Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

7 In the first year of Belshatzar king of Bavel, Dani’el had a dream and visions in his head, as he was lying on his bed. He wrote the dream down, and this is his account:

² “I had a vision at night; I saw there before me the four winds of the sky breaking out over the great sea, ³ and four huge animals came up out of the sea, each different from the others. ⁴ The first was like a lion, but it had eagle’s wings. As I watched, its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted off the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a human heart was given to it. ⁵ Then there was another animal, a second one, like a bear. It raised itself up on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up, and gorge yourself with flesh!’ ⁶ After this, I looked; and there was another one, like a leopard with four bird’s wings on its sides. The animal also had four heads, and it was given power to rule. ⁷ After this, I looked in the night visions; and there before me was a fourth animal, dreadful, horrible, extremely strong, and with great iron teeth. It devoured, crushed and stamped its feet on what was left. It was different from all the animals that had gone before it, and it had ten horns.

⁸ “While I was considering the horns, another horn sprang up among them, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. In this horn were eyes like human eyes and a mouth speaking arrogantly.

¹⁵ “As for me, Dani’el, my spirit deep within me was troubled; the visions in my head frightened me. ¹⁶ I approached one of those standing by and asked him what all this really meant. He said that he would make me understand how to interpret these things. ¹⁷ ‘These four huge animals are four kingdoms that will arise on earth. ¹⁸ But the holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, yes, forever and ever.’

³¹ “He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth is from the earth and talks from an earthly point of view; he who comes from heaven is above all. ³² He testifies about what he has actually seen and heard, yet no one accepts what he says! ³³ Whoever does accept what he says puts his seal on the fact that God is true, ³⁴ because the one whom God sent speaks God’s words. For God does not give him the Spirit in limited degree — ³⁵ the Father loves the Son and has put everything in his hands. ³⁶ Whoever trusts in the Son has eternal life. But whoever disobeys the Son will not see that life but remains subject to God’s wrath.”