| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood to strengthen him and to provide protection for him.) | 1I have been standing beside Michael to support and strengthen him since the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede.) |
| 2Now I will tell you the truth. The Angel Gives a Message to Daniel "Three more kings will arise for Persia. Then a fourth king will be unusually rich, more so than all who preceded him. When he has amassed power through his riches, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. | 2“Now then, I will reveal the truth to you. Three more Persian kings will reign, to be succeeded by a fourth, far richer than the others. He will use his wealth to stir up everyone to fight against the kingdom of Greece. |
| 3Then a powerful king will arise, exercising great authority and doing as he pleases. | 3“Then a mighty king will rise to power who will rule with great authority and accomplish everything he sets out to do. |
| 4Shortly after his rise to power, his kingdom will be broken up and distributed toward the four winds of the sky--but not to his posterity or with the authority he exercised, for his kingdom will be uprooted and distributed to others besides these. | 4But at the height of his power, his kingdom will be broken apart and divided into four parts. It will not be ruled by the king’s descendants, nor will the kingdom hold the authority it once had. For his empire will be uprooted and given to others. |
| 5"Then the king of the south and one of his subordinates will grow strong. His subordinate will resist him and will rule a kingdom greater than his. | 5“The king of the south will increase in power, but one of his own officials will become more powerful than he and will rule his kingdom with great strength. |
| 6After some years have passed, they will form an alliance. Then the daughter of the king of the south will come to the king of the north to make an agreement, but she will not retain her power, nor will he continue in his strength. She, together with the one who brought her, her child, and her benefactor will all be delivered over at that time. | 6“Some years later an alliance will be formed between the king of the north and the king of the south. The daughter of the king of the south will be given in marriage to the king of the north to secure the alliance, but she will lose her influence over him, and so will her father. She will be abandoned along with her supporters. |
| 7"There will arise in his place one from her family line who will come against their army and will enter the stronghold of the king of the north and will move against them successfully. | 7But when one of her relatives becomes king of the south, he will raise an army and enter the fortress of the king of the north and defeat him. |
| 8He will also take their gods into captivity to Egypt, along with their cast images and prized utensils of silver and gold. Then he will withdraw for some years from the king of the north. | 8When he returns to Egypt, he will carry back their idols with him, along with priceless articles of gold and silver. For some years afterward he will leave the king of the north alone. |
| 9Then the king of the north will advance against the empire of the king of the south, but will withdraw to his own land. | 9“Later the king of the north will invade the realm of the king of the south but will soon return to his own land. |
| 10His sons will wage war, mustering a large army which will advance like an overflowing river and carrying the battle all the way to the enemy's fortress. | 10However, the sons of the king of the north will assemble a mighty army that will advance like a flood and carry the battle as far as the enemy’s fortress. |
| 11"Then the king of the south will be enraged and will march out to fight against the king of the north, who will also muster a large army, but that army will be delivered into his hand. | 11“Then, in a rage, the king of the south will rally against the vast forces assembled by the king of the north and will defeat them. |
| 12When the army is taken away, the king of the south will become arrogant. He will be responsible for the death of thousands and thousands of people, but he will not continue to prevail. | 12After the enemy army is swept away, the king of the south will be filled with pride and will execute many thousands of his enemies. But his success will be short lived. |
| 13For the king of the north will again muster an army, one larger than before. At the end of some years he will advance with a huge army and enormous supplies. | 13“A few years later the king of the north will return with a fully equipped army far greater than before. |
| 14"In those times many will oppose the king of the south. Those who are violent among your own people will rise up in confirmation of the vision, but they will falter. | 14At that time there will be a general uprising against the king of the south. Violent men among your own people will join them in fulfillment of this vision, but they will not succeed. |
| 15Then the king of the north will advance and will build siege mounds and capture a well-fortified city. The forces of the south will not prevail, not even his finest contingents. They will have no strength to prevail. | 15Then the king of the north will come and lay siege to a fortified city and capture it. The best troops of the south will not be able to stand in the face of the onslaught. |
| 16The one advancing against him will do as he pleases, and no one will be able to stand before him. He will prevail in the beautiful land, and its annihilation will be within his power. | 16“The king of the north will march onward unopposed; none will be able to stop him. He will pause in the glorious land of Israel, intent on destroying it. |
| 17His intention will be to come with the strength of his entire kingdom, and he will form alliances. He will give the king of the south a daughter in marriage in order to destroy the kingdom, but it will not turn out to his advantage. | 17He will make plans to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will form an alliance with the king of the south. He will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom from within, but his plan will fail. |
| 18Then he will turn his attention to the coastal regions and will capture many of them. But a commander will bring his shameful conduct to a halt; in addition, he will make him pay for his shameful conduct. | 18“After this, he will turn his attention to the coastland and conquer many cities. But a commander from another land will put an end to his insolence and cause him to retreat in shame. |
| 19He will then turn his attention to the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall, not to be found again. | 19He will take refuge in his own fortresses but will stumble and fall and be seen no more. |
| 20There will arise after him one who will send out an exactor of tribute to enhance the splendor of the kingdom, but after a few days he will be destroyed, though not in anger or battle. | 20“His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. But after a very brief reign, he will die, though not from anger or in battle. |
| 21"Then there will arise in his place a despicable person to whom the royal honor has not been rightfully conferred. He will come on the scene in a time of prosperity and will seize the kingdom through deceit. | 21“The next to come to power will be a despicable man who is not in line for royal succession. He will slip in when least expected and take over the kingdom by flattery and intrigue. |
| 22Armies will be suddenly swept away in defeat before him; both they and a covenant leader will be destroyed. | 22Before him great armies will be swept away, including a covenant prince. |
| 23After entering into an alliance with him, he will behave treacherously; he will ascend to power with only a small force. | 23With deceitful promises, he will make various alliances. He will become strong despite having only a handful of followers. |
| 24In a time of prosperity for the most productive areas of the province he will come and accomplish what neither his fathers nor their fathers accomplished. He will distribute loot, spoils, and property to his followers, and he will devise plans against fortified cities, but not for long. | 24Without warning he will enter the richest areas of the land. Then he will distribute among his followers the plunder and wealth of the rich—something his predecessors had never done. He will plot the overthrow of strongholds, but this will last for only a short while. |
| 25He will rouse his strength and enthusiasm against the king of the south with a large army. The king of the south will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to prevail because of the plans devised against him. | 25“Then he will stir up his courage and raise a great army against the king of the south. The king of the south will go to battle with a mighty army, but to no avail, for there will be plots against him. |
| 26Those who share the king's fine food will attempt to destroy him, and his army will be swept away; many will be killed in battle. | 26His own household will cause his downfall. His army will be swept away, and many will be killed. |
| 27These two kings, their minds filled with evil intentions, will trade lies with one another at the same table. But it will not succeed, for there is still an end at the appointed time. | 27Seeking nothing but each other’s harm, these kings will plot against each other at the conference table, attempting to deceive each other. But it will make no difference, for the end will come at the appointed time. |
| 28Then the king of the north will return to his own land with much property. His mind will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action, and then return to his own land. | 28“The king of the north will then return home with great riches. On the way he will set himself against the people of the holy covenant, doing much damage before continuing his journey. |
| 29At an appointed time he will again invade the south, but this latter visit will not turn out the way the former one did. | 29“Then at the appointed time he will once again invade the south, but this time the result will be different. |
| 30The ships of Kittim will come against him, leaving him disheartened. He will turn back and direct his indignation against the holy covenant. He will return and honor those who forsake the holy covenant. | 30For warships from western coastlands will scare him off, and he will withdraw and return home. But he will vent his anger against the people of the holy covenant and reward those who forsake the covenant. |
| 31His forces will rise up and profane the fortified sanctuary, stopping the daily sacrifice. In its place they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. | 31“His army will take over the Temple fortress, pollute the sanctuary, put a stop to the daily sacrifices, and set up the sacrilegious object that causes desecration. |
| 32Then with smooth words he will defile those who have rejected the covenant. But the people who are loyal to their God will act valiantly. | 32He will flatter and win over those who have violated the covenant. But the people who know their God will be strong and will resist him. |
| 33These who are wise among the people will teach the masses. However, they will fall by the sword and by the flame, and they will be imprisoned and plundered for some time. | 33“Wise leaders will give instruction to many, but these teachers will die by fire and sword, or they will be jailed and robbed. |
| 34When they stumble, they will be granted some help. But many will unite with them deceitfully. | 34During these persecutions, little help will arrive, and many who join them will not be sincere. |
| 35Even some of the wise will stumble, resulting in their refinement, purification, and cleansing until the time of the end, for it is still for the appointed time. | 35And some of the wise will fall victim to persecution. In this way, they will be refined and cleansed and made pure until the time of the end, for the appointed time is still to come. |
| 36"Then the king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every deity and he will utter presumptuous things against the God of gods. He will succeed until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been decreed must occur. | 36“The king will do as he pleases, exalting himself and claiming to be greater than every god, even blaspheming the God of gods. He will succeed, but only until the time of wrath is completed. For what has been determined will surely take place. |
| 37He will not respect the gods of his fathers--not even the god loved by women. He will not respect any god; he will elevate himself above them all. | 37He will have no respect for the gods of his ancestors, or for the god loved by women, or for any other god, for he will boast that he is greater than them all. |
| 38What he will honor is a god of fortresses--a god his fathers did not acknowledge he will honor with gold, silver, valuable stones, and treasured commodities. | 38Instead of these, he will worship the god of fortresses—a god his ancestors never knew—and lavish on him gold, silver, precious stones, and expensive gifts. |
| 39He will attack mighty fortresses, aided by a foreign deity. To those who recognize him he will grant considerable honor. He will place them in authority over many people, and he will parcel out land for a price. | 39Claiming this foreign god’s help, he will attack the strongest fortresses. He will honor those who submit to him, appointing them to positions of authority and dividing the land among them as their reward. |
| 40"At the time of the end the king of the south will attack him. Then the king of the north will storm against him with chariots, horsemen, and a large armada of ships. He will invade lands, passing through them like an overflowing river. | 40“Then at the time of the end, the king of the south will attack the king of the north. The king of the north will storm out with chariots, charioteers, and a vast navy. He will invade various lands and sweep through them like a flood. |
| 41Then he will enter the beautiful land. Many will fall, but these will escape: Edom, Moab, and the Ammonite leadership. | 41He will enter the glorious land of Israel, and many nations will fall, but Moab, Edom, and the best part of Ammon will escape. |
| 42He will extend his power against other lands; the land of Egypt will not escape. | 42He will conquer many countries, and even Egypt will not escape. |
| 43He will have control over the hidden stores of gold and silver, as well as all the treasures of Egypt. Libyans and Ethiopians will submit to him. | 43He will gain control over the gold, silver, and treasures of Egypt, and the Libyans and Ethiopians will be his servants. |
| 44But reports will trouble him from the east and north, and he will set out in a tremendous rage to destroy and wipe out many. | 44“But then news from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in great anger to destroy and obliterate many. |
| 45He will pitch his royal tents between the seas toward the beautiful holy mountain. But he will come to his end, with no one to help him. | 45He will stop between the glorious holy mountain and the sea and will pitch his royal tents. But while he is there, his time will suddenly run out, and no one will help him. |
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