2 ARST Daniel, had a vision during the night. In the vision I saw that strong winds were blowing from all four directions, stirring up the water in the ocean. BSB BSB: Daniel declared: “In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea.
3 ARST Then I saw four beasts coming out of the ocean. All four of them were different. BSB BSB: Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each one different from the others:
4 ARST The first one resembled a lion, but it had wings like an eagle has. But as I watched, something tore off its wings. The beast was left there, standing on its two hind legs, like a human being stands. And it was given a mind like humans have. BSB BSB: The first beast was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man and given the mind of a man.
5 ARST The second beast resembled a bear. It was crouching, and it held between its teeth three ribs from another animal that it had killed and eaten. Someone said to it,“Stand up and eat as much meat as you want!” BSB BSB: Suddenly another beast appeared, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. So it was told, ‘Get up and gorge yourself on flesh!’
6 ARST Then I saw in front of me the third of these beasts. It resembled a leopard, but it had four wings protruding from its back. The wings were like a bird’ s wings. It had four heads. It was given the power to rule people. BSB BSB: Next, as I watched, suddenly another beast appeared. It was like a leopard, and on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.
7 ARST In the vision I saw a fourth beast. It was stronger than the other beasts, and it was more terrifying. It crushed other creatures with its huge iron teeth and ate their flesh. The parts of animals that it did not grind with its teeth, it trampled on the ground. It was different from the other three beasts: It had ten horns on its head. BSB BSB: After this, as I watched in my vision in the night, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, and it was terrifying—dreadful and extremely strong—with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed; then it trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns.
8 ARST While I was looking at those horns, I saw a little horn appear on the head of that beast. It tore out three of the other horns. This little horn had eyes like humans have, and it had a mouth with which it spoke very boastfully. BSB BSB: While I was contemplating the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like those of a man and a mouth that spoke words of arrogance.
9 ARST Then while I watched, thrones were put in the places where they belonged, and God, the one who had been living forever, sat on one of the thrones. His clothes were as white as snow, and his hair was as white as pure wool. His throne had wheels that were blazing with fire, and his throne was also blazing. BSB BSB: As I continued to watch, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.
10 ARST A fire was rushing out of in front of him like a stream. Many thousands of people were there serving him, and millions of other people were standing in front of him. They started the court session, and they opened the books in which they had written the record of all the good and bad things that people had done. BSB BSB: A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and myriads upon myriads stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.
11 ARST While I was watching, I could hear the little horn speaking very boastfully. As I continued to watch, the fourth beast was killed. Its corpse was thrown into a fire and completely burned. BSB BSB: Then I kept watching because of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued to watch, the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.
12 ARST The power of the other three beasts was taken away from them, but they were allowed to continue to live for a while. BSB BSB: As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was removed, but they were granted an extension of life for a season and a time.
14 ARST He was honored and given great authority to rule over all the nations in the world, in order that people from every people- group and every nation, people from all language groups, would worship him. He will rule forever; he will never stop ruling. The kingdom that he rules will never be destroyed. BSB BSB: And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
15 ARST As for me, Daniel, I was very terrified by what I had seen in that vision, and I did not know what to think about it. BSB BSB: I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit, and the visions in my mind alarmed me.
16 ARST I went to one of those who were standing in front of the throne of God, and I asked him to tell me what it meant. So he told me the meaning of it. BSB BSB: I approached one of those who were standing there, and I asked him the true meaning of all this. So he told me the interpretation of these things:
17 ARST He said,“The four huge beasts represent four kingdoms that will exist on the earth. BSB BSB: ‘These four great beasts are four kings who will arise from the earth.
18 ARST But the Supreme God will give power to his people to rule, and they shall rule forever.” BSB BSB: But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever—yes, forever and ever.’
19 ARST Then I wanted to know what the fourth beast signified— the beast that was different from the other three, the beast that crushed those that it attacked with its bronze claws, and then ate their flesh with its iron teeth, and trampled on the parts of their bodies that it did not eat. BSB BSB: Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others—extremely terrifying—devouring and crushing with iron teeth and bronze claws, then trampling underfoot whatever was left.
20 ARST I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head, and about the horn that appeared later, which got rid of three of the other horns. I wanted to know what it meant that it had eyes and a mouth with which it spoke very boastfully. The beast that was represented by that horn was more terrifying than the other beasts. BSB BSB: I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn whose appearance was more imposing than the others, with eyes and with a mouth that spoke words of arrogance.
21 ARST While I was having the vision, I saw that this horn attacked God’ s people and was defeating them. BSB BSB: As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and prevailing against them,
22 ARST But then the Supreme God, the one who had been living forever, came and judged in favor of the people who belonged to him. And I knew that it was time for God’ s people to receive authority to rule. BSB BSB: until the Ancient of Days arrived and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for them to possess the kingdom.
23 ARST Then the man who was standing there said to me,“The fourth beast represents an empire that will exist on the earth; that empire will be different from all other empires. The army of that empire will crush people all over the world and trample on their bodies. BSB BSB: This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it.
24 ARST As for its ten horns, they represent ten kings who will rule that empire, one after the other. Then another king will appear. He will be different from the previous kings. He will defeat the three kings that were represented by the three horns that were pulled out. BSB BSB: And the ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. After them another king, different from the earlier ones, will rise and subdue three kings.
25 ARST He will rebuke the Supreme God, and he will oppress God’ s people. He will try to change the sacred festivals and their religious laws. He will control them for three and a half years. BSB BSB: He will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time.
26 ARST But there will be a session of the court in heaven, and that king’ s authority will be taken away, and he will be completely destroyed. BSB BSB: But the court will convene, and his dominion will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.
27 ARST Then all the power and the greatness of all the kingdoms on the earth will be given to the people who belong to the Supreme God. The kingdom that he rules will endure forever. And the rulers of all the nations on the earth will serve and obey him.” BSB BSB: Then the sovereignty, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey Him.’
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