Old/New Testament

Daniel’s Vision

8 During the third year Belshazzar was king, I saw this vision. This was after the other one. ² In this vision I saw myself in the capital city of Susa. Susa is in the area of Elam. I was standing by the Ulai River. ³ I looked up, and I saw a male sheep standing beside the river. It had two long horns. But one horn was longer than the other. The long horn was newer than the other horn. ⁴ I watched the male sheep charge to the west. He also charged to the north and the south. No animal could stand before him. And none could save another animal from his power. He did whatever he wanted. And he became very powerful.

⁵ While I was thinking about this, I saw a male goat come from the west. This goat had one large horn that was easy to see. It was between his eyes. He crossed over the whole earth. But his feet did not touch the ground.

⁶ That goat charged the male sheep with the two horns. This was the male sheep I had seen standing by the river. The goat was very angry. ⁷ I watched the goat attack the male sheep. It broke the sheep’s two horns. The sheep could not stop it. The goat knocked the sheep to the ground. Then the goat walked all over him. No one was able to save the sheep from the goat. ⁸ So the male goat became very great. But when he was strong, his big horn broke off. Then four horns grew in place of the one big horn. Those four horns were easy to see. They pointed in four different directions.

⁹ Then a little horn grew from one of those four horns. It became very big. It grew to the south and the east and toward the beautiful land of Judah. ¹⁰ That little horn grew until it reached to the sky. It even threw some of the army of heaven to the ground. And it walked on them. ¹¹ That little horn became very strong against God, the commander of heaven’s armies. It stopped the daily sacrifices that were offered to the commander. The place where people worshiped the commander was pulled down. ¹² There was a turning away from God. Because of this the people stopped the daily sacrifices. It was like throwing truth down to the ground. The horn was successful in everything it did.

¹³ Then I heard one angel speaking. Another angel asked the first one, “How long will the things in this vision last? The vision is about the daily sacrifices. It is about the turning away from God that brings destruction. It is about the Temple being pulled down. It is about the army of heaven being walked on.”

¹⁴ He said to me, “This will happen for 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the holy place will be repaired.”

¹⁵ I, Daniel, saw this vision. And I tried to understand what it meant. Then someone who looked like a man suddenly stood before me. ¹⁶ And I heard a man’s voice calling from the Ulai River: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”

¹⁷ Gabriel came to where I was standing. When he came close to me, I was very afraid. I bowed facedown on the ground. But Gabriel said to me, “Human being, understand that this vision is about the time of the end.”

¹⁸ While Gabriel was speaking, I fell into a deep sleep. My face was on the ground. Then he touched me and lifted me to my feet. ¹⁹ He said, “Now, I will explain the vision to you. I will tell you what will happen later, in the time of God’s anger. Your vision was about the set time of the end.

²⁰ “You saw a male sheep with two horns. Those horns are the kings of Media and Persia. ²¹ The male goat is the king of Greece. The big horn between its eyes is the first king. ²² After that horn broke, four horns grew in its place. Those four horns are four kingdoms. Those four kingdoms will come from the nation of the first king. But they will not be as strong as the first king.

²³ “When the end comes near for those kingdoms, a bold and cruel king will come. This king will tell lies. This will happen when many people have turned against God. ²⁴ This king will be very powerful. But his power will not come from himself. He will cause terrible destruction. He will be successful in everything he does. He will destroy powerful people and even God’s people. ²⁵ This king will use his wisdom to make lies successful. He will think that he is very important. He will destroy many people without warning. He will try to fight even God, the Prince of princes! But that cruel king will be destroyed. And it will not be human power that destroys him.

²⁶ “The vision that has been shown to you about those times is true. But seal up the vision. Those things won’t happen for a long time.”

²⁷ I, Daniel, became very weak. I was sick for several days after that vision. Then I got up and went back to work for the king. But I was very upset about the vision. I didn’t understand what it meant.

Daniel’s Prayer

9 These things happened during the first year Darius son of Xerxes was king. He was a descendant of the Medes. ² During Darius’ first year as king, I, Daniel, was reading the Scriptures. In them I saw what the Lord told Jeremiah. He said Jerusalem would be an empty desert for 70 years.

³ Then I turned to the Lord God. I prayed to him and asked him for help. I did not eat any food. To show how sad I was I put on rough cloth and sat in ashes. ⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God. I told him about all of my sins. I said, “Lord, you are a great God. You cause fear and wonder. You keep your agreement of love with all who love you and obey your commands.

⁵ “But we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and turned against you. We have not obeyed your commands and laws. ⁶ We did not listen to your servants, the prophets. They spoke for you to our kings, our leaders and our ancestors. They spoke to all the people of the land.

⁷ “Lord, you are good and right. But we are full of shame today. The people of Judah and Jerusalem and all the people of Israel are ashamed. People near and far whom you scattered among many nations are ashamed. We were not loyal to you. ⁸ Lord, we are all ashamed. Our kings and leaders and our fathers are ashamed. This is because we have sinned against you.

⁹ “But, Lord our God, you show us mercy. You forgive us even though we have turned against you. ¹⁰ We have not obeyed the Lord our God. We have not obeyed the teachings he gave us through his servants, the prophets. ¹¹ All the people of Israel have disobeyed your teachings. They all have turned away and refused to obey you. So you brought on us the curses and promises of punishment written in the Teachings of Moses, the servant of God. These things have happened to us because we sinned against you.

¹² “God said these things would happen to us and our leaders. And he made them happen. You brought on us a great disaster. Nothing has ever been done here on earth like what was done to Jerusalem. ¹³ All this disaster came to us just as it is written in the Teachings of Moses. But we still have not stopped sinning. We still do not pay attention to your truth. ¹⁴ The Lord was ready to bring the disaster on us. This is because he is right in everything he does. But we still have not obeyed him.

¹⁵ “Lord our God, you used your power and brought us out of Egypt. Because of that, your name is known even today. Lord, we have sinned. We have done wrong. ¹⁶ Lord, you do the right things. So do not be angry with Jerusalem. Jerusalem is your city on your holy hill. All this has happened because of our sins and the evil things done by our ancestors. So now people all around insult and make fun of Jerusalem and your people.

¹⁷ “Now, our God, hear my prayers. I am your servant. Listen to my prayer for help. Do good things for your holy place that is in ruins. Do this for your sake. ¹⁸ My God, pay attention and hear me. Open your eyes and see all the terrible things that have happened to us. See what has happened to the city that is called by your name. We do not ask these things because we are good. We ask because of your mercy. ¹⁹ Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear us and do something! For your sake, don’t wait! Your city and your people are called by your name.”

Gabriel’s Explanation

²⁰ I was saying those things in my prayer to the Lord, my God. I was confessing my sins and the sins of the people of Israel. I was praying for God’s holy hill. ²¹ While I was still praying, Gabriel came to me. Gabriel was the person I had seen in my last vision. He came flying quickly to me about the time of the evening sacrifice. ²² Gabriel said to me, “Daniel, I have come to give you wisdom and to help you understand. ²³ When you first started praying, an answer was given. And I came to tell you, because God loves you very much. So think about the message and understand the vision.

²⁴ “God has ordered 490 years for your people and your holy city. These years are ordered for these reasons: to stop people from turning against God; to put an end to sin; to take away evil; to bring in goodness that continues forever; to make the vision and prophecy come true; and to appoint a most holy place.

²⁵ “Learn and understand these things. A command will come to rebuild Jerusalem. The time from this command until the appointed leader comes will be 49 years and 434 years. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and a trench around it. But it will be built in times of trouble. ²⁶ After the 434 years the appointed leader will be killed. He will have nothing. The people of the leader who is to come will destroy the city. They will also destroy the holy place. That end will come like a flood. War will continue until the end. God has ordered that place to be completely destroyed. ²⁷ That leader will make an agreement with many people for 7 years. He will put a stop to offerings and sacrifices after 3½ years. And the horrible thing that destroys will be placed on the highest point of the Temple. But God has ordered him to be destroyed!”

Daniel’s Vision of a Man

10 During Cyrus’ third year as king of Persia, Daniel learned about these things. (Daniel’s other name is Belteshazzar.) The message was true. It was about a great war. But Daniel understood it, because it was explained to him in a vision.

² At that time I, Daniel, was very sad for three weeks. ³ I did not eat any fancy food. I did not eat any meat or drink any wine. I did not use any perfumed oil. I did not do any of these things for three weeks.

⁴ On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, I was standing beside the great Tigris River. ⁵ While standing there, I looked up. And I saw a man dressed in linen clothes. A belt made of fine gold was wrapped around his waist. ⁶ His body was like shiny yellow quartz. His face was bright like lightning, and his eyes were like fire. His arms and legs were shiny like polished bronze. His voice sounded like the roar of a crowd.

⁷ I, Daniel, was the only person who saw the vision. The men with me did not see it. But they were badly frightened. They were so afraid they ran away and hid. ⁸ So I was left alone, watching this great vision. I lost my strength. My face turned white like a dead person, and I was helpless. ⁹ Then I heard the man in the vision speaking. As I listened, I fell into a deep sleep. My face was on the ground.

¹⁰ Then a hand touched me and set me on my hands and knees. I was so afraid that I was shaking. ¹¹ The man in the vision said to me, “Daniel, God loves you very much. Think very carefully about the words I will speak to you. Stand up because I have been sent to you.” And when he said this, I stood up. I was still shaking.

¹² Then the man said to me, “Daniel, do not be afraid. Some time ago you decided to try to get understanding. You wanted to be humble before God. Since that time God has listened to you. And I came to you because you have been praying. ¹³ But the prince of Persia has been fighting against me for 21 days. Then Michael, one of the most important angels, came to help me. He came because I had been left there with the king of Persia. ¹⁴ Now I have come to you, Daniel. I will explain to you what will happen to your people. The vision is about a time in the future.”

¹⁵ While he was speaking to me, I bowed facedown. I could not speak. ¹⁶ Then one who looked like a man touched my lips. I opened my mouth and started to speak. I said to the one standing in front of me, “Master, I am upset and afraid. It is because of what I saw in the vision. I feel helpless. ¹⁷ Master, I am Daniel your servant. How can I talk with you! My strength is gone, and it is hard for me to breathe.”

¹⁸ The one who looked like a man touched me again. And he gave me strength. ¹⁹ He said, “Daniel, don’t be afraid. God loves you very much. Peace be with you. Be strong now, be strong.”

When he spoke to me, I became stronger. Then I said, “Master, speak, since you have given me strength.”

²⁰ So then he said, “Daniel, do you know why I have come to you? Soon I must go back to fight against the prince of Persia. When I go, the prince of Greece will come. ²¹ But before I go, I must first tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. No one stands with me against them except Michael. He is the angel ruling over your people.

Help Christians Who Teach Truth

¹ From the Elder.^[a]

To my dear friend Gaius whom I love in the truth:^[b]

² My dear friend, I know your soul is doing well. I pray that you are doing fine in every way and that your health is good. ³ Some brothers in Christ came and told me about the truth in your life. They said that you are following the way of truth. This made me very happy. ⁴ It always gives me the greatest joy when I hear that my children are following the way of truth.

⁵ My dear friend, it is good that you continue to help the brothers. You are helping those that you do not even know! ⁶ These brothers told the church about the love you have. Please help them to continue their trip. Help them in a way that will please God. ⁷ They started out on their trip to serve Christ. They did not accept any help from those who are not believers. ⁸ So we should help these brothers. And when we do, we share in their work for the truth.

⁹ I wrote a letter to the church. But Diotrephes will not listen to what we say. He always wants to be their leader. ¹⁰ When I come, I will talk about what Diotrephes is doing. He lies and says evil things about us. But that is not all he does. He refuses to help those who are working to serve Christ. He also stops those who want to help the brothers and puts them out of the church.

¹¹ My dear friend, do not follow what is bad; follow what is good. He who does what is good is from God. But he who does evil has never known God.

¹² Everyone says good things about Demetrius. And the truth agrees with what they say. Also, we say good about him. And you know that what we say is true.

¹³ I have many things I want to tell you, but I do not want to use pen and ink. ¹⁴ I hope to visit you soon. Then we can be together and talk. ¹⁵ Peace to you. The friends here with me send their love. Please give our love to each one of the friends there.