Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Prayer for Help^[a]

Daniel's Vision of a Ram and a Goat

8 In the third year that Belshazzar was king, I saw a second vision.^{[a] 2} In the vision I suddenly found myself in the walled city of Susa in the province of Elam. I was standing by the Ulai River, ³ and there beside the river I saw a ram that had two long horns, one of which was longer and newer than the other. ⁴ I watched the ram butting with his horns to the west, the north, and the south. No animal could stop him or escape his power. He did as he pleased and grew arrogant.

⁵ While I was wondering what this meant, a goat came rushing out of the west, moving so fast that his feet didn't touch the ground. He had one prominent horn between his eyes. ⁶ He came toward the ram, which I had seen standing beside the river, and rushed at him with all his force. ⁷ I watched him attack the ram. He was so angry that he smashed into him and broke the two horns. The ram had no strength to resist. He was thrown to the ground and trampled on, and there was no one who could save him.

⁸ The goat grew more and more arrogant, but at the height of his power his horn was broken. In its place four prominent horns came up, each pointing in a different direction. ⁹ Out of one of these four horns grew a little horn, whose power extended toward the south and the east and toward the Promised Land. ^10 (A)It grew strong enough to attack the army of heaven, the stars themselves, and it threw some of them to the ground and trampled on them. ¹¹ It even defied the Prince of the heavenly army, stopped the daily sacrifices offered to him, and ruined the Temple. ¹² People sinned there instead of offering the proper daily sacrifices,^[b] and true religion was thrown to the ground. The horn was successful in everything it did.

¹³ Then I heard one angel ask another, “How long will these things that were seen in the vision continue? How long will an awful sin replace the daily sacrifices? How long will the army of heaven and the Temple be trampled on?”

¹⁴ I heard the other angel answer, “It will continue for 2,300 evenings and mornings, during which sacrifices will not be offered. Then the Temple will be restored.”

²⁶ For there is no longer any sacrifice that will take away sins if we purposely go on sinning after the truth has been made known to us. ^27 (A)Instead, all that is left is to wait in fear for the coming Judgment and the fierce fire which will destroy those who oppose God! ^28 (B)Anyone who disobeys the Law of Moses is put to death without any mercy when judged guilty from the evidence of two or more witnesses. ^29 (C)What, then, of those who despise the Son of God? who treat as a cheap thing the blood of God's covenant which purified them from sin? who insult the Spirit of grace? Just think how much worse is the punishment they will deserve! ^30 (D)For we know who said, “I will take revenge, I will repay”; and who also said, “The Lord will judge his people.” ³¹ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!