1    2    ^noteIn the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, while I was in Susa the capital city of the province of Elam, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, similar to my former vision. In this vision I was watching beside the stream of the Ulai. 3   I raised my eyes and there I saw a ram with two horns standing between me and the stream. The two horns were long, the one longer than the other, growing up behind. 4   I watched the ram butting west and north and south. No beasts could stand before it, no one could rescue from its power. It did what it liked, making a display of its strength. 5   While I pondered this, suddenly a he-goat came from the west skimming over the whole earth without touching the ground; it had a prominent horn between its eyes. 6   It approached the two-horned ram which I had seen standing between me and the stream and rushed at it with impetuous force. 7   I saw it advance on the ram, working itself

Daniel's visions into a fury against it, then strike the ram and break its two horns; the ram had no strength to resist. The he-goat flung it to the ground and trampled on it, and there was no one to save the ram.

8   Then the he-goat made a great display of its strength. Powerful as it was, its great horn snapped and in its place there sprang out towards the four quarters of heaven four prominent horns. 9   Out of one of them there issued one small horn, which made a prodigious show of strength south and east and towards the fairest of all lands. 10   It aspired to be as great as the host of heaven, and it cast down to the earth some of the host and some of the stars and trod them underfoot. 11   It aspired to be as great as the Prince of the host, suppressed his regular offering and even threw down his sanctuary. 12   The heavenly hosts were delivered up, and it raised itself ^note impiously against the regular offering and threw true religion to the ground; in all that it did it succeeded. 13   I heard a holy one speaking and another holy one answering him, whoever he was. The one said, ‘For how long will the period of this vision last? How long will the regular offering be suppressed, ^note how long will impiety cause desolation, ^note and both the Holy Place and the fairest of all lands ^note be given over to be trodden down?’ 14   The answer came, ‘For two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings; then the Holy Place shall emerge victorious.’

15   All the while that I, Daniel, was seeing the vision, I was trying to understand it. Suddenly I saw standing before me one with the semblance of a man; 16   at the same time I heard a human voice calling to him across the bend of the Ulai, ‘Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.’ 17   He came up to where I was standing; I was seized with terror at his approach and threw myself on my face. But he said to me, ‘Understand, O man: the vision points to the time of the end.’ 18   When he spoke to me, I fell to the ground in a trance; but he grasped me and made me stand up where I was. 19   And he said, ‘I shall make known to you what is to happen at the end of the wrath; for there is an end to the appointed time. 20   The two-horned ram which you saw signifies the kings of Media and Persia, 21   the he-goat ^note is the kingdom ^note of the Greeks ^note and the great horn on his forehead is the first king. 22   As for the horn which was snapped off and replaced by four horns: four kingdoms shall rise out of that nation, but not with power comparable to his.

     23   In the last days of those kingdoms,
    when their sin is at its height,
  a king shall appear, harsh and grim, a master of stratagem.

Daniel's visions
   24   His power shall be great, ^note he shall work havoc untold;
    he shall succeed in whatever he does.
  He shall work havoc among great nations and upon a holy people.
     25   His mind shall be ever active,
  and he shall succeed in his crafty designs;
    he shall conjure up great plans
  and, when they least expect it, work havoc on many.
    He shall challenge even the Prince of princes
    and be broken, but not by human hands.
     26   This revelation which has been given
  of the evenings and the mornings is true;
  but you must keep the vision secret,
        for it points to days far ahead.’

27   As for me, Daniel, my strength failed me and I lay sick for a while. Then I rose and attended to the king's business. But I was perplexed by the revelation and no one could explain it.

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