Also I in the first year
of Darius
the Mede
, even I, stood
to confirm
and to strengthen
him.
And now will I shew thee the truth
. Behold, there shall stand up
yet three
kings
in Persia
; and the fourth
shall be far
richer
than they all
: and by his strength
through his riches
he shall stir up
all against the realm
of Grecia
.
And a mighty king
shall stand up
, that shall rule
with great
dominion
, and do
according to his will
.
And when he shall stand up, his kingdom
shall be broken
, and shall be divided
toward the four
winds
of heaven
; and not to his posterity
, nor according to his dominion
which he ruled
: for his kingdom
shall be plucked up
, even for others
beside those.
And 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
.
And in the end of 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 the arm
; 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
.
But out of a branch of her roots
shall one stand up
in his estate
, which 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
:
And 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
.
So the king of the south
shall come
into his kingdom
, and shall return
into his own land
.
But 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
.
And the king of the south
shall be moved with choler
, 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
.
And when he hath 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 .
For 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
riches
.
And in those times there shall many
stand up
against the king
of the south
: also the robbers
of thy people
shall exalt
themselves to establish
the vision
; but they shall fall
.
So the king of the north
shall come
, and cast up
a mount
, and take
the most fenced
cities
: and the arms
of the south
shall not withstand
, neither his chosen
people
, neither shall there be any strength
to withstand
.
But he that cometh 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
.
He 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
, corrupting
her: but she shall not stand
on his side , neither be for him.
After this shall he turn his face
unto the isles
, and shall take
many
: but a prince
for his own behalf shall cause the reproach
offered by him to cease
; without
his own reproach
he shall cause it to turn
upon him.
Then he shall turn his face
toward the fort
of his own land
: but he shall stumble
and fall
, and not be found
.
Then shall stand up in his estate
a raiser
of taxes
in the glory
of the kingdom
: but within few
days
he shall be destroyed
, neither in anger
, nor in battle
.
And in his estate shall stand up
a vile person
, to whom they shall not give
the honour
of the kingdom
: but he shall come
in peaceably
, and obtain
the kingdom
by flatteries
.
And with the arms of a flood
shall they be overflown
from before
him, and shall be broken
; yea, also the prince
of the covenant
.
And after the league made with him he shall work
deceitfully
: for he shall come up
, and shall become strong
with a small
people
.
He shall enter peaceably
even upon the fattest 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 prey
, and spoil
, and riches
: yea , and he shall forecast
his devices
against the strong holds
, even for a time
.
And 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 forecast
devices
against him.
Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat
shall destroy
him, and his army
shall overflow
: and many
shall fall
down slain
.
And both these kings
' hearts
shall be to do mischief
, and they shall speak
lies
at one
table
; but it shall not prosper
: for yet the end
shall be at the time appointed
.
Then shall he return into his land
with great
riches
; and his heart
shall be against the holy
covenant
; and he shall do
exploits , and return
to his own land
.
At the time appointed he shall return
, and come
toward the south
; but it shall not be as the former
, or as the latter
.
For the ships of Chittim
shall come
against him: therefore he shall be grieved
, and return
, and have indignation
against the holy
covenant
: so shall he do
; he shall even return
, and have intelligence
with them that forsake
the holy
covenant
.
And arms shall stand
on his part, and they shall pollute
the sanctuary
of strength
, and shall take away
the daily
sacrifice , and they shall place
the abomination
that maketh desolate
.
And such as do wickedly against the covenant
shall he corrupt
by flatteries
: but the people
that do know
their God
shall be strong
, and do
exploits .
And they that understand among the people
shall instruct
many
: yet they shall fall
by the sword
, and by flame
, by captivity
, and by spoil
, many days
.
Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen
with a little
help
: but many
shall cleave
to them with flatteries
.
And some of them of understanding shall fall
, to try
them, and to purge
, and to make them white
, even to the time
of the end
: because it is yet for a time appointed
.
And the king shall do
according to his will
; and he shall exalt
himself, and magnify
himself above every god
, and shall speak
marvellous things
against the God
of gods
, and shall prosper
till the indignation
be accomplished
: for that that is determined
shall be done
.
Neither shall he regard the God
of his fathers
, nor the desire
of women
, nor regard
any god
: for he shall magnify
himself above all.
But in his estate shall he honour
the God
of forces
: and a god
whom his fathers
knew
not shall he honour
with gold
, and silver
, and with precious
stones
, and pleasant things
.
Thus shall he do in the most strong
holds
with a strange
god
, whom he shall acknowledge
and increase
with glory
: and he shall cause them to rule
over many
, and shall divide
the land
for gain
.
And at the time of the end
shall the king
of the south
push
at 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 over
.
He 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 the chief
of the children
of Ammon
.
He shall stretch forth his hand
also upon the countries
: and the land
of Egypt
shall not escape
.
But 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 be at his steps
.
But tidings out of the east
and out of the north
shall trouble
him: therefore he shall go forth
with great
fury
to destroy
, and utterly to make away
many
.
And he shall plant the tabernacles
of his palace
between the seas
in the glorious
holy
mountain
; yet he shall come
to his end
, and none shall help
him.