The Choice Young Men

1 In the third year of the reign of ^(A)Jehoiakim king of Judah, ^(B)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. ² And the ^(C)Lord handed Jehoiakim king of Judah over to him, along with some of the ^(D)vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of ^(E)Shinar, to the house of his ^[a]god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his ^[b](F)god.

³ Then the king told Ashpenaz, the chief of his ^[c]officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the ^[d]royal ^(G)family and of the nobles, ⁴ youths in whom there was ^(H)no impairment, who were good-looking, suitable for ^(I)instruction in every kind of expertise, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability to ^[e]serve in the king’s ^[f]court; and he ordered Ashpenaz to teach them the ^[g]literature and ^(J)language of the ^(K)Chaldeans. ⁵ The king also allotted for them a daily ration from the ^(L)king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank, and ordered that they be educated for three years, at the end of which they were to ^[h](M)enter the king’s personal service. ⁶ Now among them from the sons of Judah were ^(N)Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. ⁷ Then the commander of the officials assigned new names to them; and to Daniel he assigned the name ^(O)Belteshazzar, to Hananiah ^(P)Shadrach, to Mishael ^(Q)Meshach, and to Azariah ^(R)Abed-nego.

Daniel’s Resolve

⁸ But Daniel ^[i]made up his mind that he would not ^(S)defile himself with the ^(T)king’s choice food or with the ^(U)wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. ⁹ Now God granted Daniel ^(V)favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials. ¹⁰ The commander of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has allotted your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking gaunt in comparison to the youths who are your own age? Then you would ^[j]make me forfeit my head to the king.” ¹¹ But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ¹² “Please put your servants to the test for ten days, and let us be ^(W)given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ Then let our appearance be ^[k]examined in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.”

¹⁴ So he listened to them in this matter, and put them to the test for ten days. ¹⁵ And at the end of ten days their appearance seemed ^(X)better, and ^[l]they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food. ¹⁶ So the overseer continued to ^[m]withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept ^(Y)giving them vegetables.

¹⁷ And as for these four youths, ^(Z)God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every kind of ^[n]literature and expertise; Daniel even understood all kinds of ^(AA)visions and dreams.

¹⁸ Then at the end of the days which the king had ^[o]specified ^[p]for presenting them, the commander of the officials ^[q]presented them before Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹ And the king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like ^(AB)Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; so they ^[r](AC)entered the king’s personal service. ²⁰ As for every matter of ^(AD)expertise ^[s]and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ^(AE)ten times ^(AF)better than all the ^(AG)soothsayer priests and conjurers who were in all his realm. ²¹ And Daniel ^[t]continued until the ^(AH)first year of Cyrus the king.

The King’s Dream

2 Now in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar ^[u](AI)had dreams; and his spirit was troubled and his ^(AJ)sleep ^[v]left him. ² Then the king ^[w]gave orders to call in the ^(AK)soothsayer priests, the conjurers, the sorcerers, and the ^[x]Chaldeans, to ^[y]tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. ³ The king said to them, “I ^[z](AL)had a dream, and my spirit ^[aa]is anxious to ^[ab]understand the dream.”

⁴ Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in ^[ac](AM)Aramaic: “^(AN)O king, live forever! ^(AO)Tell the dream to your servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” ⁵ The king replied to the Chaldeans, “The command ^[ad]from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be ^[ae](AP)torn limb from limb and your houses will be turned into a rubbish heap. ⁶ But if you declare the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me ^(AQ)gifts and a reward and great honor; therefore declare to me the dream and its interpretation.” ⁷ They answered a second time and said, “Let the king ^(AR)tell the dream to his servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” ⁸ The king replied, “I know for certain that you are trying to buy time, because you have perceived that the command ^[af]from me is firm, ⁹ that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is only ^(AS)one ^[ag]decree for you. For you have agreed together to speak lying and corrupt ^[ah]words before me until the ^[ai]situation is changed; therefore tell me the dream, so that I may ^(AT)know that you can declare to me its interpretation.” ¹⁰ The Chaldeans answered ^[aj]the king and said, “There is no person on earth who could declare the matter ^[ak]to the king, because no great king or ruler has ever asked anything like this of any ^(AU)soothsayer priest, sorcerer, or Chaldean. ¹¹ Moreover, the thing which the king demands is difficult, and there is no one else who could declare it ^[al]to the king except ^(AV)gods, whose ^(AW)dwelling place is not with mortal flesh.”

¹² Because of this, the king became ^(AX)angry and extremely furious, and he gave orders to kill all the wise men of Babylon. ¹³ So the ^[am]decree was issued that the wise men be killed; and they looked for ^(AY)Daniel and his friends, to ^[an]kill them.

¹⁴ Then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment to ^(AZ)Arioch, the captain of the king’s ^[ao]bodyguard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon; ¹⁵ he said to Arioch, the king’s officer, “For what reason is the decree from the king so harsh?” Then Arioch informed Daniel of the matter. ¹⁶ So Daniel went in and requested of the king that he would give him a grace period, so that he might declare the interpretation to the king.

¹⁷ Then Daniel went to his house and informed his friends, ^(BA)Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, about the matter, ¹⁸ so that they might ^(BB)request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his friends would not be ^(BC)killed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

The Secret Is Revealed to Daniel

¹⁹ Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night ^(BD)vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; ²⁰ Daniel said,

²⁴ Thereupon, Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to kill the wise men of Babylon; he went and said this to him: “^(BP)Do not kill the wise men of Babylon! Take me ^[aq]into the king’s presence, and I will declare the interpretation to the king.”

²⁵ Then Arioch hurriedly ^(BQ)brought Daniel ^[ar]into the king’s presence and spoke to him as follows: “I have found a man among the ^[as](BR)exiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king!” ²⁶ The king said to Daniel, whose name was ^(BS)Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?” ²⁷ Daniel answered before the king and said, “As for the secret about which the king has inquired, neither ^(BT)wise men, sorcerers, soothsayer priests, nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. ²⁸ However, there is a ^(BU)God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the ^[at](BV)latter days. This was your dream and the ^(BW)visions ^[au]in your mind while on your bed. ²⁹ As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts ^[av]turned to what would take place ^[aw]in the future; and ^(BX)He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will take place. ³⁰ But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me ^[ax]for any ^(BY)wisdom ^[ay]residing in me more than in any other living person, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may understand the ^(BZ)thoughts of your ^[az]mind.

The King’s Dream

³¹ “You, O king, were watching and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and ^[ba]of extraordinary radiance, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was ^[bb](CA)awesome. ³² The ^(CB)head of that statue was made of fine gold, its chest and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, ³³ its legs of iron, and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. ³⁴ You ^[bc]continued watching until a ^(CC)stone was broken off ^(CD)without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and ^(CE)crushed them. ³⁵ Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed to pieces ^[bd]all at the same time, and they were ^(CF)like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that ^(CG)not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great ^(CH)mountain and filled the entire earth.

The Interpretation—Babylon the First Kingdom

³⁶ “This was the dream; and now we will tell ^(CI)its interpretation before the king. ³⁷ You, O king, are the ^(CJ)king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the ^[be]kingdom, the ^(CK)power, the strength, and the honor; ³⁸ and wherever the sons of mankind live, or the ^(CL)animals of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has handed them over to you and has made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold.

Medo-Persia and Greece

³⁹ And after you another kingdom will arise inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.

Rome

⁴⁰ Then there will be a ^(CM)fourth kingdom as strong as iron; just as iron smashes and crushes everything, so, like iron that crushes, it will smash and crush all these things. ⁴¹ And in that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have within it some of the toughness of iron, since you saw the iron mixed with ^[bf]common clay. ⁴² And just as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong, and part of it will be fragile. ⁴³ In that you saw the iron mixed with ^[bg]common clay, they will combine with one another ^[bh]in ^[bi]their descendants; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not combine with pottery.

The Divine Kingdom

⁴⁴ And in the days of those kings the ^(CN)God of heaven will ^(CO)set up a ^(CP)kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be ^[bj]left for another people; it will ^(CQ)crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. ⁴⁵ Just as you saw that a ^(CR)stone was broken off from the mountain without hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the ^(CS)great God has made known to the king what ^(CT)will take place ^[bk]in the future; so the dream is certain and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

Daniel Promoted

⁴⁶ Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and paid ^(CU)humble respect to Daniel, and gave orders to present to him an offering and ^(CV)incense. ⁴⁷ The king responded to Daniel and said, “^(CW)Your God truly is a ^(CX)God of gods and a Lord of kings and a ^(CY)revealer of secrets, since you have been able to reveal this secret.” ⁴⁸ Then the king ^[bl](CZ)promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the entire ^(DA)province of Babylon, and chief ^[bm]prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. ⁴⁹ And Daniel made a request of the king, and he ^(DB)appointed ^(DC)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king’s ^[bn](DD)court.

The King’s Golden Image

3 Nebuchadnezzar the king made a ^(DE)statue of gold, the height of which was ^[bo]sixty cubits, and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the ^(DF)province of Babylon. ² Nebuchadnezzar the king also sent word to assemble the ^(DG)satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the chief treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the administrators of the provinces to come to the dedication of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. ³ Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the chief treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the administrators of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ⁴ Then the herald loudly proclaimed: “To you ^[bp]the command is given, you ^(DH)peoples, nations, and populations of all ^[bq]languages, ⁵ that at the moment you ^(DI)hear the sound of the horn, flute, ^[br]lyre, ^[bs]trigon, ^[bt]psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of musical instruments, you are to fall down and worship the golden statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. ⁶ But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be ^(DJ)thrown into the middle of a ^(DK)furnace of blazing fire.” ⁷ Therefore as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, ^[bu]lyre, trigon, psaltery, ^[bv]bagpipe, and all kinds of musical instruments, all the peoples, nations, and populations of all ^[bw]languages fell down and worshiped the golden statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

Worship of the Image Refused

⁸ For this reason at that time certain ^(DL)Chaldeans came forward and ^[bx](DM)brought charges against the Jews. ⁹ They began to speak and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: “^(DN)O king, live forever! ¹⁰ You, O king, have ^(DO)made a decree that every person who hears the sound of the horn, flute, ^[by]lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe, and all kinds of musical instruments, is to ^(DP)fall down and worship the golden statue. ¹¹ But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into the middle of a furnace of blazing fire. ¹² There are certain Jews whom you have ^(DQ)appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods, nor do they worship the golden statue which you have set up.”

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar in ^(DR)rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar began speaking and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that you do not serve ^(DS)my gods, nor worship the golden statue that I have set up? ¹⁵ Now if you are ready, ^(DT)at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, ^[bz]lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe, and all kinds of musical instruments, to fall down and worship the statue that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will ^[ca]immediately be ^(DU)thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and ^(DV)what god is there who can rescue you from my hands?”

^16 (DW)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we are not in need of an answer to give you concerning this matter. ¹⁷ If it be so, our ^(DX)God whom we serve is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire; ^[cb]and ^(DY)He will rescue us from your hand, O king. ^18 (DZ)But even if He does not, ^(EA)let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods nor worship the golden statue that you have set up.”

Daniel’s Friends Protected

¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with ^(EB)wrath, and his facial expression was changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. He answered ^[cc]by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. ²⁰ And he ordered certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in order to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. ²¹ Then these men were tied up in their ^(EC)trousers, their ^[cd]coats, their caps, and their other clothes, and were thrown into the middle of the furnace of blazing fire. ²² For this reason, because the king’s ^[ce]command was ^(ED)harsh and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. ²³ But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ^(EE)fell into the middle of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.

²⁴ Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up quickly; he said to his counselors, “Was it not three men that we threw bound into the middle of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Absolutely, O king.” ²⁵ He responded, “Look! I see four men untied and ^(EF)walking about in the middle of the fire ^[cf]unharmed, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the ^(EG)gods!” ²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the ^(EH)Most High God, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego ^(EI)came out of the middle of the fire. ²⁷ The ^(EJ)satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the ^(EK)fire had no ^[cg]effect on ^[ch]the bodies of these men, nor was the hair of their heads singed, nor were their ^[ci](EL)trousers ^[cj]damaged, nor had even the smell of fire touched them.

²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the ^(EM)God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has ^(EN)sent His angel and rescued His servants who put their ^(EO)trust in Him, ^[ck]violating the king’s command, and surrendered their bodies ^(EP)rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. ²⁹ Therefore I ^(EQ)make a decree that any people, nation, or population of any language that speaks anything offensive against the God of ^(ER)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their ^(ES)houses made a rubbish heap, because there is ^(ET)no other god who is able to save in this way.” ³⁰ Then the king ^(EU)made Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego prosperous in the province of Babylon.

The King Acknowledges God

4 ^[cl]Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and populations of all ^[cm]languages who live in all the earth: “May your ^[cn](EV)peace be great! ² I am pleased to declare the signs and miracles that the ^(EW)Most High God has done for me.

The Vision of a Great Tree

⁴ “^[co]I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and ^(EZ)happy in my palace. ⁵ I saw a ^(FA)dream and it startled me; and these appearances as I lay on my bed and the ^(FB)visions ^[cp]in my mind kept alarming me. ⁶ So I gave orders to ^(FC)bring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon, so that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. ⁷ Then the ^(FD)soothsayer priests, the sorcerers, the ^[cq]Chaldeans, and the diviners came in and I related the dream ^[cr]to them, but they could not make its ^(FE)interpretation known to me. ⁸ But finally Daniel came in before me, whose name is ^(FF)Belteshazzar according to the name of my god, and in whom is ^[cs](FG)a spirit of the holy gods; and I related the dream ^[ct]to him, saying, ⁹ ‘Belteshazzar, ^(FH)chief of the soothsayer priests, since I know that ^(FI)a spirit of the holy gods is in you and ^(FJ)no secret baffles you, ^(FK)tell me the visions of my dream which I have seen, along with its interpretation.

¹⁰ ‘Now these were the ^(FL)visions ^[cu]in my mind as I lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, there was a ^(FM)tree in the middle of the ^[cv]earth and its height was great.

¹³ ‘I was looking in the ^(FS)visions ^[cy]in my mind as I lay on my bed, and behold, ^(FT)an angelic watcher, a ^(FU)holy one, descended from heaven.

¹⁸ This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me its interpretation, since none of the ^(GC)wise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, because a ^(GD)spirit of the holy gods is in you.’

Daniel Interprets the Vision

¹⁹ “Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his ^(GE)thoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not ^(GF)let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.’ Belteshazzar replied, ‘^(GG)My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you, and its interpretation to ^(GH)your adversaries! ²⁰ The ^(GI)tree that you saw, which became large and grew strong, whose height reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth, ²¹ and whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which the animals of the field lived and in whose branches the birds of the sky settled— ²² it is ^(GJ)you, O king; for you have become great and grown strong, and your ^[de]majesty has become great and reached to the sky, and your ^(GK)dominion to the end of the earth. ²³ And in that the king saw an angelic watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven and saying, “^(GL)Chop down the tree and destroy it; yet leave the stump ^[df]with its roots in the ground, but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field, let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let ^[dg]him share with the animals of the field until ^(GM)seven ^[dh]periods of time pass over him,” ²⁴ this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has ^(GN)come upon my lord the king: ²⁵ that you be ^(GO)driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the animals of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven ^[di]periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the ^(GP)Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and ^(GQ)bestows it on whomever He wishes. ²⁶ And in that it was commanded to ^(GR)leave the stump ^[dj]with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will ^[dk]remain as yours after you recognize that it is ^(GS)Heaven that rules. ²⁷ Therefore, O king, may my ^(GT)advice be pleasing to you: ^(GU)wipe away your sin by doing righteousness, and your wrongdoings by ^(GV)showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a ^(GW)prolonging of your prosperity.’

The Vision Fulfilled

²⁸ “All of this ^(GX)happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king. ^29 (GY)Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. ³⁰ The king began speaking and was saying, ‘Is this not Babylon the ^(GZ)great, which I myself have built as a royal ^[dl]residence by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty?’ ³¹ While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice ^[dm]came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: ^[dn]sovereignty has been removed from you, ³² and ^(HA)you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the animals of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and ^(HB)seven ^[do]periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the ^(HC)Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.’ ³³ Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was ^(HD)driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.

³⁴ “But at the end of ^[dp]that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my ^[dq]reason returned to me, and I blessed the ^(HE)Most High and praised and honored ^(HF)Him who lives forever;

³⁶ At that time my ^[ds](HL)reason returned to me. And my majesty and ^(HM)splendor were ^[dt]restored to me for the honor of my kingdom, and my state counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my ^[du]sovereignty, and surpassing ^(HN)greatness was added to me. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the King of ^(HO)heaven, for ^(HP)all His works are ^[dv]true and His ways ^[dw]just; and He is able to humble those who ^(HQ)walk in pride.”

Belshazzar’s Feast

5 Belshazzar the king ^[dx]held a great ^(HR)feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. ^2 [dy]While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring the gold and silver ^(HS)vessels which his ^[dz]father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines could drink out of them. ³ Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank out of them. ⁴ They ^(HT)drank the wine and praised the gods of ^(HU)gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

⁵ Suddenly the fingers of a human hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing. ⁶ Then the king’s ^[ea](HV)face became pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his ^(HW)hip joints ^[eb]loosened and his ^(HX)knees began knocking together. ⁷ The king called aloud to bring in the ^(HY)sorcerers, the ^[ec]Chaldeans, and the diviners. The king began speaking and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Anyone who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be ^(HZ)clothed with purple and have a ^(IA)necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as ^(IB)third ruler in the kingdom.” ⁸ Then all the king’s wise men came in, but ^(IC)they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king. ⁹ Then King Belshazzar was greatly ^(ID)alarmed, his ^[ed](IE)face grew even more pale, and his nobles were perplexed.

¹⁰ The queen entered the banquet ^[ee]hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen began to speak and said, “^(IF)O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your ^[ef]face be pale. ¹¹ There is a ^(IG)man in your kingdom in whom is ^[eg]a ^(IH)spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father ^[eh](II)the king—appointed him chief of the soothsayer priests, sorcerers, Chaldeans, and diviners. ¹² This was because an ^(IJ)extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of riddles, and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named ^(IK)Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation.”

Daniel Interprets the Handwriting on the Wall

¹³ Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king began speaking and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the ^[ei](IL)exiles from Judah, whom my father the king ^(IM)brought from Judah? ¹⁴ Now I have heard about you that ^[ej]a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight, and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you. ¹⁵ Just now the ^(IN)wise men and the sorcerers were brought in before me to read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they ^(IO)could not declare the interpretation of the ^[ek]message. ¹⁶ But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read the inscription and make its ^(IP)interpretation known to me, you will be ^(IQ)clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.”

¹⁷ Then Daniel replied and said before the king, “^[el]Keep your ^(IR)gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him. ^18 [em]O king, the ^(IS)Most High God ^(IT)granted ^[en]sovereignty, ^(IU)greatness, honor, and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father. ¹⁹ Now because of the greatness which He granted him, all the peoples, nations, and populations of all ^[eo]languages trembled and feared in his presence; ^(IV)whomever he wished, he killed, and whomever he wished, he spared alive; and whomever he wished he elevated, and whomever he wished he humbled. ²⁰ But when his heart ^[ep]was ^(IW)arrogant and his spirit became so ^[eq](IX)overbearing that he behaved presumptuously, he was ^(IY)deposed from his royal throne, and his dignity was taken away from him. ²¹ He was also ^(IZ)driven away from ^[er]mankind, and his heart was made like that of animals, and his dwelling place was with the ^(JA)wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he recognized that the ^(JB)Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind, and that He sets over it whomever He wishes. ²² Yet you, his ^[es]son, Belshazzar, have ^(JC)not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, ²³ but you have ^(JD)risen up against the ^(JE)Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives, and your concubines have been drinking wine out of them; and you have praised the ^(JF)gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see, nor hear, nor understand. But the God ^(JG)in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ^(JH)ways, you have not glorified. ²⁴ Then the ^[et](JI)hand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out.

²⁵ “Now this is the inscription that was written:

²⁶ This is the interpretation of the ^[ey]message: ‘Menē’—God has numbered your kingdom and ^(JJ)put an end to it. ²⁷ ‘Tekēl’—you have been ^(JK)weighed on the scales and found deficient. ²⁸ ‘^[ez]Perēs’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the ^(JL)Medes and ^[fa]Persians.”

²⁹ Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they ^(JM)clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.

³⁰ That same night ^(JN)Belshazzar the Chaldean king was ^(JO)killed. ^31 [fb]So ^(JP)Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.

Daniel Serves Darius

6 ^[fc]It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, to be in charge of the whole kingdom, ² and over them, three commissioners (of whom ^(JQ)Daniel was one), so that these satraps would be accountable to them, and that the king would not ^[fd]suffer ^(JR)loss. ³ Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself ^[fe]among the commissioners and satraps because ^[ff]he possessed an ^(JS)extraordinary spirit, and the king intended to appoint him over the ^(JT)entire kingdom. ⁴ Then the commissioners and satraps began ^(JU)trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel regarding ^[fg]government affairs; but they could find ^(JV)no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, because he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. ⁵ Then these men said, “We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him regarding the ^(JW)law of his God.”

⁶ Then these commissioners and satraps came ^[fh]by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: “King Darius, ^(JX)live forever! ⁷ All the ^(JY)commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors, have ^(JZ)consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who offers a prayer to any god or person besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall ^(KA)be thrown into the lions’ ^[fi]den. ⁸ Now, O king, ^(KB)establish the injunction and sign the document so that it will not be changed, according to the ^(KC)law of the Medes and Persians, which ^[fj]may not be revoked.” ⁹ Thereupon, King Darius ^(KD)signed the document, that is, the injunction.

¹⁰ Now when Daniel learned that the document was signed, he entered his house (and in his roof chamber he had windows open ^(KE)toward Jerusalem); and he continued ^(KF)kneeling on his knees three times a day, ^(KG)praying and ^(KH)offering praise before his God, just as he had been doing previously. ¹¹ Then these men came ^[fk](KI)by agreement and found Daniel offering a prayer and imploring favor before his God. ¹² Then they approached and ^(KJ)spoke before the king about the king’s injunction: “Did you not sign an injunction that any person who offers a prayer to any god or person besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king replied, “The statement is true, according to the ^(KK)law of the Medes and Persians, which ^[fl]may not be revoked.” ¹³ Then they responded and spoke before the king, “^(KL)Daniel, who is one of the ^[fm]exiles from Judah, pays ^(KM)no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps offering his prayer three times a day.”

¹⁴ Then, as soon as the king heard this statement, he was deeply ^(KN)distressed, and set his mind on rescuing Daniel; and until sunset he kept exerting himself to save him. ¹⁵ Then these men came ^[fn]by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Recognize, O king, that it is a ^(KO)law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

¹⁶ Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and ^(KP)thrown into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “^[fo](KQ)Your God whom you continually serve will Himself rescue you.” ¹⁷ And a ^(KR)stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed regarding Daniel. ¹⁸ Then the king went to his palace and spent the night ^(KS)fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his ^(KT)sleep fled from him.

¹⁹ Then the king got up at dawn, at the break of day, and went in a hurry to the lions’ den. ²⁰ And when he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king began speaking and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has ^(KU)your God, whom you continually serve, been ^(KV)able to rescue you from the lions?” ²¹ Then Daniel spoke ^[fp]to the king, “^(KW)O king, live forever! ²² My God ^(KX)sent His angel and ^(KY)shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, since ^[fq]I was found innocent before Him; and also ^[fr]toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.” ²³ Then the king was very glad and gave orders for Daniel to be lifted up out of the den. So Daniel was lifted up out of the den, and ^(KZ)no injury whatever was found on him, because he had ^(LA)trusted in his God. ²⁴ The king then gave orders, and they brought those men who had ^[fs]maliciously accused Daniel, and they ^(LB)threw them, their ^(LC)children, and their wives into the lions’ den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

²⁵ Then Darius the king wrote to all the ^(LD)peoples, nations, and populations of all ^[ft]languages who were living in all the land: “^(LE)May your ^[fu]peace be great! ^26 [fv]I ^(LF)issue a decree that in all the realm of my kingdom people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel;

²⁸ So this ^(LK)Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of ^(LL)Cyrus the Persian.

Vision of the Four Beasts

7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a ^(LM)dream and visions ^[fy]in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he ^(LN)wrote the dream down and told the ^[fz]following summary of ^[ga]it. ² Daniel ^[gb]said, “I was ^(LO)looking in my vision by night, and behold, the ^(LP)four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. ³ And four great ^(LQ)beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. ⁴ The first was ^(LR)like a lion but had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and set up on two feet like a man; a human ^[gc]mind also was given to it. ⁵ And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and they said this to it: ‘Arise, devour much meat!’ ⁶ After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, ^(LS)like a leopard, which had on its ^[gd]back four wings of a bird; the beast also had ^(LT)four heads, and dominion was given to it. ⁷ After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a ^(LU)fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ^(LV)ten horns. ⁸ While I was thinking about the horns, behold, ^(LW)another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the previous horns were plucked out before it; and behold, ^[ge]this horn possessed eyes like human eyes, and ^(LX)a mouth uttering great boasts.

The Ancient of Days Reigns

¹¹ Then I kept looking because of the sound of the ^[gh]boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was killed, and its body was destroyed and given to the ^(MH)burning ^[gi]fire. ¹² As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.

The Son of Man Presented

The Vision Interpreted

¹⁵ “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within ^[gl]me, and the ^(MN)visions ^[gm]in my mind kept ^(MO)alarming me. ¹⁶ I approached one of those who were ^(MP)standing by and began requesting of him the ^[gn]exact meaning of all this. So he ^(MQ)told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ¹⁷ ‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. ¹⁸ But the ^[go](MR)saints of the Highest One will ^(MS)receive the kingdom and take possession of the kingdom forever, ^[gp]for all ages to come.’

¹⁹ “Then I desired to know the ^[gq]exact meaning of the ^(MT)fourth beast, which was different from all ^[gr]the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet, ²⁰ and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three of the horns fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts, and ^[gs]which was larger in appearance than its associates. ²¹ I kept looking, and that horn was ^(MU)waging war with the ^[gt]saints and prevailing against them, ²² until the Ancient of Days came and ^(MV)judgment was ^[gu]passed in favor of the ^[gv]saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the ^[gw]saints took possession of the kingdom.

²³ “This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and will devour the whole earth and trample it down and crush it. ²⁴ As for the ^(MW)ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will ^[gx]humble three kings. ²⁵ And he will ^[gy](MX)speak against the ^(MY)Most High and ^(MZ)wear down the ^[gz]saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make ^(NA)alterations in times and in law; and ^[ha]they will be handed over to him for a ^[hb](NB)time, ^[hc]times, and half a ^[hd]time. ²⁶ But the court will ^[he]convene for judgment, and his dominion will be ^(NC)taken away, ^[hf]annihilated and destroyed ^[hg]forever. ²⁷ Then the ^[hh](ND)sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the ^[hi]saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an ^(NE)everlasting kingdom, and all the empires will ^(NF)serve and obey Him.’

²⁸ “^[hj]At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were ^(NG)greatly alarming me and my ^[hk]face became pale, but I ^(NH)kept the matter ^[hl]to myself.”

Vision of the Ram and Goat

8 In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king, a vision appeared to me, ^[hm]Daniel, subsequent to the one which appeared to me ^[hn]previously. ² I ^(NI)looked in the vision, and while I was looking, I was in the citadel of ^(NJ)Susa, which is in the province of ^(NK)Elam; and I looked in the vision, and I myself was beside the Ulai Canal. ³ Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a ^(NL)ram which had two horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were ^[ho]long, but one was ^[hp]longer than the other, with the ^[hq]longer one coming up last. ⁴ I saw the ram ^(NM)butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand against him nor was there anyone to rescue from his ^[hr]power, but ^(NN)he did as he pleased and made himself great.

⁵ While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a ^(NO)prominent horn between his eyes. ⁶ He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath. ⁷ And I saw him come up beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and smashed his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was no one to rescue the ram from his ^[hs]power. ⁸ Then the male goat made himself exceedingly great. But once ^(NP)he became powerful, the ^(NQ)large horn was broken; and in its place four prominent horns came up toward the ^(NR)four winds of heaven.

The Little Horn

⁹ And out of one of them came a rather ^(NS)small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the ^[ht](NT)Beautiful Land. ¹⁰ It grew up to the heavenly ^[hu]lights, and some of the ^[hv]lights, ^[hw]that is, some of the ^(NU)stars it threw down to the earth, and it ^(NV)trampled them. ¹¹ It even ^(NW)exalted itself ^[hx]to be equal with the ^[hy]Commander of the army; and it removed the ^(NX)regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was overthrown. ¹² And because of ^[hz]an offense the army will be given to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will ^(NY)hurl truth to the ground and do as it pleases and be successful. ¹³ Then I heard a ^(NZ)holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, “^(OA)How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, ^[ia]while the offense causes horror, so as to allow both the sanctuary and the army ^[ib]to be ^(OB)trampled?” ¹⁴ And he said to me, “For ^(OC)2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be ^[ic]properly restored.”

Interpretation of the Vision

¹⁵ When ^(OD)I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought ^[id]to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one ^[ie]who looked like a ^(OE)man. ¹⁶ And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “^(OF)Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.” ¹⁷ So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and ^(OG)fell on my face; and he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the ^(OH)time of the end.”

¹⁸ Now while he was talking with me, I was ^(OI)dazed with my face to the ground; but he ^(OJ)touched me and made me stand at my place. ¹⁹ And he said, “Behold, I am going to ^(OK)inform you of what will occur at the final period of the indignation, because it pertains to the appointed time of the end.

The Ram’s Identity

²⁰ The ^(OL)ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia.

The Goat

²¹ The shaggy ^[if]goat represents the ^[ig]kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king. ²² The ^(OM)broken horn and the four horns that came up in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power.

²⁷ Then I, Daniel, was ^[iu](OT)exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up and ^(OU)carried on the king’s business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was no one to explain it.

Daniel’s Prayer for His People

9 In the first year of ^(OV)Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— ² in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to ^(OW)Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, ^(OX)seventy years. ³ So I gave my ^[iv]attention to the Lord God, to seek Him by prayer and pleading, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. ⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed, and said, “Oh, Lord, the ^(OY)great and awesome God, who ^(OZ)keeps His covenant and faithfulness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, ^5 (PA)we have sinned, we have done wrong, and ^[iw]acted wickedly and ^(PB)rebelled, even ^(PC)turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. ⁶ Moreover, we have not ^(PD)listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our leaders, our fathers, and all the people of the land.

⁷ “^(PE)Righteousness belongs to You, Lord, but to us ^[ix](PF)open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in ^(PG)all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. ^8 [iy]Open shame belongs to us, Lord, to our kings, our leaders, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. ⁹ To the Lord our God belong ^(PH)compassion and forgiveness, ^[iz]because we have ^(PI)rebelled against Him; ¹⁰ and we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His ^[ja]teachings which He ^(PJ)set before us through His servants the prophets. ¹¹ Indeed, ^(PK)all Israel has violated Your Law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the ^(PL)curse has gushed forth on us, along with the oath which is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him. ¹² So He has ^(PM)confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our ^[jb](PN)rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great disaster; for under the entire heaven there has ^(PO)not been done anything like what was done in Jerusalem. ¹³ Just as it is written in the ^(PP)Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us; yet we have ^(PQ)not ^[jc]sought the favor of the Lord our God by ^(PR)turning from our wrongdoing and ^[jd]giving attention to Your truth. ¹⁴ So the Lord has ^[je](PS)kept the disaster in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is ^(PT)righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.

¹⁵ “And now, Lord, our God, You who ^(PU)brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and ^(PV)made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have been wicked. ¹⁶ Lord, in accordance with all Your ^[jf]righteous acts, let now Your ^(PW)anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your ^(PX)holy mountain; for because of our sins and the wrongdoings of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become an ^(PY)object of taunting to all those around us. ¹⁷ So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his pleas, and for ^[jg]Your sake, Lord, ^(PZ)let Your face shine on Your ^(QA)desolate sanctuary. ¹⁸ My God, ^(QB)incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and ^(QC)see our desolations and the city which is ^(QD)called by Your name; for we are not ^[jh](QE)presenting our pleas before You based on ^[ji]any merits of our own, but based on Your great compassion. ¹⁹ Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, my God, ^(QF)do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

Gabriel Brings an Answer

²⁰ While I was still ^(QG)speaking and praying, and ^(QH)confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and ^[jj]presenting my plea before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, ²¹ while I was still speaking in prayer, the man ^(QI)Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision ^[jk]previously, ^[jl]came to me ^[jm]in my extreme weariness about the time of the ^(QJ)evening offering. ²² And he instructed me and talked with me and said, “Daniel, I have come now to give you insight with ^(QK)understanding. ²³ At the ^(QL)beginning of your pleas the ^[jn]command was issued, and I have come to tell you, because you are ^[jo](QM)highly esteemed; so pay attention to the message and gain ^(QN)understanding of the vision.

Seventy Weeks and the Messiah

²⁴ “Seventy ^[jp](QO)weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to ^[jq]finish the wrongdoing, to ^[jr]make an end of sin, to ^(QP)make atonement for guilt, to bring in ^(QQ)everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and ^[js]prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. ²⁵ So you are to know and understand that from the issuing of a ^[jt](QR)decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until ^[ju](QS)Messiah the ^(QT)Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with ^[jv]streets and moat, even in times of distress. ²⁶ Then after the sixty-two weeks, the ^[jw]Messiah will be ^(QU)cut off and have ^[jx]nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will ^(QV)destroy the city and the sanctuary. And ^[jy]its end will come with a ^(QW)flood; even to the end ^[jz]there will be war; desolations are determined. ²⁷ And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of ^[ka](QX)abominations will come the one who ^[kb]makes desolate, until a ^(QY)complete destruction, one that is ^[kc]decreed, gushes forth on the one who ^[kd]makes desolate.”

Daniel Is Terrified by a Vision

10 In the third year of ^(QZ)Cyrus king of Persia, a ^[ke]message was revealed to ^(RA)Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the ^[kf](RB)message was true and it concerned great ^[kg]conflict, but he understood the ^[kh]message and had an ^(RC)understanding of the vision.

² In those days, I, Daniel, had been ^(RD)mourning for three ^[ki]entire weeks. ³ I ^(RE)did not eat any ^[kj]tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed. ⁴ On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, while I was by the bank of the great ^(RF)river, that is, the ^[kk]Tigris, ⁵ I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man ^(RG)dressed in linen, whose waist ^(RH)had a belt of pure ^(RI)gold of Uphaz. ⁶ His body also was like topaz, his face ^[kl]had the appearance of lightning, ^(RJ)his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. ⁷ Now I, Daniel, ^(RK)alone saw the vision, while the ^(RL)men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great ^(RM)fear fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. ⁸ So I was ^(RN)left alone and saw this great vision; yet ^(RO)no strength was left in me, for my complexion turned to ^[km]a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength. ⁹ But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I ^(RP)fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.

Daniel Comforted

¹⁰ Then behold, a hand ^(RQ)touched me and shook me on my ^[kn]hands and knees. ¹¹ And he said to me, “^(RR)Daniel, ^[ko]you who are treasured, ^(RS)understand the words that I am about to tell you and ^(RT)stand at your place, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up ^(RU)trembling. ¹² Then he said to me, “^(RV)Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on ^(RW)humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come ^(RX)in response to your words. ¹³ But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was standing ^[kp]in my way for twenty-one days; then behold, ^(RY)Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. ¹⁴ Now I have come to ^(RZ)explain to you what will happen to your people in the ^[kq](SA)latter days, because the vision pertains to ^(SB)the days still future.”

¹⁵ When he had spoken to me according to these words, I ^[kr]turned my face toward the ground and became ^(SC)speechless. ¹⁶ And behold, ^[ks](SD)one who resembled a human was ^(SE)touching my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him who was standing before me, “My lord, due to the vision ^[kt](SF)anguish has come upon me, and I have retained no strength. ¹⁷ For ^(SG)how can such a servant of my lord talk with such as my lord? As for me, there remains just now ^(SH)no strength in me, nor has any breath been left in me.”

¹⁸ Then this one with human appearance touched me again and ^(SI)strengthened me. ¹⁹ And he said, “^[ku]You who are treasured, ^(SJ)do not be afraid. Peace be to you; take ^(SK)courage and be courageous!” Now as soon as he spoke to me, I felt strengthened and said, “May my lord speak, for you have ^(SL)strengthened me.” ²⁰ Then he said, “Do you ^[kv]understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am leaving, and behold, the ^(SM)prince of ^[kw]Greece is about to come. ²¹ However, I will tell you what is recorded in the writing of ^(SN)truth. Yet there is no one who ^[kx]stands firmly with me against these forces except ^(SO)Michael your prince.

Conflicts to Come

11 “In the ^(SP)first year of Darius the Mede, ^[ky]I arose to be of ^[kz]assistance and a protection for him. ² And now I will tell you the ^(SQ)truth. Behold, three more kings are going to arise ^[la]in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all of them; as soon as he becomes strong through his riches, ^[lb]he will stir up the entire empire against the realm of ^[lc](SR)Greece. ³ And a ^(SS)mighty king will arise, and he will rule with great authority and ^(ST)do as he pleases. ⁴ But as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out ^(SU)toward the ^(SV)four ^[ld]points of the compass, though not to his own descendants, nor according to his authority which he wielded, because his sovereignty will be ^(SW)removed and given to others besides ^[le]them.

⁵ “Then the ^(SX)king of the South will grow strong, ^[lf]along with one of his princes ^[lg]who will gain ascendancy over him and rule; his domain will be a great realm indeed. ⁶ And after some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will come to the ^(SY)king of the North to reach an agreement. But she will not keep her ^[lh]position of power, nor will he remain with his ^[li]power, but she will be given up, along with those who brought her in and the one who fathered her as well as he who supported her in those times. ⁷ But one of the ^[lj]descendants of her line will arise in his place, and he will come against their army and enter the ^(SZ)fortress of the king of the North, and he will deal with them and prevail. ⁸ And he will also take into captivity to Egypt their ^(TA)gods with their cast metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold, and he on his part will ^[lk]refrain from attacking the king of the North for some years. ⁹ Then ^[ll]the latter will enter the realm of the king of the South, but will return to his own land.

¹⁰ “And his sons will mobilize and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one of them will keep on coming and ^(TB)overflow and pass through, so that he may ^[lm]again wage war up to his fortress. ¹¹ And the ^(TC)king of the South will be enraged and go out and fight ^[ln]with the king of the North. Then the latter will raise a great multitude, but that multitude will be handed over to ^[lo]the former. ¹² When the multitude is carried away, his heart will ^[lp]be haughty, and he will cause tens of thousands to fall; yet he will not prevail. ¹³ For the king of the North will again raise a greater multitude than the former, and ^[lq]after an ^(TD)interval of some years he will ^[lr]press on with a great army and much equipment.

¹⁴ “Now in those times many will rise up against the king of the South; the violent ones among your people will also raise themselves up to fulfill the vision, but they will ^[ls]fall down. ¹⁵ Then the king of the North will come, pile up an ^(TE)assault ramp, and capture a well-fortified city; and the forces of the South will not stand their ground, not even ^[lt]their choicest troops, for there will be no strength to make a stand. ¹⁶ But he who comes against him will ^(TF)do as he pleases, and ^(TG)no one will be able to withstand him; he will also stay for a time in the ^[lu](TH)Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand. ¹⁷ And he will ^(TI)set his ^[lv]mind on coming with the power of his entire kingdom, ^[lw]bringing with him ^[lx]a proposal of peace which he will put into effect; he will also give him the daughter of women to ruin it. But she will not take a stand for him or be ^[ly]on his side. ¹⁸ Then he will turn his face to the ^(TJ)coastlands and capture many. But a commander will put a stop to his taunting against him; moreover, he will ^(TK)repay him for his taunting. ¹⁹ So he will turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will ^(TL)stumble and fall and not be ^(TM)found.

²⁰ “Then in his place one will arise who will ^(TN)allow an ^[lz]oppressor to pass through the ^[ma]Jewel of his kingdom; yet within a few days he will be broken, though not in anger nor in battle. ²¹ And in his place a despicable person will arise, on whom the majesty of kingship has not been conferred; but he will come in a time of tranquility and ^(TO)seize the kingdom by intrigue. ²² And the overflowing ^(TP)forces will be flooded away from him and smashed, and also the prince of the covenant. ²³ After an alliance is made with him he will practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people. ^24 [mb]In a time of tranquility he will enter the ^(TQ)richest parts of the ^[mc]realm, and he will accomplish what his fathers did not, nor his ^[md]ancestors; he will distribute plunder, spoils, and possessions among them, and he will devise his schemes against strongholds, but only for a time. ²⁵ And he will stir up his strength and ^[me]courage against the ^(TR)king of the South with a large army; so the king of the South will mobilize an extremely large and mighty army for war; but he will not stand, because schemes will be devised against him. ²⁶ Those who eat his choice food will ^[mf]destroy him, and his army will ^[mg](TS)overflow, but many will fall down slain. ²⁷ As for both kings, their hearts will be intent on ^(TT)evil, and they will ^(TU)speak lies to each other at the same table; but it will not succeed, because the ^(TV)end is still to come at the appointed time. ²⁸ Then he will return to his land with much ^[mh]plunder; but his heart will be set against the holy covenant, and he will take action and then return to his own land.

²⁹ “At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but ^[mi]this last time it will not turn out the way it did before. ³⁰ For ships of ^[mj](TW)Kittim will come against him; therefore he will withdraw in fear and will return and curse the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and pay attention to those who abandon the holy covenant. ³¹ Forces from him will arise, ^(TX)desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the ^(TY)abomination ^[mk]of desolation. ³² And by ^(TZ)smooth words he will ^[ml]turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will be ^(UA)strong and take action. ³³ And ^[mm](UB)those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will ^(UC)fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder for many days. ³⁴ Now when they fall they will be granted a little help, and many will ^(UD)join with them in ^(UE)hypocrisy. ³⁵ And some of ^[mn]those who have insight will fall, to ^(UF)refine, ^(UG)purge, and ^[mo](UH)cleanse them until the ^(UI)end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time.

³⁶ “Then the king will ^(UJ)do as he pleases, and he will exalt himself and ^(UK)boast against every god and will ^(UL)speak ^[mp]dreadful things against the ^(UM)God of gods; and he will be successful until the ^(UN)indignation is finished, because that which is ^(UO)determined will be done. ³⁷ And he will show no regard for the ^[mq]gods of his fathers or for the ^[mr]desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will boast against them all. ³⁸ But ^[ms]instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, precious stones, and treasures. ³⁹ And he will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to ^[mt]those who acknowledge him and will make them rulers over the many, and will parcel out land for a price.

⁴⁰ “And at the ^(UP)end time the ^(UQ)king of the South will wage war with him, and the ^(UR)king of the North will ^(US)storm against him with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he will enter countries, ^(UT)overflow them, and pass through. ⁴¹ He will also enter the ^[mu](UU)Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, ^(UV)Moab, and the foremost of the sons of ^(UW)Ammon. ⁴² Then he will reach out with his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. ⁴³ But he will ^[mv]gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and ^(UX)Libyans and ^(UY)Ethiopians will follow at his ^[mw]heels. ⁴⁴ But rumors from the East and from the North will terrify him, and he will go out with great wrath to eliminate and ^[mx]annihilate many. ⁴⁵ And he will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful ^(UZ)Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.

The Time of the End

12 “Now at that time ^(VA)Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a ^(VB)time of distress ^(VC)such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the ^(VD)book, will be rescued. ² And ^(VE)many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, ^(VF)these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting ^[my]contempt. ³ And ^[mz]those who have ^(VG)insight will ^(VH)shine like the glow of the ^[na]expanse of heaven, and those who ^[nb](VI)lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. ⁴ But as for you, Daniel, ^(VJ)keep these words secret and ^(VK)seal up the book until the ^(VL)end of time; ^(VM)many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.”

⁵ Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the stream and the other on that bank of the stream. ⁶ And ^(VN)someone said to the man ^(VO)dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “^(VP)How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” ⁷ And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, ^[nc]as he ^(VQ)raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by ^(VR)Him who lives forever that it would be for a ^[nd](VS)time, ^[ne]times, and half a ^[nf]time; and as soon as ^[ng]they finish ^(VT)smashing the ^[nh]power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. ⁸ But as for me, I heard but did not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the ^[ni]outcome of these events?” ⁹ And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words will be kept secret and ^(VU)sealed up until the end time. ^10 (VV)Many will be purged, ^[nj]cleansed, and refined, but the ^(VW)wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but ^[nk]those who ^(VX)have insight will understand. ¹¹ And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the ^(VY)abomination ^[nl]of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. ^12 (VZ)Blessed is the one who is patient and attains to the ^(WA)1,335 days! ¹³ But as for you, go your way to the ^[nm]end; then you will ^(WB)rest and ^[nn]rise for your ^(WC)allotted portion at the end of the ^[no]age.”