Daniel 8

8 ¹In King Belshazzar's third year, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the earlier one. ²In the vision I was in the citadel of Susa, in Elam province; and in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. ³I looked up: a ram stood before the canal, two tall horns—one taller than the other, the taller coming up last. ⁴I watched the ram charging west, north, and south. No animal could stand against him, none could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and grew great.

⁵As I was considering this, suddenly a male goat came from the west across the whole earth without touching the ground; it had a prominent horn between its eyes. ⁶He came to the two-horned ram I saw standing by the canal and ran at it in raging power. ⁷I saw him reach the ram, enraged, striking and shattering its two horns. The ram had no strength to stand against him; the goat threw it down and trampled it, and no one could rescue the ram from his power. ⁸The goat grew very great, but at its full strength the great horn broke, and four prominent horns grew up in its place toward the four winds of heaven.

⁹From one of them a little horn came out, growing very great toward the south, east, and the glorious land. ¹⁰It grew great, up to the host of heaven, casting down to earth some of the host and of the stars, and trampled them. ¹¹It made itself great against the Prince of the host; the Prince's regular offering was removed and his sanctuary's place thrown down. ¹²Because of wrongdoing, the army was handed over to it with the daily offering; it threw truth to the ground and acted and thrived.

¹³Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one asked the speaker, "How long is the vision—the regular offering, the wrongdoing that brings desolation, sanctuary and host handed over to trampling?"

¹⁴He told me, "For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be restored to its rightful state."

Gabriel Explains the Vision

¹⁵As I, Daniel, watched the vision seeking to understand, one like a man stood before me. ¹⁶I heard a human voice from the Ulai calling, "Gabriel, make this man understand the vision."

¹⁷He came near where I stood, and as he drew close I was terrified and fell facedown. He said to me, "Understand, son of man: the vision is for the time of the end."

¹⁸As he spoke, I fell into a deep sleep, face to the ground; but he touched me and set me on my feet.

¹⁹He said, "Listen, I will tell you what will happen in the later time of the wrath, for it concerns the appointed time of the end. ²⁰The ram you saw with the two horns is the kings of Media and Persia. ²¹The shaggy goat is Greece's king; the great horn between his eyes is the first king. ²²The broken horn, four rising in its place: four kingdoms rise from his nation, but without his power.

²³At the end of their reign, when sinners reach full measure, a fierce-faced king skilled in intrigue will arise. ²⁴His power will be great—but not his own—and he will cause terrible destruction, prosper, and act. He will destroy the mighty and the people of the holy ones. ²⁵By cunning he makes deceit thrive under his hand, and in his heart he lifts himself up. Without warning he destroys many, and rises against the Prince of princes—yet he will be broken, by no human hand. ^a a v25 The arrogant power that rises against the Prince of princes is shattered "by no human hand" — broken by heaven itself. This Prince, the Commander of the host, the church has long heard as Jesus, who alone overcomes every power set against our Father's people.

²⁶The vision of the evenings and mornings told to you is true, but seal it up, for it concerns days far off."

²⁷I, Daniel, was overcome and sick for days. Then I got up and did the king's business, but the vision left me appalled, beyond understanding.