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Visions of the Four Beasts

In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in bed. Then he wrote down the dream:[a](A) I,[b] Daniel, saw in my vision by night the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea, and four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.(B) The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then, as I watched, its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a human being, and a human mind was given to it.(C) Another beast appeared, a second one, that looked like a bear. It was raised up on one side, had three tusks[c] in its mouth among its teeth, and was told, “Arise, devour many bodies!” After this, as I watched, another appeared, like a leopard. The beast had four wings of a bird on its back and four heads, and dominion was given to it.(D) After this I saw in the visions by night a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth and was devouring, breaking in pieces, and stamping what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that preceded it, and it had ten horns.(E) I was considering the horns when another horn appeared, a little one that came up among them. Three of the original horns were plucked up from before it. There were eyes like human eyes in this horn and a mouth speaking arrogantly.(F)

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Footnotes

  1. 7.1 Q ms Theodotion: MT adds the beginning of the words; he said
  2. 7.2 Theodotion: Aram Daniel answered and said, I
  3. 7.5 Or ribs

Daniel's Vision of the Four Beasts

In the first year of (A)Belshazzar king of Babylon, (B)Daniel saw a dream and (C)visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. Daniel declared,[a] “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, (D)the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts (E)came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, (F)another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ After this I looked, and behold, another, like a (G)leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and (H)dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, (I)terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; (J)it devoured and broke in pieces (K)and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and (L)it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, (M)there came up among them another horn, a little one, (N)before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and (O)a mouth speaking great things.

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Footnotes

  1. Daniel 7:2 Aramaic answered and said