Vision of the Four Beasts

7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, ^(A)Daniel ^[a]had a dream and ^(B)visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling ^[b]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 ^(C)came up from the sea, each different from the other. ⁴ The first was ^(D)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 ^(E)man’s heart was given to it.

^5 (F)“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 ^(G)four heads, and dominion was given to it.

⁷ “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, ^(H)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, ^(I)and it had ten horns. ⁸ I was considering the horns, and ^(J)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 ^(K)of a man, ^(L)and a mouth speaking ^[c]pompous words.

The Beast from the Sea

13 Then ^[a]I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw ^(A)a beast rising up out of the sea, ^(B)having ^[b]seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a ^(C)blasphemous name. ² Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The ^(D)dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. ³ And I saw one of his heads ^(E)as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And ^(F)all the world marveled and followed the beast. ⁴ So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ^(G)“Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

⁵ And he was given ^(H)a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to ^[c]continue for ^(I)forty-two months.