Daniel 7
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 heaven brake forth 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 to stand
upon two 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 was raised up on
one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth: and they said thus
unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. [
6 After this I beheld, and, lo, another, like a leopard, which had upon its back
four wings of a bird; 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, terrible
and powerful, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured
and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet: 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 horn, a
little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots:
and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking
great things.
9 I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit:
his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his
throne was fiery flames, [and] the wheels thereof burning fire.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousands of 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 at that time because of the voice of the great words which the horn
spake; I beheld even till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed, and it
was given to be burned with fire.
12 And as for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away: yet their
lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
13 I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven
one like unto a son of man, and he came even 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 the
peoples, 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 As for me, Daniel, my spirit was grieved 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
concerning 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, that shall arise out of
the earth.
18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the
kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
19 Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth beast, which was
diverse from all of them, exceeding terrible, whose teeth were of iron, and its
nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with
its feet;
20 and concerning the ten horns that were on its head, and the other [horn]
which came up, and before which three fell, even that horn that had eyes, and a
mouth that spake great things, whose look was more stout than its 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 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 a fourth kingdom upon earth, which
shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and
shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise: and
another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the former, and he
shall put down three kings.
25 And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints
of the Most High; and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they
shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.
26 But the judgment shall be set, and they shall take away his dominion, to
consume and to destroy it unto the end.
27 And the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the
whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High: his
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
28 Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts much troubled
me, and my countenance was changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.