Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

2 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams;^(A) his mind was troubled^(B) and he could not sleep.^{(C) 2} So the king summoned the magicians,^(D) enchanters, sorcerers^(E) and astrologers^[a](F) to tell him what he had dreamed.^(G) When they came in and stood before the king, ³ he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles^(H) me and I want to know what it means.^[b]”

⁴ Then the astrologers answered the king,^[c](I) “May the king live forever!^(J) Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

⁵ The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided:^(K) If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces^(L) and your houses turned into piles of rubble.^{(M) 6} But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor.^(N) So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”

⁷ Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

⁸ Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: ⁹ If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty^(O) for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.”^(P)

¹⁰ The astrologers^(Q) answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.^{(R) 11} What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods,^(S) and they do not live among humans.”

¹² This made the king so angry and furious^(T) that he ordered the execution^(U) of all the wise men of Babylon. ¹³ So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.^(V)

¹⁴ When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. ¹⁵ He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. ¹⁶ At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.

¹⁷ Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.^{(W) 18} He urged them to plead for mercy^(X) from the God of heaven^(Y) concerning this mystery,^(Z) so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁹ During the night the mystery^(AA) was revealed to Daniel in a vision.^(AB) Then Daniel praised the God of heaven^{(AC) 20} and said:

Daniel Interprets the Dream

²⁴ Then Daniel went to Arioch,^(AQ) whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.”

²⁵ Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles^(AR) from Judah^(AS) who can tell the king what his dream means.”

²⁶ The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar),^(AT) “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?”

²⁷ Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about,^{(AU) 28} but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.^(AV) He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come.^(AW) Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind^(AX) as you were lying in bed^(AY) are these:^(AZ)

²⁹ “As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen.^{(BA) 30} As for me, this mystery has been revealed^(BB) to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.

³¹ “Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue,^(BC) awesome^(BD) in appearance. ³² The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, ³³ its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. ³⁴ While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands.^(BE) It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed^(BF) them.^{(BG) 35} Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away^(BH) without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain^(BI) and filled the whole earth.^(BJ)

³⁶ “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king.^{(BK) 37} Your Majesty, you are the king of kings.^(BL) The God of heaven has given you dominion^(BM) and power and might and glory; ³⁸ in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all.^(BN) You are that head of gold.

³⁹ “After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.^{(BO) 40} Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others.^{(BP) 41} Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. ⁴² As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. ⁴³ And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

⁴⁴ “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush^(BQ) all those kingdoms^(BR) and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.^{(BS) 45} This is the meaning of the vision of the rock^(BT) cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands^(BU)—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future.^(BV) The dream is true^(BW) and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

⁴⁶ Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate^(BX) before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering^(BY) and incense be presented to him. ⁴⁷ The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods^(BZ) and the Lord of kings^(CA) and a revealer of mysteries,^(CB) for you were able to reveal this mystery.^(CC)”

⁴⁸ Then the king placed Daniel in a high^(CD) position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.^{(CE) 49} Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon,^(CF) while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.^(CG)

Daniel’s Vision of a Ram and a Goat

8 In the third year of King Belshazzar’s^(A) reign, I, Daniel, had a vision,^(B) after the one that had already appeared to me. ² In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa^(C) in the province of Elam;^(D) in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. ³ I looked up,^(E) and there before me was a ram^(F) with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. ⁴ I watched the ram as it charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against it, and none could rescue from its power.^(G) It did as it pleased^(H) and became great.

⁵ As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. ⁶ It came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at it in great rage. ⁷ I saw it attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering its two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against it; the goat knocked it to the ground and trampled on it,^(I) and none could rescue the ram from its power.^{(J) 8} The goat became very great, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off,^(K) and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.^(L)

⁹ Out of one of them came another horn, which started small^(M) but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land.^{(N) 10} It grew until it reached^(O) the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth^(P) and trampled^(Q) on them. ¹¹ It set itself up to be as great as the commander^(R) of the army of the Lord;^(S) it took away the daily sacrifice^(T) from the Lord, and his sanctuary was thrown down.^{(U) 12} Because of rebellion, the Lord’s people^[a] and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.^(V)

¹³ Then I heard a holy one^(W) speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled^(X)—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, the surrender of the sanctuary and the trampling underfoot^(Y) of the Lord’s people?”

¹⁴ He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.”^(Z)

The Interpretation of the Vision

¹⁵ While I, Daniel, was watching the vision^(AA) and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man.^{(AB) 16} And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai^(AC) calling, “Gabriel,^(AD) tell this man the meaning of the vision.”^(AE)

¹⁷ As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate.^(AF) “Son of man,”^[b] he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.”^(AG)

¹⁸ While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground.^(AH) Then he touched me and raised me to my feet.^(AI)

¹⁹ He said: “I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath,^(AJ) because the vision concerns the appointed time^(AK) of the end.^{[c](AL) 20} The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia.^{(AM) 21} The shaggy goat is the king of Greece,^(AN) and the large horn between its eyes is the first king.^{(AO) 22} The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power.

²³ “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise. ²⁴ He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people.^{(AP) 25} He will cause deceit^(AQ) to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes.^(AR) Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.^(AS)

²⁶ “The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true,^(AT) but seal^(AU) up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”^(AV)

²⁷ I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhausted^(AW) for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business.^(AX) I was appalled^(AY) by the vision; it was beyond understanding.

11 ¹ And in the first year of Darius^(A) the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.)

The Kings of the South and the North

² “Now then, I tell you the truth:^(B) Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.^{(C) 3} Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases.^{(D) 4} After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven.^(E) It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted^(F) and given to others.

⁵ “The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. ⁶ After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power^[a] will not last. In those days she will be betrayed, together with her royal escort and her father^[b] and the one who supported her.

⁷ “One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North^(G) and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. ⁸ He will also seize their gods,^(H) their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt.^(I) For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. ⁹ Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country. ¹⁰ His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood^(J) and carry the battle as far as his fortress.

¹¹ “Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated.^{(K) 12} When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant. ¹³ For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped.

¹⁴ “In those times many will rise against the king of the South. Those who are violent among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success. ¹⁵ Then the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps^(L) and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. ¹⁶ The invader will do as he pleases;^(M) no one will be able to stand against him.^(N) He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it.^{(O) 17} He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans^[c] will not succeed^(P) or help him. ¹⁸ Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands^(Q) and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him.^{(R) 19} After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall,^(S) to be seen no more.^(T)

²⁰ “His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor.^(U) In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle.

²¹ “He will be succeeded by a contemptible^(V) person who has not been given the honor of royalty.^(W) He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. ²² Then an overwhelming army will be swept away^(X) before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed.^{(Y) 23} After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully,^(Z) and with only a few people he will rise to power. ²⁴ When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers.^(AA) He will plot the overthrow of fortresses—but only for a time.

²⁵ “With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. ²⁶ Those who eat from the king’s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. ²⁷ The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil,^(AB) will sit at the same table and lie^(AC) to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time.^{(AD) 28} The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country.

²⁹ “At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. ³⁰ Ships of the western coastlands^(AE) will oppose him, and he will lose heart.^(AF) Then he will turn back and vent his fury^(AG) against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.

³¹ “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice.^(AH) Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation.^{(AI) 32} With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist^(AJ) him.

³³ “Those who are wise will instruct^(AK) many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered.^{(AL) 34} When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere^(AM) will join them. ³⁵ Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined,^(AN) purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.

The King Who Exalts Himself

³⁶ “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself^(AO) above every god and will say unheard-of things^(AP) against the God of gods.^(AQ) He will be successful until the time of wrath^(AR) is completed, for what has been determined must take place.^{(AS) 37} He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. ³⁸ Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. ³⁹ He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price.^[d]

⁴⁰ “At the time of the end the king of the South^(AT) will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm^(AU) out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood.^{(AV) 41} He will also invade the Beautiful Land.^(AW) Many countries will fall, but Edom,^(AX) Moab^(AY) and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. ⁴² He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. ⁴³ He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt,^(AZ) with the Libyans^(BA) and Cushites^[e] in submission. ⁴⁴ But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. ⁴⁵ He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at^[f] the beautiful holy mountain.^(BB) Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.