1 A lso I, in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood up to confirm and to strengthen him.

»También yo en el primer año de Darío, el medo, estuve para animarlo y fortalecerlo. Los reyes del norte y del sur

2 A nd now I will show you the truth. Behold, there shall arise three more kings in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than they all. And when he has become strong through his riches he shall stir up and stake all against the realm of Greece.

»Ahora yo te mostraré la verdad. Aún habrá tres reyes en Persia, y el cuarto se hará de grandes riquezas, más que todos ellos. Éste, al hacerse fuerte con sus riquezas, levantará a todos contra el reino de Grecia.

3 T hen a mighty king shall arise who shall rule with great dominion and do according to his will.

Se levantará luego un rey valiente, que dominará con gran poder y hará su voluntad.

4 A nd as soon as he has fully arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of the heavens, but not to his posterity, nor according to the dominion which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be torn out and uprooted and go to others to the exclusion of these.

Pero cuando se haya levantado, su reino será quebrantado y repartido hacia los cuatro vientos del cielo; pero no será para sus descendientes, ni según el dominio con que él dominó, porque su reino quedará deshecho y será para otros aparte de ellos.

5 T hen the king of the South (Egypt) shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he is and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.

»El rey del sur se hará fuerte, pero uno de sus príncipes será más fuerte que él, se hará poderoso y su dominio será grande.

6 A t the end of some years they shall make an alliance; the daughter of the king of the South shall come to the king of the North to make agreement; but she shall not retain the power of her might, neither shall he and his might endure. She shall be handed over with her attendants, her child, and him who strengthened her in those times.

Al cabo de unos años harán alianza, y la hija del rey del sur vendrá al rey del norte para hacer la paz. Pero ella no podrá retener la fuerza de su brazo, y ni él ni su brazo permanecerán; porque ella será entregada a la muerte, y también los que la habían traído, y su hijo y los que estaban de parte de ella en aquel tiempo.

7 B ut out of a branch of the roots as hers shall one stand up in his place or office, who shall come against the army and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the North and shall deal against them and shall prevail.

»Pero un renuevo de sus raíces se levantará sobre su trono, vendrá con un ejército contra el rey del norte, entrará en la fortaleza y hará con ellos a su arbitrio, y predominará.

8 A nd also he shall carry off to Egypt their gods with their molten images and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold, and he shall refrain for some years from the king of the North.

Y aun a los dioses de ellos, sus imágenes fundidas y sus objetos preciosos de plata y de oro, llevará cautivos a Egipto; y durante años se mantendrá él alejado del rey del norte.

9 A nd he shall come into the kingdom of the king of the South but shall return to his own land.

Así entrará en el reino el rey del sur, y volverá a su tierra.

10 B ut his sons shall be stirred up and shall prepare for war and shall assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall come on and overflow and pass through and again shall make war even to the fortress.

»Pero los hijos de aquél se airarán y reunirán multitud de grandes ejércitos. Vendrá uno apresuradamente, inundará y pasará adelante; luego volverá y llevará la guerra hasta su fortaleza.

11 A nd the king of the South (Egypt) shall be moved with anger and shall come forth and fight with the king of the North (Syria); and he shall set forth a great multitude, but the multitude shall be given into his hand.

Por eso se enfurecerá el rey del sur, y saldrá y peleará contra el rey del norte; éste pondrá en campaña una gran multitud, pero toda esa multitud será entregada en manos de aquél.

12 W hen the multitude is taken and carried away, the heart and mind shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail.

Al llevarse él la multitud, se elevará su corazón y derribará a muchos millares; pero no prevalecerá.

13 F or the king of the North shall raise a multitude greater than before, and after some years shall certainly return, coming with a great army and much substance and equipment.

El rey del norte volverá a poner en campaña una multitud, mayor que la primera, y al cabo de algunos años vendrá rápidamente, con un gran ejército y muchas riquezas.

14 I n those times many shall rise up against the king of the South (Egypt); also the men of violence among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the visions, but they shall fail and fall.

»En aquellos tiempos se levantarán muchos contra el rey del sur. Hombres turbulentos de tu pueblo se levantarán, para que se cumpla la visión, pero caerán.

15 T hen the king of the North shall come and cast up siege works and take a well-fortified city, and the forces of the South shall not stand, or even his chosen troops, for there shall be no strength to stand.

Vendrá, pues, el rey del norte, levantará baluartes y tomará la ciudad fuerte; y las fuerzas del sur no podrán sostenerse, ni sus tropas escogidas, porque no habrá fuerzas para resistir.

16 B ut he who comes against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him; he shall stand in the glorious land, and in his hand shall be destruction and all the land shall be in his power.

El que vendrá contra él hará su propia voluntad, y no habrá quien se le pueda enfrentar; y permanecerá en la tierra gloriosa, que será consumida bajo su poder.

17 H e shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and with him upright conditions and terms of peace, and he shall perform them. He shall give him daughter to corrupt and destroy it and the kingdom, but it shall not succeed or be to his advantage.

Afirmará luego su rostro para venir con el poder de todo su reino. Hará convenios con aquél, y le dará una hija por mujer, para destruirlo; pero no permanecerá ni tendrá éxito.

18 A fter this he shall turn his attention to the islands and coastlands and shall take over many of them. But a prince or commander shall teach him to put an end to the insults offered by him; in fact he shall turn his insolence and reproaches back upon him.

Volverá después su rostro a las costas, y tomará muchas; pero un príncipe le hará cesar en su afrenta, y aun hará volver sobre él su oprobio.

19 T hen he shall turn his face back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall and not be found.

Luego volverá su rostro a las fortalezas de su tierra; pero tropezará y caerá, y no será hallado.

20 T hen shall stand up in his place or office one who shall send an exactor of tribute to pass through the glory of the kingdom, but within a few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger nor in battle.

»En su lugar se levantará uno que hará pasar un cobrador de tributos por la gloria del reino; pero en pocos días será muerto, aunque no con ira ni en batalla.

21 A nd in his place or office shall arise a contemptuous and contemptible person, to whom royal majesty and honor of the kingdom have not been given. But he shall come in without warning in time of security and shall obtain the kingdom by flatteries, intrigues, and cunning hypocritical conduct.

»Ocupará su lugar un hombre despreciable, al cual no darán la honra del reino. Vendrá sin aviso y tomará el reino con halagos.

22 B efore him the overwhelming forces of invading armies shall be broken and utterly swept away; yes, and a prince of the covenant also.

Las fuerzas enemigas serán barridas delante de él como por inundación de aguas; serán del todo destruidas, junto con el príncipe del pacto.

23 A nd from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall work deceitfully, and he shall come up unexpectedly and shall become strong with a small people.

Él, después del pacto, engañará, subirá y saldrá vencedor con poca gente.

24 W ithout warning and stealthily he shall come into the most productive places of a province or among the richest men of a province, and he shall do that which his fathers have not done nor his fathers’ fathers; he shall distribute among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds—but only for a time.

Estando la provincia en paz y en abundancia, entrará y hará lo que no hicieron sus padres ni los padres de sus padres; botín, despojos y riquezas repartirá entre sus soldados, y contra las fortalezas formará sus designios. Esto durará un tiempo.

25 A nd 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 wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for schemes shall be devised against.

»Despertará sus fuerzas y su ardor con un gran ejército, contra el rey del sur, y el rey del sur se empeñará en la guerra con un ejército grande y muy fuerte; pero no prevalecerá, porque le harán traición.

26 Y es, those who eat of his rich and dainty food shall break and destroy him, and his army shall drift or turn away to flee, and many shall fall down slain.

Aun los que coman de sus manjares lo quebrantarán; su ejército será destruido, y muchos caerán muertos.

27 A nd as for both of these kings, their hearts and minds shall be set on doing mischief; they shall speak lies over the same table, but it will not succeed, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed.

En su corazón, estos dos reyes tramarán hacer mal. Sentados a una misma mesa, se mentirán el uno al otro; pero no servirá de nada, porque el plazo aún no habrá llegado.

28 T hen shall return into his land with much booty; and his heart and purpose shall be set against holy covenant, and he shall accomplish and return to his own land.

Él volverá a su tierra con gran riqueza, y pondrá su corazón contra el pacto santo; hará su voluntad y volverá a su tierra.

29 A t the time appointed he shall return and come into the South, but it shall not be successful as were the former invasions.

Al tiempo señalado volverá al sur; pero la última venida no será como la primera.

30 F or the ships of Kittim shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved and discouraged and turn back and carry out his rage and indignation against the holy covenant and God’s people, and he shall do his own pleasure; he shall even turn back and make common cause with those who abandon the holy covenant.

Porque vendrán contra él naves de Quitim, y él se contristará y retrocederá, se enojará contra el pacto santo y hará según su voluntad; volverá, pues, y se entenderá con los que abandonen el santo pacto.

31 A nd armed forces of his shall appear and they shall pollute the sanctuary, the stronghold, and shall take away the continual; and they shall set up the abomination that astonishes and makes desolate.

»Se levantarán sus tropas, que profanarán el santuario y la fortaleza, quitarán el sacrificio continuo y pondrán la abominación desoladora.

32 A nd such as violate the covenant he shall pervert and seduce with flatteries, but the people who know their God shall prove themselves strong and shall stand firm and do exploits.

Con lisonjas seducirá a los violadores del pacto; pero el pueblo que conoce a su Dios se esforzará y actuará.

33 A nd they who are wise and understanding among the people shall instruct many and make them understand, though some shall fall by the sword and flame, by captivity and plunder, for many days.

Los sabios del pueblo instruirán a muchos; pero durante algunos días caerán a espada y a fuego, en cautividad y despojo.

34 N ow when they fall, they shall receive a little help. Many shall join themselves to them with flatteries and hypocrisies.

En su caída serán ayudados con un pequeño socorro, y muchos se juntarán a ellos con lisonjas.

35 A nd some of those who are wise, prudent, and understanding shall be weakened and fall, to refine, to purify, and to make those among white, even to the time of the end, because it is yet for the time appointed.

También algunos de los sabios caerán para ser depurados, limpiados y emblanquecidos, hasta el tiempo determinado; porque aun para esto hay plazo.

36 A nd the king shall do according to his will; he shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished, for that which is determined shall be done.

»El rey hará su voluntad, se ensoberbecerá y se engrandecerá sobre todo dios; contra el Dios de los dioses hablará maravillas, y prosperará hasta que sea consumada la ira, porque lo determinado se cumplirá.

37 H e shall not regard the gods of his fathers or Him women desire or any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all.

Del Dios de sus padres no hará caso, ni del amor de las mujeres, ni respetará a dios alguno, porque sobre todo se engrandecerá.

38 B ut in their place he shall honor the god of fortresses; a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold and silver, with precious stones, and with pleasant and expensive things.

Pero honrará en su lugar al dios de las fortalezas, un dios que sus padres no conocieron; lo honrará con oro y plata, con piedras preciosas y cosas de gran precio.

39 A nd he shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall magnify with glory and honor, and he shall cause them to rule over many and shall divide the land for a price.

Con un dios ajeno se hará de las fortalezas más inexpugnables, colmará de honores a los que lo reconozcan, los hará gobernar sobre muchos y repartirá tierras como recompensa.

40 A nd at the time of the end the king of the South shall push at and attack him, and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries and shall overflow and pass through.

»Al cabo del tiempo, el rey del sur contenderá con él; y el rey del norte se levantará contra él como una tempestad, con carros y gente de a caballo y muchas naves; y entrará por las tierras, las invadirá y pasará.

41 H e shall enter into the Glorious Land and many shall be overthrown, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom, Moab, and the main of the people of Ammon.

Entrará en la tierra gloriosa, y muchas provincias caerán; pero escaparán de sus manos Edom, Moab y la mayoría de los hijos de Amón.

42 H e shall stretch out his hand also against the countries, but the land of Egypt shall not be among the escaped ones.

Extenderá su mano contra las tierras, y no escapará el país de Egipto.

43 B ut 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 accompany him.

Se apoderará de los tesoros de oro y plata, y de todas las cosas preciosas de Egipto. Los de Libia y de Etiopía lo seguirán.

44 B ut rumors from the east and from the north shall alarm and hasten him. And he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to sweep away many.

Pero noticias del oriente y del norte lo atemorizarán, y saldrá con gran ira para destruir y matar a muchos.

45 A nd he shall pitch his palatial tents between the seas and the glorious holy Mount; yet he shall come to his end with none to help him.

Plantará las tiendas de su palacio entre los mares y el monte glorioso y santo; pero llegará a su fin, y no tendrá quien lo ayude.