1 He is responsible for helping and defending me. 2 And what I am now going to tell you is true.”
The Kingdoms of Egypt and Syria
The angel said, “Three more kings will rule over Persia, followed by a fourth, who will be richer than all the others. At the height of his power and wealth he will challenge the kingdom of Greece.
3 “Then a heroic king will appear. He will rule over a huge empire and do whatever he wants. 4 But at the height of his power his empire will break up and be divided into four parts. Kings not descended from him will rule in his place, but they will not have the power that he had.
5 “The king of Egypt will be strong. One of his generals, however, will be even stronger and rule a greater kingdom. 6 After a number of years the king of Egypt will make an alliance with the king of Syria and give him his daughter in marriage. But the alliance will not last, and she, her husband, her child, and the servants who went with her will all be killed. 7 Soon afterward one of her relatives will become king. He will attack the army of the king of Syria, enter their fortress, and defeat them. 8 He will carry back to Egypt the images of their gods and the articles of gold and silver dedicated to those gods. After several years of peace 9 the king of Syria will invade Egypt, but he will be forced to retreat.
10 “The sons of the king of Syria will prepare for war and gather a large army. One of them will sweep on like a flood and attack an enemy fortress. 11 In his anger the king of Egypt will go to war against the king of Syria and capture his huge army. 12 He will be proud of his victory and of the many soldiers he has killed, but he will not continue to be victorious.
13 “The king of Syria will go back and gather a larger army than he had before. When the proper time comes, he will return with a large, well-equipped army. 14 Then many people will rebel against the king of Egypt. And some violent people from your nation, Daniel, will rebel because of a vision they have seen, but they will be defeated. 15 So the king of Syria will lay siege to a fortified city and capture it. The soldiers of Egypt will not continue to fight; even the best of them will not have enough strength. 16 The Syrian invader will do with them as he pleases, without opposition. He will stand in the Promised Land and have it completely in his power.
17 “The king of Syria will plan an expedition, using his whole army. Then, in order to destroy his enemy's kingdom, he will make an alliance with him and offer him his daughter in marriage; but his plan will not succeed. 18 After that he will attack the nations by the sea and conquer many of them. But a foreign leader will defeat him and put an end to his arrogance; indeed he will turn the arrogance of Syria's king back on him. 19 The king will return to the fortresses of his own land, but he will be defeated, and that will be the end of him.
20 “He will be followed by another king, who will send an officer to oppress the people with taxes in order to increase the wealth of his kingdom. In a short time that king will be killed, but not publicly and not in battle.”
The Evil King of Syria
21 The angel went on to explain: “The next king of Syria will be an evil man who has no right to be king, but he will come unexpectedly and seize power by trickery. 22 Anyone who opposes him, even God's High Priest, will be swept away and wiped out. 23 By making treaties, he will deceive other nations, and he will grow stronger and stronger, even though he rules only a small nation. 24 He will invade a wealthy province without warning and will do things that none of his ancestors ever did. Then he will divide among his followers the goods and property he has captured in war. He will make plans to attack fortresses, but his time will soon run out.
25 “He will boldly raise a large army to attack the king of Egypt, who will prepare to fight back with a huge and powerful army. But the king of Egypt will be deceived and will not be successful. 26 His closest advisers will ruin him. Many of his soldiers will be killed, and his army will be wiped out. 27 Then the two kings will sit down to eat at the same table, but their motives will be evil, and they will lie to each other. They will not get what they want, because the time for it has not yet come. 28 The king of Syria will return home with all the loot he has captured, determined to destroy the religion of God's people. He will do as he pleases and then return to his own land.
29 “Later on he will invade Egypt again, but this time things will turn out differently. 30 The Romans will come in ships and oppose him, and he will be frightened.
“Then he will turn back in a rage and try to destroy the religion of God's people. He will follow the advice of those who have abandoned that religion. 31 Some of his soldiers will make the Temple ritually unclean. They will stop the daily sacrifices and set up The Awful Horror. 32 By deceit the king will win the support of those who have already abandoned their religion, but those who follow God will fight back. 33 Wise leaders of the people will share their wisdom with many others. But for a while some of them will be killed in battle or be burned to death, and some will be robbed and made prisoners. 34 While the killing is going on, God's people will receive a little help, even though many who join them will do so for selfish reasons. 35 Some of those wise leaders will be killed, but as a result of this the people will be purified. This will continue until the end comes, the time that God has set.
36 “The king of Syria will do as he pleases. He will boast that he is greater than any god, superior even to the Supreme God. He will be able to do this until the time when God punishes him. God will do exactly what he has planned. 37 The king will ignore the god his ancestors served, and also the god that women love. In fact, he will ignore every god, because he will think he is greater than any of them. 38 Instead, he will honor the god who protects fortresses. He will offer gold, silver, jewels, and other rich gifts to a god his ancestors never worshiped. 39 To defend his fortresses, he will use people who worship a foreign god. He will give great honor to those who accept him as ruler, put them into high offices, and give them land as a reward.
40 “When the king of Syria's final hour has almost come, the king of Egypt will attack him, and the king of Syria will fight back with all his power, using chariots, horses, and many ships. He will invade many countries, like the waters of a flood. 41 He will even invade the Promised Land and kill tens of thousands, but the countries of Edom, Moab, and what is left of Ammon will escape. 42 When he invades all those countries, even Egypt will not be spared. 43 He will take away Egypt's hidden treasures of gold and silver and its other prized possessions. He will conquer Libya and Ethiopia. 44 Then news that comes from the east and the north will frighten him, and he will fight furiously, killing many people. 45 He will even set up his huge royal tents between the sea and the mountain on which the Temple stands. But he will die, with no one there to help him.”
1 Also I, in ye first yere of Darius of ye Medes, euen I stood to incourage and to strengthen him. 2 And now wil I shew thee ye trueth, Behold, there shall stand vp yet three Kings in Persia, and the fourth shall be farre richer then they all: and by his strength, and by his riches he shall stirre vp all against the realme of Grecia. 3 But a mightie King shall stand vp, that shall rule with great dominion, and doe according to his pleasure. 4 And when he shall stand vp, his kingdome shall be broken, and shall be deuided towarde the foure windes of heauen: and not to his posteritie, nor according to his dominion, which he ruled: for his kingdome shall be pluckt vp, euen to be for others besides those. 5 And ye King of ye South shalbe mightie, and one of his princes, and shall preuaile against him, and beare rule: his dominio shalbe a great dominion. 6 And in the ende of yeeres they shalbe ioyned together: for the Kings daughter of ye South shall come to the King of the North to make an agreement, but she shall not reteine the power of the arme, neither shall he continue, nor his arme: but she shall be deliuered to death, and they that brought her, and he that begate her, and he that comforted her in these times. 7 But out of the bud of her rootes shall one stand vp in his stead, which shall come with an armie, and shall enter into the fortresse of the King of the North, and doe with them as he list, and shall preuaile, 8 And shall also carie captiues into Egypt their gods with their molten images, and with their precious vessels of siluer and of golde, and he shall continue more yeeres then the King of the North. 9 So the King of ye South shall come into his kingdome, and shall returne into his owne land. 10 Wherefore his sonnes shall be stirred vp, and shall assemble a mightie great armie: and one shall come, and ouerflowe, and passe through: then shall he returne, and be stirred vp at his fortresse. 11 And the King of the South shall be angrie, and shall come foorth, and fight with him, euen with the King of the North: for he shall set foorth a great multitude, and the multitude shall be giuen into his hand. 12 Then the multitude shall be proude, and their heart shall be lifted vp: for hee shall cast downe thousands: but he shall not still preuaile. 13 For the King of the North shall returne, and shall set foorth a greater multitude then afore, and shall come foorth (after certeine yeeres) with a mightie armie, and great riches. 14 And at the same time there shall many stand vp against the King of the South: also the rebellious children of thy people shall exalt them selues to establish the vision, but they shall fall. 15 So the King of the North shall come, and cast vp a mount, and take the strong citie: and the armes of the South shall not resist, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand. 16 But he that shall come, shall doe vnto him as he list, and none shall stand against him: and he shall stand in the pleasant land, which by his hand shalbe consumed. 17 Againe he shall set his face to enter with the power of his whole kingdome, and his confederates with him: thus shall he doe, and he shall giue him the daughter of women, to destroy her: but she shall not stande on his side, neither bee for him. 18 After this shall he turne his face vnto the yles, and shall take many, but a prince shall cause his shame to light vpon him, beside that he shall cause his owne shame to turne vpon himselfe. 19 For he shall turne his face toward the fortes of his owne land: but he shall be ouerthrowen and fall, and be no more founde. 20 Then shall stand vp in his place in the glorie of the kingdome, one that shall raise taxes: but after fewe dayes he shall be destroyed, neither in wrath, nor in battell. 21 And in his place shall stand vp a vile person, to whom they shall not giue the honour of the kingdome: but he shall come in peaceably, and obteine the kingdome by flatteries. 22 And the armes shall be ouerthrowen with a flood before him, and shall be broken: and also the prince of the couenant. 23 And after the league made with him, he shall worke deceitfully: for he shall come vp, and ouercome with a small people. 24 He shall enter into the quiet and plentifull prouince, and he shall doe that which his fathers haue not done, nor his fathers fathers: he shall deuide among them the pray and the spoyle, and the substance, yea, and he shall forecast his deuises against the strong holdes, euen for a time. 25 Also he shall stirre vp his power and his courage against the King of the South with a great armie, and the King of the South shall be stirred vp to battell with a very great and mightie armie: but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast and practise against him. 26 Yea, they that feede of the portion of his meate, shall destroy him: and his armie shall ouerflowe: and many shall fall, and be slaine. 27 And both these Kings hearts shall be to do mischiefe, and they shall talke of deceite at one table: but it shall not auaile: for yet the ende shall be at the time appointed. 28 Then shall he returne into his land with great substance: for his heart shall be against the holy couenant: so shall he doe and returne to his owne land. 29 At the time appointed he shall returne, and come toward the South: but the last shall not be as the first. 30 For the shippes of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shalbe sorie and returne, and freat against the holy couenant: so shall he doe, he shall euen returne and haue intelligence with them that forsake the holy couenant. 31 And armes shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the Sanctuarie of strength, and shall take away the dayly sacrifice, and they shall set vp the abominable desolation. 32 And such as wickedly breake ye couenant, shall he cause to sinne by flatterie: but the people that do know their God, shall preuaile and prosper. 33 And they that vnderstand among the people, shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by sword, and by flame, by captiuitie and by spoile many dayes. 34 Nowe when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a litle helpe: but many shall cleaue vnto them fainedly. 35 And some of the of vnderstanding shall fall to trie them, and to purge, and to make them white, till the time be out: for there is a time appointed. 36 And the King shall doe what him list: he shall exalt himselfe, and magnifie himselfe against all, that is God, and shall speake marueilous things against ye God of gods, and shall prosper, till ye wrath be accomplished: for ye determination is made. 37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desires of women, nor care for any God: for he shall magnifie himselfe aboue all. 38 But in his place shall he honour the god Mauzzim, and the god whom his fathers knewe not, shall he honour with golde and with siluer, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. 39 Thus shall he do in the holdes of Mauzzim with a strange god whom he shall acknowledge: he shall increase his glory, and shall cause them to rule ouer many and shall deuide ye land for gaine. 40 And at ye end of time shall the King of the South push at him, and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlewind with charets, and with horsemen, and with many ships, and he shall enter into ye countreis, and shall ouerflow and passe through. 41 He shall enter also into the pleasant land, and many countreis shalbe ouerthrowen: but these shall escape out of his hand, euen Edom and Moab, and the chiefe of the children of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch foorth his hands also vpon the countreis, and ye land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 But he shall haue power ouer the treasures of golde and of siluer, and ouer all the precious things of Egypt, and of the Lybians, and of the blacke Mores where he shall passe. 44 But the tidings out of the East and the North shall trouble him: therefore he shall goe foorth with great wrath to destroy and roote out many. 45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace betweene the seas in the glorious and holy mountaine, yet he shall come to his end, and none shall helpe him.