Daniel 11
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
11 1 In the first year of Darius the Mede,(A) I stood up to strengthen and protect him.) 2 Now I will tell you the truth.(B)
Prophecies about Persia and Greece
‘Three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth will be far richer than the others. By the power he gains through his riches, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.(C) 3 Then a warrior king will arise; he will rule a vast realm and do whatever he wants.(D) 4 But as soon as he is established, his kingdom will be broken up and divided to the four winds of heaven,(E) but not to his descendants; it will not be the same kingdom that he ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and will go to others besides them.(F)
Kings of the South and the North
5 ‘The king of the South(G) will grow powerful, but one of his commanders will grow more powerful and will rule a kingdom greater than his. 6 After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North(H) to seal the agreement. She will not retain power, and his strength will not endure. She will be given up, together with her entourage, her father,[a] and the one who supported her during those times. 7 In the place of the king of the South, one from her family[b] will rise up, come against the army, and enter the fortress of the king of the North. He will take action against them and triumph. 8 He will take even their gods captive to Egypt, with their metal images and their precious articles of silver and gold.(I) For some years he will stay away from the king of the North, 9 who will enter the kingdom of the king of the South and then return to his own land.
10 ‘His sons will mobilise for war and assemble a large number of armed forces. They will advance, sweeping through like a flood,[c](J) and will again wage war as far as his fortress. 11 Infuriated, the king of the South will march out to fight with the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but they will be handed over to his enemy. 12 When the army is carried off, he will become arrogant and cause tens of thousands to fall, but he will not triumph. 13 The king of the North will again raise a multitude larger than the first. After some years[d](K) he will advance with a great army and many supplies.
14 ‘In those times many will rise up against the king of the South. Violent ones among your own people will assert themselves to fulfil a vision, but they will fail. 15 Then the king of the North will come, build up a siege ramp,(L) and capture a well-fortified city. The forces of the South will not stand; even their select troops will not be able to resist. 16 The king of the North who comes against him will do whatever he wants,(M) and no one can oppose him. He will establish himself in the beautiful land[e](N) with total destruction in his hand. 17 He will resolve(O) to come with the force of his whole kingdom and will reach an agreement with him.[f] He will give him a daughter in marriage[g] to destroy it,[h] but she will not stand with him or support him. 18 Then he will turn his attention to the coasts and islands[i](P) and capture many. But a commander will put an end to his taunting; instead, he will turn his taunts against him.(Q) 19 He will turn his attention back to the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble, fall,(R) and be no more.(S)
20 ‘In his place one will arise who will send out a tax collector(T) for the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he will be broken, though not in anger[j] or in battle.
21 ‘In his place a despised(U) person will arise; royal honours will not be given to him, but he will come during a time of peace[k](V) and seize the kingdom by intrigue. 22 A flood of forces will be swept away before him; they will be broken, as well as the covenant prince. 23 After an alliance is made with him, he will act deceitfully. He will rise to power with a small nation.[l] 24 During a time of peace,[m] he will come into the richest parts of the province(W) and do what his fathers and predecessors never did. He will lavish plunder, loot, and wealth on his followers, and he will make plans against fortified cities, but only for a time.
25 ‘With a large army he will stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will prepare for battle with an extremely large and powerful army, but he will not succeed, because plots will be made against him. 26 Those who eat his provisions(X) will destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall slain. 27 The two kings, whose hearts are bent on evil, will speak lies(Y) at the same table but to no avail, for still the end will come at the appointed time.(Z) 28 The king of the North will return to his land with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant;[n] he will take action, then return to his own land.
29 ‘At the appointed time he will come again to the South, but this time[o] will not be like the first. 30 Ships of Kittim[p](AA) will come against him and, being intimidated, he will withdraw. Then he will rage against the holy covenant and take action. On his return, he will favour those who abandon the holy covenant. 31 His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the regular sacrifice(AB) and set up the abomination of desolation.(AC) 32 With flattery he will corrupt those who act wickedly towards the covenant, but the people who know their God will be strong and take action.(AD) 33 Those who have insight among the people(AE) will give understanding to many, yet they will fall by the sword and flame,(AF) and they will be captured and plundered for a time. 34 When they fall, they will be helped by some, but many others will join them insincerely.(AG) 35 Some of those who have insight will fall so that they may be refined,(AH) purified, and cleansed(AI) until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.
36 ‘Then the king will do whatever he wants.(AJ) He will exalt and magnify himself above every god,(AK) and he will say outrageous things against the God of gods.(AL) He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed,(AM) because what has been decreed will be accomplished. 37 He will not show regard for the gods[q] of his ancestors, the god desired by women, or for any other god,(AN) because he will magnify himself above all. 38 Instead, he will honour a god of fortresses – a god his ancestors did not know – with gold, silver, precious stones, and riches. 39 He will deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. He will greatly honour those who acknowledge him,[r] making them rulers over many and distributing land as a reward.
40 ‘At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm against him(AO) with chariots, horsemen, and many ships. He will invade countries and sweep through them like a flood.(AP) 41 He will also invade the beautiful land,(AQ) and many will fall. But these will escape from his power: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people[s] of the Ammonites.(AR) 42 He will extend his power against the countries, and not even the land of Egypt will escape. 43 He will get control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the riches of Egypt. The Libyans and Cushites will also be in submission.[t](AS) 44 But reports from the east(AT) and the north will terrify him, and he will go out with great fury to annihilate and completely destroy many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the sea and[u] the beautiful holy mountain,(AU) but he will meet his end with no one to help him.
Footnotes
- 11:6 Some Hb mss, Theod read the child; Syr, Vg read her children
- 11:7 Lit from the shoot of her roots
- 11:10 Lit advance and overflow and pass through
- 11:13 Lit At the end of the times
- 11:16 = Israel
- 11:17 = the king of the South
- 11:17 Lit him the daughter of women
- 11:17 Perhaps the kingdom
- 11:18 of the Mediterranean
- 11:20 Or not openly
- 11:21 Or come without warning
- 11:23 Or a few people
- 11:24 Or Without warning
- 11:28 Or the Jewish people and religion
- 11:29 Lit but the last
- 11:30 = the Romans
- 11:37 Or God
- 11:39 Or those he acknowledges
- 11:41 Lit the first
- 11:43 Lit Cushites at his steps
- 11:45 Or the seas at
Daniel 11
English Standard Version
The Kings of the South and the North
11 “And as for me, (A)in the first year of (B)Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him.
2 “And now I will show you (C)the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then (D)a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and (E)do as he wills. 4 And as soon as he has arisen, (F)his kingdom shall be broken and divided (G)toward the (H)four winds of heaven, but (I)not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.
5 “Then the king of the south shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he (J)and shall rule, and his authority shall be a great authority. 6 After some years (K)they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and her attendants, he who fathered her, and he who supported[a] her in those times.
7 “And from a branch from her roots one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the (L)fortress of the king of the north, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail. 8 He shall also carry off to Egypt their gods with their metal images and their precious (M)vessels of silver and gold, and for some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north. 9 Then the latter shall come into the realm of the king of the south but shall return to his own land.
10 “His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming (N)and overflow and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his (O)fortress. 11 Then the king of the south, (P)moved with rage, shall come out and fight against the king of the north. (Q)And he shall raise a great multitude, but it shall be given into his hand. 12 And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail. 13 For the king of the north shall again (R)raise a multitude, greater than the first. And (S)after some years[b] he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies.
14 “In those times many shall rise against the king of the south, and the violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but (T)they shall fail. 15 Then the king of the north shall come and (U)throw up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, or even his best troops, for there shall be no strength to stand. 16 But he who comes against him shall (V)do as he wills, and (W)none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in (X)the glorious land, with destruction in his hand. 17 He shall (Y)set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom,[c] but it shall not stand or be to his advantage. 18 Afterward he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed,[d] he (Z)shall turn his insolence back upon him. 19 Then he shall turn his face back toward the (AA)fortresses of his own land, but he shall (AB)stumble and fall, (AC)and shall not be found.
20 “Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an (AD)exactor of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle. 21 In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. (AE)He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom (AF)by flatteries. 22 Armies shall be (AG)utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. 23 And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people. 24 (AH)Without warning he shall come into (AI)the richest parts[e] of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers' fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. 25 And he shall stir up his power and his heart against (AJ)the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. 26 Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be (AK)swept away, and many shall fall down slain. 27 And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for (AL)the end is yet to be at the time appointed. 28 And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land.
29 “At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before. 30 For ships of (AM)Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and (AN)be enraged and (AO)take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 Forces from him shall appear and (AP)profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And (AQ)they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. 32 He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. 33 (AR)And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. 34 When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, 35 and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, (AS)purified, and (AT)made white, until (AU)the time of the end, (AV)for it still awaits the appointed time.
36 “And the king shall (AW)do as he wills. (AX)He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, (AY)and shall speak astonishing things against (AZ)the God of gods. (BA)He shall prosper (BB)till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. 37 He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for (BC)he shall magnify himself above all. 38 He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor (BD)with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and (BE)shall divide the land for a price.[f]
40 (BF)“At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack[g] him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him (BG)like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and (BH)shall overflow and pass through. 41 He shall come into (BI)the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: (BJ)Edom and (BK)Moab and the main part of the (BL)Ammonites. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the (BM)Libyans and the (BN)Cushites shall follow in his train. 44 But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. 45 And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.
Footnotes
- Daniel 11:6 Or obtained
- Daniel 11:13 Hebrew at the end of the times
- Daniel 11:17 Hebrew her, or it
- Daniel 11:18 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Daniel 11:24 Or among the richest men
- Daniel 11:39 Or land as payment
- Daniel 11:40 Hebrew thrust at
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