Study Desk

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a ^(C1)dream and visions ^(F1)in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he ^(C2)wrote the dream down and told the ^(F2)following summary of ^(F3)it.

Daniel ^(F1)said, "I was ^(C1)looking in my vision by night, and behold, the ^(C2)four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

"And four great ^(C1)beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.

"The first was ^(C1)like a lion but had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and set up on two feet like a man; a human ^(F1)mind also was given to it.

"And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and they said this to it: 'Arise, devour much meat!'

"After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, ^(C1)like a leopard, which had on its ^(F1)back four wings of a bird; the beast also had ^(C2)four heads, and dominion was given to it.

"After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a ^(C1)fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ^(C2)ten horns.

"While I was thinking about the horns, behold, ^(C1)another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the previous horns were plucked out before it; and behold, ^(F1)this horn possessed eyes like human eyes, and ^(C2)a mouth uttering great boasts.

"I kept looking Until ^(C1)thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His ^(C2)garment was white as snow, And the ^(C3)hair of His head like pure wool. His ^(C4)throne was ^(F1)ablaze with flames, Its ^(C5)wheels were a burning fire.

-"A river of ^(C1)fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; ^(C2)Thousands upon thousands were serving Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The ^(C3)court ^(F1)convened, And ^(C4)the books were opened.

"Then I kept looking because of the sound of the ^(F1)boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was killed, and its body was destroyed and given to the ^(C1)burning ^(F2)fire.

"As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.

"I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a son of man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him.

-"And to Him was given ^(C1)dominion, Honor, and ^(F1)(C2)a kingdom, ^(C3)So that all the peoples, nations, and populations of all ^(F2)languages Might serve Him. ^(C4)His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; ^(C5)And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.

"As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within ^(F1)me, and the ^(C1)visions ^(F2)in my mind kept ^(C2)alarming me.

"I approached one of those who were ^(C1)standing by and began requesting of him the ^(F1)exact meaning of all this. So he ^(C2)told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things:

'These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth.

'But the ^(F1)(C1)saints of the Highest One will ^(C2)receive the kingdom and take possession of the kingdom forever, ^(F2)for all ages to come.'

"Then I desired to know the ^(F1)exact meaning of the ^(C1)fourth beast, which was different from all ^(F2)the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet,

and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three of the horns fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts, and ^(F1)which was larger in appearance than its associates.

"I kept looking, and that horn was ^(C1)waging war with the ^(F1)saints and prevailing against them,

until the Ancient of Days came and ^(C1)judgment was ^(F1)passed in favor of the ^(F2)saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the ^(F2)saints took possession of the kingdom.

"This is what he said: 'The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and will devour the whole earth and trample it down and crush it.

'As for the ^(C1)ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will ^(F1)humble three kings.

'And he will ^(F1)(C1)speak against the ^(C2)Most High and ^(C3)wear down the ^(F2)saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make ^(C4)alterations in times and in law; and ^(F3)they will be handed over to him for a ^(F4)(C5)time, ^(F4)times, and half a ^(F4)time.

'But the court will ^(F1)convene for judgment, and his dominion will be ^(C1)taken away, ^(F2)annihilated and destroyed ^(F3)forever.

'Then the ^(F1)(C1)sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the ^(F2)saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an ^(C2)everlasting kingdom, and all the empires will ^(C3)serve and obey Him.'

"^(F1)At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were ^(C1)greatly alarming me and my ^(F2)face became pale, but I ^(C2)kept the matter ^(F3)to myself."

In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king, a vision appeared to me, ^(F1)Daniel, subsequent to the one which appeared to me ^(F2)previously.

I ^(C1)looked in the vision, and while I was looking, I was in the citadel of ^(C2)Susa, which is in the province of ^(C3)Elam; and I looked in the vision, and I myself was beside the Ulai Canal.

Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a ^(C1)ram which had two horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were ^(F1)long, but one was ^(F1)longer than the other, with the ^(F1)longer one coming up last.

I saw the ram ^(C1)butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand against him nor was there anyone to rescue from his ^(F1)power, but ^(C2)he did as he pleased and made himself great.

While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a ^(C1)prominent horn between his eyes.

He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath.

And I saw him come up beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and smashed his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was no one to rescue the ram from his ^(F1)power.

Then the male goat made himself exceedingly great. But once ^(C1)he became powerful, the ^(C2)large horn was broken; and in its place four prominent horns came up toward the ^(C3)four winds of heaven.

And out of one of them came a rather ^(C1)small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the ^(F1)(C2)Beautiful Land.

It grew up to the heavenly ^(F1)lights, and some of the ^(F1)lights, ^(F2)that is, some of the ^(C1)stars it threw down to the earth, and it ^(C2)trampled them.

It even ^(C1)exalted itself ^(F1)to be equal with the ^(F2)Commander of the army; and it removed the ^(C2)regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was overthrown.

And because of ^(F1)an offense the army will be given to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will ^(C1)hurl truth to the ground and do as it pleases and be successful.

Then I heard a ^(C1)holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, "^(C2)How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, ^(F1)while the offense causes horror, so as to allow both the sanctuary and the army ^(F2)to be ^(C3)trampled?"

And he said to me, "For ^(C1)2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be ^(F1)properly restored."

When ^(C1)I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought ^(F1)to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one ^(F2)who looked like a ^(C2)man.

And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, "^(C1)Gabriel, explain the vision to this man."

So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and ^(C1)fell on my face; and he said to me, "Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the ^(C2)time of the end."

Now while he was talking with me, I was ^(C1)dazed with my face to the ground; but he ^(C2)touched me and made me stand at my place.

And he said, "Behold, I am going to ^(C1)inform you of what will occur at the final period of the indignation, because it pertains to the appointed time of the end.

"The ^(C1)ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia.

"The shaggy ^(F1)goat represents the ^(F2)kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king.

"The ^(C1)broken horn and the four horns that came up in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power.

-"And in the latter period of their ^(F1)dominion, When the wrongdoers have ^(F2)run their course, A king will arise, ^(F3)Insolent and skilled in ^(F4)intrigue.

-"And his power will be mighty, but not by his own power, And he will ^(F1)(C1)destroy to an extraordinary degree And be successful and do as he pleases; He will ^(F2)destroy mighty men and ^(F3)the holy people.

-"And through his shrewdness He will make deceit a success by his ^(F1)influence; And he will make himself great in his ^(F2)own mind, And he will ^(F3)destroy many while they are ^(F4)at ease. He will even ^(F5)(C1)oppose the Prince of princes, But he will be broken ^(C2)without ^(F1)human agency.

-"And the vision of the evenings and mornings Which has been told is ^(C1)true; But as for you, ^(C2)keep the vision secret, Because it pertains to many ^(C3)days in the future."

Then I, Daniel, was ^(F1)(C1)exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up and ^(C2)carried on the king's business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was no one to explain it.

In the first year of ^(C1)Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans—

in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to ^(C1)Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, ^(C1)seventy years.

So I gave my ^(F1)attention to the Lord God, to seek Him by prayer and pleading, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed, and said, "Oh, Lord, the ^(C1)great and awesome God, who ^(C2)keeps His covenant and faithfulness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,

^(C1)we have sinned, we have done wrong, and ^(F1)acted wickedly and ^(C2)rebelled, even ^(C3)turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.

"Moreover, we have not ^(C1)listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our leaders, our fathers, and all the people of the land.

"^(C1)Righteousness belongs to You, Lord, but to us ^(F1)(C2)open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in ^(C3)all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You.

"^(F1)Open shame belongs to us, LORD, to our kings, our leaders, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.

"To the Lord our God belong ^(C1)compassion and forgiveness, ^(F1)because we have ^(C2)rebelled against Him;

and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His ^(F1)teachings which He ^(C1)set before us through His servants the prophets.

"Indeed, ^(C1)all Israel has violated Your Law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the ^(C2)curse has gushed forth on us, along with the oath which is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him.

"So He has ^(C1)confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our ^(F1)(C2)rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great disaster; for under the entire heaven there has ^(C3)not been done anything like what was done in Jerusalem.

"Just as it is written in the ^(C1)Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us; yet we have ^(C2)not ^(F1)sought the favor of the LORD our God by ^(C3)turning from our wrongdoing and ^(F2)giving attention to Your truth.

"So the LORD has ^(F1)(C1)kept the disaster in store and brought it on us; for the LORD our God is ^(C2)righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.

"And now, Lord, our God, You who ^(C1)brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and ^(C2)made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have been wicked.

"Lord, in accordance with all Your ^(F1)righteous acts, let now Your ^(C1)anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your ^(C2)holy mountain; for because of our sins and the wrongdoings of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become an ^(C3)object of taunting to all those around us.

"So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his pleas, and for ^(F1)Your sake, Lord, ^(C1)let Your face shine on Your ^(C2)desolate sanctuary.

"My God, ^(C1)incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and ^(C2)see our desolations and the city which is ^(C3)called by Your name; for we are not ^(F1)(C4)presenting our pleas before You based on ^(F2)any merits of our own, but based on Your great compassion.

"Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, my God, ^(C1)do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name."

While I was still ^(C1)speaking and praying, and ^(C2)confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and ^(F1)presenting my plea before the LORD my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God,

while I was still speaking in prayer, the man ^(C1)Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision ^(F1)previously, ^(F2)came to me ^(F3)in my extreme weariness about the time of the ^(C2)evening offering.

And he instructed me and talked with me and said, "Daniel, I have come now to give you insight with ^(C1)understanding.

"At the ^(C1)beginning of your pleas the ^(F1)command was issued, and I have come to tell you, because you are ^(F2)(C2)highly esteemed; so pay attention to the message and gain ^(C3)understanding of the vision.

"Seventy ^(F1)(C1)weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to ^(F2)finish the wrongdoing, to ^(F3)make an end of sin, to ^(C2)make atonement for guilt, to bring in ^(C3)everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and ^(F4)prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

"So you are to know and understand that from the issuing of a ^(F1)(C1)decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until ^(F2)(C2)Messiah the ^(C3)Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with ^(F3)streets and moat, even in times of distress.

"Then after the sixty-two weeks, the ^(F1)Messiah will be ^(C1)cut off and have ^(F2)nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will ^(C2)destroy the city and the sanctuary. And ^(F3)its end will come with a ^(C3)flood; even to the end ^(F4)there will be war; desolations are determined.

"And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of ^(F1)(C1)abominations will come the one who ^(F2)makes desolate, until a ^(C2)complete destruction, one that is ^(F3)decreed, gushes forth on the one who ^(F2)makes desolate."

In the third year of ^(C1)Cyrus king of Persia, a ^(F1)message was revealed to ^(C2)Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the ^(F1)(C3)message was true and it concerned great ^(F2)conflict, but he understood the ^(F1)message and had an ^(C4)understanding of the vision.

In those days, I, Daniel, had been ^(C1)mourning for three ^(F1)entire weeks.

I ^(C1)did not eat any ^(F1)tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed.

On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, while I was by the bank of the great ^(C1)river, that is, the ^(F1)Tigris,

I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man ^(C1)dressed in linen, whose waist ^(C2)had a belt of pure ^(C3)gold of Uphaz.

His body also was like topaz, his face ^(F1)had the appearance of lightning, ^(C1)his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.

Now I, Daniel, ^(C1)alone saw the vision, while the ^(C2)men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great ^(C3)fear fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves.

So I was ^(C1)left alone and saw this great vision; yet ^(C2)no strength was left in me, for my complexion turned to ^(F1)a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength.

But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I ^(C1)fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.

Then behold, a hand ^(C1)touched me and shook me on my ^(F1)hands and knees.

And he said to me, "^(C1)Daniel, ^(F1)you who are treasured, ^(C2)understand the words that I am about to tell you and ^(C3)stand at your place, for I have now been sent to you." And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up ^(C4)trembling.

Then he said to me, "^(C1)Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on ^(C2)humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come ^(C3)in response to your words.

"But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was standing ^(F1)in my way for twenty-one days; then behold, ^(C1)Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.

"Now I have come to ^(C1)explain to you what will happen to your people in the ^(F1)(C2)latter days, because the vision pertains to ^(C3)the days still future."

When he had spoken to me according to these words, I ^(F1)turned my face toward the ground and became ^(C1)speechless.

And behold, ^(F1)(C1)one who resembled a human was ^(C2)touching my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him who was standing before me, "My lord, due to the vision ^(F2)(C3)anguish has come upon me, and I have retained no strength.

"For ^(C1)how can such a servant of my lord talk with such as my lord? As for me, there remains just now ^(C2)no strength in me, nor has any breath been left in me."

Then this one with human appearance touched me again and ^(C1)strengthened me.

And he said, "^(F1)You who are treasured, ^(C1)do not be afraid. Peace be to you; take ^(C2)courage and be courageous!" Now as soon as he spoke to me, I felt strengthened and said, "May my lord speak, for you have ^(C3)strengthened me."

Then he said, "Do you ^(F1)understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am leaving, and behold, the ^(C1)prince of ^(F2)Greece is about to come.

"However, I will tell you what is recorded in the writing of ^(C1)truth. Yet there is no one who ^(F1)stands firmly with me against these forces except ^(C2)Michael your prince.

"In the ^(C1)first year of Darius the Mede, ^(F1)I arose to be of ^(F2)assistance and a protection for him.

"And now I will tell you the ^(C1)truth. Behold, three more kings are going to arise ^(F1)in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all of them; as soon as he becomes strong through his riches, ^(F2)he will stir up the entire empire against the realm of ^(F3)(C2)Greece.

"And a ^(C1)mighty king will arise, and he will rule with great authority and ^(C2)do as he pleases.

"But as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out ^(C1)toward the ^(C2)four ^(F1)points of the compass, though not to his own descendants, nor according to his authority which he wielded, because his sovereignty will be ^(C3)removed and given to others besides ^(F2)them.

"Then the ^(C1)king of the South will grow strong, ^(F1)along with one of his princes ^(F2)who will gain ascendancy over him and rule; his domain will be a great realm indeed.

"And after some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will come to the ^(C1)king of the North to reach an agreement. But she will not keep her ^(F1)position of power, nor will he remain with his ^(F2)power, but she will be given up, along with those who brought her in and the one who fathered her as well as he who supported her in those times.

"But one of the ^(F1)descendants of her line will arise in his place, and he will come against their army and enter the ^(C1)fortress of the king of the North, and he will deal with them and prevail.

"And he will also take into captivity to Egypt their ^(C1)gods with their cast metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold, and he on his part will ^(F1)refrain from attacking the king of the North for some years.

"Then ^(F1)the latter will enter the realm of the king of the South, but will return to his own land.

"And his sons will mobilize and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one of them will keep on coming and ^(C1)overflow and pass through, so that he may ^(F1)again wage war up to his fortress.

"And the ^(C1)king of the South will be enraged and go out and fight ^(F1)with the king of the North. Then the latter will raise a great multitude, but that multitude will be handed over to ^(F2)the former.

"When the multitude is carried away, his heart will ^(F1)be haughty, and he will cause tens of thousands to fall; yet he will not prevail.

"For the king of the North will again raise a greater multitude than the former, and ^(F1)after an ^(C1)interval of some years he will ^(F2)press on with a great army and much equipment.

"Now in those times many will rise up against the king of the South; the violent ones among your people will also raise themselves up to fulfill the vision, but they will ^(F1)fall down.

"Then the king of the North will come, pile up an ^(C1)assault ramp, and capture a well-fortified city; and the forces of the South will not stand their ground, not even ^(F1)their choicest troops, for there will be no strength to make a stand.

"But he who comes against him will ^(C1)do as he pleases, and ^(C2)no one will be able to withstand him; he will also stay for a time in the ^(F1)(C3)Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand.

"And he will ^(C1)set his ^(F1)mind on coming with the power of his entire kingdom, ^(F2)bringing with him ^(F3)a proposal of peace which he will put into effect; he will also give him the daughter of women to ruin it. But she will not take a stand for him or be ^(F4)on his side.

"Then he will turn his face to the ^(C1)coastlands and capture many. But a commander will put a stop to his taunting against him; moreover, he will ^(C2)repay him for his taunting.

"So he will turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will ^(C1)stumble and fall and not be ^(C2)found.

"Then in his place one will arise who will ^(C1)allow an ^(F1)oppressor to pass through the ^(F2)Jewel of his kingdom; yet within a few days he will be broken, though not in anger nor in battle.

"And in his place a despicable person will arise, on whom the majesty of kingship has not been conferred; but he will come in a time of tranquility and ^(C1)seize the kingdom by intrigue.

"And the overflowing ^(C1)forces will be flooded away from him and smashed, and also the prince of the covenant.

"After an alliance is made with him he will practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people.

"^(F1)In a time of tranquility he will enter the ^(C1)richest parts of the ^(F2)realm, and he will accomplish what his fathers did not, nor his ^(F3)ancestors; he will distribute plunder, spoils, and possessions among them, and he will devise his schemes against strongholds, but only for a time.

"And he will stir up his strength and ^(F1)courage against the ^(C1)king of the South with a large army; so the king of the South will mobilize an extremely large and mighty army for war; but he will not stand, because schemes will be devised against him.

"Those who eat his choice food will ^(F1)destroy him, and his army will ^(F2)(C1)overflow, but many will fall down slain.

"As for both kings, their hearts will be intent on ^(C1)evil, and they will ^(C2)speak lies to each other at the same table; but it will not succeed, because the ^(C3)end is still to come at the appointed time.

"Then he will return to his land with much ^(F1)plunder; but his heart will be set against the holy covenant, and he will take action and then return to his own land.

"At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but ^(F1)this last time it will not turn out the way it did before.

"For ships of ^(F1)(C1)Kittim will come against him; therefore he will withdraw in fear and will return and curse the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and pay attention to those who abandon the holy covenant.

"Forces from him will arise, ^(C1)desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the ^(C2)abomination ^(F1)of desolation.

"And by ^(C1)smooth words he will ^(F1)turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will be ^(C2)strong and take action.

"And ^(F1)(C1)those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will ^(C2)fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder for many days.

"Now when they fall they will be granted a little help, and many will ^(C1)join with them in ^(C2)hypocrisy.

"And some of ^(F1)those who have insight will fall, to ^(C1)refine, ^(C2)purge, and ^(F2)(C3)cleanse them until the ^(C4)end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time.

"Then the king will ^(C1)do as he pleases, and he will exalt himself and ^(C2)boast against every god and will ^(C3)speak ^(F1)dreadful things against the ^(C4)God of gods; and he will be successful until the ^(C5)indignation is finished, because that which is ^(C6)determined will be done.

"And he will show no regard for the ^(F1)gods of his fathers or for the ^(F2)desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will boast against them all.

"But ^(F1)instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, precious stones, and treasures.

"And he will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to ^(F1)those who acknowledge him and will make them rulers over the many, and will parcel out land for a price.

"And at the ^(C1)end time the ^(C2)king of the South will wage war with him, and the ^(C3)king of the North will ^(C4)storm against him with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he will enter countries, ^(C5)overflow them, and pass through.

"He will also enter the ^(F1)(C1)Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, ^(C2)Moab, and the foremost of the sons of ^(C3)Ammon.

"Then he will reach out with his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape.

"But he will ^(F1)gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and ^(C1)Libyans and ^(C2)Ethiopians will follow at his ^(F2)heels.

"But rumors from the East and from the North will terrify him, and he will go out with great wrath to eliminate and ^(F1)annihilate many.

"And he will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful ^(C1)Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.

"Now at that time ^(C1)Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a ^(C2)time of distress ^(C3)such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the ^(C4)book, will be rescued.

"And ^(C1)many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, ^(C2)these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting ^(F1)contempt.

"And ^(F1)those who have ^(C1)insight will ^(C2)shine like the glow of the ^(F2)expanse of heaven, and those who ^(F3)(C3)lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

"But as for you, Daniel, ^(C1)keep these words secret and ^(C2)seal up the book until the ^(C3)end of time; ^(C4)many will roam about, and knowledge will increase."

Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the stream and the other on that bank of the stream.

And ^(C1)someone said to the man ^(C2)dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, "^(C3)How long will it be until the end of these wonders?"

And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, ^(F1)as he ^(C1)raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by ^(C2)Him who lives forever that it would be for a ^(F2)(C3)time, ^(F2)times, and half a ^(F2)time; and as soon as ^(F3)they finish ^(C4)smashing the ^(F4)power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.

But as for me, I heard but did not understand; so I said, "My lord, what will be the ^(F1)outcome of these events?"

And he said, "Go your way, Daniel, for these words will be kept secret and ^(C1)sealed up until the end time.

"^(C1)Many will be purged, ^(F1)cleansed, and refined, but the ^(C2)wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but ^(F2)those who ^(C3)have insight will understand.

"And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the ^(C1)abomination ^(F1)of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.

"^(C1)Blessed is the one who is patient and attains to the ^(C2)1,335 days!

"But as for you, go your way to the ^(F1)end; then you will ^(C1)rest and ^(F2)rise for your ^(C2)allotted portion at the end of the ^(F3)age."