Daniel 8
Christian Standard Bible
The Vision of a Ram and a Goat
8 In the third year of King Belshazzar’s(A) reign, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that had appeared to me earlier.(B) 2 I saw the vision, and as I watched, I was in the fortress city of Susa,(C) in the province of Elam.(D) I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 I looked up,[a] and there was a ram(E) standing beside the canal. He had two horns. The two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one came up last. 4 I saw the ram charging to the west, the north, and the south.(F) No animal could stand against him, and there was no rescue from his power. He did whatever he wanted(G) and became great.
5 As I was observing, a male goat appeared, coming from the west across the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground. The goat had a conspicuous horn[b] between his eyes.(H) 6 He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and rushed at him with savage fury. 7 I saw him approaching the ram and, infuriated with him, he struck the ram, breaking his two horns, and the ram was not strong enough to stand against him. The goat threw him to the ground and trampled him, and there was no one to rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the male goat acted even more arrogantly,(I) but when he became powerful, the large horn was broken.(J) Four conspicuous horns came up in its place, pointing toward the four winds of heaven.(K)
The Little Horn
9 From one of them a little horn(L) emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land.[c](M) 10 It grew as high as the heavenly army, made some of the army and some of the stars[d] fall to the earth,(N) and trampled them.(O) 11 It acted arrogantly(P) even against the Prince of the heavenly army;(Q) it revoked his regular sacrifice(R) and overthrew the place of his sanctuary. 12 In the rebellion, the army was given up, together with the regular sacrifice. The horn threw truth to the ground and was successful(S) in what it did.
13 Then I heard a holy one speaking,(T) and another holy one said to the speaker, “How long will the events of this vision last(U)—the regular sacrifice, the rebellion that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and of the army to be trampled?” (V)
14 He said to me,[e] “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be restored.”
Interpretation of the Vision
15 While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there stood before me someone who appeared to be a man.(W) 16 I heard a human voice calling from the middle of the Ulai: “Gabriel,(X) explain the vision to this man.”
17 So he approached where I was standing; when he came near, I was terrified and fell facedown.(Y) “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision refers to the time of the end.”(Z) 18 While he was speaking to me, I fell into a deep sleep,(AA) with my face to the ground. Then he touched me, made me stand up,(AB) 19 and said, “I am here to tell you what will happen at the conclusion of the time of wrath, because it refers to the appointed time of the end.(AC) 20 The two-horned ram(AD) that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The shaggy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes represents the first king.[f] 22 The four horns that took the place of the broken horn represent four kingdoms. They will rise from that nation, but without its power.
23 Near the end of their kingdoms,
when the rebels have reached
the full measure of their sin,[g](AE)
a ruthless[h] king, skilled in intrigue,[i]
will come to the throne.
24 His power will be great,
but it will not be his own.
He will cause outrageous destruction(AF)
and succeed in whatever he does.
He will destroy the powerful
along with the holy people.(AG)
25 He will cause deceit to prosper
through his cunning and by his influence,
and in his own mind he will exalt himself.
He will destroy many in a time of peace;
he will even stand against the Prince of princes.
Yet he will be broken—not by human hands.(AH)
26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings
that has been told is true.
Now you are to seal up the vision(AI)
because it refers to many days in the future.”
27 I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for days.(AJ) Then I got up and went about the king’s business.(AK) I was greatly disturbed by the vision and could not understand it.
Daniel 8
GOD’S WORD Translation
Daniel’s Vision about the Ram and the Goat
8 In Belshazzar’s third year as king, I, Daniel, saw a vision. This vision came after the one I saw earlier. 2 In my vision I saw myself in the fortress of Susa in the province of Elam. In my vision I saw myself at Ulai Gate. 3 I looked up and saw a single ram standing beside the gate. The ram had two long horns, one longer than the other, though the longer one had grown up later. 4 I saw the ram charging west, north, and south. No other animal could stand in front of it, and no one could escape from its power. It did anything it pleased and continued to grow.
5 As I was watching closely, I saw a male goat coming from the west. It crossed the whole earth without touching it. This goat had a prominent horn between its eyes. 6 The goat was coming toward the two-horned ram that I had seen standing beside the gate. It furiously ran at the ram. 7 I saw it come closer to the ram. The goat was extremely angry with the ram, so it attacked the ram. It broke both of the ram’s horns. The ram didn’t have the strength to stand up against the goat. So the ram was thrown down on the ground and trampled. No one could rescue the ram from the goat’s power.
8 The male goat became very important. But when the goat became powerful, his large horn broke off. In its place grew four horns. They corresponded to the four winds of heaven. 9 Out of one of the horns came a small horn. It gained power over the south, the east, and the beautiful land. 10 It continued to gain power until it reached the army of heaven. It threw some of the army of heaven, the stars, down on the ground and trampled them. 11 Then it attacked the commander of the army so that it took the daily burnt offering from him and wrecked his holy place. 12 In its rebelliousness it was given an army to put a stop to the daily burnt offering. It threw truth on the ground. The horn was successful in everything it did.
13 Then I heard a holy one speaking. Another holy one said to the one who was speaking, “How long will the things in this vision—the daily burnt offering, the destructive rebellion, the surrender of the holy place, and the trampling of the army—take place?”
14 He told me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the holy place will be made acceptable to God.”
15 Now as I, Daniel, watched the vision and tried to understand it, I saw someone who looked like a man standing in front of me. 16 I heard a man in Ulai ⌞Gate⌟ call loudly, “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”
17 Gabriel came up beside me, and when he came, I was terrified and immediately knelt down.
He said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision is about the end times.” 18 As he spoke to me, I fainted facedown on the ground, but he touched me and made me stand up. 19 He said, “I will tell you what will happen in the last days, ⌞the time of God’s⌟ anger, because the end time has been determined.
20 “The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kingdoms of Media and Persia. 21 The hairy male goat is the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is its first king. 22 The horn broke off, and four horns replaced it. Four kingdoms will come out of that nation, but they won’t be as strong as the first king was.
23 “In the last days of those kingdoms, when rebellions are finished, a stern-looking king who understands mysterious things will rise to power. 24 He will become very strong, but not by his own strength. He will cause astounding destruction and will be successful in everything he does. He will destroy those who are powerful along with some holy people. 25 He will cleverly use his power to deceive others successfully. He will consider himself to be great and destroy many people when they don’t expect it. He will oppose the Commander of Commanders, but he will be defeated, though not by any human power. 26 The vision about the ⌞2,300⌟ evenings and mornings that was explained to you is true. Seal the vision, because it is about things that will happen in the distant future.”
27 I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up and worked for the king. The vision horrified me because I couldn’t understand it.
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