1: In the first
year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head
upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
2: Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four
winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
3: And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
4: The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings
thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon
the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
5: And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself
on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it:
and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
6: After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back
of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was
given to it.
7: After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful
and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured
and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was
diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
8: I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little
horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots:
and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking
great things.
9: I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit,
whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool:
his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
10: A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands
ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the
judgment was set, and the books were opened.
11: I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake:
I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to
the burning flame.
12: As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away:
yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
13: I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with
the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him
near before him.
14: And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people,
nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
15: I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions
of my head troubled me.
16: I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all
this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
17: These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out
of the earth.
18: But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the
kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
19: Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from
all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails
of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his
feet;
20: And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came
up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth
that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
21: I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against
them;
22: Until the Ancient of days came, and (Judgement
day) judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the
time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
23: Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which
shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall
tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24: And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and
another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he
shall subdue three kings.
25: And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out
the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall
be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
26: But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume
and to destroy it unto the end.
27: And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness
of the kingdom (Gods Kingdom) under the whole heaven, shall be
given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
28: Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much
troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.