Daniel’s Vision

8 ·During [In] the third year of King Belshazzar’s rule [^Cperhaps 547 bc], I, Daniel, saw another vision, ·which was like the first one [^Lafter the one that appeared to me in the beginning/previously; 7:1]. ² In this vision I saw myself in the ·capital city [or fortress city] of Susa, in the ·area [province] of Elam. I was standing by the Ulai ·Canal [or Gate] ³ when I ·looked up and [^Llifted my eyes I] saw a ·male sheep [ram] standing beside the ·canal [or gate]. It had two long horns, but one horn was longer and ·newer than the other [^Lcame up second]. ⁴ I watched the ·sheep [ram] charge to the west, the north, and the south. No animal could stand before him, and none could ·save [protect] another animal from his ·power [^Lhand]. He did whatever he ·wanted [pleased] and became very ·powerful [great; strong].

⁵ While I was ·watching this [or reflecting; pondering], I saw a male goat come from the west. This goat had ·one large horn between his eyes that was easy to see [^La horn of vision; or a conspicuous horn between its eyes]. He crossed over the whole earth without touching the ground [^Cbecause of its speed].

⁶ ·In his anger [or With angry power] the goat ·charged [^Lcame up to] the ·sheep [ram] with the two horns that I had seen standing by the ·canal [or gate]. ⁷ I watched the angry goat ·attack [approach] the ·sheep [ram] and break the ·sheep’s [ram’s] two horns. The ·sheep [ram] ·was not strong enough to stop him [^Ldid not have the power/strength to stand before him]. The goat ·knocked [threw] the ·sheep [ram] to the ground and then ·walked all over him [trampled him]. No one was able to ·save [protect] the ·sheep [ram] from ·the goat [its power/^Lhand], ⁸ so the male goat became very ·great [powerful; strong]. But when he was strong, his ·big [or conspicuous] horn broke off and four horns grew in place of the one big horn. Those four horns ·pointed in four different directions [^Lwere toward the four winds of heaven] and were ·easy to see [conspicuous].

⁹ Then ·a little horn grew from one of those four horns [^Lfrom one of them came out another horn, a little one; 7:8], and it became very ·big [great]. It grew to the south, the east, and toward the beautiful land [^CJudah; Ezek. 20:6, 15]. ¹⁰ That ·little horn [^Lit] grew ·until it reached to the sky [^Lto the hosts of heaven; ^Cthe angels and the stars]. It even threw some of the ·army of heaven [^Lhosts and the stars] to the ground and ·walked on [trampled] them! ¹¹ ·That little horn [^LIt] set itself up as equal to the prince of ·heaven’s armies [^Lthe hosts; ^CGod]. It ·stopped [abolished] the ·daily [regular] sacrifices [Ex. 29:38–41; Num. 28:3–8] that were offered to him, and the ·Temple, the place where people worshiped him, [^Lplace of the sanctuary] was ·pulled down [overthrown]. ¹² Because there was a ·turning away from God [rebellion; transgression], the people stopped the ·daily [regular] sacrifices. Truth was thrown down to the ground, and ·the horn [^Lit] was successful in everything it did.

¹³ Then I heard ·a holy angel [^Lone of the holy ones] speaking. Another ·holy angel [^Lholy one] asked the first one, “How long will the things in this vision last—the ·daily [regular] sacrifices [8:12], the ·turning away from God [rebellion; transgression] that brings ·destruction [desolation], the ·Temple [sanctuary] being pulled down, and the ·army of heaven [host] being ·walked on [trampled]?”

¹⁴ The angel said to me, “This will happen for twenty-three hundred evenings and mornings [^Ceither 2,300 or 1,150 days]. Then the ·holy place [sanctuary] will be ·repaired [restored; made right again].”