Daniel 7
1 En el primer año de Belsasar, rey de Babilonia, Daniel vio un sueño, y las visiones se le vinieron a la cabeza en la cama: luego puso el sueño por escrito.
[Previously, ] during the first year that Belshazzar was the king of Babylonia, I had a dream and a vision one night as I lay on my bed. [The next morning] I wrote down what I had dreamed. This is what I wrote:
2 Tuve una visión de noche y vi los cuatro vientos del cielo moviendo violentamente el gran mar.
I, Daniel, had a vision last night. In the vision I saw that strong winds were blowing from all four directions, stirring up [the water in] the ocean.
3 Y cuatro grandes bestias surgieron del mar, diferentes unas de otras.
Then [I saw] four beasts coming out of the ocean. All four of them were different.
4 El primero era como un león y tenía alas de águila; mientras miraba, le arrancaron las alas, la levantaron de la tierra y la pusieron en dos pies como un hombre, y le dieron el corazón de un hombre.
The first one resembled a lion, but it had wings like an eagle has. But as I watched, something tore off its wings {its wings were pulled off}. The beast was left there, standing on its two hind/rear legs, like a human being stands. And it was given a mind like humans have.
5 Y vi otra bestia, como un oso, y se levantó por un lado, y tres costillas estaban en su boca, entre sus dientes, y le dijeron: ¡Levántate! Come mucha carne.
The second beast resembled a bear. It was crouching, and it held between its teeth three ribs [from another animal that it had killed and eaten]. Someone said to it {It was told}, “Stand up and eat as much meat [as you want]!”
6 Después de esto vi otra bestia, como un leopardo, que tenía en su espalda cuatro alas como las de un pájaro; y la bestia tenía cuatro cabezas, y se le dio el poder de un gobernante.
Then I saw in front of me the third of those beasts. It resembled a leopard, but it had four wings protruding from its back. The wings were like a bird’s wings. It had four heads. It was given the power/authority to rule [people].
7 Después de esto, en mi visión de la noche, vi una cuarta bestia, algo que causaba miedo y era muy preocupante, lleno de poder y muy fuerte; y tenía grandes dientes de hierro: tomó su comida, la partió en pedazos y aplastó el resto con los pies: era diferente de todas las bestias anteriores; y tenía diez cuernos.
In the vision I saw a fourth beast. It was stronger than the other beasts, and it was more terrifying. It crushed other creatures with its huge iron teeth and ate their flesh. The parts of animals that it did not grind with its teeth, it trampled [on the ground]. It was different from the other three beasts: It had ten horns [on its head].
8 Estaba mirando los cuernos con cuidado, y vi a otro que se acercaba, uno pequeño, ante el cual tres de los primeros cuernos fueron arrancados por las raíces: y había ojos como los ojos de un hombre en este cuerno, y una boca que dice grandes cosas.
While I was looking at those horns, I saw a little horn appear [on the head of that beast]. It tore out three of the other horns. This little horn had eyes like humans have, and it had a mouth [with which it spoke] very boastfully.
9 Seguí mirando hasta que se colocaron los asientos de los reyes, y uno como un hombre muy anciano se sentó; su ropa era blanca como la nieve, y el cabello de su cabeza era como lana limpia; su asiento era llamas de fuego y sus ruedas ardían.
[Then] while I watched, thrones were put in the places [where they belonged], and [God], the one who had been living forever, sat on one of the thrones. His clothes were as white as snow, and his hair was as white as pure/clean wool. His throne had wheels that were blazing with fire, and his throne was [also] blazing.
10 Una corriente de fuego fluía y salía de delante de él; mil miles eran sus sirvientes, y diez mil veces diez mil estaban en sus lugares delante de él; el juez estaba sentado y los libros estaban abiertos.
A fire was rushing out of in front of him like a stream. Many thousands [of people] (OR, [angels]) [were there] serving him, and millions [of other people] (OR, [angels]) were standing in front of him. They started (the court session/judging people), and they opened the books [in which they had written the record of all the good and bad things that people had done].
11 Entonces vi, a causa de la voz de las grandes palabras que decía el cuerno, vi hasta que la bestia murió, y su cuerpo fue destruido, y la bestia fue incendiada en él fuego.
While I was watching, I could hear the little horn speaking very boastfully. As I [continued to] watch, the [fourth] beast was killed. Its corpse was thrown into a fire and completely burned.
12 En cuanto al resto de las bestias, les quitaron su autoridad, pero les dejaron seguir viviendo por un tiempo.
The power/authority of the other [three] beasts was taken away from them, but they were allowed to continue to live for a while.
13 Vi en la visión de la noche, y venía con las nubes del cielo uno como un hombre, y él se acercó al anciano de días, y lo llevaron cerca delante de él.
While I [continued to] see the vision that night, I saw someone who resembled a human being. He was coming [closer to me], surrounded by clouds. Then he was taken to [God], the one who had been living forever.
14 Y a él le dio autoridad, gloria y reino; y todos los pueblos, naciones y lenguas le servirán; su autoridad es una autoridad eterna que no llegará a su fin, y su reino no será destruido.
He was honored and given great authority to rule over all the nations in the world, in order that people from every people-group and every nation, people from all language groups, would worship/serve him. He will rule forever; he will never stop ruling. The kingdom that he rules will never be destroyed.
15 En cuanto a mí, Daniel, mi espíritu estaba angustiado, y las visiones de mi mente me estaban perturbando.
As for me, Daniel, I was very terrified by what I had seen in that vision, and I did not know what to think about it.
16 Me acerqué a uno de los que estaban esperando allí, preguntándole sobre qué era todo esto. Y él me dijo que me dejaría claro el sentido de estas cosas.
I went to one of those who were standing in front of the throne of God, and I asked him to tell me what it meant. So he told me the meaning of it.
17 Estas grandes bestias son cuatro reyes que serán separados de la tierra.
[He said], “The four huge beasts represent four kingdoms/empires that will exist on the earth.
18 Pero los santos del Altísimo tomarán el reino, y será suyo para siempre, incluso por los siglos de los siglos.
But the Supreme God will give power/authority to his people [to rule], and they shall rule forever.”
19 Entonces fue mi deseo tener cierto conocimiento sobre la cuarta bestia, que era diferente de todas las demás, una causa de gran temor, cuyos dientes eran de hierro y sus uñas de bronce; quien tomó su comida, la partió en pedazos y pisoteó el resto con los pies;
Then I wanted to know what the fourth beast signified—[the beast] that was different from the other three, the beast that crushed [those that it attacked] with its bronze claws, and [then] ate [their flesh] with its iron teeth, and trampled on the parts of their bodies [that it did not eat].
20 Y sobre los diez cuernos en su cabeza y los otros que subieron, causando la caída de tres; ese cuerno que tenía ojos y una boca que decía grandezas, parecía ser más grande que los otros cuernos.
[I also wanted to know about] the ten horns on its head, and about the horn that appeared later, which got rid of three of the other horns. [I wanted to know what it meant that] it had eyes and a mouth with which it spoke very boastfully. [The beast that was represented by] that horn was more terrifying than the other beasts.
21 Y vi cómo ese cuerno hizo la guerra a los santos y los venció,
While I was having the vision, I saw that this horn attacked God’s people and was defeating them.
22 Hasta que vino, el anciano de días, y se tomó la decisión y se dio la autoridad a los santos del Altísimo; y llegó el momento en que los santos tomaron el reino.
But then the Supreme God, the one who had been living forever, came and judged in favor of the people who belonged to him. And [I knew that] it was time for God’s people to receive authority [to rule].
23 Esto es lo que dijo: La cuarta bestia es un cuarto reino que vendrá a la tierra, diferente de todos los reinos, y devorará toda la tierra, pisoteará y destrozará.
[Then] the man who was standing there said [to me], “The fourth beast represents an empire that will exist on the earth; that [empire] will be different from all [other] empires. [The army of] that empire will crush/kill [people all over] the world and trample [on their bodies].
24 Y en cuanto a los diez cuernos, de este reino diez reyes vendrán al poder; y después de ellos aparecerá otro: será diferente de los primeros y derrotará a los tres reyes.
As for its ten horns, they represent ten kings who will rule that empire, [one after the other]. Then another [king] will appear. He will be different from the previous kings. He will defeat the three kings [that were represented by the three horns that were pulled out].
25 Y dirá palabras contra el Altísimo, intentando poner fin a los santos del Altísimo; y tendrá la idea de cambiar los tiempos y la ley; y los santos serán entregados en sus manos por un tiempo y tiempos y medio tiempo.
He will revile the Supreme God, and he will oppress God’s people. He will try to change the [sacred] festivals and their [religious] laws/regulations. He will control them for three and a half years.
26 Pero el juez se sentará, y ellos pondrán fin a su señorío, para vencerlo y destruirlo completamente.
But there will be a session/meeting of the court/judges in heaven, and that king’s authority/power will be taken away, and he will be completely destroyed.
27 Y los reinos y dominios y la grandeza de los reinos bajo todo el cielo serán entregados al pueblo de los santos del Altísimo; él cual su reino es un reino eterno, y todos los dominios serán sus siervos y obedecerán.
Then all the power and the greatness of all the kingdoms on the earth will be given to the people who belong to the Supreme God. The kingdom that he rules (OR, they rule) will endure forever. And the rulers of all the nations on the earth will serve and obey him (OR, them).”
28 Aquí está el final de la cuenta. En cuanto a mí, Daniel, estaba muy afligido por mis pensamientos, y el color desapareció de mi rostro, pero mantuve la palabra en mi corazón.
That is [what I saw in] my vision/dream. I, Daniel, was terrified, with the result that my face became pale. But I did not tell anyone about the vision [that I had seen].
