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31 “You were looking, O king, and there appeared a great statue. That statue was huge, its brilliance extraordinary; it was standing before you, and its appearance was frightening.(A)

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Dread and fearsome are they;
    their justice and dignity proceed from themselves.(A)

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and four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.(A) The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then, as I watched, its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a human being, and a human mind was given to it.(B) Another beast appeared, a second one, that looked like a bear. It was raised up on one side, had three tusks[a] in its mouth among its teeth, and was told, “Arise, devour many bodies!” After this, as I watched, another appeared, like a leopard. The beast had four wings of a bird on its back and four heads, and dominion was given to it.(C) After this I saw in the visions by night a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth and was devouring, breaking in pieces, and stamping what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that preceded it, and it had ten horns.(D) I was considering the horns when another horn appeared, a little one that came up among them. Three of the original horns were plucked up from before it. There were eyes like human eyes in this horn and a mouth speaking arrogantly.(E)

Judgment before the Ancient One

As I watched,
thrones were set in place,
    and an Ancient One[b] took his throne;
his clothing was white as snow
    and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames,
    and its wheels were burning fire.(F)
10 A stream of fire issued
    and flowed out from his presence.
A thousand thousands served him,
    and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him.
The court sat in judgment,
    and the books were opened.(G)

11 I watched then because of the noise of the arrogant words that the horn was speaking. And as I watched, the beast was put to death and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire.(H) 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. 13 As I watched in the night visions,

I saw one like a human being[c]
    coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One[d]
    and was presented before him.(I)
14 To him was given dominion
    and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
    should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
    that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one
    that shall never be destroyed.(J)

Daniel’s Visions Interpreted

15 As for me, Daniel, my spirit was troubled within me,[e] and the visions of my head terrified me.(K) 16 I approached one of the attendants to ask him the truth concerning all this. So he said that he would disclose to me the interpretation of the matter:(L) 17 “As for these four great beasts, four kings shall arise out of the earth.

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Footnotes

  1. 7.5 Or ribs
  2. 7.9 Aram an Ancient of Days
  3. 7.13 Aram one like a son of man
  4. 7.13 Aram the Ancient of Days
  5. 7.15 Aram troubled in its sheath

therefore, I will bring strangers against you,
    the most terrible of the nations;
they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom
    and defile your splendor.(A)

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11 I will punish the world for its evil
    and the wicked for their iniquity;
I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant
    and lay low the insolence of tyrants.(A)

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Then the devil[a] led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.

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Footnotes

  1. 4.5 Gk he

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory,

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Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
    cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
For you have been a refuge to the poor,
    a refuge to the needy in their distress,
    a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.
When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm,(A)
    the noise of foreigners like heat in a dry place,
you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds;
    the song of the ruthless was stilled.(B)

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