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

2And now will I show you the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than them all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.

3And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.

4And 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 these.

Kings of the South and the North

5And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.

6And at 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 the power of her authority; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.

7But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his place, who shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail:

8And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north.

9So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land.

10But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress.

11And the king of the south shall be moved with rage, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand.

12And 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.

13For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much equipment.

14And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the violent men of your people shall exalt themselves to fulfill the vision; but they shall fall.

15So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a siege mound, and take the most fortified city: and the forces of the south shall not withstand, neither his choice troops, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.

16But he that comes against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.

17He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, to destroy it: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.

18After this shall he turn his face unto the coastlands, and shall take many: but a ruler for his own behalf shall bring the reproach brought by him to cease; with his reproach removed he shall cause it to turn back on him.

19Then he shall turn his face toward the fortress of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.

20Then shall arise in his place a raiser of taxes in the glorious kingdom: but within a few days he shall be destroyed, but neither in anger, nor in battle.

21And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honor of royalty: but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by flatteries.

22And with the force of a flood shall they be swept away from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.

23And after the league is made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small number of people.

24He shall enter peaceably even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the plunder, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time.

25And 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 they shall devise plans against him.

26Yea, they that feed of the portion of his rich food shall destroy him, and his army shall be swept away: and many shall fall down slain.

27And both these kings' hearts shall be to do evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper: for the end shall yet be at the time appointed.

28Then shall he return into his land with great riches; but his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall work his will, and return to his own land.

29At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be like the former, or like the latter.

30For the ships of Kittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and rage against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and show favor toward them that forsake the holy covenant.

31And forces shall appear on his part, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.

32And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flattery: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and take action.

33And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by plunder, many days.

34Now when they shall fall, they shall be aided with a little help: but many shall join to them with flattery.

35And some of them of understanding shall fall, to test them, and to purify them, and to make them white, until the time of the end: because it is yet for the time appointed.

The King Who Speaks Against God

36And the king shall do according to his will; and 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 wrath is accomplished: for what has been determined shall be done.

37Neither shall he regard the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.

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

39Thus shall he do in the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge and advance its glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.

40And at the time of the end shall the king of the south attack him: and 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 into the countries, and shall overflow and pass through.

41He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and most of the children of Ammon.

42He shall stretch forth his hand also against the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

43But 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 follow in his train.

44But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and to utterly sweep away many.

45And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the sea and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.