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In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel saw a sweven, either a dream. Forsooth he wrote the vision of his head in his bed, and the dream, and comprehended in short word; (In the first year of Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream. And he wrote down the vision in his head, the dream that he had on his bed, and recorded it in a few words;)

and he touched shortly the sentence, and said, I saw in my vision in (the) night, and lo! four winds of heaven fought in the midst of the great sea. (yea, he touched briefly upon it, and said, I saw in my vision in the night, and lo! the four winds of the heavens fought in the midst of the Great Sea.)

And four great beasts, diverse betwixt themselves, went up from the sea.

The first beast was as a lioness, and had wings of an eagle. I beheld till the wings thereof were pulled away, and it was taken away from [the] earth, and it stood as a man on the feet, and the heart thereof was given to it. (The first beast was like a lioness, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were pulled off, and it was lifted up from the ground, and it stood upon its feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it.)

And lo! another beast, like a bear in part, stood, and three orders were in the mouth thereof, and three princes in the teeth thereof (And lo! another beast, like a bear in part, stood up, and it had three ribs in its teeth). And thus they said to it, Rise thou, eat thou full many fleshes.

After these things I beheld, and lo! another beast as a leopard, and it had on itself four wings of a bird; and four heads were in the beast (and four heads were on that beast), and power was given to it.

After these things I beheld in the vision of (the) night, and lo! the fourth beast, fearedful, and wonderful, and full strong. It had great iron teeth, and it ate, and made less, and defouled with his feet other things; forsooth it was unlike (the) other beasts, which I had seen before it, and it had ten horns. (After these things I saw in the vision of the night, and lo! the fourth beast, fearful, and wonderful, and very strong. It had great iron teeth, and it ate, and devoured, and it defiled, or trampled upon, everything with its feet; and it was unlike the other beasts, which I had seen before it, for it had ten horns.)

I beheld the horns, and lo! another little horn came forth (out) of the midst of those, and three of the first horns were drawn out from the face thereof (and three of the first horns were drawn out to make room for it); and lo! eyes as (the) eyes of a man were in this horn, and a mouth speaking great things.

I beheld, till that thrones were set, and the Eld of days sat; his cloth was white as snow, and the hairs of his head were as clean wool; his throne was as flames of fire, his wheels were as fire kindled. (I watched, until the thrones were set in place, and the Old, or the Ancient, of Days sat down; his cloak was as white as snow, and the hair on his head was like clean wool; his throne was like flames of fire, and its wheels were like kindled fire.)

10 A flood of fire and running fast went out from (before) his face; a thousand thousands ministered to him, and ten times a thousand times an hundred thousand stood nigh [to] him; the doom sat, and books were opened. (A river of fire, running fast, went out from before his face; a thousand thousands served him, and ten times a thousand times a hundred thousand stood near to him; the court sat, and the books were opened.)

11 I beheld for the voice of great words which that horn spake; and I saw that the beast was slain, and his body was perished, and was given to be burnt in fire. (I watched because of the great words which that horn spoke; and I saw that the beast was killed, and its body perished, and it was given to be burned in the fire.)

12 And I saw that the power of (the) other beasts was taken away, and the times of life were ordained to them, till to time and time.

13 Therefore I beheld in the vision of (the) night, and lo! (one) as a son of man came with the clouds of heaven; and he came fully till to the Eld of days, and in the sight of him they offered him. (And so I watched in the vision of the night, and lo! one like the son of a man/one like the Son of man came with the clouds of the heavens; and he came unto the Old, or the Ancient, of Days, and was presented to him.)

14 And he gave to him power, and honour, and realm, and all the peoples, lineages, and languages shall serve him; his power is everlasting power, that shall not be taken away, and his realm, that shall not be corrupted. (And he gave to him power, and honour, and kingdom, so that all the peoples, and tribes, or nations, of every language, would serve him; his power is everlasting power, that shall never be taken away, and his kingdom shall never be corrupted, or shall never end.)

15 My spirit had horror, either hideousness; I, Daniel, was afeared in these things, and the sights of mine head disturbed me. (My spirit felt horror, or terror; and I, Daniel, was afraid of these things, and the sights in my head disturbed me.)

16 I nighed to one of the standers nigh, and I asked of him the truth of all these things. And he said to me the interpreting of these words, and he taught me (And he told me the interpretation of these things, and he taught me).

17 These four great beasts be four realms, that shall rise of [the] earth. (And he said, These four great beasts be four kingdoms, that shall rise upon the earth.)

18 Forsooth holy men shall take the realm of highest God, and they shall hold the realm, till into the world, and unto the world of worlds. (But the holy men of the Most High God shall receive the kingdom, and they shall hold the kingdom, until forever and ever.)

19 After these things I would learn diligently of the fourth beast, that was greatly unlike from all (the others), and was full fearedful, (for) the teeth and nails thereof were of iron; it ate, and made less, and defouled with his feet other things. (After these things I wanted to learn about the fourth beast, that was greatly unlike all the others, and was very fearful, for its teeth and its claws were made of iron; it ate, and devoured, and defiled, or trampled upon, everything with its feet.)

20 And of ten horns which it had in the head, and of the tother horn that came forth, before which three horns fell down; and of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth speaking great things, and was greater than others; (And about the ten horns which it had on its head, and about the other horn that came forth, before which three horns fell down; and that horn had eyes, and a mouth speaking great things, and it was greater than the other horns;)

21 I beheld, and lo! that horn made battle against holy men, and had mastery of them, (I watched, and lo! that horn made battle against the holy people, and had the mastery over them,)

22 till the Eld of days came, and high God gave doom to holy men; and lo! time came, and holy men got realm. (until the Old, or the Ancient, of Days came, and the Most High God gave judgement in favour of the holy people; and lo! the time came, and the holy people got the kingdom.)

23 And he said thus, The fourth beast shall be the fourth realm in (the) earth, that shall be more than all realms, and it shall devour all (the) earth, and it shall defoul, and make less that earth. (And he said this, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom on the earth, that shall be more than all the other kingdoms, and it shall devour all the earth, and it shall defile, or trample upon, and break in pieces all the earth.)

24 Forsooth (the) ten horns shall be ten kings of that realm; and another king shall rise (up) after them, and he shall be mightier than the former, and he shall make low three kings.

25 And he shall speak words against the high God, and he shall defoul the saints of the HighestHigh; and he shall guess, that he may change times and laws (And he shall speak words against the Most High God, and he shall defile, or shall oppress, the saints of the Most High GodHigh; and he shall think, that he can change the times for the feasts, and the laws); and they shall be given into his hands, till to time, and times, and the half of time.

26 And (the) doom shall sit, that the power be taken away, and be all-broken, and perish till into the end. (Then the court shall sit, and his power shall be taken away, and be altogether broken, and destroyed forever.)

27 Soothly that the realm, and power, and the greatness of realm, which is under each heaven, be given to the people of the saints of the Highest, whose realm is (an) everlasting realm, and all kings shall serve, and obey to him. (Truly the kingdom, and the power, and the greatness of the kingdom, which is under all heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High God, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all kings shall serve him, and obey him.)

28 Hitherto is the end of the word. I, Daniel, was disturbed much in my thoughts, and my face was changed in me; forsooth I kept the word in mine heart. (Heretofore is the end of the word. I, Daniel, was very disturbed in my thoughts about all of this, and my face grew pale; but I kept all these things in my heart.)

Daniel’s Dream of Four Beasts

In the first year of Belshazzar(A) king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions(B) passed through his mind(C) as he was lying in bed.(D) He wrote(E) down the substance of his dream.

Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven(F) churning up the great sea. Four great beasts,(G) each different from the others, came up out of the sea.

“The first was like a lion,(H) and it had the wings of an eagle.(I) I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.

“And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’(J)

“After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard.(K) And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

“After that, in my vision(L) at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron(M) teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled(N) underfoot whatever was left.(O) It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.(P)

“While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little(Q) one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being(R) and a mouth that spoke boastfully.(S)

“As I looked,

“thrones were set in place,
    and the Ancient of Days(T) took his seat.(U)
His clothing was as white as snow;(V)
    the hair of his head was white like wool.(W)
His throne was flaming with fire,
    and its wheels(X) were all ablaze.
10 A river of fire(Y) was flowing,
    coming out from before him.(Z)
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
    ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated,
    and the books(AA) were opened.

11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking.(AB) I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.(AC) 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)

13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a](AD) coming(AE) with the clouds of heaven.(AF) He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority,(AG) glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him.(AH) His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom(AI) is one that will never be destroyed.(AJ)

The Interpretation of the Dream

15 “I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me.(AK) 16 I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this.

“So he told me and gave me the interpretation(AL) of these things: 17 ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy people(AM) of the Most High will receive the kingdom(AN) and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’(AO)

19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns(AP) on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully.(AQ) 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them,(AR) 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.(AS)

23 “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.(AT) 24 The ten horns(AU) are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High(AV) and oppress his holy people(AW) and try to change the set times(AX) and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.[b](AY)

26 “‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed(AZ) forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms(BA) under heaven will be handed over to the holy people(BB) of the Most High.(BC) His kingdom will be an everlasting(BD) kingdom, and all rulers will worship(BE) and obey him.’

28 “This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled(BF) by my thoughts,(BG) and my face turned pale,(BH) but I kept the matter to myself.”

Footnotes

  1. Daniel 7:13 The Aramaic phrase bar enash means human being. The phrase son of man is retained here because of its use in the New Testament as a title of Jesus, probably based largely on this verse.
  2. Daniel 7:25 Or for a year, two years and half a year

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.

Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.

And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.

After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.

12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.

16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.

17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.

18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;

20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.

21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

28 Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.