1 ARST During the third year that Belshazzar was the King of Babylonia, I had another vision. BSB BSB: In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, subsequent to the one that had appeared to me earlier.
2 ARST In that vision I was in Susa, the capital city of Elam Province. I was standing alongside the Ulai Canal. BSB BSB: And in the vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa, in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal.
3 ARST I looked up and saw a ram that was standing alongside the canal. It had two long horns, but the one that grew last was longer than the one that grew first. BSB BSB: Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a ram with two horns standing beside the canal. The horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one grew up later.
4 ARST The ram butted away with its horns everything that was west and everything that was north and everything that was south of it. There were no other animals that were able to oppose it, and none that could rescue other animals from its power. The ram did whatever it wanted to do and became very powerful. BSB BSB: I saw the ram charging toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and there was no deliverance from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.
5 ARST While I was thinking about what I had seen, in the vision I saw a goat come from the west. It ran across the land very quickly, with the result that it seemed that its feet did not touch the ground. This goat had one very large horn between its eyes. BSB BSB: As I was contemplating all this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his eyes came out of the west, crossing the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground.
6 ARST It was very angry, and it ran straighttoward at the ram that I had seen previously, the ram that was standing alongside the canal. BSB BSB: He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and rushed at him with furious power.
7 ARST The goat struck the ram furiously and broke off its two horns, with the result that the ram had no power to defend itself. So the goat knocked the ram down and trampled on it. No one could rescue the ram from the goat’ s power. BSB BSB: I saw him approach the ram in a rage against him, and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him, and the goat threw him to the ground and trampled him, and no one could deliver the ram from his power.
8 ARST The goat became very powerful. But when its power was very great, its horn was broken off. But four other large horns took its place. They each pointed in a different direction. BSB BSB: Thus the goat became very great, but at the height of his power, his large horn was broken off, and four prominent horns came up in its place, pointing toward the four winds of heaven.
9 ARST Then from one of those large horns appeared a little horn, which became very big, and pointed toward the south and then toward the east and then toward the beautiful land of Israel. BSB BSB: From one of these horns a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the Beautiful Land.
10 ARST The man who was represented by that horn became very strong, with the result that he attacked some of the soldiers of the army of heaven, and the stars in the sky which represented God’ s people. He threw some of them to the ground and trampled on them. BSB BSB: It grew as high as the host of heaven, and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the earth and trampled them.
11 ARST He defied himself to be greater than the leader of the army of heaven, and prevented priests from offering sacrifices to him. He also defiled the temple. BSB BSB: It magnified itself, even to the Prince of the host; it removed His daily sacrifice and overthrew the place of His sanctuary.
12 ARST Then God’ s people allowed the man who was represented by that horn to control them, with the result that they sinned by offering sacrifices to him. And he threw to the ground the laws that contained the true religion. Everything that he did was successful. BSB BSB: And in the rebellion, the host and the daily sacrifice were given over to the horn, and it flung truth to the ground and prospered in whatever it did.
13 ARST Then I heard two angels who were talking to each other. One of them asked,“How long will the things that were in this vision continue? How long will the man who rebels against God and causes the temple to be defiled be able to prevent priests from offering sacrifices? How long will he trample on the temple and on the armies of heaven?” BSB BSB: Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long until the fulfillment of the vision of the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host to be trampled?”
14 ARST The other angel replied,“It will continue for 1, 150 days. During each of those days, people will not be permitted to offer sacrifices in the morning or in the evening. After that, the temple will be purified.” BSB BSB: He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be properly restored.”
15 ARST While I, Daniel, was trying to understand what the vision meant, suddenly an angel who resembled a man stood in front of me. BSB BSB: While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.
16 ARST And I heard a man call out from the other side of the Ulai Canal, saying,“Gabriel, explain to him the meaning of the vision that he saw!” BSB BSB: And I heard the voice of a man calling from between the banks of the Ulai: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”
17 ARST So Gabriel came and stood beside me. I was very terrified, with the result that I fell onto the ground. But he said to me,“You human, it is necessary for you to understand that the events that you saw in the vision will occur near the time that the world will end.” BSB BSB: As he came near to where I stood, I was terrified and fell facedown. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.”
18 ARST While he was speaking, I fainted. I lay there, unconscious, with my face still on the ground. But Gabriel put his hand on me and lifted me up in order that I could stand again. BSB BSB: While he was speaking with me, I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me, helped me to my feet,
19 ARST Then he said,“I have come here to tell you what will happen because of God being angry. These things will happen near the time when the world will end. BSB BSB: and said, “Behold, I will make known to you what will happen in the latter time of wrath, because it concerns the appointed time of the end.
20 ARST As for the ram with two horns that you saw, those horns represent the kingdoms of Media and Persia. BSB BSB: The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia.
21 ARST The goat that you saw represents the kingdom of Greece, and the horn that appeared between its eyes represents its first king. BSB BSB: The shaggy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king.
22 ARST As for the four horns that grew after the first horn was broken off, they represent four kingdoms into which that first kingdom will be divided after the first king dies. Those four kingdoms will not be as strong as the first kingdom was. BSB BSB: The four horns that replaced the broken one represent four kingdoms that will rise from that nation but will not have the same power.
23 ARST The people in those kingdoms will become very wicked, with the result that it will be necessary for them to be punished. But near the time when those kingdoms will end, one of those kingdoms will have a king who will be very proud. He will also be very fierce and very deceitful. BSB BSB: In the latter part of their reign, when the rebellion has reached its full measure, an insolent king, skilled in intrigue, will come to the throne.
24 ARST He will become very powerful, but it will not be because of what he himself does. He will terribly destroy things in many places, and he will succeed in doing everything that he wants to. He will get rid of many powerful men, and also some of God’ s people. BSB BSB: His power will be great, but it will not be his own. He will cause terrible destruction and succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men along with the holy people.
25 ARST Because he is very cunning, he will succeed by doing things that deceive many people. He will be proud of himself. He will get rid of many people when they think that they are safe. He will also rebel against God, who is the greatest king. But God will destroy him, without the help of any human being. BSB BSB: Through his craft and by his hand, he will cause deceit to prosper, and in his own mind he will make himself great. In a time of peace he will destroy many, and he will even stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be broken off, but not by human hands.
26 ARST What you saw in the vision about priests being prevented from making sacrifices in the morning and in the evening, which I explained to you, will surely happen. But for the present time, do not reveal the vision to others, because it will be many years before those things happen.” BSB BSB: The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been spoken is true. Now you must seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”
27 ARST Then I, Daniel, became weak, and I was sick for several days. Then I arose and returned to doing the work that the king had given to me, but I was perplexed about the vision, and I could not understand it. BSB BSB: I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was confounded by the vision; it was beyond understanding.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.