1 “Also, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him.
2 “And now I will tell you the truth. Truly, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than all of them; and by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.
3 A mighty king shall stand up who shall rule with great dominion and do according to his will.
4 When he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled. For his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others besides them.
5 “The king of the South shall be strong, as well as one of his officials who shall be strong above him and have dominion. His dominion shall be a great dominion.
6 In the end of some years they shall join themselves together. For the king’s daughter of the South shall come to the king of the North to make an agreement. But she shall not retain her position of power, and neither he nor his power shall stand. But she shall be given up with those who brought her and with him who fathered her and with him who strengthened her in those times.
7 “But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his place, who shall come with an army and shall enter the fortress of the king of the North and shall deal against them and shall prevail.
8 And he shall also carry captive into Egypt their gods, with their officials, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold. And he shall continue more years than the king of the North,
9 who will enter the kingdom of the king of the South, but shall return to his own land.
10 His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of armed forces. One shall advance like a flood and pass through, and again shall wage the war as far as his fortress.
11 “The king of the South shall be moved with rage, and shall go out and fight with him, with the king of the North, who shall raise a great multitude; but that multitude shall be given into his enemy’s hand.
12 When he has taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands, but he shall not be strengthened by it.
13 For the king of the North shall return and shall raise a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much equipment.
14 “In those times many shall stand up against the king of the South. Also the robbers of your people shall exalt themselves to fulfill the vision, but they shall fall.
15 Then the king of the North shall come and set up a siege mound and capture a fortified city. And the forces of the South shall not withstand him; neither shall his chosen best troops have strength to resist.
16 But he who comes against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in the Pleasant Land, which shall be consumed by his hand.
17 He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, bringing with him a proposal of peace which he shall put into effect. And he shall give him the daughter of women to corrupt it. But she shall not stand on his side or be for him.
18 After this he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many. But a commander shall put a stop to his reproach against him, and he shall repay him for his reproach.
19 Then he shall turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land, but shall stumble and fall and not be found any more.
20 “Then one shall stand up in his place who shall send an oppressor in the glory of his kingdom. But within a few days he shall be destroyed, but not in anger or in battle.
21 “In his place a vile person shall stand up, to whom they shall not give the honor of the kingdom. But he shall come in peaceably and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
22 A flood of armies shall be swept away before him and be broken, and the prince of the covenant as well.
23 After the league is made with him, he shall work deceitfully, and he shall come up and shall become strong with a small force of people.
24 He shall enter peaceably even upon the richest places of the realm. And he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers. He shall distribute among them the plunder and spoil and riches. And he shall plan his devices against the strongholds, but only for a time.
25 “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 be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army. But he shall not stand, for schemes shall be devised against him.
26 Indeed, those who eat his choice food shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow, and many shall fall down slain.
27 As for both of these kings, their hearts shall plan on mischief, and they shall speak lies to one another at one table. But it shall not prosper, for the end shall yet be at the appointed time.
28 While turning back to his land with great wealth, his heart shall be against the holy covenant. He shall wage war and turn back to his own land.
29 “At the appointed time he shall return and come into the south, but this latter time shall not be as the former.
30 For the ships of Kittim shall come against him. Therefore he shall be grieved and return and have indignation against the holy covenant and take action. He shall even return and show regard to those who forsake the holy covenant.
31 “His armies shall rise up and desecrate the sanctuary fortress. They shall abolish the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination that makes desolate.
32 By flatteries he will corrupt those who act wickedly toward the covenant. But the people who know their God will be strong and take action.
33 “The wise among the people shall instruct many. Yet for many days they shall fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by destruction.
34 Now when they fall, they shall be given a little help. But many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
35 Some of the wise will fall, so that they may be purged, purified, and made white,until the time of the end, for it is still for the appointed time.
36 “The king shall do according to his will. And he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak blasphemous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper until the indignation is accomplished. For that which is determined shall be done.
37 He shall regard neither the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above them all.
38 But instead he shall honor the god of forces, a god whom his fathers did not know. He shall honor him with gold and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus he shall do in the strongest of fortresses with a foreign god. He shall give great honor to those who acknowledge him, and shall cause them to rule over the many and shall divide the land for gain.
40 “At the time of the end the king of the South shall push at him. But the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots and with horsemen and with many ships. And he shall enter the countries and shall overflow them and pass over.
41 He shall enter also the Pleasant Land, and many countries shall be overthrown. But these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the sons of Ammon.
42 Then he shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the hidden treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt. And the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44 But reports from the east and from the north shall trouble him. Therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.
45 He shall pitch the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, and no one shall help him.