Daniel 8:15-27
Lexham English Bible
Gabriel Gives Angelic Help and Interprets the Vision
15 And then[a] when I, Daniel, saw the vision, and I was seeking understanding, there was one standing before me with the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard the voice of a human at the Ulai, and he called and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 And he came beside where I was standing,[b] and when he came[c] I became terrified and I fell prostrate on my face. And he said to me, “Understand, son of man,[d] that the vision is for the time of the end.”
18 And when he spoke[e] with me I fell into a trance with my face to the ground, and he touched me and made me stand on by feet. 19 And he said, “Look, I am making known to you what will happen in the period of wrath,[f] for it refers to the appointed time of the end.
20 “The ram that you saw who had two horns[g] represents the kings of Media and Persia.
21 “And the hairy he-goat is the kingdom[h] of Greece, and the great horn that is between his eyes—he is the first king. 22 And the horn that was broken, and then there arose four horns in place of it—these are four kingdoms that will arise from his nation, but not with his power. 23 And at the end of their kingdom, when the transgressions are completed, a king will arise, fierce in countenance and skilled in riddles. 24 And his power will grow, but not by his own power, and he will cause fearful destruction, and he will succeed and he will act,[i] and he will destroy the mighty and the people of the holy ones.[j] 25 And by his planning[k] he will make a success of deceit by[l] his hand, and in his mind[m] he will boast,[n] and in their ease he will destroy many, and even against the prince of princes he will rise up, and he will be broken, but not by human hands. 26 And the vision of the evening and the morning that has been described,[o] it is true; and you, seal up the vision, for it refers to many days to come.”[p]
27 And I, Daniel, was overcome, and I became ill for some days, and I performed[q] the business of the king, and I was dismayed over the vision and I did not understand it.[r]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Daniel 8:15 Literally “And it happened”
- Daniel 8:17 Literally “my standing”
- Daniel 8:17 Literally “at his coming”
- Daniel 8:17 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Daniel 8:18 Literally “at his speaking”
- Daniel 8:19 Or “the wrath”
- Daniel 8:20 Literally “the owner of the two horns”
- Daniel 8:21 Literally “king”
- Daniel 8:24 Literally “he will do”
- Daniel 8:24 Or “saints”
- Daniel 8:25 Or “cunning”
- Daniel 8:25 Hebrew “in”
- Daniel 8:25 Literally “heart”
- Daniel 8:25 Literally “magnify himself”
- Daniel 8:26 Literally “told”
- Daniel 8:26 Literally “for to days many”
- Daniel 8:27 Literally “did”
- Daniel 8:27 Literally “there was not understanding”
Daniel 8:15-27
Christian Standard Bible
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.(A) 16 I heard a human voice calling from the middle of the Ulai: “Gabriel,(B) explain the vision to this man.”
17 So he approached where I was standing; when he came near, I was terrified and fell facedown.(C) “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision refers to the time of the end.”(D) 18 While he was speaking to me, I fell into a deep sleep,(E) with my face to the ground. Then he touched me, made me stand up,(F) 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.(G) 20 The two-horned ram(H) 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.[a] 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,[b](I)
a ruthless[c] king, skilled in intrigue,[d]
will come to the throne.
24 His power will be great,
but it will not be his own.
He will cause outrageous destruction(J)
and succeed in whatever he does.
He will destroy the powerful
along with the holy people.(K)
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.(L)
26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings
that has been told is true.
Now you are to seal up the vision(M)
because it refers to many days in the future.”
27 I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for days.(N) Then I got up and went about the king’s business.(O) I was greatly disturbed by the vision and could not understand it.
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