Daniel 11:21–35

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.