Daniel 8
8
Daniel's vision of a ram and a goat
1Daniel wrote:
In the third year of King Belshazzar of Babylonia,#8.1 third year…Babylonia: 552 BC, two years after the first vision (see 7.1,2). I had a second vision 2in which I was in Susa, the chief city of Babylonia's Elam Province. I was beside the River#8.2 River: Or “Gate”. Ulai, 3when I looked up and saw a ram standing there with two horns on its head—both of them were long, but the second one was longer than the first. 4The ram went charging towards the west, the north, and the south. No other animals were strong enough to oppose him, and nothing could save them from his power. So he did as he pleased and became even more powerful.
5I kept on watching and saw a goat come from the west and charge across the entire earth, without even touching the ground. Between his eyes was a powerful horn,#8.5 powerful horn: Hebrew “horn of vision”. 6and with tremendous anger the goat started towards the ram that I had seen beside the river.#8.6 river: See the note at 8.2. 7The goat was so fierce that its attack broke both horns of the ram, leaving him powerless. Then the goat trampled on the ram, and no one could do anything to help. 8After this, the goat became even more powerful. But at the peak of his power, his mighty horn was broken, and four other mighty horns took its place—one pointing to the north and one to the east, one to the south and one to the west.
9A little horn came from one of these, and its power reached to the south, the east, and even to the holy land.#8.9 holy land: Hebrew “the lovely land”. 10It became so strong that it attacked the stars in the sky, which were heaven's army.#8.10 heaven's army: In verses 10-13 the Hebrew word translated “heaven's army” may also mean “God's people”. Then it threw some of them down to the earth and trampled on them.#Rev 12.4. 11-12It humiliated heaven's army and dishonoured its leader#8.11,12 leader: Hebrew “prince”. by keeping him from offering the daily sacrifices. In fact, it was so terrible that it even disgraced the temple and wiped out true worship. It also did everything else it wanted to do.
13Then one of the holy angels asked another, “When will the daily sacrifices be offered again? What about this horrible rebellion? When will the temple and heaven's army no longer be trampled in the dust?”
14The other answered, “It will be two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings before the temple is dedicated and in use again.”
Gabriel interprets the vision
15Daniel wrote:
I was trying to understand the meaning of the vision, when someone suddenly appeared there beside me. 16And from beside the River#8.16 River: See the note at 8.2. Ulai, a voice like that of a human said, “Gabriel, help him understand the vision.”#Lk 1.19,26.
17Gabriel came over, and I fell to the ground in fear. Then he said, “You are merely a human, but you need to understand that this vision is about the end of time.”
18While he was speaking, I fell face down in a deep sleep. But he lifted me to my feet 19and said:
Listen, and I will tell you what will happen at the end of time, when God has chosen to show his anger. 20The two horns of the ram are the kings of Media and Persia, 21the goat is the kingdom of Greece, and the powerful horn between his eyes is the first of its kings. 22After this horn is broken, four other kingdoms will appear, but they won't be as strong.
23When these rulers have become as evil as possible, their power will end, and then a king who is dangerous and cannot be trusted will appear. 24He will gain strength, but not on his own, and he will cause terrible destruction. He will wipe out powerful leaders and God's people as well. 25His deceitful lies will make him so successful, that he will think he is really great. Suddenly he will kill many people, and he will even attack God, the Supreme Ruler. But God will crush him!
26This vision about the evenings and mornings is true, but these things won't happen for a long time, so don't tell it to others.
27After this, I was so worn out and weak that it was several days before I could get out of bed and go about my duties for the king. I was disturbed by this vision that made no sense to me.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
Daniel 8
8
Daniel’s Vision of the Ram and the Goat
1In the third year of the reign of #See ch. 5:1 King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, #[ch. 7:1]after that which appeared to me #[ch. 7:1]at the first. 2And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in #See Neh. 1:1 Susa the citadel, which is in the province of #See Isa. 11:11 Elam. And #See Ezek. 1:1 I saw in the vision, #See Ezek. 1:1 and I was at the #ver. 16Ulai canal. 3I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, #[ver. 20]a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. 4I saw #[Deut. 33:17; Ezek. 34:21] the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No #[ch. 7:17] beast #[ver. 7] could stand before him, #[ch. 3:15] and there was no one who could rescue from his power. #[ch. 11:3, 16, 36] He did as he pleased and #ver. 8became great.
5As I was considering, behold, a #[ver. 21]male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had #[ver. 21]a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6He came to #[ver. 20] the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, #[Job 15:26]and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. 7I saw him come close to the ram, #ch. 11:11 and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. #[ver. 4] And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he #[Ps. 7:5]cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8Then #[See ver. 5 above] the goat #ver. 4 became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four #[ver. 5]; See ch. 7:2, 3conspicuous horns toward #[ver. 5]; See ch. 7:2, 3the four winds of heaven.
9Out of one of them came #ch. 7:8 a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward #[ch. 11:25] the south, toward the east, and toward #ch. 11:16, 41; [Ps. 48:2; Ezek. 20:6, 15]the glorious land. 10#[ch. 11:28] It grew great, #Isa. 14:13 even to the host of heaven. And some of the host #Isa. 14:13 and some#8:10 Or host, that is, some of #[Rev. 12:4] the stars it threw down to the ground and #ver. 7trampled on them. 11#ver. 25; See ch. 11:36 It became great, even as great as #Josh. 5:14 the Prince of the host. #ch. 11:31; 12:11And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. 12And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression,#8:12 Or in an act of rebellion and it will throw truth to the ground, and #ver. 24; ch. 11:28, 30it will act and prosper. 13Then I heard #See ch. 4:13 a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, #ch. 12:6; [Rev. 6:10]; See ch. 9:21-27 “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, #See ch. 11:31the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” 14And he said to me,#8:14 Hebrew; Septuagint, Theodotion, Vulgate to him “For 2,300 #[ver. 26]evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”
The Interpretation of the Vision
15When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I #[1 Pet. 1:10, 11] sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having #ch. 7:13; 10:16, 18; Ezek. 1:26; Rev. 1:13the appearance of a man. 16#See ch. 12:5-7 And I heard a man’s voice #See ch. 12:5-7 between the banks of the #ver. 2 Ulai, and it called, #ch. 9:21; Luke 1:19, 26“Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17So he came near where I stood. And when he came, #[Luke 1:12] I was frightened #Ezek. 1:28 and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, #See Ezek. 2:1 O son of man, that the vision is for #[ver. 19; ch. 11:27, 35, 40; 12:4, 9]the time of the end.”
18And when he had spoken to me, #ch. 10:9; [Luke 9:32] I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But #ch. 9:21; 10:10, 18he touched me and made me stand up. 19He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of #ch. 11:36 the indignation, for it refers to #[Ps. 102:13]; See ver. 17the appointed time of the end. 20As for #[ver. 3] the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of #[ch. 6:8]Media and Persia. 21And #[ver. 5] the goat#8:21 Or the shaggy goat is the king of Greece. And #[ver. 5] the great horn between his eyes is #ch. 10:20; 11:3the first king. 22#ver. 8 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his#8:22 Theodotion, Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew a nation, #ver. 24but not with his power. 23And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 24His power shall be great—#Rev. 17:17 but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction #ver. 12; ch. 11:28, 30 and shall succeed in what he does, #[ch. 7:21]and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25#[ch. 11:23] By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind #ver. 11 he shall become great. #[ch. 11:21, 24] Without warning he shall destroy many. And he #ver. 11 shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but #See ch. 2:34by no human hand. 26The vision of #[ver. 14] the evenings and the mornings that has been told #[ch. 10:1] is true, but #[ch. 12:4, 9] seal up the vision, #ch. 10:14for it refers to many days from now.”
27And #[ch. 7:28] I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision #[ver. 16]and did not understand it.
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