best troops will not be strong enough. 16 The invader will do as he pleases, and no one will be able to withstand his attack. He will rise to power in the beautiful land and it will be completely under his control.

17 “Then the northern king will decide to invade with the power of his entire kingdom, and some decent men will invade with him. He will give the southern king his daughter as a wife in order to destroy the southern kingdom. But this will not succeed or help him. 18 Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and capture many of them. But a commander will silence the insults that the northern king makes and even insult him.[b] 19 He will turn back toward the fortresses in his own country, but he will stumble, fall, and disappear.

20 “Another king will take his place. He will have a cruel official go out in royal splendor. But in a few days the king will be destroyed, although not in anger or war.

21 “A contemptible person will take his place. He will not be given royal splendor. He will invade when people are feeling secure, and he will seize the kingdom using false promises. 22 He will overwhelm large forces and defeat them, including the prince of the promise.[c] 23 After an alliance has been made with him, he will act deceitfully and rise to power with only a few people. 24 When people feel secure, he will invade the richest parts of the provinces and do something that none of his predecessors ever did. He will distribute loot and wealth to his followers. He will invent new ways of attacking fortifications. But this will last only for a little while.

25 “With a large army he will summon his power and courage against the southern king, who will prepare for war with a large, strong army. But the southern king won’t be able to withstand him because of the schemes devised against him. 26 People who eat the king’s rich food will ruin him. His army will be overwhelmed, and many will die in battle. 27 The two kings will both plan to do evil. They will sit at the same table and tell lies. But they will not succeed, because the end must wait until the appointed time. 28 The northern king will return to his country with a lot of wealth. He will be determined to fight against the holy promise. He will take action and return to his own country.

29 “At the appointed time he will again invade the south, but this time will be different from the first. 30 Ships will come from the west to attack him, and he will be discouraged and turn back. Angry at the holy promise, he will return, take action, and favor those who abandon the holy promise. 31 His forces will dishonor the holy place (the fortress), take away the daily burnt offering, and set up the disgusting thing that causes destruction. 32 With flattery he will corrupt those who abandon the promise. But the people who know their Elohim will be strong and take action.

33 “People who are wise will help many to understand. But for some time they will be defeated by swords and flames. They will be captured and looted. 34 As they are being defeated, they will get a little help, but many who are not sincere will join them. 35 Some of the wise people will be defeated in order to refine, purify, and make them white until the end times. But the appointed time is still to come.

36 “The king will do as he pleases. He will highly honor himself above every god. He will say amazing things against the God of gods. He will succeed until Elohim’s anger is over, because what has been decided must be done. 37 He will have no interest in the gods of his ancestors or desire for women. He will have no interest in any god, because he will make himself greater than anyone else. 38 Instead, he will honor the god of fortresses. With gold, silver, precious stones, and other expensive things he will honor a god his ancestors never heard of. 39 With the help of a foreign god, he will deal with strong fortresses. He will give high honors to those who acknowledge him, make them rulers over many people, and distribute land for a price.

40 “In the end times the southern king will attack him. The northern king will rush at him like a storm with chariots, horses, and many ships. He will invade countries, overwhelm them, and pass through their land. 41 He will invade the beautiful land, and tens of thousands will be defeated. But Edom, Moab, and the leaders of the Ammonites will escape from his power. 42 He will use his power against many countries. Even Egypt will not escape. 43 He will control gold and silver treasures and all Egypt’s treasuries. Libya and Sudan will surrender to him. 44 But news from the east and the north will frighten him. He will leave very angry to destroy and exterminate many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at a beautiful holy mountain. When he comes to his end, there will be no one to help him.”

Footnotes

  1. Daniel 11:6 Most Hebrew manuscripts; one Hebrew manuscript, some Greek manuscripts “her son.”
  2. Daniel 11:18 Hebrew meaning of this sentence uncertain.
  3. Daniel 11:22 Or “covenant.”

Kingdoms and Wars

11 “Now I, in the (A)first year of Darius the Mede, [a]I stood to strengthen and to be a fortress for him. So now I will tell you the (B)truth. Behold, three more kings are going to stand [b]in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all of them; as soon as he becomes strong through his riches, [c]he will arouse the whole empire against the kingdom of [d](C)Greece. And a (D)mighty king will stand, and he will [e]dominate with great [f]domination and (E)do as he pleases. But as soon as he stands, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out (F)toward the (G)four winds of [g]heaven, but not to his own descendants, nor according to his [h]domination with which he [i]dominated, for his kingdom will be (H)uprooted and given to others besides [j]them.

“Then the (I)king of the South will grow strong, [k]along with one of his princes [l]who will grow strong over him and [m]obtain dominion; indeed, his [n]domain will be a great [o]dominion. And [p]after some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will come to the (J)king of the North to carry out [q]an equitable arrangement. But she will not retain her [r]position of power, nor will he continue to stand with his [s]power, but she will be given up, along with those who brought her in and the one who fathered her as well as he who strengthened her in those times. But one of the [t]descendants of her line will stand in his place, and he will come against their military force and enter the (K)fortress of the king of the North, and he will deal with them and display strength. And also their (L)gods with their [u]metal images and their desirable vessels of silver and gold he will bring into captivity to Egypt, and he on his part will stand back from attacking the king of the North for some years. Then [v]the latter will enter the kingdom of the king of the South, but will return to his own land.

10 “And his sons will wage war. So they will gather a multitude of great forces; and one of them will keep on coming and (M)overflow and pass through, that he may [w]again wage war up to his very fortress. 11 And the (N)king of the South will be enraged and go forth and fight [x]with the king of the North. Then the latter will cause a great multitude to stand, but that multitude will be given into [y]the hand of the former. 12 Then the multitude will be carried away, his heart will be lifted up, and he will cause tens of thousands to fall; yet he will not prevail. 13 And the king of the North will again cause a much greater multitude than the former to stand, and at the (O)end of the times of those years, he will keep on coming with a great military force and much equipment.

14 “Now in those times many will stand against the king of the South; the violent ones among your people will also lift themselves up in order to cause the vision to stand, but they will [z]fall down. 15 Then the king of the North will come, cast up a (P)siege ramp, and capture a well-fortified city; and the might of the South will not stand, not even [aa]their choicest troops, for there will be no strength to make a stand. 16 But he who comes against him will (Q)do as he pleases, and (R)no one will be able to stand in [ab]opposition to him; he will also stand for a time in the [ac](S)Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand. 17 And he will (T)set his face to come with the authority of his whole kingdom, [ad]bringing with him [ae]an equitable proposal which he will [af]put into effect; he will also give him the daughter of women to destroy it. But she will not take a stand for him or be [ag]on his side. 18 Then he will turn his face to the (U)coastlands and capture many. But a ruler will make his reproach against him cease; moreover, he will (V)repay him for his reproach. 19 So he will turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will (W)stumble and fall and be (X)found no more.

20 “Then in his place one will stand who will (Y)have an [ah]oppressor pass through the [ai]Jewel of his kingdom; yet within a few days he will be broken, though not in anger nor in battle. 21 And in his place a despised person will stand, to whom the splendor of the kingdom has not been given, but he will come in a time of ease and (Z)take hold of the kingdom by intrigue. 22 But the overflowing [aj](AA)might will be flooded away before him and broken, and also the prince of the covenant. 23 And after an alliance is made with him, he will [ak]practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people. 24 [al]In a time of ease he will enter the (AB)richest parts of the province, and he will do what his fathers never did, nor his fathers’ fathers; he will distribute plunder, spoil, and possessions among them, and he will devise his schemes against strongholds, but only for a time. 25 And he will stir up his strength and heart against the (AC)king of the South with a great military force; so the king of the South will wage war with an extremely large and mighty military force for war; but he will not stand, for schemes will be devised against him. 26 And those who eat his choice food will break him, and his military force will [am](AD)overflow, but many will fall down slain. 27 And as for both kings, their hearts will be intent on (AE)evil, and they will (AF)speak falsehood at the same table; but it will not succeed, for the (AG)end is still to come at the appointed time. 28 Then he will return to his land with great possessions; but his heart will be set against the holy covenant, and he will take action and then return to his own land.

29 “At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but [an]this last time it will not happen the way it did before. 30 Indeed, ships of [ao](AH)Kittim will come against him; therefore he will be disheartened and will return and become indignant at the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 Mighty forces from him will stand, (AI)profane the sanctuary fortress, and abolish the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the (AJ)abomination [ap]of desolation. 32 And by (AK)smooth words he will [aq]turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display (AL)strength and take action. 33 And [ar](AM)those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will (AN)fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder for many days. 34 Now when they fall, they will be granted a little help, and many will (AO)join with them in [as](AP)intrigue. 35 And some of [at]those who have insight will fall, in order to (AQ)refine, (AR)purge, and make them [au](AS)pure until the time of the (AT)end, because it is still to come at the appointed time.

36 “Then the king will (AU)do as he pleases, and he will exalt and (AV)magnify himself above every god and will (AW)speak [av]astonishing things against the (AX)God of gods; and he will succeed until the (AY)indignation is finished, for that which is (AZ)decreed will be done. 37 He will show no regard for the [aw]gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all. 38 But [ax]instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones, and desirable things. 39 And he will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to [ay]those who recognize him and will cause them to rule over the many and will apportion land for a price.

40 “And at (BA)the time of the end, the (BB)king of the South will collide with him, and the (BC)king of the North will (BD)storm against him with chariots, with horsemen, and with many ships; and he will enter lands, (BE)overflow them, and pass through. 41 And he will also enter the [az](BF)Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, (BG)Moab, and the foremost of the sons of (BH)Ammon. 42 Then he will send forth his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. 43 But he will rule over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the desirable things of Egypt; and (BI)Libyans and (BJ)Ethiopians will follow at his [ba]heels. 44 But reports from the East and from the North will dismay him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and [bb]devote many to destruction. 45 And he will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful (BK)Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.

Footnotes

  1. Daniel 11:1 Lit my standing up was
  2. Daniel 11:2 Lit for
  3. Daniel 11:2 Or they all will stir up the realm of Greece
  4. Daniel 11:2 Heb Javan
  5. Daniel 11:3 Lit rule
  6. Daniel 11:3 Lit rulership
  7. Daniel 11:4 Or the sky
  8. Daniel 11:4 Lit rulership
  9. Daniel 11:4 Lit ruled
  10. Daniel 11:4 His descendants
  11. Daniel 11:5 Lit and
  12. Daniel 11:5 Lit and he
  13. Daniel 11:5 Lit and then rule
  14. Daniel 11:5 Lit rule
  15. Daniel 11:5 Lit rule
  16. Daniel 11:6 Lit at the end of
  17. Daniel 11:6 Or an upright agreement
  18. Daniel 11:6 Lit strength of arm
  19. Daniel 11:6 Lit arm
  20. Daniel 11:7 Lit branch of her roots
  21. Daniel 11:8 Lit cast images
  22. Daniel 11:9 Lit he will, so in ch
  23. Daniel 11:10 Or return and wage
  24. Daniel 11:11 Lit with him, with
  25. Daniel 11:11 Lit his hand
  26. Daniel 11:14 Lit stumble, so in ch
  27. Daniel 11:15 Lit the people of its choice ones
  28. Daniel 11:16 Lit before
  29. Daniel 11:16 Israel
  30. Daniel 11:17 Lit and
  31. Daniel 11:17 Lit upright things
  32. Daniel 11:17 Lit do
  33. Daniel 11:17 For her father; lit for him
  34. Daniel 11:20 Or exactor of tribute
  35. Daniel 11:20 Lit adornment
  36. Daniel 11:22 Or power, cf. 11:6; lit arms
  37. Daniel 11:23 Lit do
  38. Daniel 11:24 Lit Into tranquility and the richest...he will enter
  39. Daniel 11:26 Or be swept away, and many
  40. Daniel 11:29 Lit it will not happen as the first and as the last
  41. Daniel 11:30 Cyprus
  42. Daniel 11:31 Or that causes horror; lit that makes desolate
  43. Daniel 11:32 Or pollute those
  44. Daniel 11:33 Or instructors of the people
  45. Daniel 11:34 Or hypocrisy
  46. Daniel 11:35 Or the instructors
  47. Daniel 11:35 Lit white
  48. Daniel 11:36 Or wondrous; lit extraordinary
  49. Daniel 11:37 Or God
  50. Daniel 11:38 Lit in his place
  51. Daniel 11:39 Lit the one who acknowledges
  52. Daniel 11:41 Israel
  53. Daniel 11:43 Lit footsteps
  54. Daniel 11:44 Lit devote to destruction

11 Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him.

And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.

And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.

And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.

And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.

And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.

But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail:

And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north.

So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land.

10 But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress.

11 And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand.

12 And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.

13 For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches.

14 And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.

15 So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.

16 But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.

17 He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.

18 After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him.

19 Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.

20 Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.

21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.

22 And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.

23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.

24 He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.

25 And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him.

26 Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain.

27 And both of these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.

28 Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land.

29 At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.

30 For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.

31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.

34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.

35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.

36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.

38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.

39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.

40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.

41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.

42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.

45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

Warring Kings of North and South

11 “Also (A)in the first year of (B)Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him.) And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece. Then (C)a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and (D)do according to his will. And when he has arisen, (E)his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity (F)nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.

Warring Kings of North and South

“Also the king of the South shall become strong, as well as one of his princes; and he shall gain power over him and have dominion. His dominion shall be a great dominion. And at the end of some years they shall join forces, for the daughter of the king of the South shall go to the king of the North to make an agreement; but she shall not retain the power of her [a]authority, and neither he nor his [b]authority shall stand; but she shall be given up, with those who brought her, and with him who begot her, and with him who strengthened her in those times. But from a branch of her roots one shall arise in his place, who shall come with an army, enter the fortress of the king of the North, and deal with them and prevail. And he shall also carry their gods captive to Egypt, with their [c]princes and their precious articles of silver and gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the North.

“Also the king of the North shall come to the kingdom of the king of the South, but shall return to his own land. 10 However his sons shall stir up strife, and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one shall certainly come (G)and overwhelm and pass through; then he shall return (H)to his fortress and stir up strife.

11 “And the king of the South shall be (I)moved with rage, and go out and fight with him, with the king of the North, who shall muster a great multitude; but the (J)multitude shall be given into the hand of his enemy. 12 When he has taken away the multitude, his heart will be [d]lifted up; and he will cast down tens of thousands, but he will not prevail. 13 For the king of the North will return and muster a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come at the end of some years with a great army and much equipment.

14 “Now in those times many shall rise up against the king of the South. Also, [e]violent men of your people shall exalt themselves [f]in fulfillment of the vision, but they shall (K)fall. 15 So the king of the North shall come and (L)build a siege mound, and take a fortified city; and the [g]forces of the South shall not withstand him. Even his choice troops shall have no strength to resist. 16 But he who comes against him (M)shall do according to his own will, and (N)no one shall stand against him. He shall stand in the Glorious Land with destruction in his [h]power.

17 “He shall also (O)set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and [i]upright ones with him; thus shall he do. And he shall give him the daughter of women to destroy it; but she shall not stand with him, (P)or be for him. 18 After this he shall turn his face to the coastlands, and shall take many. But a ruler shall bring the reproach against them to an end; and with the reproach removed, he shall turn back on him. 19 Then he shall turn his face toward the fortress of his own land; but he shall (Q)stumble and fall, (R)and not be found.

20 “There shall arise in his place one who imposes taxes on the glorious kingdom; but within a few days he shall be destroyed, but not in anger or in battle. 21 And in his place (S)shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue. 22 With the [j]force of a (T)flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, (U)and also the prince of the covenant. 23 And after the league is made with him (V)he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people. 24 He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, [k]spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time.

25 “He shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South with a great army. And the king of the South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand, for they shall devise plans against him. 26 Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall [l]be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. 27 Both these kings’ hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the (W)appointed time. 28 While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own land.

The Northern King’s Blasphemies

29 “At the appointed time he shall return and go toward the south; but it shall not be like the former or the latter. 30 (X)For ships from [m]Cyprus shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage.

“So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 And [n]forces shall be mustered by him, (Y)and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. 32 Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall [o]corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. 33 And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering. 34 Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by [p]intrigue. 35 And some of those of understanding shall fall, (Z)to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time.

36 “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall (AA)exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. 37 He shall regard neither the [q]God of his fathers nor the desire of women, (AB)nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. 39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for [r]gain.

The Northern King’s Conquests

40 “At the (AC)time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him (AD)like a whirlwind, with chariots, (AE)horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: (AF)Edom, Moab, and the [s]prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of (AG)Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow (AH)at his heels. 44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and (AI)the glorious holy mountain; (AJ)yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.

Footnotes

  1. Daniel 11:6 Lit. arm
  2. Daniel 11:6 Lit. arm
  3. Daniel 11:8 Or molded images
  4. Daniel 11:12 Proud
  5. Daniel 11:14 Or robbers, lit. sons of breakage
  6. Daniel 11:14 Lit. to establish
  7. Daniel 11:15 Lit. arms
  8. Daniel 11:16 Lit. hand
  9. Daniel 11:17 Or bring equitable terms
  10. Daniel 11:22 Lit. arms
  11. Daniel 11:24 booty
  12. Daniel 11:26 Or overflow
  13. Daniel 11:30 Heb. Kittim, western lands, especially Cyprus
  14. Daniel 11:31 Lit. arms
  15. Daniel 11:32 pollute
  16. Daniel 11:34 Or slipperiness, flattery
  17. Daniel 11:37 Or gods
  18. Daniel 11:39 profit
  19. Daniel 11:41 Lit. chief of the sons of Ammon