1 I n the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me—to me, Daniel—after the one that appeared to me the first time.

In the third year that Belshazzar was king, I, Daniel, had another special dream.

2 I saw in the vision, and it so happened while I was looking, that I was in Shushan, the citadel, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision that I was by the River Ulai.

In the dream I looked and saw that I was in the strong city of Susa, in the land of Elam. I saw that I was beside the Ulai River.

3 T hen I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.

Then I looked up and saw a ram with two horns standing by the river. The two horns were long, but one was longer than the other. And the longer one came up last.

4 I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward, so that no animal could withstand him; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, but he did according to his will and became great.

I saw the ram pushing to the west, to the north, and to the south. No other animals could stop him or be saved from his power. He did as he pleased and made himself great.

5 A nd as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.

While I was watching, a male goat came from the west across the whole earth without touching the ground. And the goat had a horn between his eyes that was very easy to see.

6 T hen he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power.

He came up to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing by the river, and rushed at him in his strong anger.

7 A nd I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand.

I saw him come at the ram in his anger. He hit the ram and broke his two horns to pieces. The ram was not strong enough to fight against him. So the goat threw him to the ground and crushed him under foot. And there was no one to save the ram from his power.

8 T herefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven.

Then the male goat became very great. But as soon as he was powerful, the large horn was broken. And four large horns came up in its place, toward the four winds of heaven.

9 A nd out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land.

Out of them came a little horn which grew in power toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land.

10 A nd it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them.

It grew to be as great as the army of heaven and made some of them fall to the earth, and it crushed them into the ground.

11 H e even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.

It thought itself to be as great as the Ruler of the army of heaven. It took away the burnt gifts which were given to Him each day, and destroyed His holy place.

12 B ecause of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.

Because of sin, the army of heaven and the burnt gifts were given over to the horn. It did well in whatever it wanted to do, and truth was thrown to the ground.

13 T hen I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?”

Then I heard a holy one speaking. And another holy one said to the one that spoke, “How long will it take for the things seen in the dream to happen? How long will the burnt gifts be taken, and sin allowed to destroy, so that the holy place and the army of heaven are crushed under foot?”

14 A nd he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.” Gabriel Interprets the Vision

He said to me, “For 2, 300 evenings and mornings. Then the holy place will be put to use again.” Gabriel Tells the Meaning of the Dream

15 T hen it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.

When I, Daniel, had seen the special dream, I tried to understand it. Then I saw one standing in front of me who looked like a man.

16 A nd I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.”

And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai River. He called out and said, “Gabriel, help this man to understand the special dream.”

17 S o he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.”

When he came near the place where I was standing, I was afraid and fell on my face to the ground. But he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the special dream is about the time of the end.”

18 N ow, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me, and stood me upright.

While he was talking to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up.

19 A nd he said, “Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be.

He said, “I am going to let you know what the end of God’s anger will be. For the special dream is about the time of the end.

20 T he ram which you saw, having the two horns— they are the kings of Media and Persia.

The ram you saw had two horns which are the kings of Media and Persia.

21 A nd the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king.

The male goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king.

22 A s for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.

The broken horn and the four horns that grew in its place are the four nations which will come from his nation. But they will not be as powerful.

23 “ And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes.

In the later part of their rule, when they have become as sinful as they can be, a king will rise to power. This king will be very proud and will understand secret things.

24 H is power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; He shall destroy fearfully, And shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.

He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will destroy much, and do well in whatever he wants done. He will destroy powerful men and the holy people.

25 “ Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means.

He will do well by using his false ways and lies, and will think of himself as great. He will destroy many who are taking it easy. He will even go against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by a human hand.

26 “ And the vision of the evenings and mornings Which was told is true; Therefore seal up the vision, For it refers to many days in the future. ”

The special dream of the evenings and mornings that has been given to you is true. But keep the dream secret, for it has to do with things far into the future.”

27 A nd I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king’s business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it.

I, Daniel, was tired and sick for days. Then I got up again and did the work that the king had given me. But I was filled with wonder because of the special dream, and did not understand it.