Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Majesty of God

Daniel’s Dream About Four Animals

7 In Belshazzar’s first year as king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream. He saw visions as he was lying on his bed. Daniel wrote down what he had dreamed.

² Daniel said: “I saw my vision at night. In the vision the wind was blowing from all four directions. These winds made the sea very rough. ³ I saw four huge animals come up from the sea. Each animal was different from the others.

⁴ “The first animal looked like a lion. But it had wings like an eagle. I watched this animal until its wings were torn off. It was lifted from the ground so that it stood up on two feet like a man. And it was given the mind of a man.

⁵ “And then I saw a second animal before me. It looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides. And it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat all the meat you want!’

⁶ “After that, I looked, and there before me was another animal. This animal looked like a leopard. And the leopard had four wings on its back. The wings looked like a bird’s wings. This animal had four heads. It was given power to rule.

⁷ “After that, in my vision at night I continued looking. There in front of me was a fourth animal. This animal looked cruel and terrible and very strong. It had large iron teeth. It crushed and ate what it killed. Then it walked on whatever was left. This fourth animal was different from all the animals I had seen before it. It had ten horns.

⁸ “While I was thinking about the horns, another horn grew up among them. It was a little horn. It had eyes like a person’s eyes. It also had a mouth. And the mouth was bragging. The little horn pulled out three of the other horns.

The Meaning of the Dream

¹⁵ “I, Daniel, was worried. The visions that went through my mind frightened me. ¹⁶ I came near one of those standing there. I asked him what all this meant.

“So he told me. He explained to me what these things meant. ¹⁷ He said, ‘The four great animals are four kingdoms. Those four kingdoms will come from the earth. ¹⁸ But the people who belong to the Most High God will receive the power to rule. And they will have the power to rule forever. They will have it from now on.’

The One Who Comes from Heaven

³¹ “The One who comes from above is greater than all. He who is from the earth belongs to the earth and talks about things on the earth. But the One who comes from heaven is greater than all. ³² He tells what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts what he says. ³³ The person who accepts what he says has proven that God is true. ³⁴ God sent him, and he tells the things that God says. God gives him the Spirit fully. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has given him power over everything. ³⁶ He who believes in the Son has eternal life. But he who does not obey the Son will never have that life. God’s anger stays with him.”