Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daniel Has a Dream About Four Animals

7 It was the first year that Belshazzar was king of Babylon. Daniel had a dream. He was lying in bed. In his dream, visions passed through his mind. He wrote down what he saw.

² Daniel said, “I had a vision at night. I looked up and saw the four winds of heaven. They were stirring up the Mediterranean Sea. ³ Four large animals came up out of the sea. Each one was different from the others.

⁴ “The first animal was like a lion. It had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off. Then it was lifted up from the ground. It stood on two feet like a human being. And the mind of a human being was given to it.

⁵ “I saw a second animal. It looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides. And it had three ribs between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up! Eat meat until you are full!’

⁶ “After that, I saw another animal. It looked like a leopard. On its back were four wings like the wings of a bird. The animal I saw had four heads. And it was given authority to rule.

⁷ “After that, in my vision I looked up and saw a fourth animal. It was terrifying and very powerful. It had large iron teeth. It crushed those it attacked and ate them up. It stomped on anything that was left. It was different from the other animals. And it had ten horns.

⁸ “I thought about the horns. Then I saw another horn. It was a little one. It grew up among the other horns. Three of the first horns were pulled up by their roots to make room for it. The little horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being. Its mouth was always bragging.

An Angel Tells Daniel What His Dream Means

¹⁵ “My spirit was troubled. The visions that passed through my mind upset me. ¹⁶ I approached an angel who was standing there. I asked him what all these things really meant.

“So he explained to me what everything meant. ¹⁷ He said, ‘The four large animals stand for four kings. The kings will appear on the earth. ¹⁸ But the holy people of the Most High God will receive the kingdom. They will possess it forever. It will belong to them for ever and ever.’

³¹ “The one who comes from above is above everything. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks like someone from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above everything. ³² He is a witness to what he has seen and heard. But no one accepts what he says. ³³ Anyone who has accepted it has said, ‘Yes. God is truthful.’ ³⁴ The one whom God has sent speaks God’s words. That’s because God gives the Holy Spirit without limit. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has put everything into his hands. ³⁶ Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life. Anyone who does not believe in the Son will not have life. God’s anger remains on them.”