Daniel 8:15-27
English Standard Version
The Interpretation of the Vision
15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I (A)sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having (B)the appearance of a man. 16 (C)And I heard a man's voice (D)between the banks of the (E)Ulai, and it called, (F)“Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, (G)I was frightened (H)and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, (I)O son of man, that the vision is for (J)the time of the end.”
18 And when he had spoken to me, (K)I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But (L)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 (M)the indignation, for it refers to (N)the appointed time of the end. 20 As for (O)the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of (P)Media and Persia. 21 And (Q)the goat[a] is the king of Greece. And (R)the great horn between his eyes is (S)the first king. 22 (T)As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his[b] nation, (U)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—(V)but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction (W)and shall succeed in what he does, (X)and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 (Y)By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind (Z)he shall become great. (AA)Without warning he shall destroy many. And he (AB)shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but (AC)by no human hand. 26 The vision of (AD)the evenings and the mornings that has been told (AE)is true, but (AF)seal up the vision, (AG)for it refers to many days from now.”
27 And (AH)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 (AI)and did not understand it.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Daniel 8:21 Or the shaggy goat
- Daniel 8:22 Theodotion, Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew a
Daniel 8:15-27
International Standard Version
Gabriel Interprets the Vision
15 “After I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I tried to understand it. All of a sudden, there was standing in front of me one who appeared to be valiant. 16 I heard the voice of a man calling out from the Ulai Canal,[a] ‘Gabriel, interpret what that fellow has been seeing.’
17 “As he approached where I was standing, I became terrified and fell on my face. But he told me, ‘Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end.’
18 “While he had been speaking with me, I had fainted[b] on my face, but he touched me and enabled me to stand upright on my feet. 19 Then he said,
‘Pay attention! I’m going to brief you about what will happen at the end of the period of wrath, because its end is appointed. 20 The ram that you saw with a pair of horns are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The demonic[c] goat is the king of Greece,[d] and the great horn between its eyes is its first king. 22 The shattered horn[e] and the four that took its place are four kingdoms that will come from his nation, but they will not have his strength.
23 “Toward the end of their rule, as the desecrations proceed, an insolent king will arise, proficient at deception. 24 Mighty will be his skills, but not from his own abilities. He’ll be remarkably destructive, will succeed, and will do whatever he wants, destroying mighty men and the holy people. 25 Through his skill he’ll cause deceit to prosper under his leadership. He’ll promote himself and will destroy many while they are secure. He’ll take a stand against the Prince of Princes, yet he’ll be crushed without human help.[f] 26 The vision about the twilights and dawnings that has been related is trustworthy, but keep its vision secret, because it pertains to the distant future.’
27 Then I, Daniel, was exhausted and ill for days, but afterward I got up and went about the king’s business. Nevertheless, I was astonished by the vision, and could not understand it.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Daniel 8:16 The Heb. lacks Canal
- Daniel 8:18 Lit. had fallen into a deep sleep
- Daniel 8:21 Lit. shaggy
- Daniel 8:21 Lit. Javan
- Daniel 8:22 The Heb. lacks horn
- Daniel 8:25 Lit. without a hand
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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