1 “As for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to
confirm and strengthen him. 2 Now will I show you the truth. Behold, there
shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer
than they all: and when he has grown strong through his riches, he shall stir
up all against the realm of Greece. 3 A mighty king shall stand up, who
shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. 4 When he
shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the
four winds of the sky, but not to his posterity, nor according to his
dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for
others besides these. 5 The king of the south shall be strong, and
one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have
dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion. 6 At the end of years
they shall join themselves together; and the daughter of the king of the
south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall
not retain the strength of her arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm; but
she shall be given up, and those who brought her, and he who became the
father of her, and he who strengthened her in those times. 7 But out of a
shoot from her roots shall one stand up in his place, who shall come to the
army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall
deal against them, and shall prevail. 8 Also their gods, with their molten
images, and with their goodly vessels of silver and of gold, shall he
carry captive into Egypt; and he shall refrain some years from the king of
the north. 9 He shall come into the realm of the king of the south, but he
shall return into his own land. 10 His sons shall war, and shall assemble
a multitude of great forces, which shall come on, and overflow, and pass
through; and they shall return and war, even to his fortress. 11 The king
of the south shall be moved with anger, and shall come forth and fight with
him, even with the king of the north; and he shall set forth a great
multitude, and the multitude shall be given into his hand. 12 The
multitude shall be lifted up, and his heart shall be exalted; and he shall
cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail. 13 The king of the
north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former;
and he shall come on at the end of the times, even of years, with a
great army and with much substance. 14 In those times there shall many
stand up against the king of the south: also the children of the violent
among your people shall lift themselves up to establish the vision; but they
shall fall. 15 So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mound,
and take a well-fortified city: and the forces of the south shall not stand,
neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to stand.
16 But he who comes against him shall do according to his own will, and
none shall stand before him; and he shall stand in the glorious land, and in
his hand shall be destruction. 17 He shall set his face to come with the
strength of his whole kingdom, and with him equitable conditions; and he
shall perform them: and he shall give him the daughter of women, to corrupt
her; but she shall not stand, neither be for him. 18 After this shall he
turn his face to the isles, and shall take many: but a prince shall cause the
reproach offered by him to cease; yes, moreover, he shall cause his reproach
to turn on him. 19 Then he shall turn his face toward the fortresses of
his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.
20 Then shall stand up in his place one who shall cause a tax collector to
pass through the kingdom to maintain its glory; but within few days he shall
be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle. 21 In his place shall stand
up a contemptible person, to whom they had not given the honor of the
kingdom: but he shall come in time of security, and shall obtain the kingdom
by flatteries. 22 The overwhelming forces shall be overwhelmed from before
him, and shall be broken; yes, also the prince of the covenant. 23 After
the league made with him he shall work deceitfully; for he shall come up, and
shall become strong, with a small people. 24 In time of security shall he
come even on the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which
his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers; he shall scatter among
them prey, and spoil, and substance: yes, he shall devise his devices against
the strongholds, even for a time. 25 He shall stir up his power and his
courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the
south shall war in battle with an exceeding great and mighty army; but he
shall not stand; for they shall devise devices against him. 26 Yes, they
who eat of his dainties shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow; and
many shall fall down slain. 27 As for both these kings, their hearts shall
be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table: but it shall not
prosper; for yet the end shall be at the time appointed. 28 Then shall he
return into his land with great substance; and his heart shall be
against the holy covenant; and he shall do his pleasure, and return
to his own land. 29 At the time appointed he shall return, and come into
the south; but it shall not be in the latter time as it was in the former.
30 For ships of Kittim shall come against him; therefore he shall be
grieved, and shall return, and have indignation against the holy covenant,
and shall do his pleasure: he shall even return, and have regard to
those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 Forces shall stand on his part,
and they shall profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and shall take away
the continual burnt offering, and they shall set up the abomination
that makes desolate. 32 Such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he
pervert by flatteries; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and
do exploits. 33 Those who are wise among the people shall instruct
many; yet they shall fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by
spoil, many days. 34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be
helped with a little help; but many shall join themselves to them with
flatteries. 35 Some of those who are wise shall fall, to refine them, and
to purify, and to make them white, even to the time of the end; because it is
yet for the time appointed. 36 The king shall do according to his will;
and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall
speak marvelous things against the God of gods; and he shall prosper until
the indignation be accomplished; for that which is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of
women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above all. 38 But
in his place shall he honor the god of fortresses; and a god whom his fathers
didn’t know shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones,
and pleasant things. 39 He shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the
help of a foreign god: whoever acknowledges him he will increase with
glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land
for a price. 40 At the time of the end shall the king of the south contend
with him; and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind,
with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter
into the countries, and shall overflow and pass through. 41 He shall enter
also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown;
but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief
of the children of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch forth his hand also on the
countries; and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 But he shall have
power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious
things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44 But news out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him; and he
shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to sweep away many.
45 He shall plant the tents of his palace between the sea and the glorious
holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
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