Chapter 6

Daniel Serves Darius

1 1It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom,

2 and over them three commissioners (of whom aDaniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer bloss.

3 Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself 1among the commissioners and satraps because 2he possessed an aextraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the bentire kingdom.

4 Then the commissioners and satraps began atrying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to 1government affairs; but they could find bno ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him.

5 Then these men said, “We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the alaw of his God.”

6 Then these commissioners and satraps came 1by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: “King Darius, alive forever!

7 “All the acommissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have bconsulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall cbe cast into the lions’ 1den.

8 “Now, O king, aestablish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the blaw of the Medes and Persians, which 1may not be revoked.”

9 Therefore King Darius asigned the document, that is, the injunction.

10 Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open atoward Jerusalem); and he continued bkneeling on his knees three times a day, cpraying and dgiving thanks before his God, 1as he had been doing previously.

11 Then these men came 1aby agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God.

12 Then they approached and aspoke before the king about the king’s injunction, “Did you not sign an injunction that any man who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be cast into the lions’ den?” The king replied, “The statement is true, according to the blaw of the Medes and Persians, which 1may not be revoked.”

13 Then they answered and spoke before the king, “aDaniel, who is one of the 1exiles from Judah, pays bno attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps making his petition three times a day.”

14 Then, as soon as the king heard this statement, he was deeply adistressed and set his mind on delivering Daniel; and even until sunset he kept exerting himself to rescue him.

15 Then these men came 1by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Recognize, O king, that it is a alaw of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

16 Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and acast into the lions’ den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “1bYour God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.”

17 A astone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel.

18 Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night afasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his bsleep fled from him.

19 Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions’ den.

20 When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has ayour God, whom you constantly serve, been bable to deliver you from the lions?”

21 Then Daniel spoke 1to the king, “aO king, live forever!

22 “My God asent His angel and bshut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as 1I was found innocent before Him; and also 2toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.”

23 Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and ano injury whatever was found on him, because he had btrusted in his God.

24 The king then gave orders, and they brought those men who had 1maliciously accused Daniel, and they acast them, their bchildren and their wives into the lions’ den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

25 Then Darius the king wrote to all the apeoples, nations and men of every 1language who were living in all the land: “bMay your 2peace abound!

26 “1I amake a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel;

For He is the bliving God and cenduring forever,

And dHis kingdom is one which will not be destroyed,

And His dominion will be 2forever.

27 “He delivers and rescues and performs asigns and wonders

In heaven and on earth,

Who has also delivered Daniel from the 1power of the lions.”

28 So this aDaniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of bCyrus the Persian.

Chapter 7

Vision of the Four Beasts

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a adream and visions 1in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he bwrote the dream down and related the 2following summary of 3it.

2 Daniel 1said, “I was alooking in my vision by night, and behold, the bfour winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

3 “And four great abeasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.

4 “The first was alike a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human 1mind also was given to it.

5 “And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, ‘Arise, devour much meat!’

6 “After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, alike a leopard, which had on its 1back four wings of a bird; the beast also had bfour heads, and dominion was given to it.

7 “After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a afourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had bten horns.

8 “While I was contemplating the horns, behold, aanother horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, 1this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and ba mouth uttering great boasts.

The Ancient of Days Reigns

9 “I kept looking

Until athrones were set up,

And the Ancient of Days took His seat;

His bvesture was like white snow

And the chair of His head like pure wool.

His dthrone was 1ablaze with flames,

Its ewheels were a burning fire.

10 “A river of afire was flowing

And coming out from before Him;

bThousands upon thousands were attending Him,

And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him;

The ccourt sat,

And dthe books were opened.

11 “Then I kept looking because of the sound of the 1boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the aburning 2fire.

12 “As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.

The Son of Man Presented

13 “I kept looking in the night visions,

And behold, with the clouds of heaven

One like a aSon of Man was coming,

And He came up to the Ancient of Days

And was presented before Him.

14 “And to Him was given adominion,

Glory and 1ba kingdom,

cThat all the peoples, nations and men of every 2language

Might serve Him.

dHis dominion is an everlasting dominion

Which will not pass away;

eAnd His kingdom is one

Which will not be destroyed.

The Vision Interpreted

15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed 1within me, and the avisions 2in my mind kept balarming me.

16 “I approached one of those who were astanding by and began asking him the 1exact meaning of all this. So he btold me and made known to me the interpretation of these things:

17 ‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth.

18 ‘But the 1asaints of the Highest One will breceive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, 2for all ages to come.’

19 “Then I desired to know the 1exact meaning of the afourth beast, which was different from all 2the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet,

20 and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and 1which was larger in appearance than its associates.

21 “I kept looking, and that horn was awaging war with the 1saints and overpowering them

22 until the Ancient of Days came and ajudgment was 1passed in favor of the 2saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the 2saints took possession of the kingdom.

23 “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.

24 ‘As for the aten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings.

25 ‘He will aspeak 1out against the bMost High and cwear down the 2saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make dalterations in times and in law; and 3they will be given into his hand for a 4etime, 4times, and half a 4time.

26 ‘But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be ataken away, 1annihilated and destroyed 2forever.

27 ‘Then the 1asovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the 2saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an beverlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will cserve and obey Him.’

28 “1At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were agreatly alarming me and my 2face grew pale, but I bkept the matter 3to myself.”

Chapter 8

Vision of the Ram and Goat

1 In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king a vision appeared to me, 1Daniel, subsequent to the one which appeared to me 2previously.

2 I alooked in the vision, and while I was looking I was in the citadel of bSusa, which is in the province of cElam; and I looked in the vision and I myself was beside the Ulai 1Canal.

3 Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a aram which had two horns was standing in front of the 1canal. Now the two horns were 2long, but one was 2longer than the other, with the 2longer one coming up last.

4 I saw the ram abutting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before him nor was there anyone to rescue from his 1power, but bhe did as he pleased and magnified himself.

5 While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the 1goat had a aconspicuous horn between his eyes.

6 He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the 1canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath.

7 I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his 1power.

8 Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as ahe was mighty, the blarge horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the cfour winds of heaven.

The Little Horn

9 Out of one of them came forth a rather asmall horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the 1bBeautiful Land.

10 It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the astars to fall to the earth, and it btrampled them down.

11 It even amagnified itself 1to be equal with the 2Commander of the host; and it removed the bregular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down.

12 And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will afling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper.

13 Then I heard a aholy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, “bHow long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, 1while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host 2to be ctrampled?”

14 He said to me, “For a2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be 1properly restored.”

Interpretation of the Vision

15 When aI, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought 1to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one 2who looked like a bman.

16 And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “aGabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision.”

17 So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and afell on my face; but he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the btime of the end.”

18 Now while he was talking with me, I asank into a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he btouched me and made me stand 1upright.

19 He said, “Behold, I am going to alet you know what will occur at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end.

The Ram’s Identity

20 “The aram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia.

The Goat

21 “The shaggy 1goat represents the 2kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king.

22 “The abroken horn and the four horns that arose in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power.

23 “In the latter period of their 1rule,

When the transgressors have 2run their course,

A king will arise,

3Insolent and skilled in 4intrigue.

24 “His power will be mighty, but not by his own power,

And he will 1adestroy to an extraordinary degree

And prosper and perform his will;

He will 1destroy mighty men and 2the holy people.

25 “And through his shrewdness

He will cause deceit to succeed by his 1influence;

And he will magnify himself in his heart,

And he will 2destroy many while they are 3at ease.

He will even 4aoppose the Prince of princes,

But he will be broken bwithout 1human agency.

26 “The vision of the evenings and mornings

Which has been told is atrue;

But bkeep the vision secret,

For it pertains to many cdays in the future.”

27 Then I, Daniel, was 1aexhausted and sick for days. Then I got up again and bcarried on the king’s business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was none to 2explain it.