Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

(A psalm by David for the music leader.)

A Prayer for the Lord's Help

Vision of a Ram and a Goat

8 Daniel wrote:

In the third year of King Belshazzar of Babylonia,^[a] I had a second vision ² in which I was in Susa, the chief city of Babylonia's Elam Province. I was beside the Ulai River,^{[b] 3} when I looked up and saw a ram standing there with two horns on its head—both of them were long, but the second one was longer than the first. ⁴ The ram went charging toward the west, the north, and the south. No other animals were strong enough to oppose him, and nothing could save them from his power. So he did as he pleased and became even more powerful.

⁵ I kept on watching and saw a goat come from the west and charge across the entire earth, without even touching the ground. Between his eyes was a powerful horn,^{[c] 6} and with tremendous anger the goat started toward the ram that I had seen beside the river.^{[d] 7} The goat was so fierce that its attack broke both horns of the ram, leaving him powerless. Then the goat trampled on the ram, and no one could do anything to help. ⁸ After this, the goat became even more powerful. But at the peak of his power, his mighty horn was broken, and four other mighty horns took its place—one pointing to the north and one to the east, one to the south and one to the west.

⁹ A little horn came from one of these, and its power reached to the south, the east, and even to the holy land.^{[e] 10 (A)} It became so strong that it attacked the stars in the sky, which were heaven's army.^[f] Then it threw some of them down to the earth and trampled on them. ^11-12 It humiliated heaven's army and dishonored its leader^[g] by keeping him from offering the daily sacrifices. In fact, it was so terrible that it even disgraced the temple and wiped out true worship. It also did everything else it wanted to do.

¹³ Then one of the holy angels asked another, “When will the daily sacrifices be offered again? What about this horrible rebellion? When will the temple and heaven's army no longer be trampled in the dust?”

¹⁴ The other answered, “It will be 2,300 evenings and mornings before the temple is dedicated and in use again.”

²⁶ No sacrifices can be made for people who decide to sin after they find out about the truth. ^27 (A) They are God's enemies, and all they can look forward to is a terrible judgment and a furious fire. ^28 (B) If two or more witnesses accused someone of breaking the Law of Moses, that person could be put to death. ^29 (C) But it is much worse to dishonor God's Son and to disgrace the blood of the promise that made us holy. And it is just as bad to insult the Holy Spirit, who shows us mercy. ^30 (D) We know that God has said he will punish and take revenge. We also know that the Scriptures say the Lord will judge his people. ³¹ It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God!