21 “In his place a despicable person will arise, on whom the honor of kingship has not been conferred, but he will come in a time of tranquility and aseize the kingdom by intrigue.

22 “The overflowing aforces will be flooded away before him and shattered, and also the prince of the covenant.

23 “After an alliance is made with him he will practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people.

24 “1In a time of tranquility he will enter the arichest parts of the 2realm, and he will accomplish what his fathers never did, nor his 3ancestors; he will distribute plunder, booty and possessions among them, and he will devise his schemes against strongholds, but only for a time.

25 “He will stir up his strength and 1courage against the aking of the South with a large army; so the king of the South will mobilize an extremely large and mighty army for war; but he will not stand, for schemes will be devised against him.

26 “Those who eat his choice food will 1destroy him, and his army will 2aoverflow, but many will fall down slain.

27 “As for both kings, their hearts will be intent on aevil, and they will bspeak lies to each other at the same table; but it will not succeed, for the cend is still to come at the appointed time.

28 “Then he will return to his land with much 1plunder; but his heart will be set against the holy covenant, and he will take action and then return to his own land.

29 “At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but 1this last time it will not turn out the way it did before.

30 “For ships of 1aKittim will come against him; therefore he will be disheartened and will return and become enraged at the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant.

31 “Forces from him will arise, adesecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the babomination 1of desolation.

32 “By asmooth words he will 1turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display bstrength and take action.

33 “1aThose who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will bfall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder for many days.

34 “Now when they fall they will be granted a little help, and many will ajoin with them in bhypocrisy.

35 “Some of 1those who have insight will fall, in order to arefine, bpurge and make them 2cpure until the dend time; because it is still to come at the appointed time.

36 “Then the king will ado as he pleases, and he will exalt and bmagnify himself above every god and will cspeak 1monstrous things against the dGod of gods; and he will prosper until the eindignation is finished, for that which is fdecreed will be done.

37 “He will show no regard for the 1gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all.

38 “But 1instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones and treasures.

39 “He will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to 1those who acknowledge him and will cause them to rule over the many, and will parcel out land for a price.

40 “At the aend time the bking of the South will collide with him, and the cking of the North will dstorm against him with chariots, with horsemen and with many ships; and he will enter countries, eoverflow them and pass through.

41 “He will also enter the 1aBeautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, bMoab and the foremost of the sons of cAmmon.

42 “Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape.

43 “But he will 1gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt; and aLibyans and bEthiopians will follow at his 2heels.

44 “But rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and 1annihilate many.

45 “He will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful aHoly Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.