Daniel 7

¹ In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions that passed through his head as he lay in bed. He wrote the dream down, and this is how the narrative began:

² Daniel said, ‘I have been seeing visions in the night. I saw that the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea;

³ four great beasts emerged from the sea, each different from the other.

⁴ The first[*a] was like a lion with eagle’s wings; and as I looked its wings were torn off, and it was lifted from the ground and set standing on its feet like a man; and it was given a human heart.

⁵ The second beast I saw[*b] was different, like a bear, raised up on one of its sides, with three ribs in its mouth, between its teeth. “Up!” came the command “Eat quantities of flesh!”

⁶ After this I looked, and saw another beast,[*c] like a leopard, and with four bird’s wings on its flanks; it had four heads, and power was given to it.

⁷ Next I saw another vision in the visions of the night: I saw a fourth beast,[*d] fearful, terrifying, very strong; it had great iron teeth, and it ate, crushed and trampled underfoot what remained. It was different from the previous beasts and had ten horns.

⁸ ‘While I was looking at these horns, I saw another horn sprouting among them, a little one;[*e] three of the original horns were pulled out by the roots to make way for it; and in this horn I saw eyes like human eyes, and a mouth that was full of boasts.

⁹ As I watched:

¹⁰ A stream of fire poured out, issuing from his presence. A thousand thousand waited on him, ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. A court was held and the books were opened.

¹¹ ‘The great things the horn was saying were still ringing in my ears, and as I watched, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and committed to the flames.

¹² The other beasts were deprived of their power, but received a lease of life for a season and a time.

¹³ ‘I gazed into the visions of the night. And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man. He came to the one of great age and was led into his presence.

¹⁴ On him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship, and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants. His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.

¹⁵ ‘I, Daniel, was deeply disturbed and the visions that passed through my head alarmed me.

¹⁶ So I approached one of those who were standing by and asked him to tell me the truth about all this. And in reply he revealed to me what these things meant.

¹⁷ “These four great beasts are four kings who will rise from the earth.

¹⁸ Those who are granted sovereignty are the saints of the Most High, and the kingdom will be theirs for ever, for ever and ever.”

¹⁹ Then I asked to know the truth about the fourth beast, different from all the rest, very terrifying, with iron teeth and bronze claws, eating, crushing and trampling underfoot what remained;

²⁰ and the truth about the ten horns on its head – and why the other horn sprouted and the three original horns fell, and why this horn had eyes and a mouth that was full of boasts, and why it made a greater show than the other horns.

²¹ This was the horn I had watched making war on the saints and proving the stronger,

²² until the coming of the one of great age who gave judgement in favour of the saints of the Most High, when the time came for the saints to take over the kingdom.

²³ This is what he said: “The fourth beast is to be a fourth kingdom on earth, different from all other kingdoms. It will devour the whole earth, trample it underfoot and crush it.

²⁴ As for the ten horns: from this kingdom will rise ten kings, and another after them; this one will be different from the previous ones and will bring down three kings;

²⁵ he is going to speak words against the Most High, and harass the saints of the Most High. He will consider changing seasons and the Law,[*g] and the saints will be put into his power for a time, two times, and half a time.[*h]

²⁶ But a court will be held and his power will be stripped from him, consumed, and utterly destroyed.

²⁷ And sovereignty and kingship, and the splendours of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Most High. His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty and every empire will serve and obey him.”

²⁸ ‘Here the narrative ends. I, Daniel, was greatly disturbed in mind, and I grew pale; but I kept these things to myself.’