Daniel 7–8

Daniel Describes His Visions

Daniel’s Vision of the Four Beasts

7In the first year that Belshazzar was king of Babylonia, I had a dream and saw a vision in the night. I wrote the dream down, and this is the record ²of what I saw that night:

Winds were blowing from all directions and lashing the surface of the ocean. ^3*Four huge beasts came up out of the ocean, each one different from the others. ^4*The first one looked like a lion, but had wings like an eagle. While I was watching, the wings were torn off. The beast was lifted up and made to stand upright. And then a human mind was given to it.

^5*The second beast looked like a bear standing on its hind legs. It was holding three ribs between its teeth, and a voice said to it, “Go on, eat as much meat as you can!”

^6*While I was watching, another beast appeared. It looked like a leopard, but on its back there were four wings, like the wings of a bird, and it had four heads. It had a look of authority about it.

^7*As I was watching, a fourth beast appeared. It was powerful, horrible, terrifying. With its huge iron teeth it crushed its victims, and then it trampled on them. Unlike the other beasts, it had ten horns. ^8*While I was staring at the horns, I saw a little horn coming up among the others. It tore out three of the horns that were already there. This horn had human eyes and a mouth that was boasting proudly.

The Vision of the One Who Has Been Living Forever

^9*While I was looking, thrones were put in place. One who had been living for ever sat down on one of the thrones. His clothes were white as snow, and his hair was like pure wool. His throne, mounted on fiery wheels, was blazing with fire, ^10*and a stream of fire was pouring out from it. There were many thousands of people there to serve him, and millions of people stood before him. The court began its session, and the books were opened.

¹¹While I was looking, I could still hear the little horn bragging and boasting. As I watched, the fourth beast was killed, and its body was thrown into the flames and destroyed. ¹²The other beasts had their power taken away, but they were permitted to go on living for a limited time.

^13*During this vision in the night, I saw what looked like a human being. He was approaching me, surrounded by clouds, and he went to the one who had been living for ever and was presented to him. ^14*He was given authority, honour, and royal power, so that the people of all nations, races, and languages would serve him. His authority would last for ever, and his kingdom would never end.

The Visions Are Explained

¹⁵The visions I saw alarmed me, and I was deeply disturbed.^{n 16}I went up to one of those standing there and asked him to explain it all. So he told me the meaning. ¹⁷He said, “These four huge beasts are four empires which will arise on earth. ^18*And the people of the Supreme God will receive royal power and keep it for ever and ever.”

¹⁹Then I wanted to know more about the fourth beast, which was not like any of the others—the terrifying beast which crushed its victims with its bronze claws and iron teeth and then trampled on them. ²⁰And I wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and the horn that had come up afterwards and had made three of the horns fall. It had eyes and a mouth and was boasting proudly. It was more terrifying than any of the others.

^21*While I was looking, that horn made war on God’s people and conquered them. ^22*Then the one who had been living for ever came and pronounced judgement in favour of^o the people of the Supreme God. The time had arrived for God’s people to receive royal power.

²³This is the explanation I was given: “The fourth beast is a fourth empire that will be on the earth and will be different from all other empires. It will crush the whole earth and trample it down. ^24*The ten horns are ten kings who will rule that empire. Then another king will appear; he will be very different from the earlier ones and will overthrow three kings. ^25*He will speak against the Supreme God and oppress God’s people. He will try to change their religious laws and festivals, and God’s people will be under his power for three and a half years. ²⁶Then the heavenly court will sit in judgement, take away his power, and destroy him completely. ^27*The power and greatness of all the kingdoms on earth will be given to the people of the Supreme God. Their royal power will never end and all rulers on earth will serve and obey them.”

²⁸This is the end of the account. I was so frightened that I turned pale, and I kept everything to myself.

Daniel’s Vision of a Ram and a Goat

8In the third year that Belshazzar was king, I saw a second vision.^{p 2}In the vision I suddenly found myself in the walled city of Susa in the province of Elam. I was standing by the River Ulai, ³and there beside the river I saw a ram that had two long horns, one of which was longer and newer than the other. ⁴I watched the ram butting with his horns to the west, the north, and the south. No animal could stop him or escape his power. He did as he pleased and grew arrogant.

⁵While I was wondering what this meant, a goat came rushing out of the west, moving so fast that his feet didn’t touch the ground. He had one prominent horn between his eyes. ⁶He came towards the ram, which I had seen standing beside the river, and rushed at him with all his force. ⁷I watched him attack the ram. He was so angry that he smashed into him and broke the two horns. The ram had no strength to resist. He was thrown to the ground and trampled on, and there was no one who could save him.

⁸The goat grew more and more arrogant, but at the height of his power his horn was broken. In its place four prominent horns came up, each pointing in a different direction. ⁹Out of one of these four horns grew a little horn, whose power extended towards the south and the east and towards the Promised Land. ^10*It grew strong enough to attack the army of heaven, the stars themselves, and it threw some of them to the ground and trampled on them. ¹¹It even defied the Prince of the heavenly army, stopped the daily sacrifices offered to him, and desecrated the Temple. ¹²People sinned there instead of offering the proper daily sacrifices,^q and true religion was thrown to the ground. The horn was successful in everything it did.

¹³Then I heard one angel ask another, “How long will these things that were seen in the vision continue? How long will an awful sin replace the daily sacrifices? How long will the army of heaven and the Temple be trampled on?”

¹⁴I heard the other angel answer, “It will continue for 2,300 evenings and mornings, during which sacrifices will not be offered. Then the Temple will be restored.”

The Angel Gabriel Explains the Vision

¹⁵I was trying to understand what the vision meant, when suddenly someone was standing in front of me. ^16*I heard a voice call out over the River Ulai, “Gabriel, explain to him the meaning of what he saw.” ¹⁷Gabriel came and stood beside me, and I was so terrified that I fell to the ground.

He said to me, “Mortal man, understand the meaning. The vision has to do with the end of the world.” ¹⁸While he was talking, I fell to the ground unconscious. But he took hold of me, raised me to my feet, ¹⁹and said, “I am showing you what the result of God’s anger will be. The vision refers to the time of the end.

²⁰“The ram you saw that had two horns represents the kingdoms of Media and Persia. ²¹The goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the prominent horn between his eyes is the first king. ²²The four horns that came up when the first horn was broken represent the four kingdoms into which that nation will be divided and which will not be as strong as the first kingdom.

²³“When the end of those kingdoms is near and they have become so wicked that they must be punished, there will be a stubborn, vicious, and deceitful king. ²⁴He will grow strong—but not by his own power. He will cause terrible destruction and be successful in everything he does. He will bring destruction on powerful men and on God’s own people. ²⁵Because he is cunning, he will succeed in his deceitful ways. He will be proud of himself and destroy many people without warning. He will even defy the greatest King of all, but he will be destroyed without the use of any human power. ²⁶This vision about the evening and morning sacrifices which has been explained to you will come true. But keep it secret now, because it will be a long time before it does come true.”

²⁷I was depressed and ill for several days. Then I got up and went back to the work that the king had assigned to me, but I was puzzled by the vision and could not understand it.