¹⁶So I approached one of the attendants and I asked himⁱ about the truth concerning all this; and he told me^j that he would make known to me the explanation of the matter. ¹⁷‘These great beasts which are four in number are four kings who will arise from the earth. ¹⁸But the holy ones^k of the Most High will receive the kingdom, and they will take possession of the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’^l

¹⁹“Then I desired to make certain concerning the fourth beast that was different from all the others^m—exceedingly terrifying, with its iron teeth and its claws of bronze; it devoured and crushed and stamped the remainder with its feet—²⁰and concerning the horns that were on its head, and concerning the other horn that came up and before which three horns fell,ⁿ and this horn had eyes^o and a mouth speaking boastfully,^p and its appearance was larger than its companions. ²¹I continued watching,^q and this horn made war with the holy ones^r and it prevailed over them, ²²until the Ancient of Days came and gave judgment to the holy ones^s of the Most High; and the time arrived and the holy ones^t took possession of the kingdom.

²³“And he said, ‘The fourth beast is the fourth kingdom that will be on the earth that will be different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and it will trample it and it will crush it. ²⁴And as for the ten horns coming from it, from this kingdom^u ten kings will arise, and another will arise after them. And he will be different from the earlier ones, and he will subdue three kings.

Read in Logos

Footnotes

iAramaic “from him”
jAramaic “to me”
kOr “saints”
lLiterally “forever and to forever”
mLiterally “all of them”
nLiterally “and fell from before it three”
oLiterally “and eyes to it”
pLiterally “abundantly”
qLiterally “I was watching”
rOr “saints”
sOr “saints”
tOr “saints”
uOr “the kingdom”