Daniel 11:20–45

²⁰“In his place one will arise who will send out a tax collector ^afor the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he will be shattered, though not in anger ^bor in battle.

²¹“In his place a despised ^cperson will arise; royal honors will not be given to him, but he will come during a time of peace ^deand seize the kingdom by intrigue. ²²A flood of forces will be swept away before him; they will be shattered, as well as the covenant prince. ²³After an alliance is made with him, he will act deceitfully. He will rise to power with a small nation. ^f24During a time of peace, ^ghe will come into the richest parts of the province ^hand do what his fathers and predecessors never did. He will lavish plunder, loot, and wealth on his followers, and he will make plans against fortified cities, but only for a time.

²⁵“With a large army he will stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will prepare for battle with an extremely large and powerful army, but he will not succeed, because plots will be made against him. ²⁶Those who eat his provisions ⁱwill destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall slain. ²⁷The two kings, whose hearts are bent on evil, will speak lies ^jat the same table but to no avail, for still the end will come at the appointed time. ^k28The king of the North will return to his land with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant; ^lhe will take action, then return to his own land.

²⁹“At the appointed time he will come again to the South, but this time ^mwill not be like the first. ³⁰Ships of Kittim ^nowill come against him, and being intimidated, he will withdraw. Then he will rage against the holy covenant and take action. On his return, he will favor those who abandon the holy covenant. ³¹His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the daily sacrifice ^pand set up the abomination of desolation. ^q32With flattery he will corrupt those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will be strong and take action. ^r33Those who are wise among the people ^swill give understanding to many, yet they will die by sword and flame, ^tand be captured and plundered for a time. ³⁴When defeated, they will be helped by some, but many others will join them insincerely. ^u35Some of the wise will fall so that they may be refined, ^vpurified, and cleansed ^wuntil the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.

³⁶“Then the king will do whatever he wants. ^xHe will exalt and magnify himself above every god, ^yand he will say outrageous things against the God of gods. ^zHe will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, ^abecause what has been decreed will be accomplished. ³⁷He will not show regard for the gods ^bof his fathers, the god longed for by women, or for any other god, ^cbecause he will magnify himself above all. ³⁸Instead, he will honor a god of fortresses—a god his fathers did not know—with gold, silver, precious stones, and riches. ³⁹He will deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. He will greatly honor those who acknowledge him, ^dmaking them rulers over many and distributing land as a reward.

⁴⁰“At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm against him ^ewith chariots, horsemen, and many ships. He will invade countries and sweep through them like a flood. ^f41He will also invade the beautiful land, ^gand many will fall. But these will escape from his power: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people ^hof the Ammonites. ⁱ⁴²He will extend his power against the countries, and not even the land of Egypt will escape. ⁴³He will get control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the riches of Egypt. The Libyans and Cushites will also be in submission. ^jk44But reports from the east ^land the north will terrify him, and he will go out with great fury to annihilate and completely destroy many. ⁴⁵He will pitch his royal tents between the sea and ^mthe beautiful holy mountain, ⁿbut he will meet his end with no one to help him.