11 I myself helped Michael in the first year that Darius ruled as king. I fought with Michael against his enemies.’ [ a ]
2 Then the angel said to Daniel, ‘Now I will tell you the truth about what will happen. There will be three more kings who rule Persia. After them, there will be a fourth king. He will be richer than all the other kings who ruled before him. He will become very powerful because of his riches. Then he will tell other nations that they must attack the kingdom of Greece.
3 Then a great king will appear. He will rule with great power. He will do whatever he wants to do. [ b ] 4 While he rules powerfully like that, his kingdom will quickly break into four parts. Those parts will be in all directions. His descendants will not rule his kingdom. Instead, other people will rule as kings, but their kingdoms will not be as powerful.
5 Then the king who rules in the south will become strong. But one of his own army officers will become even stronger. That officer will rule a greater kingdom than the king of the south. [ c ]
6 After some years, the king of the south and the king of the north will agree to be friends. [ d ] The king of the south's daughter will go to marry the king of the north. That would make their agreement strong. But the plan will fail. She will lose her authority. Her husband will no longer rule as king. Someone will kill her, her husband, her child and the servants who helped her.
7 Later, someone from her family will become king of the south. He will attack the army of the king of the north. He will go into that king's strong city. He will win the battle against the king of the north. 8 He will take the images of their gods back to Egypt with him. He will also take away valuable things that they had made from gold and silver. Then for several years, he will not attack the king of the north again.
9 After that, the king of the north will take his army into the land that the king of the south rules. But they will cause him to return to his own country. 10 Then his sons will prepare to fight a war. They will bring together a large army. Their soldiers will march forward like a powerful river. They will fight a battle all the way into the strong place of their enemy. [ e ]
11 Then the king of the south will be very angry. He will march with his army to fight against the king of the north. The king from the north will also have a large army, but the king of the south will win the battle. 12 The king of the south will boast that he has destroyed this large army. He will be proud that he has killed thousands of people. But he will not continue to win battles. 13 The king of the north will again bring together a large army. It will be even bigger than the army that he had before. After a few years, he will march forward with his great army and all their many weapons.
14 At that time, many people will turn against the king of the south. Violent men from your own people in Israel will also be ready to attack him. This would make the vision become true. They will fight against him, but they will fail. 15 Then the king from the north will march south with his army. He will build up heaps of earth around the walls of a strong city. [ f ] He will take the city for himself. The soldiers of the kingdom in the south will not be able to stop him. Even their best soldiers will not be strong enough to win the fight. 16 The king who attacked from the north will do whatever he wants to do. Nobody will be able to stop him. He will march into the Beautiful Land. He will have the power to destroy it. [ g ]
17 The king from the north will decide to march south with all his kingdom's strong army. He will make an agreement with the king of the south. He will give one of his daughters to marry the king of the south. He will try to destroy that kingdom, but his plan will fail. His daughter will not be able to do anything to help him.
18 After this, he will decide to attack the countries near the sea. He will take many of their cities for himself. But an officer of a foreign army will stop him. He will cause the king of the north to stop boasting. He will no longer be proud but he will be ashamed. 19 So the king of the north will return to the strong cities in his own country. But he will lose his power and he will fall. Nobody will ever see him again.
20 Then another king will rule in the north. He will try to make his kingdom even greater. He will send out a cruel man to take taxes from people. But that king will soon die. This will not happen in a battle or because people are angry with him.
21 The king who rules after him will be an evil man. He will not belong to the royal family, so he should not be the king. He will deceive people to make himself the king. It will happen at a time when people think that they are safe. 22 He will quickly destroy any army that tries to attack him. He will even kill the leader of God's covenant. [ h ] 23 He will agree to be friends with other leaders. But then he will deceive them. He will become more and more powerful, but he will rule only a few people.
24 His army will suddenly attack a region that is very rich. The king will do things that none of his ancestors did. He will take valuable things from his enemies when he fights against them. He will share those things with the men who help him. He will make plans to attack strong cities. But he will only be able to do this for a short time.
25 The evil king of the north will bring together a large, strong army. He will feel brave enough to attack the king of the south. The king of the south will fight against him with an even larger and more powerful army. But the king of the south will not be able to win the battle. His own men will turn against him. 26 Even those who eat the king's food will try to kill him. Many of his soldiers will die in the battle. His army will run away.
27 These two kings will sit at the same table to make plans. But they will deceive each other with evil lies. Their plans will be useless. God has already decided when their time as kings will finish.
28 Then the king of the north will return to his own country. He will take many valuable things with him. As he returns, he will cause trouble for the people who obey God's covenant. He will do whatever he wants to do against them. Then he will continue his journey back to his own country. [ i ]
29 At the time that God chooses, the king will attack the south again. This time the result will be different from the first time. 30 People will come in ships from the west to attack him. He will be afraid and he will turn back. He will be angry as he travels home. So he will cause more trouble for the people who obey God's covenant. He will give honour to those people who turn away from the holy covenant. 31 He will send his soldiers to attack Jerusalem's strong place. They will go into the holy place of the temple and they will make it unclean. They will stop people from offering the sacrifices each day. They will put a disgusting thing that causes trouble in the holy place. 32 The king will deceive the people who are no longer faithful to God. He will make them help him. But the people who are still faithful to God will work hard to stop him.
33 Wise Israelite leaders will teach many other people. But these teachers will suffer for some time. People will kill them in battle, or with fire. People will rob them. People will put some of them in prison. 34 When God's people are in a time of trouble, they will receive a little help. Many people will join them who are not their true friends. 35 Some of the wise leaders will suffer. As a result, God will make them clean and pure. This will continue until the time for the end. God has decided when that time will come.
36 The king will do whatever he wants to do. He will say that he is greater than any god. He will even say proud things to insult the God who rules all other gods. He will be successful until the time when God's anger finishes. God will finish doing what he has decided to do. 37 This king will not respect the gods that his ancestors worshipped. He will not even respect the god that women love. He will not respect any god. He will think that he is greater than all the gods. 38 Instead, he will give honour to the god that makes cities strong and safe. His ancestors did not know that god. But he will give gold, silver, jewels and other valuable gifts as offerings to that god. 39 He will ask a foreign god to help him as he attacks the strongest cities of his enemies. He will give great honour to those people who accept him as their leader. He will give them authority to rule many people. He will give them land because they have helped him.
40 At the time of the end, the king of the south will attack him. The king of the north will fight against him very strongly. He will march out quickly with chariots and soldiers who ride on horses. He will also have many ships. His army will attack many countries. He will go through those countries like a strong flood of water. 41 He will march into the Beautiful Land. He will kill many thousands of the people there. But these people will escape from his power: the people of Edom and Moab, and the leaders of Ammon. 42 He will have power over many countries. The country of Egypt will not escape. 43 He will take away from Egypt the gold, silver and other valuable things. The people of Libya and Ethiopia will be under his power.
44 But he will become afraid when he hears news from the east and the north. It will cause him to be very angry. He will go with his army to destroy many people. 45 He will put up his royal tents between the seas, at the holy mountain. [ j ] But he will die there and nobody will help him.’
11 “During the first year that Darius the Mede [ a ] was king, I stood up to support Michael [ b ] in his fight against the prince of Persia.
2 “Now then, Daniel, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will rule in Persia. Then a fourth king will come who will be much richer than all the other kings of Persia before him. He will use his riches to get power and turn everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a very strong and powerful king will come who will rule with much power. He will do anything he wants. 4 Just as he comes to power, his kingdom will be broken up and scattered in all directions. It will not be divided among his descendants. And it will not be ruled in the same way because that kingdom will be pulled up and given to other people.
5 “The southern king will become strong, but then one of his commanders will defeat him. The commander will begin to rule, and he will be very powerful.
6 “Then after a few years, the southern king and that commander will make an agreement. The daughter of the southern king will marry the northern king. She will do this to bring peace, but she and the southern king will not be strong enough. People will turn against her and against the one who brought her to that country. And they will turn against her child and against the one who helped her.
7 “But someone from her family will come to take the southern king’s place. He will attack the armies of the northern king. He will go into that king’s strong fort. He will fight and win. 8 He will take their gods and their metal idols and their expensive things made from silver and gold. He will take those things away to Egypt. Then he will not bother the northern king for a few years. 9 The northern king will attack the southern kingdom. But he will lose, and then he will go back to his own country.
10 “The northern king’s sons will prepare for war. They will get a large army together. It will move through the land very quickly, like a powerful flood. That army will fight all the way to the strong fort of the southern king. 11 Then the southern king will become very angry and march out to fight against the northern king. The northern king will have a large army, but he will lose the war. 12 The northern army will be defeated, and those soldiers will be carried away. The southern king will be very proud, and he will kill thousands of soldiers from the northern army. But he will not continue to be successful. 13 The northern king will get another army that will be larger than the first one. After several years he will attack. His army will be ready for war. It will be very large and it will have many weapons.
14 “In those times many people will be against the southern king. Some of your own people who love to fight will rebel against the southern king. They will not win, but they will make the vision come true. 15 Then the northern king will come. He will build ramps against the walls and will capture a strong city. The southern army will not have the power to fight back. Even the best soldiers from the southern army will not be strong enough to stop the northern army.
16 “The northern king will do whatever he wants. No one will be able to stop him. He will gain power and control in the Beautiful Land, and he will have the power to destroy it. 17 The northern king will decide to use all his power to fight against the southern king, and he will make an agreement with the southern king. The king of the north will let one of his daughters marry the southern king so that he can defeat the southern king. But those plans will not succeed. His plans will not help him.
18 “Then the northern king will turn his attention to the countries along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. He will defeat many of those cities, but then a commander will put an end to the pride and rebellion of that northern king. The commander will make the northern king ashamed.
19 “After that happens, the northern king will go back to the strong forts of his own country. But he will be weak and will fall. He will be finished.
20 “After the northern king, there will be a new ruler who sends out tax collectors so that he can live like a king. But after a few years, he will be destroyed, although he will not die in battle.
21 “That ruler will be followed by a very cruel and hated man, who will not have the honor of being from a king’s family. [ c ] He will become a ruler by being tricky. He will attack the kingdom when the people feel safe. 22 He will defeat large and powerful armies. He will even defeat the leader with the agreement. 23 Many nations will make agreements with that cruel and hated ruler, but he will lie and trick them. He will gain much power, but only a few people will support him.
24 “When the richest countries feel safe, that cruel and hated ruler will attack them. He will attack at just the right time and will be successful where his ancestors were not successful. He will take things from the countries he defeated, and he will give them to his followers. He will plan to defeat and destroy strong cities. He will be successful—but only for a short time.
25 “That very cruel and hated ruler will have a very large army. He will use that army to show his strength and courage and attack the southern king. The southern king will get a very large and powerful army and go to war. But the people who are against him will make secret plans, and the southern king will be defeated. 26 People who were supposed to be good friends of the southern king will try to destroy him. His army will be defeated. Many of his soldiers will be killed in battle. 27 Those two kings will want to make trouble. They will sit around the table planning their lies, but it will not do either one of them any good because God has set a time for their end to come.
28 “The northern king will go back to his own country with much wealth. Then he will decide to do bad things against the holy agreement. [ d ] He will do the things he planned, and then he will go back to his own country.
29 “At the right time, the northern king will attack the southern king again. But this time he will not be successful as he was before. 30 Ships from Cyprus will come and fight against the northern king. He will see those ships coming and be afraid. Then he will turn back and take out his anger on the holy agreement. He will turn back and help those who stopped following the holy agreement. 31 The northern king will send his army to do terrible things to the Temple in Jerusalem. They will stop the people from offering the daily sacrifice. Then they will do something really terrible. They will set up that terrible thing that causes destruction.
32 “The northern king will use lies and smooth talking to trick those who quit following the holy agreement, so they will sin even worse. But those who know God and obey him will be strong. They will fight back.
33 “Those wise teachers will help the other people understand what is happening. But even they will have to suffer persecution. Some of them will be killed with swords. Some of them will be burned or taken prisoner. Some of them will have their homes and things taken away. 34 When those wise people are punished, they will receive some help, but many people who join them will be hypocrites. 35 Some of the wise people will stumble and make mistakes. But the persecution must come so that they can be made stronger and purer until the time of the end. Then, at the right time, that time of the end will come.
36 “The northern king will do whatever he wants. He will brag about himself. He will praise himself and think that he is even better than a god. He will say things that no one has ever heard. He will say those things against the God of gods. He will be successful until all the evil things have happened. Then what God has planned to happen will happen.
37 “That northern king will not care about the gods his ancestors worshiped. He will not care about the gods women worship. He will not care about any god. Instead, he will praise himself and make himself more important than any god. 38 The northern king will not worship any god, but he will worship power. Power and strength will be his god. His ancestors didn’t love power as he does. He will honor the god of power with gold and silver, expensive jewels, and gifts.
39 “That northern king will attack strong fortresses with the help of this foreign god. He will give much honor to the foreign rulers who join him. He will put many people under their rule. He will make the rulers pay him for the land they rule over.
40 “At the time of the end, the southern king will fight a battle against the northern king. The northern king will attack him with chariots and soldiers on horses and many large ships. The northern king will rush through the land like a flood. 41 The northern king will attack the Beautiful Land. He will defeat many countries. But Edom, Moab, and the leaders of Ammon will be saved from him. 42 The northern king will show his power in many countries. Egypt will also learn how powerful he is. 43 He will get treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt. The Libyans and Ethiopians will obey him. 44 But that northern king will hear news from the east and the north that will make him afraid and angry. He will go to completely destroy many nations. 45 He will set up his king’s tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain. [ e ] But finally, that bad king will die. There will be no one to help him when his end comes.
11 Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him.
2 And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.
3 And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
4 And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.
5 And 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 And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.
7 But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail:
8 And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north.
9 So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land.
10 But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress.
11 And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand.
12 And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.
13 For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches.
14 And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.
15 So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.
16 But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.
17 He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.
18 After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him.
19 Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.
20 Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.
21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
22 And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.
23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
24 He shall enter peaceably even upon 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 the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.
25 And 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 be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him.
26 Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain.
27 And both of these kings' 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 riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land.
29 At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.
30 For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.
31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
33 And they that understand 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 holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.
36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at 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 over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon 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 tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
11 “In the ( A ) first year of Darius the Mede, [ a ] I arose to be of [ b ] assistance and a protection for him. 2 And now I will tell you the ( B ) truth. Behold, three more kings are going to arise [ c ] in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all of them ; as soon as he becomes strong through his riches, [ d ] he will stir up the entire empire against the realm of [ e ] ( C ) Greece. 3 And a ( D ) mighty king will arise, and he will rule with great authority and ( E ) do as he pleases. 4 But as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out ( F ) toward the ( G ) four [ f ] points of the compass, though not to his own descendants, nor according to his authority which he wielded, because his sovereignty will be ( H ) removed and given to others besides [ g ] them.
5 “Then the ( I ) king of the South will grow strong, [ h ] along with one of his princes [ i ] who will gain ascendancy over him and rule; his domain will be a great realm indeed . 6 And after some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will come to the ( J ) king of the North to reach an agreement. But she will not keep her [ j ] position of power, nor will he remain with his [ k ] power, but she will be given up, along with those who brought her in and the one who fathered her as well as he who supported her in those times. 7 But one of the [ l ] descendants of her line will arise in his place, and he will come against their army and enter the ( K ) fortress of the king of the North, and he will deal with them and prevail. 8 And he will also take into captivity to Egypt their ( L ) gods with their cast metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold, and he on his part will [ m ] refrain from attacking the king of the North for some years. 9 Then [ n ] the latter will enter the realm of the king of the South, but will return to his own land.
10 “And his sons will mobilize and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one of them will keep on coming and ( M ) overflow and pass through, so that he may [ o ] again wage war up to his fortress. 11 And the ( N ) king of the South will be enraged and go out and fight [ p ] with the king of the North. Then the latter will raise a great multitude, but that multitude will be handed over to [ q ] the former. 12 When the multitude is carried away, his heart will [ r ] be haughty, and he will cause tens of thousands to fall; yet he will not prevail. 13 For the king of the North will again raise a greater multitude than the former, and [ s ] after an ( O ) interval of some years he will [ t ] press on with a great army and much equipment.
14 “Now in those times many will rise up against the king of the South; the violent ones among your people will also raise themselves up to fulfill the vision, but they will [ u ] fall down. 15 Then the king of the North will come, pile up an ( P ) assault ramp, and capture a well-fortified city; and the forces of the South will not stand their ground , not even [ v ] their choicest troops, for there will be no strength to make a stand. 16 But he who comes against him will ( Q ) do as he pleases, and ( R ) no one will be able to withstand him; he will also stay for a time in the [ w ] ( S ) Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand. 17 And he will ( T ) set his [ x ] mind on coming with the power of his entire kingdom, [ y ] bringing with him [ z ] a proposal of peace which he will put into effect; he will also give him the daughter of women to ruin it. But she will not take a stand for him or be [ aa ] on his side. 18 Then he will turn his face to the ( U ) coastlands and capture many. But a commander will put a stop to his taunting against him; moreover, he will ( V ) repay him for his taunting. 19 So he will turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will ( W ) stumble and fall and not be ( X ) found.
20 “Then in his place one will arise who will ( Y ) allow an [ ab ] oppressor to pass through the [ ac ] Jewel of his kingdom; yet within a few days he will be broken, though not in anger nor in battle. 21 And in his place a despicable person will arise, on whom the majesty of kingship has not been conferred; but he will come in a time of tranquility and ( Z ) seize the kingdom by intrigue. 22 And the overflowing ( AA ) forces will be flooded away from him and smashed, and also the prince of the covenant. 23 After an alliance is made with him he will practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people. 24 [ ad ] In a time of tranquility he will enter the ( AB ) richest parts of the [ ae ] realm, and he will accomplish what his fathers did not, nor his [ af ] ancestors; he will distribute plunder, spoils, and possessions among them, and he will devise his schemes against strongholds, but only for a time. 25 And he will stir up his strength and [ ag ] courage against the ( AC ) king of the South with a large army; so the king of the South will mobilize an extremely large and mighty army for war; but he will not stand, because schemes will be devised against him. 26 Those who eat his choice food will [ ah ] destroy him, and his army will [ ai ] ( AD ) overflow, but many will fall down slain. 27 As for both kings, their hearts will be intent on ( AE ) evil, and they will ( AF ) speak lies to each other at the same table; but it will not succeed, because the ( AG ) end is still to come at the appointed time. 28 Then he will return to his land with much [ aj ] plunder; but his heart will be set against the holy covenant, and he will take action and then return to his own land.
29 “At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but [ ak ] this last time it will not turn out the way it did before. 30 For ships of [ al ] ( AH ) Kittim will come against him; therefore he will withdraw in fear and will return and curse the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and pay attention to those who abandon the holy covenant. 31 Forces from him will arise, ( AI ) desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the ( AJ ) abomination [ am ] of desolation. 32 And by ( AK ) smooth words he will [ an ] turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will be ( AL ) strong and take action. 33 And [ ao ] ( AM ) those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will ( AN ) fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder for many days. 34 Now when they fall they will be granted a little help, and many will ( AO ) join with them in ( AP ) hypocrisy. 35 And some of [ ap ] those who have insight will fall, to ( AQ ) refine, ( AR ) purge, and [ aq ] ( AS ) cleanse them until the ( AT ) end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time.
36 “Then the king will ( AU ) do as he pleases, and he will exalt himself and ( AV ) boast against every god and will ( AW ) speak [ ar ] dreadful things against the ( AX ) God of gods; and he will be successful until the ( AY ) indignation is finished, because that which is ( AZ ) determined will be done. 37 And he will show no regard for the [ as ] gods of his fathers or for the [ at ] desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will boast against them all. 38 But [ au ] instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, precious stones, and treasures. 39 And he will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to [ av ] those who acknowledge him and will make them rulers over the many, and will parcel out land for a price.
40 “And at the ( BA ) end time the ( BB ) king of the South will wage war with him, and the ( BC ) king of the North will ( BD ) storm against him with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he will enter countries, ( BE ) overflow them , and pass through. 41 He will also enter the [ aw ] ( BF ) Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, ( BG ) Moab, and the foremost of the sons of ( BH ) Ammon. 42 Then he will reach out with his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. 43 But he will [ ax ] gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and ( BI ) Libyans and ( BJ ) Ethiopians will follow at his [ ay ] heels. 44 But rumors from the East and from the North will terrify him, and he will go out with great wrath to eliminate and [ az ] annihilate many. 45 And he will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful ( BK ) Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.
11 1 And in the first year of Darius ( A ) the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.)
2 “Now then, I tell you the truth: ( B ) Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. ( C ) 3 Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. ( D ) 4 After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. ( E ) It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted ( F ) and given to others.
5 “The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. 6 After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power [ a ] will not last. In those days she will be betrayed, together with her royal escort and her father [ b ] and the one who supported her.
7 “One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North ( G ) and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. 8 He will also seize their gods, ( H ) their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. ( I ) For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. 9 Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country. 10 His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood ( J ) and carry the battle as far as his fortress.
11 “Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated. ( K ) 12 When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant. 13 For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped.
14 “In those times many will rise against the king of the South. Those who are violent among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success. 15 Then the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps ( L ) and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. 16 The invader will do as he pleases; ( M ) no one will be able to stand against him. ( N ) He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it. ( O ) 17 He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans [ c ] will not succeed ( P ) or help him. 18 Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands ( Q ) and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him. ( R ) 19 After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, ( S ) to be seen no more. ( T )
20 “His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. ( U ) In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle.
21 “He will be succeeded by a contemptible ( V ) person who has not been given the honor of royalty. ( W ) He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. 22 Then an overwhelming army will be swept away ( X ) before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. ( Y ) 23 After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, ( Z ) and with only a few people he will rise to power. 24 When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. ( AA ) He will plot the overthrow of fortresses—but only for a time.
25 “With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. 26 Those who eat from the king’s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. 27 The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, ( AB ) will sit at the same table and lie ( AC ) to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time. ( AD ) 28 The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country.
29 “At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. 30 Ships of the western coastlands ( AE ) will oppose him, and he will lose heart. ( AF ) Then he will turn back and vent his fury ( AG ) against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.
31 “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. ( AH ) Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. ( AI ) 32 With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist ( AJ ) him.
33 “Those who are wise will instruct ( AK ) many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. ( AL ) 34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere ( AM ) will join them. 35 Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, ( AN ) purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.
36 “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself ( AO ) above every god and will say unheard-of things ( AP ) against the God of gods. ( AQ ) He will be successful until the time of wrath ( AR ) is completed, for what has been determined must take place. ( AS ) 37 He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. 38 Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price. [ d ]
40 “At the time of the end the king of the South ( AT ) will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm ( AU ) out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. ( AV ) 41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. ( AW ) Many countries will fall, but Edom, ( AX ) Moab ( AY ) and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. 42 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. 43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, ( AZ ) with the Libyans ( BA ) and Cushites [ e ] in submission. 44 But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at [ f ] the beautiful holy mountain. ( BB ) Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.
