| Holman Christian Standard Bible | New International Version |
| 1In the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to strengthen and protect him. | 1And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.) |
| 2Now I will tell you the truth." Three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth will be far richer than the others. By the power he gains through his riches, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. | 2"Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. |
| 3Then a warrior king will arise; he will rule a vast realm and do whatever he wants. | 3Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. |
| 4But as soon as he is established, his kingdom will be broken up and divided to the four winds of heaven, but not to his descendants; it will not be the same kingdom that he ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and will go to others besides them." | 4After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others. |
| 5The king of the South will grow powerful, but one of his commanders will grow more powerful and will rule a kingdom greater than his. | 5"The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. |
| 6After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to seal the agreement. She will not retain power, and his strength will not endure. She will be given up, together with her entourage, her father, and the one who supported her during those times. | 6After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power will not last. In those days she will be betrayed, together with her royal escort and her father and the one who supported her. |
| 7In the place of the king of the South, one from her family will rise up, come against the army, and enter the fortress of the king of the North. He will take action against them and triumph. | 7"One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. |
| 8He will take even their gods captive to Egypt, with their metal images and their precious articles of silver and gold. For some years he will stay away from the king of the North, | 8He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. |
| 9who will enter the kingdom of the king of the South and then return to his own land." | 9Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country. |
| 10His sons will mobilize for war and assemble a large number of armed forces. They will advance, sweeping through like a flood, and will again wage war as far as his fortress. | 10His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress. |
| 11Infuriated, the king of the South will march out to fight with the king of the North who will raise a large army but they will be handed over to his enemy. | 11"Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated. |
| 12When the army is carried off, he will become arrogant and cause tens of thousands to fall, but he will not triumph. | 12When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant. |
| 13The king of the North will again raise a multitude larger than the first. After some years he will advance with a great army and many supplies." | 13For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped. |
| 14In those times many will rise up against the king of the South. Violent ones among your own people will assert themselves to fulfill a vision, but they will fail. | 14"In those times many will rise against the king of the South. Those who are violent among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success. |
| 15Then the king of the North will come, build up an assault ramp, and capture a well-fortified city. The forces of the South will not stand; even their select troops will not be able to resist. | 15Then the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. |
| 16The king of the North who comes against him will do whatever he wants, and no one can oppose him. He will establish himself in the beautiful land with total destruction in his hand. | 16The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it. |
| 17He will resolve to come with the force of his whole kingdom and will reach an agreement with him. He will give him a daughter in marriage to destroy it, but she will not stand with him or support him. | 17He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him. |
| 18Then he will turn his attention to the coasts and islands and capture many. But a commander will put an end to his taunting; instead, he will turn his taunts against him. | 18Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him. |
| 19He will turn his attention back to the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble, fall, and be no more." | 19After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more. |
| 20In his place one will arise who will send out a tax collector for the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he will be shattered, though not in anger or in battle." | 20"His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle. |
| 21In his place a despised person will arise; royal honors will not be given to him, but he will come during a time of peace and seize the kingdom by intrigue. | 21"He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. |
| 22A flood of forces will be swept away before him; they will be shattered, as well as the covenant prince. | 22Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. |
| 23After an alliance is made with him, he will act deceitfully. He will rise to power with a small nation. | 23After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power. |
| 24During a time of peace, he will come into the richest parts of the province and do what his fathers and predecessors never did. He will lavish plunder, loot, and wealth on his followers, and he will make plans against fortified cities, but only for a time." | 24When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses--but only for a time. |
| 25With a large army he will stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will prepare for battle with an extremely large and powerful army, but he will not succeed, because plots will be made against him. | 25"With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. |
| 26Those who eat his provisions will destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall slain. | 26Those who eat from the king's provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. |
| 27The two kings, whose hearts are bent on evil, will speak lies at the same table but to no avail, for still the end will come at the appointed time. | 27The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time. |
| 28The king of the North will return to his land with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant; he will take action, then return to his own land." | 28The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country. |
| 29At the appointed time he will come again to the South, but this time will not be like the first. | 29"At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. |
| 30Ships of Kittim will come against him, and being intimidated, he will withdraw. Then he will rage against the holy covenant and take action. On his return, he will favor those who abandon the holy covenant. | 30Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant. |
| 31His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation. | 31"His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. |
| 32With flattery he will corrupt those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will be strong and take action. | 32With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him. |
| 33Those who are wise among the people will give understanding to many, yet they will die by sword and flame, and be captured and plundered for a time. | 33"Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. |
| 34When defeated, they will be helped by some, but many others will join them insincerely. | 34When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. |
| 35Some of the wise will fall so that they may be refined, purified, and cleansed until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time." | 35Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time. |
| 36Then the king will do whatever he wants. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will say outrageous things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, because what has been decreed will be accomplished. | 36"The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. |
| 37He will not show regard for the gods of his fathers, the god longed for by women, or for any other god, because he will magnify himself above all. | 37He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. |
| 38Instead, he will honor a god of fortresses--a god his fathers did not know--with gold, silver, precious stones, and riches. | 38Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. |
| 39He will deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. He will greatly honor those who acknowledge him, making them rulers over many and distributing land as a reward." | 39He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price. |
| 40At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships. He will invade countries and sweep through them like a flood. | 40"At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. |
| 41He will also invade the beautiful land, and many will fall. But these will escape from his power: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of the Ammonites. | 41He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. |
| 42He will extend his power against the countries, and not even the land of Egypt will escape. | 42He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. |
| 43He will get control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the riches of Egypt. The Libyans and Cushites will also be in submission. | 43He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites in submission. |
| 44But reports from the east and the north will terrify him, and he will go out with great fury to annihilate and completely destroy many. | 44But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. |
| 45He will pitch his royal tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain, but he will meet his end with no one to help him. | 45He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him. |
| Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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