Daniel 8
8
Vision of a ram and a goat
1In the third year of King Belshazzar’s rule, a vision came to me, Daniel, some time after the earlier vision I had. 2I saw this vision, and as I experienced it I was in the walled city of Susa in the province of Elam,#8.2 Some LXX sources; MT repeats I had this vision before I was by the Ulai canal. by the Ulai canal. 3When I lifted my eyes, I suddenly saw a ram with two horns standing in front of the canal. Both horns were high, but one was higher than the other. The higher one came up after the other one. 4I saw the ram goring west, north, and south. No animal could resist the ram, and no one could stop it, rescuing others from its power. The ram did whatever it pleased. It became powerful.
5I was trying to understand this when suddenly a he-goat came from the west, crossing the entire earth but not touching the ground. Between this goat’s eyes was a horn that was a sight to see. 6The he-goat came to the ram that had two horns, the one I’d seen standing in front of the canal. The he-goat charged the ram in powerful anger. 7I saw the he-goat approach the ram. It was enraged at the ram and attacked it, shattering the ram’s two horns. The ram couldn’t resist the he-goat. The he-goat threw the ram on the ground and trampled on it. No one could rescue the ram from the he-goat’s power.
8The he-goat became even greater, but at the height of its power, its large horn snapped. In its place, four horns, each a sight to see, came up toward the four winds of heaven. 9A single, very small horn came out of one of the four horns. It grew bigger and bigger, stretching toward the south, the east, and the beautiful country. 10It grew as high as the heavenly forces, until it finally threw some of them and some of the stars down to the earth. Then it trampled on them. 11It grew as high as the very leader of those forces, taking the daily sacrifice away from him#8.11 Or the daily sacrifice was taken away from him. and overturning his holy place. 12In an act of rebellion, another force will take control of the daily sacrifice. It will throw truth to the ground and will succeed in everything it does.#8.12 Heb uncertain
How long?
13I then heard a certain holy one speaking. A second holy one said to the first one: “How long will this vision last—the one concerning the daily sacrifice, the desolating rebellion, and the handing over of the sanctuary and its forces to be trampled?”
14He said to me, “For two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary will be restored.”
Vision interpreted
15Now I, Daniel, needed help understanding the vision I saw. Suddenly standing in front of me was someone who looked like a man. 16I then heard a human voice coming out of the center of the Ulai canal. It called out: “Gabriel, help this person understand what he has seen.”
17Gabriel approached me, and I was terrified when he came. I fell with my face to the ground. Gabriel said to me, “Know this, human one: the vision is for the end time.” 18As soon as he said this to me, I fell into a trance. My face was still on the ground. Then Gabriel touched me and set me up on my feet.
19He said, “Now, I am going to tell you what will happen during the time of doom that is coming, because at the appointed time there will be an end. 20The two-horned ram you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21The long-haired he-goat is the king of Greece, and the big horn between its eyes is the first king. 22The horn that snapped so that four came up in its place means that four kingdoms will come from one nation, but these four won’t have the strength of the first one.
23When their kingship nears its end
and their sins#8.23 LXX; MT rebels are almost complete,
a king will step forward.
He will be stern and a master of deception.
24At the height of his power,#8.24 LXX sources; MT His power will grow strong, but not by his own power, perhaps influenced by 8:22.
he will wreak unbelievable destructions.
He will succeed in all he does.
He will destroy both the mighty
and the people of the holy ones.
25Along with his cunning,
he will succeed by using deceit.
In his own mind, he will be great.
In a time of peace,
he will bring destruction on many,
opposing even the supreme leader.
But he will be broken—
and not by a human hand.
26Now this vision of evening and morning, which has been announced, is true. But you must seal it up, because it is for days far in the future.”
27Then I, Daniel, was overwhelmed and felt sick for days. When I finally got up and went about the king’s business, I remained troubled by the vision and couldn’t understand it.
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
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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