Daniel 7:9–22

Judgment before the Ancient One

⁹As I watched,

thrones were set in place,

and an Ancient One^e took his throne;

his clothing was white as snow

and the hair of his head like pure wool;

his throne was fiery flames,

and its wheels were burning fire.^*

¹⁰A stream of fire issued

and flowed out from his presence.

A thousand thousands served him,

and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him.

The court sat in judgment,

and the books were opened.^*

¹¹I watched then because of the noise of the arrogant words that the horn was speaking. And as I watched, the beast was put to death and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire.^{* 12}As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. ¹³As I watched in the night visions,

I saw one like a human being^f

coming with the clouds of heaven.

And he came to the Ancient One^g

and was presented before him.^*

¹⁴To him was given dominion

and glory and kingship,

that all peoples, nations, and languages

should serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

that shall not pass away,

and his kingship is one

that shall never be destroyed.^*

Daniel’s Visions Interpreted

¹⁵As for me, Daniel, my spirit was troubled within me,^h and the visions of my head terrified me.^{* 16}I approached one of the attendants to ask him the truth concerning all this. So he said that he would disclose to me the interpretation of the matter:^{* 17}“As for these four great beasts, four kings shall arise out of the earth. ¹⁸But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever—forever and ever.”^*

¹⁹Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet; ²⁰and concerning the ten horns that were on its head, and concerning the other horn that came up and before which three others had fallen—the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke arrogantly and that seemed greater than the others. ²¹As I looked, that horn made war with the holy ones and was prevailing over them,^{* 22}until the Ancient Oneⁱ came; then judgment was given for the holy ones of the Most High, and the time arrived when the holy ones gained possession of the kingdom.^*