Daniel’s Vision of a Ram and a Goat

8 In the third year of King Belshazzar’st reign, I, Daniel, had a vision,u after the one that had already appeared to me. 2 In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susav in the province of Elam;w in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 I looked up,x and there before me was a ramy with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. 4 I watched the ram as it charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against it, and none could rescue from its power.z It did as it pleaseda and became great.

5 As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. 6 It came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at it in great rage. 7 I saw it attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering its two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against it; the goat knocked it to the ground and trampled on it,b and none could rescue the ram from its power.c 8 The goat became very great, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off,d and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.e

9 Out of one of them came another horn, which started smallf but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land.g 10 It grew until it reachedh the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earthi and trampledj on them. 11 It set itself up to be as great as the commanderk of the army of the Lord;l it took away the daily sacrificem from the Lord, and his sanctuary was thrown down.n 12 Because of rebellion, the Lord’s peoplea and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.o

13 Then I heard a holy onep speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilledq—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, the surrender of the sanctuary and the trampling underfootr of the Lord’s people?”

14 He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.”s

The Interpretation of the Vision

15 While I, Daniel, was watching the visiont and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man.u 16 And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulaiv calling, “Gabriel,w tell this man the meaning of the vision.”x

17 As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate.y “Son of man,”b he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.”z

18 While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground.a Then he touched me and raised me to my feet.b

19 He said: “I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath,c because the vision concerns the appointed timed of the end.c e 20 The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia.f 21 The shaggy goat is the king of Greece,g and the large horn between its eyes is the first king.h 22 The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power.

23 “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise. 24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people.i 25 He will cause deceitj to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes.k Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.l

26 “The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true,m but sealn up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”o

27 I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhaustedp for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business.q I was appalledr by the vision; it was beyond understanding.

Daniel’s Prayer

9 In the first year of Dariuss son of Xerxesa t (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonianb kingdom—2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventyu years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting,v and in sackcloth and ashes.w

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:x

“Lord, the great and awesome God,y who keeps his covenant of lovez with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinneda and done wrong.b We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned awayc from your commands and laws.d 6 We have not listenede to your servants the prophets,f who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors,g and to all the people of the land.

7 “Lord, you are righteous,h but this day we are covered with shamei—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scatteredj us because of our unfaithfulnessk to you.l 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you.m 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving,n even though we have rebelled against him;o 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets.p 11 All Israel has transgressedq your lawr and turned away, refusing to obey you.

“Therefore the cursess and sworn judgmentst written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinnedu against you. 12 You have fulfilledv the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster.w Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done likex what has been done to Jerusalem.y 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lordz our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.a 14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disasterb on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does;c yet we have not obeyed him.d

15 “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hande and who made for yourself a namef that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts,g turn awayh your anger and your wrathi from Jerusalem,j your city, your holy hill.k Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scornl to all those around us.

17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favorm on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear,n our God, and hear;o open your eyes and seep the desolation of the city that bears your Name.q We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.r 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive!s Lord, hear and act! For your sake,t my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”

The Seventy “Sevens”

20 While I was speaking and praying, confessingu my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hillv—21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel,w the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.x 22 He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.y 23 As soon as you began to pray,z a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed.a Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:b

24 “Seventy ‘sevens’c are decreed for your people and your holy cityc to finishd transgression, to put an end to sin, to atoned for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness,e to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.e

25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuildf Jerusalem until the Anointed One,f g the ruler,h comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.i 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to deathj and will have nothing.g The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood:k War will continue until the end, and desolationsl have been decreed.m 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’h In the middle of the ‘seven’i he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the templej he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreedn is poured out on him.k”l