Daniel 11:20-39
English Standard Version
20 “Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an (A)exactor of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle. 21 In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. (B)He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom (C)by flatteries. 22 Armies shall be (D)utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. 23 And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people. 24 (E)Without warning he shall come into (F)the richest parts[a] of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers' fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. 25 And he shall stir up his power and his heart against (G)the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. 26 Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be (H)swept away, and many shall fall down slain. 27 And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for (I)the end is yet to be at the time appointed. 28 And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And 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 it shall not be this time as it was before. 30 For ships of (J)Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and (K)be enraged and (L)take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 Forces from him shall appear and (M)profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And (N)they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. 32 He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. 33 (O)And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. 34 When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, 35 and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, (P)purified, and (Q)made white, until (R)the time of the end, (S)for it still awaits the appointed time.
36 “And the king shall (T)do as he wills. (U)He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, (V)and shall speak astonishing things against (W)the God of gods. (X)He shall prosper (Y)till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. 37 He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for (Z)he shall magnify himself above all. 38 He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor (AA)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 load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and (AB)shall divide the land for a price.[b]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Daniel 11:24 Or among the richest men
- Daniel 11:39 Or land as payment
Daniel 11:20-39
Common English Bible
20 “In his place one will arise who will send his agent to exact a kingdom’s glory, but in a few days he will be broken, though not by anger and not by war. 21 A worthless person will arise in his place. Royal majesty will not have been given to him, but he will come in a time of security and seize the kingdom by deceitful means. 22 Forces will be completely swept away and broken before him. The same is true for the leader of the covenant. 23 From the moment they make an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully. He will gain power at the expense of a small nation. 24 He will come into a province’s richest places untroubled and will do what his fathers and grandfathers never could. He will hand out plunder, spoil, and wealth to them. He will make plans against fortresses, but only for a time.
25 “Then with a large army he will gather his strength and courage against the southern king. The southern king, with a large and super powerful army, will prepare for war, but he won’t endure because they will make plans against him. 26 Those who eat the king’s provisions will destroy him. His army will be overrun. Many will die.
27 “These two kings, with their minds set on evil, will sit at one table, telling lies, but with no success because the end will come at the set time. 28 He will return to his country with great wealth and set his mind against a holy covenant. He will do what he wants and then return to his country. 29 At the set time he will again battle against the south, but the second time will be different from the first. 30 Kittim ships will fight against him, and he will retreat in fear. He will rage against a holy covenant and will do what he wants. Then he will pay special attention to those who violate a holy covenant. 31 His forces will come and make the sanctuary fortress impure. They will stop the daily sacrifice and set up a desolating monstrosity. 32 By deceitful means he will corrupt those who violate a covenant, but the people who acknowledge their God will stand strong and will act.
33 “The people’s teachers will help many understand, but for a time they will fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder. 34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, but many will join them with deceitful plans. 35 Some of the teachers too will fall in order that they might be refined, purified, and cleansed—until an end time, because it is still not yet the set time.
An end to the arrogant king
36 “The king will do whatever he wants. He will exalt himself, making himself greater than any god. He will say unbelievable things against the God of gods. He will succeed until the doom is completed, because what is decreed must take place. 37 He will give no thought to the gods of his fathers, nor to the god cherished by women. He will give no thought to any god, because he will make himself greater than all of them. 38 In their place, he will worship a god of walled fortresses. With gold and silver, rare stones and precious things, he will worship a god his fathers did not acknowledge. 39 He will deal with walled fortresses with the help of a foreign god. He will heap rewards on those who support him, making them rule over many and dividing up the land for a price.
Read full chapterThe Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible