Daniel 7
1 In the firste yeer of Balthasar, kyng of Babiloyne, Danyel siy a sweuene. Forsothe he wroot the visioun of his hed in his bed, and the dreem, and comprehendide in schort word; and he touchide schortli the sentence,
In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream, and visions of his head upon his bed. Then he wrote the dream, and related the sum of the matters.
2 and seide, Y siy in my visioun in niyt, and lo! foure wyndis of heuene fouyten in the myddis of the greet see.
Daniel spake and said: —I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven burst forth upon the great sea.
3 And foure grete beestis dyuerse bitwixe hem silf stieden fro the see.
And four great beasts came up out of the sea, diverse one from another.
4 The firste beeste was as a lionesse, and hadde wyngis of an egle. Y bihelde til the wyngis therof weren pullid awei, and it was takun awei fro erthe, and it stood as a man on the feet, and the herte therof was youun to it.
The first was like a lion, and had the wings of an eagle; I beheld till its wings were plucked from it, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand upon its feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
5 And lo! another beeste, lijk a bere in parti, stood, and thre ordris weren in the mouth therof, and thre princes in the teeth therof. And thus thei seiden to it, Rise thou, ete thou ful many fleischis.
And behold, another beast, the second, like to a bear; and it stood up on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and they spake thus to it: Arise, devour much flesh!
6 Aftir these thingis Y bihelde, and lo! anothir beeste as a pard, and it hadde on it silf foure wyngis of a brid, and foure heedis weren in the beeste, and power was youun to it.
After this I beheld, and lo, another, like a leopard, which had upon its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
7 Aftir these thingis Y bihelde in the visioun of niyt, and lo! the fourthe beeste, ferdful, and wondirful, and ful strong. It hadde grete irun teeth, and it ete, and made lesse, and defoulide with hise feet othere thingis; forsothe it was vnlijk othere beestis, which Y hadde seyn bifore it, and it hadde ten hornes.
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful, and terrible, and exceedingly strong; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured, and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet, and it differed from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
8 Y bihelde the hornes, and lo! an other litil horn cam forth of the myddis of tho, and thre of the firste hornes weren drawun out fro the face therof; and lo! iyen as iyen of a man weren in this horn, and a mouth spekynge grete thingis.
I gave heed to the horns, and behold, there came up among them another little horn, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots; and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.
9 Y bihelde, til that trones weren set, and the elde of daies sat; his cloth was whijt as snow, and the heeris of his heed weren as cleene wolle, his trone was as flawmes of fier, hise wheelis weren fier kyndlid.
I beheld, till thrones were placed, and an aged one seated himself, his garment white like snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne like a fiery flame, and its wheels like burning fire.
10 A flood of fier and rennynge faste yede out fro his face, a thousynde thousynde mynistriden to hym, and ten sithis a thousynde sithis an hundrid thousynde stoden niy hym; the dom sat, and bookis weren opened.
A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him; thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the tribunal sat, and the books were opened.
11 Y bihelde for the vois of grete wordis whiche thilke horn spak; and Y siy that the beeste was slayn, and his bodi was perischid, and was youun to be brent in fier.
I beheld; and because of the great words which the horn spake, I beheld till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame.
12 And Y siy that the power of othere beestis was takun awei, and the tymes of lijf weren ordeyned to hem, til to tyme and tyme.
As to the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, for the duration of their lives had been appointed for a season and a time.
13 Therfor Y bihelde in the visyoun of niyt, and lo! as a sone of man cam with the cloudis of heuene; and he cam fulli til to the elde of daies, and in the siyt of hym thei offriden hym.
I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven came one like a son of man, and came to the aged one, and they brought him near before him.
14 And he yaf to hym power, and onour, and rewme, and alle the puplis, lynagis, and langagis schulen serue hym; his power is euerlastynge power, that schal not be takun awei, and his rewme, that schal not be corrupt.
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom shall not be destroyed.
15 My spirit hadde orrour, ether hidousnesse; Y, Danyel, was aferd in these thingis, and the siytis of myn heed disturbliden me.
I Daniel was grieved in my spirit within me, and the visions of my head troubled me.
16 Y neiyede to oon of the stonderis niy, and Y axide of hym the treuthe of alle these thingis. And he seide to me the interpretyng of wordis, and he tauyte me.
I came near to one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me, and made known to me the interpretation of the things.
17 These foure grete beestis ben foure rewmes, that schulen rise of erthe.
These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
18 Forsothe hooli men schulen take the rewme of hiyeste God, and thei schulen holde the rewme, til in to the world, and `til in to the world of worldis.
Then shall the saints of the Most High receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even for ever and ever.
19 Aftir these thingis Y wolde lerne diligentli of the fourthe beeste, that was greetli vnlijk fro alle, and was ful ferdful, the teeth and nailis therof weren of irun; it eet, and made lesse, and defoulide with hise feet othere thingis.
Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth beast, which differed from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, whose teeth were of iron and his nails of brass, which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
20 And of ten hornes whiche it hadde in the heed, and of the tother horn, that cam forth, bifore which thre hornes fellen doun, and of that horn that hadde iyen, and a mouth spekynge grete thingis, and was grettere than othere;
and concerning the ten horns which were in his head, and the other which came up, and before which three fell, —even that horn which had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, and whose appearance was larger than that of his fellows.
21 I bihelde, and lo! thilke horn made batel ayens hooli men, and hadde maistrie of hem,
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them,
22 til the elde of daies cam, and hiy God yaf doom to hooli men; and lo! tyme cam, and hooli men goten rewme.
until the aged one came, and judgment was rendered to the saints of the Most High, and the time came that the saints should possess the kingdom.
23 And he seide thus, The fourthe beeste schal be the fourthe rewme in erthe, that schal be more than alle rewmes, and it schal deuoure al erthe, and it schal defoule, and make lesse that erthe.
He spake thus: The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom upon the earth, which shall differ from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 Forsothe ten hornes schulen be ten kyngis of that rewme; and another kyng schal rise after hem, and he schal be miytiere than the formere, and he schal make low thre kyngis.
And the ten horns are ten kings, which shall arise out of this kingdom; and another shall arise after them; and he shall differ from the former, and shall subdue three kings.
25 And he schal speke wordis ayens the hiy God, and he schal defoule the seyntis of the hiyeste; and he schal gesse, that he mai chaunge tymes and lawis; and thei schulen be youun in to his hondis, til to tyme, and times, and the half of tyme.
And he will speak great words against the Most High, and will harass the saints of the Most High, and will resolve to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand a time, and times, and half a time.
26 And doom schal sitte, that the power be takun awei, and be al to-brokun, and perische til in to the ende.
But the tribunal shall sit, and his dominion shall be taken away, and consumed and destroyed forever.
27 Sotheli that the rewme, and power, and the greetnesse of rewme, which is vndur ech heuene, be youun to the puple of the seintis of the hiyeste, whos rewme is euerlastynge rewme, and alle kingis schulen serue, and obeie to hym.
And the sovereignty and dominion and power over all kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
28 Hidur to is the ende of the word. Y, Danyel, was disturblid myche in my thouytis, and my face was chaungid in me; forsothe Y kepte the word in myn herte.
Here ended his words. As for me Daniel, my thoughts terrified me much, and my countenance changed; but I kept the matter in my heart.
