Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Majesty of the Lord.
93 (A)The Lord [a]reigns, He is (B)clothed with majesty;
The Lord has (C)clothed and girded Himself with strength;
Indeed, the (D)world is firmly established, it will not be moved.
2 Your (E)throne is established from of old;
You (F)are from everlasting.
3 The (G)floods have lifted up, O Lord,
The floods have lifted up their voice,
The floods lift up their pounding waves.
4 More than the sounds of many waters,
Than the mighty breakers of the sea,
The Lord (H)on high is mighty.
5 Your (I)testimonies are fully confirmed;
(J)Holiness befits Your house,
O Lord, [b]forevermore.
Vision of the Four Beasts
7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a (A)dream and visions [a]in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he (B)wrote the dream down and related the [b]following summary of [c]it. 2 Daniel [d]said, “I was (C)looking in my vision by night, and behold, the (D)four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great (E)beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. 4 The first was (F)like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human [e]mind also was given to it. 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, ‘Arise, devour much meat!’ 6 After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, (G)like a leopard, which had on its [f]back four wings of a bird; the beast also had (H)four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a (I)fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had (J)ten horns. 8 While I was contemplating the horns, behold, (K)another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, [g]this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and (L)a mouth uttering great boasts.
The Vision Interpreted
15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed [a]within me, and the (A)visions [b]in my mind kept (B)alarming me. 16 I approached one of those who were (C)standing by and began asking him the [c]exact meaning of all this. So he (D)told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. 18 But the [d](E)saints of the Highest One will (F)receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, [e]for all ages to come.’
31 “(A)He who comes from above is above all, (B)he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. (C)He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 What He has seen and heard, of that He (D)testifies; and (E)no one receives His testimony. 33 He who has received His testimony (F)has set his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For He whom God has (G)sent speaks the words of God; [a](H)for He gives the Spirit without measure. 35 (I)The Father loves the Son and (J)has given all things into His hand. 36 He who (K)believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who (L)does not [b]obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.