Daniel 5:1-11:22

New King James Version

Belshazzar’s Feast

5 Belshazzar the king ^(A)made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. ² While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels ^(B)which his ^[a]father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. ³ Then they brought the gold ^(C)vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. ⁴ They drank wine, ^(D)and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

^5 (E)In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. ⁶ Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his ^(F)knees knocked against each other. ^7 (G)The king cried ^[b]aloud to bring in ^(H)the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; ^(I)and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” ⁸ Now all the king’s wise men came, ^(J)but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation. ⁹ Then King Belshazzar was greatly ^(K)troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were ^[c]astonished.

¹⁰ The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. ^11 (L)There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your ^[d]father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your ^[e]father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. ¹² Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and ^[f]explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, ^(M)whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”

The Writing on the Wall Explained

¹³ Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel ^[g]who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my ^[h]father the king brought from Judah? ¹⁴ I have heard of you, that ^(N)the ^[i]Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. ¹⁵ Now ^(O)the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. ¹⁶ And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and ^[j]explain enigmas. ^(P)Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation. ¹⁸ O king, ^(Q)the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your ^[k]father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. ¹⁹ And because of the majesty that He gave him, ^(R)all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he ^(S)executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. ^20 (T)But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. ²¹ Then he was ^(U)driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, ^(V)till he ^[l]knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.

²² “But you his son, Belshazzar, ^(W)have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. ^23 (X)And you have ^[m]lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the ^(Y)vessels of ^[n]His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, ^(Z)which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand ^(AA)and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. ²⁴ Then the ^[o]fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.

²⁵ “And this is the inscription that was written:

^[p]MENE, MENE, ^[q]TEKEL, ^[r]UPHARSIN.

²⁶ This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; ²⁷ TEKEL: ^(AB)You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; ²⁸ PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the ^(AC)Medes and ^(AD)Persians.”^{[s] 29} Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him ^(AE)that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Belshazzar’s Fall

^30 (AF)That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. ^31 (AG)And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

The Plot Against Daniel

6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom; ² and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss. ³ Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, ^(AH)because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. ^4 (AI)So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. ⁵ Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

⁶ So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: ^(AJ)“King Darius, live forever! ⁷ All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have ^(AK)consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. ⁸ Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the ^(AL)law of the Medes and Persians, which ^[t]does not alter.” ⁹ Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

¹⁰ Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open ^(AM)toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees ^(AN)three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.

¹¹ Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. ^12 (AO)And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king’s decree: “Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?”

The king answered and said, “The thing is true, ^(AP)according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which ^[u]does not alter.”

¹³ So they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, ^(AQ)who is ^[v]one of the captives from Judah, ^(AR)does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”

¹⁴ And the king, when he heard these words, ^(AS)was greatly displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he ^[w]labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him. ¹⁵ Then these men ^[x]approached the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is ^(AT)the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”

¹⁶ So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” ^17 (AU)Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, ^(AV)and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.

Daniel Saved from the Lions

¹⁸ Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no ^[y]musicians were brought before him. ^(AW)Also his sleep ^[z]went from him. ¹⁹ Then the ^(AX)king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. ²⁰ And when he came to the den, he cried out with a ^[aa]lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, ^(AY)has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

²¹ Then Daniel said to the king, ^(AZ)“O king, live forever! ^22 (BA)My God sent His angel and ^(BB)shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”

²³ Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, ^(BC)because he believed in his God.

Darius Honors God

²⁴ And the king gave the command, ^(BD)and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, ^(BE)their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.

^25 (BF)Then King Darius wrote:

²⁸ So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius ^(BL)and in the reign of ^(BM)Cyrus the Persian.

Vision of the Four Beasts

7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, ^(BN)Daniel ^[ac]had a dream and ^(BO)visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling ^[ad]the main facts.

² Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. ³ And four great beasts ^(BP)came up from the sea, each different from the other. ⁴ The first was ^(BQ)like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a ^(BR)man’s heart was given to it.

^5 (BS)“And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’

⁶ “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had ^(BT)four heads, and dominion was given to it.

⁷ “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, ^(BU)a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, ^(BV)and it had ten horns. ⁸ I was considering the horns, and ^(BW)there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes ^(BX)of a man, ^(BY)and a mouth speaking ^[ae]pompous words.

Vision of the Ancient of Days

¹¹ “I watched then because of the sound of the ^[ah]pompous words which the horn was speaking; ^(CG)I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. ¹² As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

Daniel’s Visions Interpreted

¹⁵ “I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit ^[ai]within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. ¹⁶ I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ¹⁷ ‘Those great beasts, which are four, are four ^[aj]kings which arise out of the earth. ¹⁸ But ^(CL)the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’

¹⁹ “Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; ²⁰ and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke ^[ak]pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.

²¹ “I was watching; ^(CM)and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, ²² until the Ancient of Days came, ^(CN)and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.

²³ “Thus he said:

²⁸ “This is the end of the ^[am]account. As for me, Daniel, ^(DA)my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed; but I ^(DB)kept the matter in my heart.”

Vision of a Ram and a Goat

8 In^[an] the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me—to me, Daniel—after the one that appeared to me ^(DC)the first time. ² I saw in the vision, and it so happened while I was looking, that I was in ^(DD)Shushan,^[ao] the ^[ap]citadel, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision that I was by the River Ulai. ³ Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was ^(DE)higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. ⁴ I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward, so that no animal could ^[aq]withstand him; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, ^(DF)but he did according to his will and became great.

⁵ And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable ^(DG)horn between his eyes. ⁶ Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power. ⁷ And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, ^[ar]attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand.

⁸ Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it ^(DH)four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven. ^9 (DI)And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, ^(DJ)toward the east, and toward the ^(DK)Glorious Land. ^10 (DL)And it grew up to ^(DM)the host of heaven; and ^(DN)it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. ^11 (DO)He even exalted himself as high as ^(DP)the Prince of the host; ^(DQ)and by him ^(DR)the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of ^[as]His sanctuary was cast down. ¹² Because of transgression, ^(DS)an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast ^(DT)truth down to the ground. He ^(DU)did all this and prospered.

¹³ Then I heard ^(DV)a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression ^[at]of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?”

¹⁴ And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred ^[au]days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”

Gabriel Interprets the Vision

¹⁵ Then it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and ^(DW)was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me ^(DX)one having the appearance of a man. ¹⁶ And I heard a man’s voice ^(DY)between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, ^(DZ)“Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” ¹⁷ So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and ^(EA)fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.”

^18 (EB)Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; ^(EC)but he touched me, and stood me upright. ¹⁹ And he said, “Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; ^(ED)for at the appointed time the end shall be. ²⁰ The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia. ²¹ And the ^[av]male goat is the ^[aw]kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes ^(EE)is the first king. ^22 (EF)As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.

^27 (EP)And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king’s business. I was ^[bb]astonished by the vision, but no one understood it.

Daniel’s Prayer for the People

9 In the first year ^(EQ)of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— ² in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through ^(ER)Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

^3 (ES)Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. ⁴ And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O ^(ET)Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, ^5 (EU)we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. ^6 (EV)Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. ⁷ O Lord, ^(EW)righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.

⁸ “O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. ^9 (EX)To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. ¹⁰ We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. ¹¹ Yes, ^(EY)all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the ^(EZ)Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. ¹² And He has ^(FA)confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; ^(FB)for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.

^13 (FC)“As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; ^(FD)yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord has ^(FE)kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for ^(FF)the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. ¹⁵ And now, O Lord our God, ^(FG)who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself ^(FH)a name, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly!

¹⁶ “O Lord, ^(FI)according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, ^(FJ)Your holy mountain; because for our sins, ^(FK)and for the iniquities of our fathers, ^(FL)Jerusalem and Your people ^(FM)are a reproach to all those around us. ¹⁷ Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, ^(FN)and ^(FO)for the Lord’s sake ^[bc]cause Your face to shine on ^[bd]Your sanctuary, ^(FP)which is desolate. ^18 (FQ)O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes ^(FR)and see our desolations, and the city ^(FS)which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

The Seventy-Weeks Prophecy

²⁰ Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, ²¹ yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man ^(FT)Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, ^[be]being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. ²² And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. ²³ At the beginning of your supplications the ^[bf]command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly ^(FU)beloved; therefore ^(FV)consider the matter, and understand the vision:

Vision of the Glorious Man

10 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose ^(GI)name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, ^[bo]but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision. ² In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. ³ I ate no ^[bp]pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

⁴ Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the ^[bq]Tigris, ⁵ I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in ^(GJ)linen, whose waist was ^(GK)girded with gold of Uphaz! ⁶ His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, ^(GL)and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.

⁷ And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. ⁸ Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my ^[br]vigor was turned to ^[bs]frailty in me, and I retained no strength. ⁹ Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.

Prophecies Concerning Persia and Greece

^10 (GM)Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. ¹¹ And he said to me, “O Daniel, ^(GN)man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.

¹² Then he said to me, ^(GO)“Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, ^(GP)your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. ^13 (GQ)But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, ^(GR)Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. ¹⁴ Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people ^(GS)in the latter days, ^(GT)for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”

¹⁵ When he had spoken such words to me, ^(GU)I ^[bt]turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. ¹⁶ And suddenly, ^(GV)one having the likeness of the ^[bu]sons of men ^(GW)touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, “My lord, because of the vision ^(GX)my sorrows have ^[bv]overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength. ¹⁷ For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me.”

¹⁸ Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me. ^19 (GY)And he said, “O man greatly beloved, ^(GZ)fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!”

So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”

²⁰ Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight ^(HA)with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come. ²¹ But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, ^(HB)except Michael your prince.

Warring Kings of North and South

11 “Also ^(HC)in the first year of ^(HD)Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him.) ² 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. ³ Then ^(HE)a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and ^(HF)do according to his will. ⁴ And when he has arisen, ^(HG)his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity ^(HH)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

⁵ “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. ⁶ 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 ^[bw]authority, and neither he nor his ^[bx]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. ⁷ 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. ⁸ And he shall also carry their gods captive to Egypt, with their ^[by]princes and their precious articles of silver and gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the North.

⁹ “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 ^(HI)and overwhelm and pass through; then he shall return ^(HJ)to his fortress and stir up strife.

¹¹ “And the king of the South shall be ^(HK)moved with rage, and go out and fight with him, with the king of the North, who shall muster a great multitude; but the ^(HL)multitude shall be given into the hand of his enemy. ¹² When he has taken away the multitude, his heart will be ^[bz]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, ^[ca]violent men of your people shall exalt themselves ^[cb]in fulfillment of the vision, but they shall ^(HM)fall. ¹⁵ So the king of the North shall come and ^(HN)build a siege mound, and take a fortified city; and the ^[cc]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 ^(HO)shall do according to his own will, and ^(HP)no one shall stand against him. He shall stand in the Glorious Land with destruction in his ^[cd]power.

¹⁷ “He shall also ^(HQ)set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and ^[ce]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, ^(HR)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 ^(HS)stumble and fall, ^(HT)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 ^(HU)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 ^[cf]force of a ^(HV)flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, ^(HW)and also the prince of the covenant.