Old/New Testament

Daniel’s Vision of the Ram and the Goat

8 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar,^[a] a vision appeared to me—I, Daniel—after the one that appeared to me previously.

² I saw the vision, and as I watched, I was in the citadel^[b] of Susa, which is in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal. ³ I looked up and right there in front of me I saw a ram standing beside the canal. He had two horns. The two horns were large. One, however, was larger than the other, but the larger one had grown up later. ⁴ I saw the ram pushing toward the west, north, and south, and no beast was able to stand in his way. Nothing could rescue anyone from his power. So he did as he pleased and made himself great.

⁵ As I was thinking about this, I saw a male goat coming from the west, moving across the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground. The goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. ⁶ He came up to the ram with the two horns that I saw standing beside the canal, and he ran at him with fierce anger. ⁷ I saw him coming up to the ram, and he was enraged against him. He struck the ram and broke his two horns. The ram had no power to stand up against him, so the goat threw the ram to the ground and trampled him. There was no one who could rescue the ram from his power.

⁸ The male goat made himself very great. But as he became strong, his large horn was broken, and four conspicuous horns grew up in its place toward the four winds of heaven.

⁹ Then from one of these horns a single horn came up. It began small, but it became very large toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land. ¹⁰ It exalted itself against the army of heaven. It made some of that army and some of the stars fall to earth, and it trampled them. ¹¹ It exalted itself against the Prince of the Army. It deprived him of the continual sacrifice, and the place of his sanctuary was thrown down. ¹² The army and the continual sacrifice will be handed over to the horn during the rebellion, and it will throw truth to the ground. It will succeed in doing this.

¹³ Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one speaking, “How long is the vision about the continual sacrifice and the rebellion that causes desolation going to last—this handing over of both the Holy Place and the army to be trampled?”

¹⁴ He said to him, “Until two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings, and then the Holy Place will be consecrated.”

Gabriel Explains the Vision of the Ram and the Goat

¹⁵ When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I tried to understand it. Then suddenly there was someone standing in front of me who had the appearance of a man. ¹⁶ I heard a human voice coming from between the banks of the Ulai. It called out and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.”

¹⁷ So he came beside the spot where I stood, and when he came, I was terrified and fell facedown. He said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision concerns the time of the end.” ¹⁸ When he had spoken with me, I fell into a deep sleep, facedown on the ground. He touched me and made me stand up.

¹⁹ He said, “Listen, I am about to make known to you what will happen during the last part of the furious anger, because this concerns the appointed time of the end.

²⁰ “The ram that you saw had two horns, the kings of Media and Persia. ²¹ The male goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king.^{[c] 22} He is the one who was broken, and four others arose in his place. Four kingdoms will arise from his nation, but not with the same power he had.

²³ “In the latter part of their kingdom, when the rebels have reached their full measure, a merciless king who understands intrigue will arise.^{[d] 24} His power will be very great, but not from his own power. He will destroy wonderful things, and he will succeed in doing this. He will destroy mighty men^[e] and the people of the saints. ²⁵ Through his cunning, he will deceive in order to succeed by his power and will also exalt himself in his heart. He will destroy many who are at ease,^[f] and he will rise up against the Prince of Princes. However, he will be broken, but not by human power. ²⁶ The vision of the evenings and the mornings that was spoken is true. But you—seal the vision, because it concerns a time many days in the future.”

²⁷ I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up and carried out the king’s business. I was stunned by the vision, but I did not understand it.

Daniel’s Prayer

9 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes,^[g] who was a Mede by descent and who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— ² in the first year of his reign,^[h] I, Daniel, understood from the scrolls that, according to the word of the Lord given to the prophet Jeremiah, the number of years it would take to complete the devastation of Jerusalem was seventy years.

³ With fasting, sackcloth, and ashes I turned my face to the Lord God to seek him in prayer and to plead for grace. ⁴ I prayed to the Lord, my God, and I made confession.

Gabriel Explains Jerusalem’s Future

²⁰ While I was still speaking, praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, I was casting my prayer for grace, concerning the holy mountain of my God, before the Lord my God, ²¹ while I was still speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the first vision, touched me. I was completely exhausted.^[j] It was about the time of the evening sacrifice. ²² He instructed me, “Daniel, now I have come to give you insight with understanding. ²³ At the beginning of your plea for grace, a word went out, and I came to declare it to you, because you are very treasured. So pay attention to the word and understand the vision.”

The Vision of Seventy Sevens

²⁴ Seventy sevens^[k] are determined concerning your people and your holy city:

²⁵ You should know and have insight. From the going out of a word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until an anointed one,^[m] a ruler, comes, there will be seven sevens and sixty-two sevens.^[n] Jerusalem will be rebuilt with public squares and a moat, but during troubled times.

²⁶ Then after the sixty-two sevens, the anointed one will be cut off and have nothing. Both the city and the holy place will be destroyed by the people of a ruler who is coming,^[o] and its end will be with a flood. There will be war until the end, and desolations have been decreed.

²⁷ He^[p] will confirm a covenant for the many during one seven. In the middle of the seven, he will cause sacrifice and offering to cease.

On the wing of abominations is one who causes desolation, until the decreed end is poured out on the one who causes desolation.

Daniel’s Vision of a Messenger

10 In the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia,^[q] a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar. Now the message was true. It was about a great war. He understood the message, and understanding came to him through the vision.

² In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three whole weeks. ³ I ate no expensive food, and no meat or wine entered my mouth. I did not anoint myself at all until the completion of three whole weeks.

⁴ On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, I was beside the Great River, that is, the Tigris. ⁵ I looked up, and there, right in front of me, I saw a man dressed in linen. Around his waist he was wearing a belt made from gold of Uphaz. ⁶ His body was like topaz, and his face looked like lightning. His eyes were like burning torches, and his arms and feet were like polished bronze. The sound of his words was like the sound of an army.

⁷ Only I, Daniel, saw the vision. The men who were with me did not see the vision, but they were overwhelmed by fear and trembling, so they ran away to hide. ⁸ I was left alone, and I saw this great vision. No strength was left in me. My appearance changed for the worse. I became very pale,^[r] and I had no strength. ⁹ I heard the sound of his words, but as I heard the sound of his words, I was in a deep sleep, facedown, with my face to the ground.

¹⁰ Then a hand touched me and pulled me up, trembling, to my hands and knees. ¹¹ He said to me, “Daniel, you are a highly valued man. Understand the words that I am speaking to you. Stand up where you are, because now I have been sent to you.” When he spoke this word to me, I stood up, shaking.

¹² He said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, because from the first day that you began to commit your heart to gaining understanding and to humbling yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come in response to your words. ¹³ However, an officer of the kingdom of Persia was standing against me for twenty-one days. Yet Michael, one of the chief officers, came to help me, for I had been left there against the kings of Persia. ¹⁴ I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the latter days, because the vision concerns days still to come.”

¹⁵ As he spoke these words to me, I pressed my face to the ground and was silent. ¹⁶ Then someone whose form was like a son of man was touching my lips. So I opened my mouth and spoke and said to the one standing in front of me, “My lord, pain has come upon me in the vision, and I have no strength left in me. ¹⁷ How can this servant of my lord speak with my lord? And I, from now on—no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.”

¹⁸ The one whose appearance was like a man touched me again and strengthened me. ¹⁹ He said to me, “Do not be afraid, you highly valued man. Peace to you. Be strong! Be strong!”

As he spoke with me I was strengthened, and I said, “Keep speaking, my lord, because you strengthen me.”

²⁰ He said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Now I will return to fight against the official of Persia. But after I leave that battle, the prince of Greece will come. ²¹ Nevertheless, I will tell you what is inscribed in the Book of Truth. No one is supporting me against these enemies except Michael, your prince.

Greeting

The Elder,

To dear Gaius, whom I love in the truth:

Joy at Gaius’ Faithfulness and Cooperation in the Truth

² Dear friend, I pray that you are doing well in every way and have good health, just as your soul is doing well. ³ Indeed, I was overjoyed when brothers^[a] came and testified to your truthfulness because you are walking in the truth. ⁴ I have no greater joy than when I hear that my children are walking in the truth.

⁵ Dear friend, you are being faithful in what you are doing for the brothers even though they are strangers. ⁶ They have testified before the church about your love. You will do well to send them off in a manner worthy of God. ⁷ They went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. ⁸ Therefore, we have an obligation to support such men, so that we may be coworkers for the truth.

A Warning About Diotrephes

⁹ I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, does not welcome us. ¹⁰ For this reason, if I do come, I will call attention to what he is doing. He is disparaging us with wicked words, and he is not content with that. He also refuses to welcome the brothers. He even hinders and puts out of the church those who wish to welcome them.

¹¹ Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does what is good is from God. The one who does what is evil has not seen God.

¹² Demetrius has been endorsed by everyone, even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.

Final Greeting

¹³ I had many things to write you, but I do not want to do it with pen and ink. ¹⁴ I hope to see you soon, and we will speak face to face.

¹⁵ Peace to you. Your friends here send their greetings to you. Greet our friends there by name.