Old/New Testament

8 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, a vision appeared to me, even to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. ² I saw the vision. Now it was so, that when I saw, I was in the citadel of Susa, which is in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision, and I was by the river Ulai. ³ Then I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram which had two horns stood before the river. The two horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. ⁴ I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward. No animals could stand before him. There wasn’t any who could deliver out of his hand, but he did according to his will, and magnified himself.

⁵ As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west over the surface of the whole earth, and didn’t touch the ground. The goat had a notable horn between his eyes. ⁶ He came to the ram that had the two horns, which I saw standing before the river, and ran on him in the fury of his power. ⁷ I saw him come close to the ram, and he was moved with anger against him, and struck the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to stand before him; but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. There was no one who could deliver the ram out of his hand. ⁸ The male goat magnified himself exceedingly. When he was strong, the great horn was broken; and instead of it there came up four notable horns toward the four winds of the sky.

⁹ Out of one of them came out a little horn which grew exceedingly great—toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the glorious land. ¹⁰ It grew great, even to the army of the sky; and it cast down some of the army and of the stars to the ground and trampled on them. ¹¹ Yes, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the army; and it took away from him the continual burnt offering, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. ¹² The army was given over to it together with the continual burnt offering through disobedience. It cast down truth to the ground, and it did its pleasure and prospered.

¹³ Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who spoke, “How long will the vision about the continual burnt offering, and the disobedience that makes desolate, to give both the sanctuary and the army to be trodden under foot be?”

¹⁴ He said to me, “To two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary will be cleansed.”

¹⁵ When I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. Then behold, there stood before me someone with the appearance of a man. ¹⁶ I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, which called and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.”

¹⁷ So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I was frightened, and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, for the vision belongs to the time of the end.”

¹⁸ Now as he was speaking with me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face toward the ground; but he touched me and set me upright.

¹⁹ He said, “Behold, I will make you know what will be in the latter time of the indignation, for it belongs to the appointed time of the end. ²⁰ The ram which you saw, that had the two horns, they are the kings of Media and Persia. ²¹ The rough male goat is the king of Greece. The great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. ²² As for that which was broken, in the place where four stood up, four kingdoms will stand up out of the nation, but not with his power.

²³ “In the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have come to the full, a king of fierce face, and understanding riddles, will stand up. ²⁴ His power will be mighty, but not by his own power. He will destroy awesomely, and will prosper in what he does. He will destroy the mighty ones and the holy people. ²⁵ Through his policy he will cause deceit to prosper in his hand. He will magnify himself in his heart, and he will destroy many in their security. He will also stand up against the prince of princes, but he will be broken without human hands.

²⁶ “The vision of the evenings and mornings which has been told is true; but seal up the vision, for it belongs to many days to come.”

²⁷ I, Daniel, fainted, and was sick for some days. Then I rose up and did the king’s business. I wondered at the vision, but no one understood it.

9 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the offspring of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— ² in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years about which Yahweh’s^[a] word came to Jeremiah the prophet for the accomplishing of the desolations of Jerusalem, even seventy years. ³ I set my face to the Lord God, to seek by prayer and petitions, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

⁴ I prayed to Yahweh my God, and made confession, and said,

“Oh, Lord, the great and dreadful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁵ we have sinned, and have dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even turning aside from your precepts and from your ordinances. ⁶ We haven’t listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

⁷ “Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but to us confusion of face, as it is today; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, who are near and who are far off, through all the countries where you have driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against you. ⁸ Lord, to us belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. ⁹ To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him. ¹⁰ We haven’t obeyed Yahweh our God’s voice, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. ¹¹ Yes, all Israel have transgressed your law, turning aside, that they should not obey your voice.

“Therefore the curse and the oath written in the law of Moses the servant of God has been poured out on us, for we have sinned against him. ¹² He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing on us a great evil; for under the whole sky, such has not been done as has been done to Jerusalem. ¹³ As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil has come on us. Yet we have not entreated the favor of Yahweh our God, that we should turn from our iniquities and have discernment in your truth. ¹⁴ Therefore Yahweh has watched over the evil, and brought it on us; for Yahweh our God is righteous in all his works which he does, and we have not obeyed his voice.

¹⁵ “Now, Lord our God, who has brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have gotten yourself renown, as it is today, we have sinned. We have done wickedly. ¹⁶ Lord, according to all your righteousness, please let your anger and your wrath be turned away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a reproach to all who are around us.

¹⁷ “Now therefore, our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his petitions, and cause your face to shine on your sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. ¹⁸ My God, turn your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by your name; for we do not present our petitions before you for our righteousness, but for your great mercies’ sake. ¹⁹ Lord, hear. Lord, forgive. Lord, listen and do. Don’t defer, for your own sake, my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

²⁰ While I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before Yahweh my God for the holy mountain of my God— ²¹ yes, while I was speaking in prayer—the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening offering. ²² He instructed me and talked with me, and said, “Daniel, I have now come to give you wisdom and understanding. ²³ At the beginning of your petitions the commandment went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved. Therefore consider the matter and understand the vision.

²⁴ “Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to finish disobedience, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.

²⁵ “Know therefore and discern that from the going out of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem to the Anointed One,^[b] the prince, will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be built again, with street and moat, even in troubled times. ²⁶ After the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One^[c] will be cut off, and will have nothing. The people of the prince who come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end will be with a flood, and war will be even to the end. Desolations are determined. ²⁷ He will make a firm covenant with many for one week. In the middle of the week he will cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. On the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate; and even to the decreed full end, wrath will be poured out on the desolate.”

10 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the message was true, even a great warfare. He understood the message, and had understanding of the vision.

² In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three whole weeks. ³ I ate no pleasant food. No meat or wine came into my mouth. I didn’t anoint myself at all, until three whole weeks were fulfilled.

⁴ In the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel,^{[d] 5} I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man clothed in linen, whose waist was adorned with pure gold of Uphaz. ⁶ His body also was like beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as flaming torches. His arms and his feet were like burnished bronze. The voice of his words was like the voice of a multitude.

⁷ I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me didn’t see the vision, but a great quaking fell on them, and they fled to hide themselves. ⁸ So I was left alone and saw this great vision. No strength remained in me; for my face grew deathly pale, and I retained no strength. ⁹ Yet I heard the voice of his words. When I heard the voice of his words, then I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face toward the ground.

¹⁰ Behold, a hand touched me, which set me on my knees and on the palms of my hands. ¹¹ He said to me, “Daniel, you greatly beloved man, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have been sent to you, now.” When he had spoken this word to me, I stood trembling.

¹² Then he said to me, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel; for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard. I have come for your words’ sake. ¹³ But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; but, behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me because I remained there with the kings of Persia. ¹⁴ Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision is yet for many days.”

¹⁵ When he had spoken these words to me, I set my face toward the ground and was mute. ¹⁶ Behold, one in the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth, and spoke and said to him who stood before me, “My lord, by reason of the vision my sorrows have overtaken me, and I retain no strength. ¹⁷ For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? For as for me, immediately there remained no strength in me. There was no breath left in me.”

¹⁸ Then one like the appearance of a man touched me again, and he strengthened me. ¹⁹ He said, “Greatly beloved man, don’t be afraid. Peace be to you. Be strong. Yes, be strong.”

When he spoke to me, I was strengthened, and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”

²⁰ Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Now I will return to fight with the prince of Persia. When I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. ²¹ But I will tell you that which is inscribed in the writing of truth. There is no one who holds with me against these but Michael your prince.

¹ The elder to Gaius the beloved, whom I love in truth.

² Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be healthy, even as your soul prospers. ³ For I rejoiced greatly when brothers came and testified about your truth, even as you walk in truth. ⁴ I have no greater joy than this: to hear about my children walking in truth.

⁵ Beloved, you do a faithful work in whatever you accomplish for those who are brothers and strangers. ⁶ They have testified about your love before the assembly. You will do well to send them forward on their journey in a way worthy of God, ⁷ because for the sake of the Name they went out, taking nothing from the Gentiles. ⁸ We therefore ought to receive such, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

⁹ I wrote to the assembly, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, doesn’t accept what we say. ¹⁰ Therefore, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words. Not content with this, he doesn’t receive the brothers himself, and those who would, he forbids and throws out of the assembly.

¹¹ Beloved, don’t imitate that which is evil, but that which is good. He who does good is of God. He who does evil hasn’t seen God. ¹² Demetrius has the testimony of all, and of the truth itself; yes, we also testify, and you know that our testimony is true.

¹³ I had many things to write to you, but I am unwilling to write to you with ink and pen; ¹⁴ but I hope to see you soon. Then we will speak face to face.

Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.