1   On the second night I had a vision in a dream; I saw, rising from the sea, an eagle with twelve wings and three heads. 2   I saw it spread its wings over the whole earth; and all the winds blew on it,

Visions of the last days and the clouds ^note gathered. 3   Out of its wings I saw rival wings sprout, which proved to be only small and stunted. 4   Its heads lay still; even the middle head, which was bigger than the others, lay still between them. 5   As I watched, the eagle rose on its wings to set itself up as ruler over the earth and its inhabitants. 6   I saw it bring into subjection everything under heaven; it met with no opposition at all from any creature on earth. 7   I saw the eagle stand erect on its talons, and it spoke aloud to its wings: 8   ‘Do not all wake at once,’ it said; ‘sleep in your places, and each wake up in turn; 9   the heads are to be kept till the last.’ 10   I saw that the sound was not coming from its heads, but from the middle of its body. 11   I counted its rival wings, and saw that there were eight of them.

12   As I watched, one of the wings on its right side rose and became ruler over the whole earth. 13   After a time, its reign came to an end, and it disappeared from sight completely. Then the next one arose and established its rule, which it held for a long time. 14   When its reign was coming to an end and it was about to disappear like the first one, a voice could be heard saying to it: 15    16   ‘You have ruled the world for so long; now listen to my message before your time comes to disappear. 17   None of your successors will achieve a reign as long as yours, nor even half as long.’ 18   Then the third wing arose, ruled the world for a time like its predecessors, and like them disappeared. 19   In the same way all the wings came to power in succession, and in turn disappeared from sight.

20   As time went on, I saw the wings on the left ^note side also raise themselves up to seize power. Some of them did so, and passed immediately from sight, while others arose but never came to power. 21    22   At this point I noticed that two of the little wings were, like the twelve, no longer to be seen. 23   Nothing was now left of the eagle's body except the three motionless heads and six little wings. 24   As I watched, two of the six little wings separated from the rest and took up a place under the head on the right. The other four remained where they were; and I saw them planning to rise up and seize power. 25    26   One rose, but disappeared immediately; 27   so too did the second, vanishing even more quickly than the first. 28   I saw the last two planning to seize the kingship for themselves. 29   But while they were still plotting, suddenly one of the heads woke from sleep, the one in the middle, the biggest of the three. 30    31   I saw how it joined with the other two heads, and along

Visions of the last days with them turned and devoured the two little wings which were planning to seize power. 32   This head got the whole earth into its grasp, establishing an oppressive rule over all its inhabitants and a worldwide kingdom mightier than any of the wings had ruled. 33   But after that I saw the middle head vanish just as suddenly as the wings had done. 34   There were two heads left, and they also seized power over the earth and its inhabitants, 35   but as I watched, the head on the right devoured the head on the left.

36   Then I heard a voice which said to me: ‘Look carefully at what you see before you.’ 37   I looked, and saw what seemed to be a lion roused from the forest; it roared as it came, and I heard it address the eagle in a human voice. 38   ‘Listen to what I tell you’, it said. ‘The Most High says to you: 39   Are you not the only survivor of the four beasts to which I gave the rule over my world, intending through them to bring my ages to their end? 40    41   You are the fourth beast, and you have conquered all who went before, ruling over the whole world and holding it in the grip of fear and harsh oppression. You have lived ^note long in the world, governing it with deceit and with no regard for truth. 42   You have oppressed the gentle and injured the peaceful, hating the truthful and loving liars; you have destroyed the homes of the prosperous, and razed to the ground the walls of those who had done you no harm. 43   Your insolence is known to the Most High, and your pride to the Mighty One. 44   The Most High has surveyed the periods he has fixed: they are now at an end, and his ages have reached their completion. 45   So you, eagle, must now disappear and be seen no more, you and your terrible great wings, your evil small wings, your cruel heads, your grim talons, and your whole worthless body. 46   Then all the earth will feel relief at its deliverance from your violence, and look forward hopefully to the judgement and mercy of its Creator.’

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