Daniel’s Vision of the Ram and the Goat 1 UDB During the third year that Belshazzar was the king of Babylonia, I, Daniel, 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 UDB In that vision I was in Susa, the fortified city in the province of Elam. I was standing beside 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 UDB 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 UDB The ram butted away with its horns at 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 who could stop him. 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 UDB While I thinking about what I had seen, I saw a goat come from the west. It ran across the land very quickly; 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 UDB It ran straight toward the ram with two horns, the ram that was standing alongside the canal, and the goat ran toward it in a terrible rage. BSB BSB: He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and rushed at him with furious power.
7 UDB The goat struck the ram furiously and broke off its two horns. The goat knocked the ram down to the ground 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 UDB The goat became very powerful. But when its power was very great, its great horn was broken off. Four other distinctive horns grew up in its place. Each one pointed to one of the four winds in the sky: north, south, east, and west. 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 UDB Then from one of those four horns appeared a little horn. It became very great 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 UDB That horn became very strong, with the result that it attacked some of the soldiers of the army of heaven and some of the stars in the sky. It threw some of them to the earth 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 UDB It set itself up to be as great as the commander of the army of heaven, and it took away the daily offerings of sacrifices from him, and it also defiled the place of his 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 UDB Because of rebellion, the army of heaven will falter, and the constant burnt offerings will be taken away. It will throw truth to the ground. The bad things it does will succeed. 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 UDB 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 UDB The other angel replied, "It will continue for 2,300 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 and set in order again." BSB BSB: He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be properly restored.”
Gabriel Interprets Daniel’s Vision 15 UDB 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 UDB And I heard a man call out between the banks 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 UDB So Gabriel came and stood beside me. I was very terrified, and I fell onto the ground. But he said to me, "Man, it is necessary for you to understand that the events that you saw in the vision will occur at the time of the 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 UDB While he was speaking, I fell into a deep sleep with my face on the ground. But Gabriel put his hand on me and lifted me up so 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 UDB Then he said, "I have come here to show you what will happen at the time when God releases his terrible anger. These things will happen at the time God has set for the end that is coming. 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 UDB 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 UDB 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 UDB 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. Those four kingdoms will not be as strong as the first kingdom. 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 UDB But then the time will come for those kingdoms to end. This will be after those wicked leaders will have done all the evil that God will allow them to do. Then one of those kingdoms will have a king rise up who will be very proud and very intelligent in doing evil. 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 UDB He will become very powerful, but it will not be because of what he himself does. He will destroy things in many places, and he will succeed in everything he does. He will get rid of many brave soldiers and the people who are holy. 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 UDB Because he is very cunning, he will succeed by deceiving others. He will become very arrogant, and he will destroy many people without warning. He will even rebel against God, the greatest king, who will destroy him without any human power. 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 UDB These are the true visions of the evenings and the mornings. But seal them up and 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 UDB Then I, Daniel, was so worn out and weak that I lay in bed weak 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.
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