Daniel 11:1–19

¹In the first year of Darius the Mede, ^yI stood up to strengthen and protect him. ²Now I will tell you the truth. ^z

Prophecies about Persia and Greece

“Three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth will be far richer than the others. By the power he gains through his riches, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. ^a3Then a warrior king will arise; he will rule a vast realm and do whatever he wants. ^b4But as soon as he is established, his kingdom will be broken up and divided to the four winds of heaven, ^cbut not to his descendants; it will not be the same kingdom that he ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and will go to others besides them. ^d

Kings of the South and the North

⁵“The king of the South ^ewill grow powerful, but one of his commanders will grow more powerful and will rule a kingdom greater than his. ⁶After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North ^fto seal the agreement. She will not retain power, and his strength will not endure. She will be given up, together with her entourage, her father, ^gand the one who supported her during those times. ⁷In the place of the king of the South, one from her family ^hwill rise up, come against the army, and enter the fortress of the king of the North. He will take action against them and triumph. ⁸He will take even their gods captive to Egypt, with their metal images and their precious articles of silver and gold. ⁱFor some years he will stay away from the king of the North, ⁹who will enter the kingdom of the king of the South and then return to his own land.

¹⁰“His sons will mobilize for war and assemble a large number of armed forces. They will advance, sweeping through like a flood, ^jkand will again wage war as far as his fortress. ¹¹Infuriated, the king of the South will march out to fight with the king of the North who will raise a large army but they will be handed over to his enemy. ¹²When the army is carried off, he will become arrogant and cause tens of thousands to fall, but he will not triumph. ¹³The king of the North will again raise a multitude larger than the first. After some years ^lmhe will advance with a great army and many supplies.

¹⁴“In those times many will rise up against the king of the South. Violent ones among your own people will assert themselves to fulfill a vision, but they will fail. ¹⁵Then the king of the North will come, build up an assault ramp, ⁿand capture a well-fortified city. The forces of the South will not stand; even their select troops will not be able to resist. ¹⁶The king of the North who comes against him will do whatever he wants, ^oand no one can oppose him. He will establish himself in the beautiful land ^pqwith total destruction in his hand. ¹⁷He will resolve ^rto come with the force of his whole kingdom and will reach an agreement with him. ^sHe will give him a daughter in marriage ^tto destroy it, ^ubut she will not stand with him or support him. ¹⁸Then he will turn his attention to the coasts and islands ^vwand capture many. But a commander will put an end to his taunting; instead, he will turn his taunts against him. ^x19He will turn his attention back to the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble, fall, ^yand be no more. ^z