Daniel 8

1 In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king, a vision appeared to me. After that which I had seen in the beginning, I, Daniel,

In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, subsequent to the one that had appeared to me earlier.

2 saw in my vision, that I was in the capital city of Susa, which is in the region of Elam, yet I saw in the vision that I was over the gate of Ulai.

And in the vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa, in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal.

3 And I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, a single ram stood before the marsh, having two high horns, and one was higher than the other and growing higher still.

Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a ram with two horns standing beside the canal. The horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one grew up later.

4 After this, I saw the ram brandishing his horns against the West, and against the North, and against the Meridian, and all the beasts could not withstand him, nor be freed from his hand, and he did according to his own will, and he became great.

I saw the ram charging toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and there was no deliverance from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.

5 And I understood, and behold, a he-goat among she-goats came from the West above the face of the entire earth, and he did not touch the ground. Furthermore, the he-goat had a preeminent horn between his eyes.

As I was contemplating all this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his eyes came out of the west, crossing the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground.

6 And he went all the way to the ram that had the horns, which I had seen standing before the gate, and he ran towards him in the force of his strength.

He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and rushed at him with furious power.

7 And when he approached near to the ram, he was enraged against him, and he struck the ram, and broke his two horns, and the ram could not withstand him, and when he had cast him down on the ground, he trampled him, and no one was able to free the ram from his hand.

I saw him approach the ram in a rage against him, and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him, and the goat threw him to the ground and trampled him, and no one could deliver the ram from his power.

8 But the he-goat among she-goats became exceedingly great, and when he had prospered, the great horn was shattered, and four horns were rising up beneath it by means of the four winds of heaven.

Thus the goat became very great, but at the height of his power, his large horn was broken off, and four prominent horns came up in its place, pointing toward the four winds of heaven.

9 But from one of them came forth one little horn, and it became great against the Meridian, and against the East, and against the strength.

From one of these horns a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the Beautiful Land.

10 And it was magnified even towards the strength of heaven, and it threw down those of the strength and of the stars, and it trampled them.

It grew as high as the host of heaven, and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the earth, and trampled them.

11 And it was magnified, even to the leader of the strength, and it took away from him the continual sacrifice, and cast down the place of his sanctuary.

It magnified itself, even to the Prince of the host; it removed His daily sacrifice and overthrew the place of His sanctuary.

12 And the advantage was given to him against the continual sacrifice, because of the sins, and truth will be struck down to the ground, and he will act, and he will prosper.

And in the rebellion, the host and the daily sacrifice were given over to the horn, and it flung truth to the ground and prospered in whatever it did.

13 And I heard one of the holy ones speaking, and one saint said to another, (I know not to whom he was speaking, ) “What is the extent of the vision, and the continual sacrifice, and the sin of the desolation, which has happened, and of the sanctuary and the strength, which will be trampled?”

Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long until the fulfillment of the vision of the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host to be trampled?”

14 And he said to him, “From evening until morning, two thousand three hundred days, and so the sanctuary will be cleansed.”

He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be properly restored.”

15 But it came to pass, when I, Daniel, saw the vision and sought understanding that, behold, there stood in my sight something like the appearance of a man.

While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.

16 And I heard the voice of a man within Ulai, and he called out and said, “Gabriel, make this one understand the vision.”

And I heard the voice of a man calling from between the banks of the Ulai: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”

17 And he came and stood next to where I was standing, and when he approached, I fell on my face, trembling, and he said to me, “Understand, son of man, for in the time of the end the vision will be fulfilled.”

As he came near to where I stood, I was terrified and fell facedown. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.”

18 And when he spoke to me, I fell forward onto the ground, and so he touched me and stood me upright.

While he was speaking with me, I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me, helped me to my feet,

19 And he said to me, “I will reveal to you what the future things are in the earlier tribulation, for the time has its end.

and said, “Behold, I will make known to you what will happen in the latter time of wrath, because it concerns the appointed time of the end.

20 The ram, which you saw to have horns, is the king of the Medes and Persians.

The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia.

21 Furthermore, the he-goat among she-goats is the king of the Greeks, and the great horn, which was between his eyes, is the same one, the first king.

The shaggy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king.

22 And since, having been shattered, there grew four in its place, four kings will rise up from his people, but not in his strength.

The four horns that replaced the broken one represent four kingdoms that will rise from that nation, but will not have the same power.

23 And after their reign, when iniquities will be increased, there will arise a king of shameless face and understanding negotiations.

In the latter part of their reign, when the rebellion has reached its full measure, an insolent king, skilled in intrigue, will come to the throne.

24 And his advantage will be strengthened, but not by his kind of force, and other than what he will be able to trust, everything will be eradicated, and he will prosper, and he will act. And he will execute the successful and the people of the saints,

His power will be great, but it will not be his own. He will cause terrible destruction and succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men along with the holy people.

25 according to his will, and treachery will be guided by his hand. And his heart will be inflated, and by the abundance of everything he will kill many, and he will rise up against the Lord of lords, and he will be knocked down without a hand.

Through his craft and by his hand, he will cause deceit to prosper, and in his own mind he will make himself great. In a time of peace he will destroy many, and he will even stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be broken off, but not by human hands.

26 And the vision of the evening and the morning, which was told, is true. Therefore, you must seal the vision, because, after many days, it will occur.”

The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been spoken is true. Now you must seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”

27 And I, Daniel, languished and was sick for some days, and when I had lifted myself up, I performed the king’s works, and I was astonished at the vision, and there was none who could interpret it.

I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was confounded by the vision; it was beyond understanding.