THE BOOK OF DANIEL

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Jerusalem and laid siege against it;

2 and the Lord gave into his hand Jehoiakim king of Judah and a part of the vessels of the house of God, and he brought them into the land of Shinar, into the house of his gods,—and the vessels brought he into the treasure-house of his gods.

3 Then did the king give word to Ashpenaz the chief of his eunuchs,—that he should bring in of the sons of Israel, even of the seed royal and of the nobles

4 youths in whom was no blemish but comely of countenance and skilful in all wisdom and possessed of knowledge and able to impart instruction, and who had vigour in them, to stand in the palace of the king,—and that they should be taught the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

5 And the king appointed them the provision of each day upon its day out of the delicacies of the king and out of the wine which he drank, and so to let them grow three years,—and at the end thereof that they should stand before the king.

6 Now there were among them out of the sons of Judah,—Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah;

7 and the ruler of the eunuchs gave them names,—yea he gave to Daniel the name of Belteshazzar, and to Hananiah of Shadrach, and to Mishael of Meshach, and to Azariah of Abed-nego.

8 But Daniel laid it upon his heart, that he would not defile himself with the delicacies of the king nor with the wine which he drank,—therefore sought he of the ruler of the eunuchs, that he might not defile himself.

9 But although God had brought Daniel into lovingkindness and tender compassion before the ruler of the eunuchs

10 yet said the ruler of the eunuchs unto Daniel, I do fear my lord the king who hath appointed your food and your drink,—for why should he see your faces more sad than those of the youths of your own age? so should ye bring me under the penalty of mine own head unto the king.

11 Then said Daniel unto the overseer whom the ruler of the eunuchs had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah:

12 I pray thee—prove thy servants ten days,—and let them give us vegetable food that we may eat and water that we may drink:

13 then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenances of the youths who have been eating the delicacies of the king,—and as thou shalt see deal thou with thy servants.

14 So then he hearkened unto them according to this word,—and proved them ten days;

15 and at the end of ten days their countenances appeared more comely, and fatter in flesh,—than any of the youths who had been eating the delicacies of the king.

16 Thus it came about that the overseer continued taking away their delicacies, and the wine appointed them to drink,—and kept on giving them vegetable food.

17 And as for these four youths God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom,—and Daniel had discernment, in all visions and dreams.

18 Now at the end of the days after which the king had given word to bring them in then did the ruler of the eunuchs bring them in before Nebuchadnezzar.

19 So then the king spake with them, and there was not found from among them all, one like unto Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah,—therefore stood they before the king;

20 and in any matter of wisdom and discernment as to which the king enquired of them he found them ten times better than all the sacred scribes—the magicians who were in all his realm.

21 Now Daniel continued, until the first year of Cyrus the king.

2 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams,—and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep had gone from him.

2 So the king gave word to call for the sacred scribes and for the magicians and for the users of incantations and for the Chaldeans, that they might tell the king his dreams,—they came in therefore, and stood before the king.

3 And the king said to them, A dream have I dreamed,—and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.

4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Aramaic,—O king to the ages live! Tell the dream to thy servants and the interpretation we will declare.

5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The word from me is unalterable: If ye shall not make known to me the dream and the interpretation thereof ye shall be cut in pieces and your houses into a dunghill shall be turned;

6 but if the dream and the interpretation thereof ye will declare gifts and a present and great dignity shall ye receive from before me,—therefore the dream and the interpretation thereof declare ye unto me.

7 They answered again and said,—Let the king tell the dream to his servants and the interpretation thereof we will declare.

8 The king answered and said, Of a certainty I know, that time ye would gain,—merely because ye see that unalterable from me is the word:

9 That if the dream ye shall not make known to me one and the same is the decree and a lying and wicked word have ye agreed to speak before me, that meanwhile the time may be changed,—therefore the dream tell ye me, so shall I know that the interpretation thereof ye can declare for me.

10 The Chaldeans answered before the king and said, There is not a man upon the earth, who can declare the matter of the king,—although indeed there is no king, chief or ruler who a thing like this hath asked of any sacred scribe or magician or Chaldean;

11 and the thing which the king hath asked is difficult, and none other is there who can declare it before the king,—saving the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh.

12 For this cause the king was provoked and exceedingly indignant,—and gave word to destroy all the wise men of Babylon;

13 and the decree went forth, that the wise men should be slain,—and they sought Daniel and his companions that they might be slain.

14 Immediately Daniel made answer with prudence and discretion, to Arioch chief of the executioners of the king,—who had come forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:

15 he began to speak and said to Arioch the king’s captain,—For what cause is the decree raging forth from before the king? Then did Arioch make the matter known unto Daniel.

16 So Daniel entered in and desired of the king,—that an appointed time he would give him, and then the interpretation he would declare unto the king.

17 Then Daniel to his own house departed,—and to Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah his companions made the matter known;

18 that tender compassion they might seek from before the God of the heavens, concerning this secret,—that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed, with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

19 Then unto Daniel—in a vision of the night the secret was revealed,—whereupon Daniel blessed the God of the heavens:

20 Daniel responded and said, Let the name of God be blessed from age to age,—In that wisdom and might to him belong;

21 And he changeth times and seasons, Removeth kings and setteth up kings,—Giving wisdom to the wise, And knowledge to them who are skilled in understanding:

22 He revealeth the deep things and the hidden,—Knoweth what is in the darkness, And light with him doth dwell.

23 Unto thee O God of my fathers do I render thanks and praise, In that wisdom and might thou hast given unto me,—Yea already hast thou made known to me that which we desired of thee, For the matter of the king hast thou made known unto us.

24 Therefore Daniel entered in unto Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon,—he went in and thus he said unto him, The wise men of Babylon do not thou destroy, bring me in before the king, and the interpretation—unto the king will I declare.

25 Thereupon Arioch—with haste brought in Daniel before the king,—and thus he said to him—I have found a man of the sons of the exile of Judah, who the interpretation—unto the king will make known.

26 The king answered and said unto Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar,—Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen and the interpretation thereof?

27 Daniel answered before the king and said,—The secret which the king hath asked the wise men, the magicians, the sacred scribes, the astrologers are not able to declare unto the king;

28 but there is a God in the heavens who revealeth secrets, and hath made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what shall come to pass in the afterpart of the days: Thy dream and the visions of thy head upon thy bed are these:—

29 As for thee O king thy thoughts upon thy bed arose regarding what should come to pass hereafter; and he that revealeth secrets made known to thee what shall come to pass.

30 But as for me—not for any wisdom that is in me more than any of the living is this secret revealed to me,—therefore it is in order that the interpretation—unto the king they should make known, and that the thoughts of thy heart thou shouldst get to know.

31 As for thee O king thou wast looking when lo! a great image, this image being mighty and the brightness thereof surpassing was standing before thee,—and the appearance thereof was terrible.

32 As for this image its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms were of silver,—its belly and its thighs of bronze;

33 its legs of iron,—and its feet part of them of iron, and part of them of clay.

34 Thou didst look until that a stone tare itself away, not by the aid of hands, and smote the image upon its feet, which were of iron and clay,—and they were broken in pieces.

35 Then were broken in pieces at once the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold, and became like chaff out of the summer threshing-floors and the wind carried them away, and no place was found for them,—but the stone that smote the image became a mighty rock and filled all the land.

36 This is the dream, and the interpretation thereof we will tell before the king.

37 Thou O king art the king of kings,—for the God of the heavens hath given unto thee the kingship, the might, the power and the dignity;

38 and wheresoever the sons of men do dwell the wild beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens hath he given into thy hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art the head of gold.

39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom, inferior to thee,—and another—a third kingdom, of bronze, which shall bear rule throughout all the earth.

40 And the fourth kingdom shall be hard as iron,—in like manner as iron breaketh in pieces and crusheth all things,—even as iron which bringeth to ruins all these shall it break in pieces and bring to ruins.

41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and the toes, part of them of potter’s clay and part of them of iron the kingdom shall be divided, and of the hardness of the iron shall there be in it,—forasmuch as thou sawest the iron combined with the miry clay;

42 and the toes of the feet part of them iron and part of clay,—some part of the kingdom shall be strong, but a part thereof shall be brittle;

43 and whereas thou sawest the iron combined with the miry clay they shall be combined with the seed of men, but shall not cleave firmly one to another,—lo! as iron is not to be combined with clay.

44 And in the days of those kings shall the God of the heavens set up a kingdom which to the ages shall not be destroyed, and the kingdom to another people shall not be left,—it shall break in pieces and make an end of all these kingdoms, but itself shall stand to the ages.

45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that out of the rock a stone tare itself away but not with hands and brake in pieces the clay, the iron, the bronze, the silver and the gold the mighty God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter. Exact then is the dream And trusty its interpretation.

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and unto Daniel paid adoration; and a present and sweet odours gave he word to pour out unto him.

47 The king answered Daniel and said—Of a truth your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a Revealer of secrets,—seeing thou wast able to reveal this secret.

48 Then the king exalted Daniel and many large presents gave he unto him, and set him to be ruler over all the province of Babylon,—and chief of the nobles, over all the wise men of Babylon.

49 And Daniel desired of the king and he appointed—over the business of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego—but Daniel himself was in the gate of the king.

3 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height thereof sixty cubits, the breadth thereof six cubits,—he set it up in the valley of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

2 And Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the nobles and the pashas, the chief judges, the treasurers, the judges, the lawyers, and all the rulers of the province,—to come to the dedication of the image, which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

3 Then were gathered together the satraps, the nobles and the pashas, the chief judges, the treasurers, the judges, the lawyers and all the rulers of the province, to the dedication of the image, which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up,—and they stood before the image which Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

4 And the herald proclaimed aloud,—To you is given the word, O ye peoples, races and tongues:

5 At what time ye shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery, the bagpipes, and all kinds of instruments of music ye shall fall down and adore the image of gold, which Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up;

6 and whosoever shall not fall down and adore shall instantly be cast into the burning furnace of fire.

7 Wherefore at the same time—when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery, and all kinds of instruments of music they were falling down—even all the peoples, the races and the tongues—adoring the image of gold, which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

8 Wherefore at the same time drew near certain Chaldeans,—and accused the Jews:

9 they spake and said, to Nebuchadnezzar the king: O king! for ages live!

10 Thou thyself, O king, hast made a decree, that any man who shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery and the bagpipes, and all kinds of instruments of music shall fall down and adore the image of gold;

11 and whosoever shall not fall down and adore shall be cast into the burning furnace of fire.

12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the business of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego,—these men have made thee, O king, of no account, thy god they serve not, and the image of gold which thou hast set up do they not adore.

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar—with anger and wrath gave word to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, then these men brought they before the king.

14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it with design O Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego,—that my god ye are not serving, and the image which I have set up are not adoring?

15 Now if ye be ready at what time ye shall hear the sound of the cornet, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery and the bagpipes and all the instruments of music ye shall fall down and adore the image which I have made, but if ye shall not adore instantly shall ye be cast into the midst of the burning furnace of fire,—and who is the god that shall deliver you out of my hands?

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego answered, and said to the king: O Nebuchadnezzar! we are not accounting it needful concerning this to answer thee.

17 If it is our God whom we serve is able to deliver us,—out of the burning furnace of fire, and out of thy hand O king, he will deliver.

18 But if not be it known to thee, O king,—that thy god will we not serve, and the image of gold which thou hast set up will we not adore.

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath and the likeness of his countenance was changed, against Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego,—he spake and gave word to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it was ever seen heated;

20 and to men who were the mightiest men in his army gave he word to bind fast Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego,—to cast them into the burning furnace of fire.

21 Then bound they these men in their trousers, their tunics and their cloaks and their (other) clothing,—and cast into the midst of the burning furnace of fire.

22 Therefore because the word of the king had raged forth, and the furnace was exceeding hot those very men who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego were slain by the flame of the fire;

23 and these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego fell down into the midst of the burning furnace of fire fast bound.

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was amazed and rose up in haste: he spake and said to his nearest friends—Were there not three men we cast into the midst of the fire fast bound? They answered and said to the king, Surely, O king!

25 He answered and said, Lo! I see four men unbound walking in the midst of the fire, and injury there is not in them, and the appearance of the fourth is like to a son of the gods!

26 Then did Nebuchadnezzar draw near to the door of the burning furnace of fire, he spake and said, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, step forth and come hither. Then stepped forth Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, out of the midst of the fire.

27 And—being gathered together—the satraps, the nobles and the pashas and near friends of the king saw these men over whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed neither were their trousers disfigured,—nor had the smell of fire come upon them.

28 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who hath sent his messenger and delivered his servants, who trusted in him,—when the word of the king they transgressed, and delivered up their bodies, that they might not serve nor adore any god, saving their own God.

29 Therefore do I make a decree, that whosoever of any people, race or tongue it be that shall charge any error upon the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be cut in pieces, and his house into a dunghill shall be changed; because there is no other God, who is able to deliver like this!

30 Then the king advanced Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in the province of Babylon.

4 Nebuchadnezzar the king unto all the peoples, the races and the tongues who are dwelling in all the earth, Let your prosperity abound!

2 The signs and the wonders, which the most high God hath wrought with me it is pleasing before me to declare.

3 His signs how great! And his wonders how mighty! His kingdom is an age-abiding kingdom, And his dominion lasteth from generation to generation.

4 I, Nebuchadnezzar was at peace in mine own house, and was prosperous in my palace.

5 A dream I saw and it made me afraid,—and fancies upon my bed, and visions of my head terrified me.

6 Therefore made I a decree, to bring in before me all the wise men of Babylon,—who the interpretation of the dream should make known to me.

7 Then came in the sacred scribes, the magicians, the Chaldeans and the astrologers,—and the dream told I before them, but the interpretation could they not make known to me.

8 Howbeit at last came before me—Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and the dream—before him I told [saying]:

9 O Belteshazzar, chief of the sacred scribes, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee,—and no secret giveth thee trouble [therefore] the visions of my dream which I have seen and the interpretation thereof do thou tell.

10 The visions then of my head upon my bed [were these],—I was looking, when lo! a tree in the midst of the land And the height thereof was great.

11 The tree grew and became strong,—And the height thereof reached unto the heavens, And the view thereof unto the end of all the land:

12 The foliage thereof was beautiful And the fruit thereof abundant, And there was food for all therein,—Under it the wild beast of the field found shade And among its branches dwelt the birds of the heavens, And therefrom was well fed all flesh.

13 I was looking in the visions of my head upon my bed, when lo! a watcher and holy one out of the heavens coming down.

14 He cried aloud and thus he said—Hew ye down the tree And lop off its branches, Strip off its leaves And scatter its fruit,—Let the wild beasts flee from under it, And the birds out of its branches;

15 Nevertheless the stock of its roots in the earth leave ye, yea in a bond of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, And with the dew of the heavens let it be drenched, And with the wild beasts be its portion, amongst the herbage of the earth;

16 Let its heart from a man’s be changed, And the heart of a wild beast be given to it,—And let seven seasons pass over it.

17 By the decree of the watchers is the thing, And [by] the mandate of the holy ones the matter: To the intent that the living may get to know that the Most High hath dominion over the kingdom of men and to whomsoever he pleaseth he giveth it, and one low among men he setteth up over it.

18 This dream have I, King Nebuchadnezzar seen. Thou therefore O Belteshazzar the interpretation do thou tell forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are unable the interpretation to make known to me, but thou art able because the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.

19 Then Daniel whose name was Belteshazzar was astonished for about one moment. and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake and said, O Belteshazzar, let neither the dream nor the interpretation trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My Lord, The dream be for them who hate thee And the interpretation for them who are thy foes.

20 The tree which thou sawest, which grew and became strong, Whose height reached unto the heavens, And the view thereof to all the earth:

21 Whose foliage was beautiful And whose fruit abundant, And food for all was in it,—Under it dwelt the wild beasts of the field, And in the branches thereof nestled the birds of the heavens:

22 Thyself it is, O king, in that thou art grown and become strong,—and thy greatness hath grown and reached to the heavens, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.

23 And whereas the king saw a watcher and holy one coming down out of the heavens who said, Hew ye down the tree and despoil it, Nevertheless the stock of its roots—in the earth leave ye, even in a bond of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field,—And with the dew of the heavens let it be drenched and along with the wild beasts of the field be its portion, Until that seven seasons pass over it

24 This is the interpretation, O king,—and the decree of the Most High it is, which hath come upon my lord the king:

25 That thee are they going to drive forth from among men And along with the wild beasts of the field shall be thy dwelling And grass—like oxen will they suffer thee to eat And with the dew of the heavens will they suffer thee to be drenched, And seven seasons shall pass over thee,—Until that thou come to know that the Most High hath dominion over the kingdom of men, And to whomsoever he pleaseth he giveth it.

26 And whereas they gave word to leave the stock of the roots of the tree thy kingdom unto thee is sure,—after that thou come to know, that the heavens have dominion.

27 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be pleasing unto thee, Thy sin then—by righteousness break thou off And thine iniquities by shewing favour to the oppressed,—If so be it may become the lengthening out of thy security.

28 All this came upon Nebuchadnezzar the king.

29 At the end of twelve months over the palace of the kingdom of Babylon was he walking:

30 the king spake and said, Is not this Babylon the great,—which I myself have built as the home of the kingdom, by the might of my power and for the dignity of my majesty?

31 While yet the word was in the mouth of the king a voice out of the heavens fell,—Unto thee is it said, O Nebuchadnezzar the king, The kingdom hath departed from thee;

32 And from among men are they going to drive thee forth And with the wild beast of the field shall be thy dwelling, Grass—like oxen will they suffer thee to eat, And seven seasons shall pass over thee,—Until that thou come to know that the Most High hath dominion over the kingdom of men, and to whomsoever he pleaseth he giveth it.

33 Immediately the word was fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar And from among men was he driven forth And grass—like oxen did he eat And with the dew of the heavens his body was drenched,—until that his hair like to eagles’ feathers was grown and his nails like birds’ claws.

34 And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, mine eyes unto the heavens did uplift, And mine understanding unto me returned, And the Most High I blessed And to him that liveth age-abidingly I rendered praise and honour,—Whose dominion is an age-abiding dominion, And his kingdom lasteth from generation to generation;

35 And all the inhabitants of the earth as nothing are accounted, And according to his own pleasure dealeth he—With the army of the heavens, And the inhabitants of the earth,—And none there is who can smite upon his hand, Or say to him, What hast thou done?

36 At the same time mine understanding returned unto me And for the dignity of my kingdom my majesty and my brightness returned unto me, And unto me my nearest friends and my nobles did seek,—And over my kingdom was I restored, And surpassing greatness was added unto me.

37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar am praising and extolling and honouring the King of the Heavens, All whose works are truth, And his ways right; And them who walk in pride he is able to abase.

5 Belshazzar the king made a great feast, to a thousand of his nobles,—and before the thousand was drinking wine.

2 Belshazzar gave word at the flavour of the wine to bring the vessels of gold and silver, which Nebuchadnezzar his father had brought forth out of the temple which was in Jerusalem,—that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink therein.

3 Then brought they the vessels of gold which had been taken out of the temple of the house of God which was in Jerusalem,—and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank therein:

4 they drank wine,—and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.

5 Immediately came forth the fingers of the hand of a man, and wrote over against the chandelier, upon the plaster of the wall of the palace of the king,—and the king saw the part of the hand which was writing.

6 Then as for the king his bright looks changed in him, and his thoughts terrified him,—and the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

7 The king began crying out amain, to bring in the magicians, the Chaldeans and the astrologers,—the king spake and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever it is that shall read this writing and the interpretation thereof shall declare unto me, With purple shall he be clothed And have a chain of gold upon his neck And as the third in the kingdom shall he have dominion.

8 Then were coming in all the wise men of the king,—but the writing could they not read, nor the interpretation make known to the king.

9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly terrified, and his bright looks were changed upon him,—and his nobles were perplexed.

10 The queen by reason of the words of the king and his nobles into the house of banqueting entered,—the queen spake and said, O king! for ages live! Let not thy thoughts terrify thee, and as for thy bright looks let them not be changed.

11 There is a man in thy kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods and in the days of thy father light and intelligence and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him,—and King Nebuchadnezzar thy father appointed him chief of the sacred scribes, the magicians, the Chaldeans and the astrologers—thy father, O king!

12 Forasmuch as a distinguished spirit and knowledge and intelligence, ability to interpret dreams and solve riddles and unravel knotty points were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar now let Daniel be called and the interpretation will he declare.

13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king,—the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel that is of the sons of the exile of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah?

14 Then I have heard concerning thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee,—and light and intelligence and distinguished wisdom are found in thee.

15 Now therefore have been brought in before me the wise men, the magicians, that this writing they might read and the interpretation thereof might make known unto me,—but they were not able the interpretation of the thing to declare.

16 I however have heard concerning thee, that thou art able interpretations to unfold and knotty points to unravel,—Now if thou be able the writing to read and the interpretation thereof to make known unto me with purple shalt thou be clothed and a chain of gold shalt thou have upon thy neck, and as the third in the kingdom shalt thou have dominion.

17 Then spake Daniel and said before the king, As for thy gifts thine own let them remain And thy presents on another bestow,—Howbeit the writing will I read to the king, And the interpretation thereof will I make known to him.

18 As for thee O king the Most High God gave kingship and greatness and honour and majesty unto Nebuchadnezzar thy father;

19 and for the greatness that he gave him all peoples, races and tongues used to tremble and to withdraw falteringly from before him,—Whom he would he slew, And whom he would he kept alive, And whom he would he set up, And whom he would he put down.

20 But when uplifted was his heart and his spirit became obstinate so as to act arrogantly he was put down from the throne of his kingdom and his dignity took they from him;

21 And from among the sons of men was he driven And his heart to a wild beast’s became equal And with the wild asses was his dwelling, And grass—like oxen they suffered him to eat, And with the dew of the heavens his body was drenched—until that he came to know that the Most High God hath dominion over the kingdom of men, and whomsoever he pleaseth he setteth up over it.

22 And yet thou his son O Belshazzar! hast not humbled thy heart, though all this thou knewest;

23 but against the Lord of the heavens hast uplifted thyself and the vessels of his house have they brought before thee, and thou and thy nobles, thy wives and thy concubines have been drinking wine therein, and gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone which see not nor hear nor know hast thou praised,—whereas God, in whose hand thy breath is and whose are all thy ways, him hast thou not glorified.

24 Then was there put forth from before him the part of the hand,—and this writing was inscribed:

25 And this is the writing which was inscribed, M’nê, M’nê, T’kêl u-Pharsin.

26 This is the interpretation of the thing,—M’nê [“Reckoned-up”], God hath reckoned up thy reign and ended it:

27 T’kêl [“Weighed”],—thou art weighed in the balances and found wanting;

28 P’rês [“Snatched-away”],—snatched away is thy kingdom, and given to the Medes and Persians.

29 Then Belshazzar gave word that they should clothe Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold upon his neck,—and should make a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler over the kingdom.

30 In that night was slain—Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans.

31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom,—when about sixty-two years of age.

6 It was pleasing before Darius, that he should set up over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps,—that they should be over all the kingdom;

2 and over these three confidential ministers, of whom Daniel was first,—that to them these satraps should render an account, and the king not be suffering loss.

3 Then this Daniel signalised himself, above the ministers and the satraps, because a distinguished spirit was in him, and the king thought to set him up over all the kingdom.

4 Then the ministers and the satraps began seeking to find occasion against Daniel in respect of the kingdom,—but no occasion nor wickedness could they find inasmuch as faithful was he, and neither error nor wickedness could be found against him.

5 Then these men were saying, We shall not find against this Daniel any occasion; unless we find it against him in respect of the law of his God.

6 Then these ministers and satraps crowded together unto the king,—and thus were saying to him, O Darius the king! for ages live!

7 All the ministers of the kingdom, the nobles and satraps, the near friends and the pashas have consulted together, to establish a royal statute and to confirm an interdict,—That whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days save of thee O king shall be cast into the den of lions.

8 Now O king! wilt thou establish the interdict and sign the writing, that it may not be changed—according to the law of the Medes and Persians which may not be abolished.

9 Wherefore King Darius signed the writing and the interdict.

10 But Daniel when he knew that the writing was signed went to his own house, and the windows being opened to him in his chamber toward Jerusalem three times a day was he kneeling upon his knees and praying and giving thanks before his God, in like manner as he had been doing aforetime.

11 Then these men crowded together, and found Daniel,—praying and making supplication before his God.

12 Then drew they near and began to speak before the king concerning the royal interdict, Didst thou not sign an interdict That any man who should petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee O king should be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, Certain is the thing—according to the law of the Medes and Persians which may not be abolished.

13 Then answered they and were saying before the king, Daniel who is of the sons of the exile of Judah hath made thee, O king, of none account, also the interdict which thou hast signed,—but three times a day is asking his petition.

14 Then the king when he heard the matter was sorely displeased with himself, and upon Daniel set his heart to deliver him,—and until the going in of the sun was striving to rescue him.

15 Then these men crowded unto the king,—and were saying to the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, that no interdict nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.

16 Then the king gave word and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. The king spake and said to Daniel,—Thy God whom thou art serving continually he will deliver thee.

17 And there was brought a certain stone, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet-ring and with the signet-ring of his nobles, that nothing might be changed as to Daniel.

18 Then the king departed to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no table was brought in before him,—and his sleep fled from him.

19 Then the king rose early with the dawn,—and hastily—unto the den of lions departed;

20 and when he drew near to the den, unto Daniel with distressed voice made he outcry,—the king spake and said unto Daniel, O Daniel! servant of the Living God! Thy God whom thou art serving continually hath he been able to deliver thee from the lions?

21 Then Daniel with the king spake,—O king! for ages live!

22 My God hath sent his messenger and hath shut the mouth of the lions and they have not hurt me; forasmuch as before him rectitude was found in me, moreover also before thee O king no crime had I committed.

23 Then the king was exceedingly glad concerning him, and gave word to take up Daniel out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no manner of hurt was found in him, for that he had trusted in his God.

24 And the king gave word that they should bring those men who had accused Daniel, and into the den of lions they cast them—them, their children and their wives,—and they had not reached the bottom of the den when the lions seized them, and all their bones brake they in pieces.

25 Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, the races and the tongues who were dwelling in all the earth, Your prosperity abound!

26 From before me is appointed a decree that throughout every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and withdraw falteringly from before the God of Daniel,—for that he is the Living God and abiding for ages, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion is unto the end:

27 who delivereth and rescueth and worketh signs and wonders, in the heavens and in the earth,—for that he hath delivered Daniel out of the power of the lions.

28 And this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius,—and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel beheld a dream, and visions of his head upon his bed,—then the dream he wrote, the sum of the matters he told.

2 Daniel spake and said, I was looking in my vision [which came] with the night,—when lo! the four winds of the heavens bursting forth upon the great sea;

3 and four large wild beasts, coming up out of the sea,—diverse one from another:—

4 The foremost like a lion, having the wings of an eagle,—I looked until the wings thereof were torn out and it was lifted up from the earth and upon its feet like a man was it caused to stand, and the heart of a man was given to it.

5 And lo! another wild beast, a second, resembling a bear and on one side was it raised up, with three ribs in its mouth between its teeth,—and thus were they saying to it, Rise! devour much flesh.

6 After that I was looking and lo! another, like a leopard, and it had four wings of a bird upon its back,—and four heads had the wild beast, and dominion was given to it.

7 After that I was looking in the visions of the night, when lo! a fourth wild beast, terrible and well-hipped and exceeding strong, and it had large teeth of iron, it devoured and brake in pieces, and the residue—with its feet it trampled down,—and it was diverse from all the wild beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.

8 I was considering the horns, when lo! another horn, a little one came up among them, and three of the former horns were uprooted from before it,—and lo! eyes like the eyes of a man in this horn, and a mouth speaking great things.

9 I continued looking until that thrones were placed, and the Ancient of days took his seat,—whose garment like snow was white and the hair of his head like pure wool, his throne was flames of fire, his wheels a burning fire.

10 A stream of fire was flowing on and issuing forth from before him, a thousand thousand waited upon him and ten thousand times ten thousand before him stood up,—Judgment took its seat and books were opened.

11 I continued looking, then because of the sound of the great words which the horn was speaking, I continued looking until that the wild beast was slain and his body destroyed, and given to the burning of the fire.

12 As concerning the rest of the beasts their dominion was taken away,—but a lengthening of life was given to them until time and season.

13 I continued looking in the visions of the night, when lo! with the clouds of the heavens one like a son of man was coming,—and unto the Ancient of days he approached, and before him they brought him near;

14 and unto him were given dominion and dignity and kingship, that all peoples, races and tongues unto him should do service,—his dominion was an age-abiding dominion which should not pass away, and his kingdom that which should not be destroyed.

15 The spirit of me Daniel was grieved in the midst of the sheath,—and the visions of my head terrified me.

16 I drew near unto one of them who stood by, and made exact enquiry of him concerning all this,—so he told me, and the interpretation of the things made he known unto me.

17 These great wild beasts, which are four,—are four kings who shall arise out of the earth;

18 but the holy ones of the Highest shall receive the kingdom,—and shall possess the kingdom for the age, yea for the age of ages.

19 Then desired I to be sure, concerning the fourth wild beast which was diverse from all of them,—exceeding terrible, whose teeth were iron and his claws of bronze, he devoured, brake in pieces, and the residue—with his feet he trampled down;

20 also concerning the ten horns which were in his head, and the other which came up, and there fell—from among them that were before it—three,—and this horn which had eyes and a mouth speaking great things, and his look was more proud than his fellows:

21 I continued looking, when this horn made war with the holy ones,—and prevailed against them:

22 until that the Ancient of Days came, and justice was granted to the holy ones of the Highest,—and the time arrived, that the holy ones should possess the kingdom.

23 Thus he said, The fourth wild beast is a fourth kingdom which shall be in the earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms,—and shall devour all the earth, and shall trample it down and break it in pieces.

24 And the ten horns of that kingdom are ten kings who will arise,—and another will arise after them and he will be diverse from the former ones, and three kings will he cast down;

25 and words against the Most High will he speak, and the holy ones of the Highest will he afflict,—and will hope to change times and law, and they will be given into his hand for a season and seasons and the dividing of a season,

26 but Judgment will take its seat,—and his dominion will they take away, to destroy and make disappear unto an end.

27 And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under all the heavens shall be given to the people of the holy ones of the Highest,—his kingdom is an age-abiding kingdom, and all the dominions unto him will render service and shew themselves obedient.

28 Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel greatly did my thoughts terrify me and my bright looks were changed upon me, but the matter—in mine own heart I kept.

8 In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king,a vision appeared unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the beginning.

2 So then I saw in the vision and it came to pass when I saw that I was in Shusan the fortress, which is in Persia the province,—yea I saw it in a vision, when I was by the river Ulai.

3 So then I lifted up mine eyes and looked, and lo! a ram standing before the river and it had two horns,—and the two horns were high but the one was higher than the other, and the higher had come up last.

4 I saw the ram pushing strongly westward and northward and southward so that no wild beast could stand before him, and none could deliver out of his hand,—but he did according to his own pleasure and shewed himself great.

5 Now I was observing, when lo! a he-goat coming in out of the west, over the face of all the earth, but it meddled not with the earth,—and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes.

6 So then he came up to the ram having the two horns, which I had seen standing before the river,—and ran unto him in the fury of his strength.

7 Yea I saw him coming close upon the ram and he was enraged at him and smote the ram, and brake in pieces both his horns, and there was no strength in the ram to stand before him,—but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him underfoot, and there was none could deliver the ram out of his power.

8 But the he-goat shewed himself very great,—and when he had become mighty the great horn was broken in pieces, and there came up afterwards four in its stead, towards the four winds of the heavens;

9 and out of the first of them came forth a little horn,—which became exceedingly great against the south and against the east and against the beautiful [land];

10 yea it became great as far as the host of the heavens,—and caused to fall to the earth some of the host and some of the stars and trampled them underfoot;

11 even as far as the ruler of the host shewed he his greatness,—and because of him was taken away the continual [ascending-sacrifice], and the place of the sanctuary was cast down;

12 and a host was set over the continual [ascending-sacrifice] by transgression,—and faithfulness was cast down to the ground, and so he acted with effect and succeeded.

13 Then heard I a certain holy one speaking,—and another holy one said to that certain holy one who was speaking—How long is the vision of the continual [ascending-sacrifice] as taken away and the transgression which astoundeth, for both sanctuary and host to be given over to be trampled underfoot?

14 And he said unto him, Until two thousand and three hundred evening-mornings,—then shall the sanctuary be vindicated.

15 And it came to pass when I Daniel had seen the vision,—and had sought discernment, that lo! there was standing before me as the appearance of a man.

16 Then heard I a human voice between [the banks of] the Ulai,—which cried out and said, Gabriel! cause this man to understand the revelation.

17 So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was terrified and fell upon my face,—but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man, that to the time of the end belongeth the vision.

18 And when he spake with me I fell stunned upon my face to the earth,—but he touched me, and caused me to stand up where I was.

19 Then said he, Behold me! causing thee to know, that which shall come to pass in the afterpart of the indignation,—for at an appointed time shall be an end.

20 The ram which thou sawest having the two horns representeth the kings of Media and Persia;

21 and the he-goat is the king of Greece,—and the great horn which was between his eyes the same is the first king.

22 Now as for its being broken in pieces, whereupon there stood up four in its stead four kingdoms out of his nation shall stand up but not with his strength;

23 but in the aftertime of their kingdom, when transgressions have filled up their measure,—there will stand up a king of mighty presence and skilful in dissimulation;

24 and his strength will be mighty but not through his own strength, and wonderfully will he destroy and succeed and act with effect,—and will destroy mighty ones and the people of holy ones;

25 and by his cunning will he both cause deceit to succeed in his hand, and in his own heart will he shew himself to be great and by their careless security will he destroy many,—and against the ruler of rulers will he stand up, but without hand shall be broken in pieces.

26 Now the revelation of the evening and the morning which hath been told faithful indeed it is,—but thou close up the vision, because it is for many days.

27 Now as for me Daniel then was I sick for days, but I arose and did the business of the king,—and though I was confounded concerning the revelation yet could no one discern it.

9 In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus of the seed of the Medes,—who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans:

2 in the first year of his reign I Daniel perceived by the writings,—the number of the years as to which the word of Yahweh came unto Jeremiah the prophet, to fulfil the desolations of Jerusalem, seventy years.

3 So I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek [him] by prayer and supplication,—with fasting and sackcloth and ashes;

4 yea I prayed unto Yahweh my God and made confession,—and said—I beseech thee, O Lord, the God great and to be revered, keeping the covenant and the lovingkindness to them who love him and to them who keep his commandments.

5 We have sinned and committed iniquity and been guilty of lawlessness and been rebellious,—even departing from thy commandments and from thy regulations;

6 and have not hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, who spake in thy name, unto our kings, our rulers and our fathers,—and unto all the people of the land.

7 To thee O Lord belongeth righteousness, but to us the shame of faces as at this day,—to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, the near and the far off, throughout all the lands whither thou hast driven them, in their treachery, wherewith they had been treacherous against thee.

8 O Yahweh to us belongeth the shame of faces, to our kings, to our rulers and to our fathers,—in that we have sinned against thee.

9 To the Lord our God belong compassions and forgivenesses,—for we have rebelled against him;

10 and have not hearkened unto the voice of Yahweh our God,—to walk in his instructions which he set before us, through means of his servants the prophets;

11 yea all Israel have transgressed thy law, even going away so as not to hearken unto thy voice,—therefore were poured out upon us the curse and the oath which had been written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we had sinned against him.

12 Thus hath he confirmed his words which he had spoken against us and against our judges who had judged us, by bringing in upon us a great calamity,—as to which there had not been done under all the heavens as hath been done unto Jerusalem.

13 Even as written in the law of Moses hath all this calamity come in upon us,—yet entreated we not the face of Yahweh our God by turning away from our iniquities, and by getting intelligence in thy truth.

14 Therefore hath Yahweh kept watch for the calamity, and brought it in upon us,—for righteous is Yahweh our God concerning all his deeds which he hath done, seeing that we had not hearkened unto his voice.

15 Now therefore, O Lord our God, who didst bring forth thy people out of the land of Egypt with a firm hand, and didst make for thyself a name as at this day,—we have sinned, we have been guilty of lawlessness.

16 O Lord! according to all thy righteousness I beseech thee, let thine anger and thine indignation turn away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain,—for by reason of our sins and by reason of the iniquities of our fathers Jerusalem and thy people have become a reproach to all who are round about us.

17 Now therefore hearken, O our God, unto the prayer of thy servant and unto his supplications, and let thy face shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate,—for the sake of thy servants, O Lord.

18 Incline, O my God, thine ear and hearken, open thine eyes and behold our desolations, and the city on which hath been called thy name; for not on the ground of our own righteousnesses are we causing our supplications to fall down before thee, but on the ground of thine abounding compassions.

19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hearken and perform! Do not delay! For thine own sake, O my God, Because thine own name hath been called upon thy city and upon thy people.

20 And while yet I was speaking and praying, and confessing mine own sin and the sin of my people Israel,—and causing my supplication to fall down before Yahweh my God, concerning the holy mountain of my God;

21 while yet I was speaking in prayer then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in vision at the beginning, wearied with rapid flight touched me, about the time of the evening present.

22 Yea he came and spake with me,—and said—O Daniel! now have I come forth to teach thee understanding.

23 At the beginning of thy supplications came forth a word, I therefore am arrived to tell, because a man delighted in thou art,—mark then the word, and have understanding in the revelation:—

24 Seventy weeks have been divided concerning thy people and concerning thy holy city—To put an end to the transgression And fill up the measure of sin And put a propitiatory-covering over iniquity, And bring in the righteousness of ages, And affix a seal to vision and prophecy, And anoint the holy of holies.

25 Thou must know then and understand: From the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem—unto the Anointed One the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks,—the broadway and the wall shall again be built, even in the end of the times.

26 And after the sixty-two weeks shall the Anointed One be cut off and have nothing,—and the city and the sanctuary will one destroy with the Prince, and so will his own end come with an overwhelming flood, howbeit up to the full end of the war are decreed astounding things.

27 And he will confirm a covenant to the many for one week,—but in the middle of the week will cause sacrifice and present to cease and in his stead [shall be] the horrid abomination that astoundeth, even till a full end and that a decreed one shall be poured out on him that astoundeth.

10 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a matter was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and faithful was the matter but [concerned] a great warfare, and he marked the word, and had understanding in the revelation.

2 In those days I Daniel was mourning three sevens of days:

3 food to delight in did I not eat neither flesh nor wine came into my mouth, nor did I so much as anoint myself,—until were fulfilled three sevens of days.

4 And on the twenty-fourth day of the first month,—when I was by the side of the great river, the same is Tigris

5 then lifted I up mine eyes and looked, and lo! a man clothed in linen,—whose loins were girded with the bright gold of Uphaz;

6 whose body was like Tarshish-stone and his face like the appearance of lightning and his eyes were like torches of fire, and his arms and his feet like the look of bronze burnished,—and the sound of his words was like the sound of a multitude.

7 And I, Daniel, alone beheld the revelation, and the men who were with me beheld not the revelation,—in truth a great terror had fallen upon them, and they had fled while hiding themselves.

8 I therefore was left alone, and beheld this great revelation and there remained in me no strength,—but my freshness was turned upon me into disfigurement, and I retained no strength.

9 So then I heard the sound of his words,—and when I heard the sound of his words then I myself came to be in a deep sleep upon my face with my face to the earth.

10 And lo! a hand touched me; and roused me up on my knees and the palms of my hands.

11 Then said he unto me, O Daniel! man greatly delighted in! have understanding in the words which I am about to speak unto thee and stand up where thou art, for now have I been sent unto thee. And when he had spoken with me this word I stood up trembling.

12 Then said he unto me, Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand and to humble thyself before thy God thy words were heard; and I am come by reason of thy words.

13 But the ruler of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but lo! Michael one of the chief rulers came in to help me,—and I left him there, beside the kings of Persia.

14 So then I am come to let thee understand that which shall befall thy people in the afterpart of the days,—for yet is the vision for [those] days.

15 And when he had spoken with me such words as these,—I set my face towards the earth and was dumb.

16 Then lo! like the similitude of the sons of men one was touching my lips,—so I opened my mouth and spake and said unto him who was standing before me, O my lord! By the revelation my pains have seized me, and I retain no strength.

17 How then can the servant of this my lord speak with this my lord,—seeing that as for me—henceforth there remaineth in me no strength, and no spirit is left in me?

18 Then again there touched me one like in appearance to a son of earth and he strengthened me.

19 And he said, Do not fear, O man greatly delighted in! peace to thee, be strong, yea be strong! And as he spake with me I gained strength, and said, Let my lord speak for thou hast strengthened me.

20 And he said, Knowest thou wherefore I am come unto thee? But now must I return to fight with the ruler of Persia; I therefore am going forth, and lo! the ruler of Greece is coming.

21 Howbeit I will tell thee that which is inscribed in the writing of truth,—but there is no one who holdeth strongly with me concerning these things, save Michael your ruler.

11 I therefore in the first year of Darius the Mede was at my station to strengthen and embolden him;

2 and now the truth I will tell thee:—Lo! there are yet three kings to arise—belonging to Persia, and the fourth will amass greater riches than they all, and when he hath strengthened himself in his riches the whole will stir up the kingdom of Greece.

3 And so a hero king will arise,—and wield great authority, and do according to his own pleasure;

4 but when he hath arisen his kingdom shall be broken in pieces, and be divided toward the four winds of the heavens,—but not to his own posterity nor according to his own authority which he wielded, for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.

5 But a king of the south will become strong even from among his rulers,—and will prevail against him and have authority, a great authority shall his authority be.

6 And at the end of years they will league together, yea the daughter of the king of the south will go in unto the king of the north to make peace,—but she shall not retain strength of arm neither shall he stand nor his arm, but she shall be delivered up—she herself and they who brought her in and he who begat her, and he that strengthened her in the times.

7 But one will stand up from the sprout of her roots [in] his stead,—and he will enter the army and enter into a fortress of the king of the north, and deal with them and shew himself strong;

8 yea even their gods with their molten images, with their delightful vessels of silver and gold, with a host of captives will he bring into Egypt,—and he will stand more years than the king of the north;

9 so will the king of the south enter into the kingdom, and then return unto his own soil.

10 But his sons will rouse themselves to war and gather together a multitude of large armies, but he will come on and on and overflow and pass through,—and will return and wage war up to his fortress.

11 Then will the king of the south be enraged, and go forth and fight with him, with the king of the north,—and will raise a great multitude, but the multitude will be delivered into his hand.

12 And when he hath taken away the multitude his heart will be uplifted,—and he will cause tens of thousands to fall but will not conquer.

13 Then will the king of the north again raise a multitude, greater than the first,—and at the end of the times—some years he will come on and on with a great army and with great substance.

14 And in those times many will rise against the king of the south,—and the sons of the oppressors of thy people will exalt themselves to confirm the vision but will be overthrown.

15 Then will come in the king of the north, and cast up a rampart and capture a city of strongholds,—and the arms of the south will not rise, nor the people of his chosen ones and there shall be no strength to rise.

16 So shall he that cometh against him do according to his own pleasure, and none shall stand before him,—therefore will he take his stand in the beautiful land and it will languish and be exhausted in his hand.

17 Then will he set his face to enter with the might of all his kingdom and equitable terms with him will make,—and a daughter of women will he give him to corrupt her, but she will not remain nor his shall she become.

18 Then will he turn his face to the Coastlands and will capture many,—but a commander will bring to an end his reproach against himself, that his reproach return not unto him.

19 Therefore will he turn his face towards the fortresses of his land,—but he shall stagger and fall and shall not be found.

20 Then will rise up in his stead one causing an exactor to pass through the ornament of the kingdom,—but in a few days shall he be broken in pieces, not with anger nor in battle.

21 Then will rise up in his stead one despised, and they will not lay upon him the dignity of the kingdom,—but he will come in unexpectedly, and strengthen the kingdom by flatteries;

22 and the arms of an overflowing flood will sweep all before him and they shall be broken in pieces,—moreover also the prince of a covenant;

23 and by reason of the leaguing against him he will work deceitfully, and will come up and become strong with a small nation.

24 Unexpectedly even into the rich places of the province will he enter, and will do what neither his fathers nor his fathers’ fathers had done, prey and spoil and substance—among them will he scatter,—and against strongholds will he devise plots even until a (convenient) time.

25 Then will he stir up his strength and his heart against the king of the south with a great army, and the king of the south will wage war with a great and exceedingly mighty army,—but will make no stand, for they will devise against him plots;

26 and they who have been eating his delicacies will break him in pieces and his army will he overwhelm like a flood,—and many wounded will fall.

27 Now as for the two kings their heart will be set on acting wickedly, and at one table will they speak falsehood,—but it shall not succeed, for yet is the end for an appointed time.

28 So then he will return to his own land with great substance, with his heart set upon a holy covenant; yea he will act with effect and return to his own land.

29 At the appointed time will he again enter the south,—but it shall not be like the former nor like the latter.

30 Then will come in against him the ships of Cyprus and he will be disheartened, and again have indignation against a holy covenant and will act with effect,—and again gain intelligence, concerning them who are forsaking a holy covenant.

31 And arms from him will arise,—and will profane the sanctuary, the fortress, and will set aside the continual [ascending-sacrifice], and place the horrid abomination that astoundeth.

32 And them who are ready to deal lawlessly with a covenant will he make impious by flatteries,—but the people who know their God will be strong and act with effect.

33 And they who make the people wise will impart understanding to the many,—yet shall they be brought low by sword and by flame, by captivity and by prey for some days;

34 but when they are brought low they shall be helped with a little help,—and many will join themselves unto them by flatteries;

35 and of them who make wise some shall be brought low to refine them and to purify and make white, up to the time of the end,—for yet is it for an appointed time.

36 And the king will do according to his own pleasure and will exalt himself, and magnify himself against every God, yea against the God of Gods will he speak wonderful things,—and will succeed, until exhausted is the indignation, for what is decreed must be done;

37 and for the god of his fathers will he have no regard, nor for the delight of women nor for any god will he have regard,—for against all will he magnify himself.

38 Howbeit to the god of the fortresses in his place will he give honour,—even to a god whom his fathers knew not will he give honour with gold and with silver and with precious stones and with articles of delight.

39 And he will prepare, for the strongholds of the fortress of the sea, the people of an alien god, whom he will acknowledge—will greatly honour,—and will give them authority over the many, and the soil will he apportion for a price.

40 And in the time of the end will the king of the south push at him, and the king of the north will rush against him with chariots and with horsemen and with many ships,—and he will enter the lands and overwhelm and pass over;

41 yea he will enter the beautiful land, and many [lands] shall be laid low,—but these shall be delivered out of his hand, Edom and Moab and the first portion of the sons of Ammon;

42 yea he will thrust forth his hand against the lands,—and the land of Egypt shall have no deliverance;

43 and he will have authority over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the delightful things of Egypt,—with Libyans and Ethiopians among his followers;

44 but tidings will terrify him, out of the east and out of the north,—therefore will he go forth with great fury, to destroy and to devote many;

45 and will plant his palace-home between the seas towards the beautiful holy mountain, but shall come to his end, with none to help him.

12 And at that time will Michael the great ruler who standeth for the sons of thy people make a stand, and there will be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation up to that time,—and at that time shall thy people be delivered, every one found written in the book;

2 and many of the sleepers in the dusty ground shall awake,—these [shall be] to age-abiding life, but those to reproach and age-abiding abhorrence;

3 and they who make wise shall shine like the shining of the expanse,—and they who bring the many to righteousness like the stars to times age-abiding and beyond.

4 But thou Daniel close up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end,—many will run to and fro and knowledge shall abound.

5 Then I Daniel looked, and lo! two others standing,—one on this side of the bank of the river, and one on that side of the bank of the river.

6 And one said to the man clothed with linen, who was upon the waters of the river, How long shall be the end of the wonders?

7 And I heard the man clothed with linen who was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left unto the heavens, and sware by him that liveth unto times age-abiding,—For a set time and times and a half, and when the dispersion of a part of the holy people is brought to an end then shall come to an end all these things.

8 And I heard but could not understand,—so I said, O my lord! what shall be the issue of these things?

9 Then said he, Go thy way, Daniel; for closed up and sealed are the words until the time of the end.

10 Many will purify themselves and be made white and be refined, but the lawless will act lawlessly and none of the lawless shall understand,—but they who make wise shall understand;

11 and from the time of the taking away of the continual [ascending-sacrifice], and the placing of the horrid abomination that astoundeth [shall be] one thousand two hundred and ninety days.

12 Happy! is he that waiteth, and attaineth to one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.

13 But thou go thy way to the end,—and thou shalt rest and shalt rise to thy lot at the end of the days.