Daniel 8
New King James Version
Vision of a Ram and a Goat
8 In[a] the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me—to me, Daniel—after the one that appeared to me (A)the first time. 2 I saw in the vision, and it so happened while I was looking, that I was in (B)Shushan,[b] the [c]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 (C)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 [d]withstand him; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, (D)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 (E)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, [e]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 (F)four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven. 9 (G)And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, (H)toward the east, and toward the (I)Glorious Land. 10 (J)And it grew up to (K)the host of heaven; and (L)it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. 11 (M)He even exalted himself as high as (N)the Prince of the host; (O)and by him (P)the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of [f]His sanctuary was cast down. 12 Because of transgression, (Q)an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast (R)truth down to the ground. He (S)did all this and prospered.
13 Then I heard (T)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 [g]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 [h]days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”
Gabriel Interprets the Vision
15 Then it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and (U)was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me (V)one having the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man’s voice (W)between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, (X)“Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and (Y)fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.”
18 (Z)Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; (AA)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; (AB)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 [i]male goat is the [j]kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes (AC)is the first king. 22 (AD)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.
23 “And in the latter time of their kingdom,
When the transgressors have reached their fullness,
A king shall arise,
(AE)Having fierce [k]features,
Who understands sinister schemes.
24 His power shall be mighty, (AF)but not by his own power;
He shall destroy [l]fearfully,
(AG)And shall prosper and thrive;
(AH)He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.
25 “Through(AI) his cunning
He shall cause deceit to prosper under his [m]rule;
(AJ)And he shall exalt himself in his heart.
He shall destroy many in their prosperity.
(AK)He shall even rise against the Prince of princes;
But he shall be (AL)broken without human [n]means.
26 “And the vision of the evenings and mornings
Which was told is true;
(AM)Therefore seal up the vision,
For it refers to many days in the future.”
27 (AN)And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king’s business. I was [o]astonished by the vision, but no one understood it.
Footnotes
- Daniel 8:1 The Hebrew language resumes in Dan. 8:1.
- Daniel 8:2 Or Susa
- Daniel 8:2 Or fortified palace
- Daniel 8:4 Lit. stand before him
- Daniel 8:7 Lit. struck
- Daniel 8:11 The temple
- Daniel 8:13 Or making desolate
- Daniel 8:14 Lit. evening-mornings
- Daniel 8:21 shaggy male
- Daniel 8:21 Lit. king, representing his kingdom, Dan. 7:17, 23
- Daniel 8:23 Lit. countenance
- Daniel 8:24 Or extraordinarily
- Daniel 8:25 Lit. hand
- Daniel 8:25 Lit. hand
- Daniel 8:27 amazed
Daniel 8
English Standard Version
Daniel's Vision of the Ram and the Goat
8 In the third year of the reign of (A)King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, (B)after that which appeared to me (C)at the first. 2 And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in (D)Susa the citadel, which is in the province of (E)Elam. And (F)I saw in the vision, (G)and I was at the (H)Ulai canal. 3 I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, (I)a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. 4 I saw (J)the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No (K)beast (L)could stand before him, (M)and there was no one who could rescue from his power. (N)He did as he pleased and (O)became great.
5 As I was considering, behold, a (P)male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had (Q)a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came to (R)the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, (S)and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. 7 I saw him come close to the ram, (T)and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. (U)And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he (V)cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then (W)the goat (X)became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four (Y)conspicuous horns toward (Z)the four winds of heaven.
9 Out of one of them came (AA)a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward (AB)the south, toward the east, and toward (AC)the glorious land. 10 (AD)It grew great, (AE)even to the host of heaven. And some of the host (AF)and some[a] of (AG)the stars it threw down to the ground and (AH)trampled on them. 11 (AI)It became great, even as great as (AJ)the Prince of the host. (AK)And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. 12 And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression,[b] and it will throw truth to the ground, and (AL)it will act and prosper. 13 Then I heard (AM)a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, (AN)“For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, (AO)the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” 14 And he said to me,[c] “For 2,300 (AP)evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”
The Interpretation of the Vision
15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I (AQ)sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having (AR)the appearance of a man. 16 (AS)And I heard a man's voice (AT)between the banks of the (AU)Ulai, and it called, (AV)“Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, (AW)I was frightened (AX)and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, (AY)O son of man, that the vision is for (AZ)the time of the end.”
18 And when he had spoken to me, (BA)I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But (BB)he touched me and made me stand up. 19 He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of (BC)the indignation, for it refers to (BD)the appointed time of the end. 20 As for (BE)the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of (BF)Media and Persia. 21 And (BG)the goat[d] is the king of Greece. And (BH)the great horn between his eyes is (BI)the first king. 22 (BJ)As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his[e] nation, (BK)but not with his power. 23 And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 24 His power shall be great—(BL)but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction (BM)and shall succeed in what he does, (BN)and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 (BO)By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind (BP)he shall become great. (BQ)Without warning he shall destroy many. And he (BR)shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but (BS)by no human hand. 26 The vision of (BT)the evenings and the mornings that has been told (BU)is true, but (BV)seal up the vision, (BW)for it refers to many days from now.”
27 And (BX)I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision (BY)and did not understand it.
Footnotes
- Daniel 8:10 Or host, that is, some
- Daniel 8:12 Or in an act of rebellion
- Daniel 8:14 Hebrew; Septuagint, Theodotion, Vulgate to him
- Daniel 8:21 Or the shaggy goat
- Daniel 8:22 Theodotion, Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew a
Daniel 8
Legacy Standard Bible
The Vision of the Ram and Goat
8 In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king, a vision appeared to me, [a]Daniel, after the one which appeared to me [b]previously. 2 And I (A)looked in the vision. And it happened that while I was looking, I was in the citadel of (B)Susa, which is in the province of (C)Elam; and I looked in the vision, and I myself was beside the Ulai [c]Canal. 3 Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a (D)ram which had two horns was standing in front of the [d]canal. Now the two horns were [e]long, but one was [f]longer than the other, with the [g]longer one coming up last. 4 I saw the ram (E)butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before it, nor was there anyone to deliver from its [h]power, but (F)it did as it pleased and magnified itself.
5 And while I was considering, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the [i]goat had a (G)conspicuous horn between its eyes. 6 Then it came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the [j]canal, and ran at it in his strong wrath. 7 And I saw it reach the side of the ram, and it was enraged at it; and it struck the ram and broke its two horns in pieces, and the ram had no strength to stand in [k]opposition to it. So it threw it down to the ground and trampled on it, and there was none to deliver the ram from its [l]power. 8 Then the male goat magnified itself exceedingly. But as soon as (H)it was mighty, the (I)large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the (J)four winds of [m]heaven.
The Small Horn
9 And out of one of them came forth a rather (K)small horn. And it grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the [n](L)Beautiful Land. 10 Then it grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the (M)stars to fall to the earth, and it (N)trampled them down. 11 And it even (O)magnified itself [o]to be equal with the [p]Commander of the host; and it removed the (P)regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. 12 And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will (Q)throw truth down to the ground and do its will and succeed. 13 Then I heard a (R)holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, “(S)How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, [q]while the transgression causes desolation, so as to allow both the holy place and the host [r]to be (T)trampled?” 14 He said to me, “For (U)2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be [s]made righteous.”
Daniel Seeks to Understand the Vision
15 Now it happened when (V)I, Daniel, had seen the vision, that I sought [t]to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one [u]who had the appearance of a (W)man. 16 And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “(X)Gabriel, give this man an understanding of what has appeared.” 17 So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was terrified and (Y)fell on my face; but he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the (Z)time of the end.”
18 Now while he was talking with me, I (AA)sank into a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he (AB)touched me and made me stand [v]upright. 19 Then he said, “Behold, I am going to (AC)let you know what will happen at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end. 20 The (AD)ram which you saw with the two horns is the kings of Media and Persia. 21 Now the shaggy [w]goat is the [x]king of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king. 22 And the (AE)broken horn and the four horns that stood in its place are four kingdoms which will take their stand from his nation, although not with his power.
23 In the latter period of their [y]reign,
When the transgressors have [z]run their course,
A king will stand,
[aa]Insolent and skilled in [ab]intrigue.
24 His power will be mighty, but not by his own power,
And he will [ac](AF)destroy to an [ad]astonishing degree
And succeed and do his will;
He will [ae]destroy mighty men and [af]the holy people.
25 And through his insight
He will cause deceit to succeed by his hand;
And he will magnify himself in his heart,
And he will [ag]destroy many while they are [ah]at ease.
He will even (AG)stand against the Prince of princes,
But he will be broken (AH)without hands.
26 And what had appeared about the evenings and mornings
Which has been told is (AI)true;
But as for you, (AJ)conceal the vision,
For it pertains to many (AK)days in the future.”
27 Then I, Daniel, was [ai](AL)exhausted and sick for days. Then I rose up again and (AM)did the king’s work; but I was appalled at what had appeared, and there was none to make me understand it.
Footnotes
- Daniel 8:1 Lit I, Daniel
- Daniel 8:1 Lit at the beginning
- Daniel 8:2 Or River
- Daniel 8:3 Or river
- Daniel 8:3 Lit high(er)
- Daniel 8:3 Lit high(er)
- Daniel 8:3 Lit high(er)
- Daniel 8:4 Lit hand
- Daniel 8:5 Lit buck
- Daniel 8:6 Or river
- Daniel 8:7 Lit before
- Daniel 8:7 Lit hand
- Daniel 8:8 Or the sky
- Daniel 8:9 Israel
- Daniel 8:11 Lit up to the
- Daniel 8:11 Or Prince
- Daniel 8:13 Or possibly and the transgression that horrifies
- Daniel 8:13 Lit as a trampling
- Daniel 8:14 Or properly restored
- Daniel 8:15 Lit understanding
- Daniel 8:15 Lit like the appearance of a man
- Daniel 8:18 Lit on my standing
- Daniel 8:21 Lit buck
- Daniel 8:21 Or kingdom
- Daniel 8:23 Or kingdom
- Daniel 8:23 Lit finished
- Daniel 8:23 Lit Strong of face
- Daniel 8:23 Or ambiguous speech
- Daniel 8:24 Or corrupt
- Daniel 8:24 Or wondrous; lit extraordinary
- Daniel 8:24 Or corrupt
- Daniel 8:24 Lit people of the saints, cf. 7:27
- Daniel 8:25 Or corrupt
- Daniel 8:25 Or secure
- Daniel 8:27 Or done in
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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