1 In the third year of King Belshazzar's reign a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that had appeared to me earlier.
2 I saw in the vision, and while I was looking I was in Susa the fortress, in the province of Elam; I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai canal.
3 I raised my eyes and saw a ram standing beside the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one grew up later.
4 I watched the ram charging toward the west, the north and the south. No beast could withstand him, and no one could rescue from his power. He did whatever he pleased and became great.
5 While I was pondering this, a male goat came from the west over the whole surface of the earth without touching the ground, and the goat had a prominent horn between his eyes.
6 He came toward the ram with the two horns that I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at him in furious strength.
7 I saw him reach the ram; he was enraged at him, struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. He knocked him to the ground and trampled on him, and no one could rescue the ram from his power.
8 The male goat became very great, but at the height of his strength the great horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns came up toward the four winds of heaven.
9 From one of them came a little horn, which grew extremely great toward the south, toward the east and toward the beautiful land.
10 It grew until it reached the host of heaven, and it threw some of the host and some of the stars down to the ground and trampled them.
11 It set itself up even against the Prince of the host; by it the continual offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown.
12 Because of transgression a host was given over to it, together with the continual offering; it flung truth to the ground, and it prospered in whatever it did.
13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that one who was speaking, "How long will the vision be, about the continual offering and the transgression that makes desolate, the giving over of both sanctuary and host to be trampled?"
14 He said to me, "For two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be restored to its right condition."
15 While I, Daniel, was seeing the vision and trying to understand it, there stood in front of me one who looked like a man.
16 And I heard a human voice between the banks of the Ulai calling out, "Gabriel, explain the vision to this man."
17 He came close to where I was standing, and as he came I was terrified and fell face down. But he said to me, "Understand, son of man, that the vision concerns the time of the end."
18 While he was speaking to me, I sank into a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me and stood me up where I had been standing.
19 He said, "I am going to let you know what will happen in the last part of the wrath, for it concerns the appointed time of the end.
20 The ram you saw with the two horns stands for the kings of Media and Persia.
21 The hairy goat is the king of Greece, and the great horn between his eyes is the first king.
22 As for the horn that was broken and the four that rose up in its place, four kingdoms will rise from his nation, but without his power.
23 In the last part of their reign, when the transgressors have filled up their measure, a king will arise, hard-faced and a master of intrigue.
24 His power will be mighty, but not by his own power; he will cause astounding destruction and succeed in whatever he does; he will destroy mighty men and the people of the holy ones.
25 By his cunning he will make deceit prosper under his hand; he will exalt himself in his heart, and without warning he will destroy many. He will even rise up against the Prince of princes, but he will be broken, and not by human hand.
26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true; but you must keep the vision secret, for it concerns the distant future."
27 I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for some days. Then I got up and carried on with the king's business; but I was dismayed by the vision, and no one could explain it.