Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Majestic and Unshakable

Psalm 93

Daniel’s Vision of Four Beasts

7 In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was on his bed. He wrote down a summary of the dream. ² Daniel said: “I was looking in my vision at night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea. ³ Four huge beasts came up from the sea, each different from the others.

⁴ “The first was like a lion with eagle’s wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off and it was lifted off the ground. It was made to stand upon two feet like a man, and the heart of a human was given to it.

⁵ “And behold there before me was another beast, a second one, like a bear. It raised itself up on one side; it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’

⁶ “After that I looked, and behold, there was another one like a leopard. On its back it had four wings like those of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

⁷ “After this in my vision at night, I looked and behold there was a fourth beast—terrifying, frightening, tremendously strong, with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed—and anything that was left it trampled with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that came before it; it had ten horns.^[a]

⁸ “While I was pondering the horns, behold, another horn, a small one, sprang up between them, and three of the first horns were uprooted from before it. And behold, this horn had eyes resembling human eyes and a mouth speaking boastfully.^[b]

Interpretation of the Beasts

¹⁵ “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was disturbed within me, and the visions of my head alarmed me. ¹⁶ I approached one of those standing nearby and asked him the true meaning of all this. So he spoke with me and revealed the interpretation of these things: ¹⁷ ‘These large beasts, four in number, are four kings that will rise from the earth. ¹⁸ But the kedoshim of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever—yes, forever and ever.’^[a]

³¹ The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth is of the earth, and of the earth he speaks. The One who comes from heaven is above all. ³² And what He has seen and heard, He testifies to that; yet no one receives His testimony. ³³ Whoever receives His testimony has certified that God is true.

³⁴ The One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Ruach without limit. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has given everything into His hand. ³⁶ He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.