| Chapter 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 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 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
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. |
