Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
God Reigns
93 The Lord reigns! He is clothed in majesty;
the Lord is clothed,
and he is girded[a] with strength.
Indeed, the world is well established,
and cannot be shaken.
2 Your throne has been established since time immemorial;
you are king from eternity.
3 The rivers have flooded, Lord;
the rivers have spoken aloud,
the rivers have lifted up their crushing waves.
4 More than the sound of surging waters—
the majestic waves of the sea—
the Lord on high is majestic.
5 Your decrees are very trustworthy,
and holiness always befits your house, Lord.
The Vision of the Four Beasts
7 In the first year of the reign of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel dreamed a dream, receiving visions in his mind while in bed, after which he recorded the dream, relating this summary of events.
2 Daniel said, “I observed the vision during the night. Look! The four winds of the skies were stirring up the Mediterranean[a] Sea. 3 Four magnificent animals were rising from the sea, each different from the other. 4 The first resembled a lion, but it had eagles’ wings. I continued to watch until its wings were plucked off, it was lifted up off the ground, and it was forced to stand on two feet like a man. A human soul[b] was imparted to it.
5 “Then look!—a second animal resembling a bear followed it.[c] It was raised up on one side, with three ribs held between the teeth in its mouth. Therefore people kept telling it, ‘Get up and devour lots of meat!’
6 “After this, I continued to watch—and look!—there was another one, resembling a leopard with four birds’ wings on its back. The animal also had four heads, and authority was imparted to it.
7 “After this, I continued to observe the night visions. And look!—there was a fourth awe-inspiring, terrifying, and viciously strong animal! It had large, iron teeth. It devoured and crushed things,[d] and trampled under its feet whatever remained. Different from all of the other previous animals, it had ten horns.
8 “While I was thinking about the horns—look—another horn, this time[e] a little one, grew up among them. Three of the first horns were yanked up by their roots right in front of it. Look! It had eyes like those of a human being and a mouth that boasted with audacious claims.”
The Vision Interpreted
15 “Now as for me, Daniel, I was emotionally troubled, and what I had seen in the visions kept alarming me. 16 So I approached one of those who was standing nearby and began to ask the meaning of all of this. He spoke to me and caused me to understand the interpretation of these things. 17 He said, ‘These four great animals are four kings who will rise to power from the earth. 18 But the saints of the Highest will receive the kingdom forever, inheriting it[a] forever and ever.’
The One who Comes from Above
31 The one who comes from above is superior to everything. The one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things.[a] The one who comes from heaven is superior to everything. 32 He testifies about what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. 33 The person who has accepted his testimony has acknowledged that God is truthful.[b] 34 The one whom God sent speaks the words of God, because God[c] does not give the Spirit in limited measure to him.[d] 35 The Father loves the Son and has put everything in his hands. 36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who disobeys the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.
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