Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 13^[a]

Prayer of One in Sorrow

¹ For the director.^[b] A psalm of David.

Daniel’s Vision of a Ram and a Goat^[a]

Chapter 8

Vision of the Ram and He-Goat. ¹ In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, I, Daniel, had another vision subsequent to the first vision that I had previously experienced. ² In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa^[b] in the province of Elam, standing by the Ulai canal.

³ When I looked up, I saw a ram standing beside the river. It had two horns. Both of the horns were tall, but one was taller than the other, although the other had appeared first. ⁴ I observed the ram butting toward the west, the north, and the south. No beast could withstand it or escape from its power. It did as it pleased and became very strong.

⁵ As I was pondering this, a he-goat appeared from the west, skimming over the entire surface of the world without touching the ground, and between its eyes it had one prominent horn. ⁶ It approached the two-horned ram, which I had seen standing by the river, and charged it with savage fury.

⁷ I saw it charge the ram in a fit of rage and attack it with the full force of its fury, breaking both of its horns and leaving the ram powerless to withstand the attack. Having thrown the ram to the ground, it trampled it underfoot, and there was no one there to rescue the ram. ⁸ The he-goat then grew even more powerful but at the height of its strength the great horn shattered, and in its place there came forth four majestic horns pointing toward the four winds of heaven.

⁹ Out of one of these horns sprang forth a small horn which grew ever larger and poured forth its strength toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land. ¹⁰ It grew until it reached the host of heaven, after which it flung down to the earth some of the host as well as some of the stars and trampled on them.

¹¹ It even challenged arrogantly the power of the prince of the host. It abolished his right to offer the daily sacrifice and destroyed his sanctuary. ¹² The army, too, was abolished, while the daily sacrifice was replaced by sin. It cast truth to the ground and succeeded in everything it did.

¹³ Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the speaker, “How long will it be before this vision is fulfilled—the vision of sacrifice, the desolation of transgressions, and daily trampling of the sanctuary and the host?” ¹⁴ The first one replied, “Until two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings have passed. Then the sanctuary will be purified.”

²⁶ Apostasy Remains Unforgiven.^[a] If we deliberately persist in sin after having received the knowledge of the truth, then there no longer remains any sacrifice for sins. ²⁷ There is only a terrifying expectation of judgment and of a fierce fire that will consume the adversaries.

²⁸ Anyone who violates the Law of Moses is put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much more punishment do you think is deserved by the one who has contempt for the Son of God, profanes the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and insults the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know the one who said,

and

³¹ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.