1 I stood up to confirm and strengthen Darius the Mede in his first year. 2 Now I will tell you the truth. Look, there will be three more kings in Persia. Then the fourth will be richer than the others. When he is strong because of his riches he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3 A mighty king will stand up and rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. 4 After he appears his kingdom will be broken. It will be divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion as he ruled. His kingdom will be plucked up, even for others besides these.
5 The king of the south will be strong along with one of his princes. His prince will be stronger than him, and have dominion. His dominion will be a great dominion. 6 At the end of years they will become allies (form an allience). The daughter of the king of the south will come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she will not retain the strength of her arm (power); neither will he stand, nor his arm (power); but she will be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in those times. 7 But out of a shoot from her roots will one stand up in his place. He will come with the army and enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and will fight against them, and will prevail. 8 He will carry captive into Egypt their gods, with their molten images, and with their valuable vessels of silver and of gold. He will stand off some years from the king of the north. 9 The king of the north will come into the realm of the king of the south, but he will return into his own land.
10 And his sons will be warlike and will assemble a multitude of great forces, which will come on, and overflow, and pass through; and they will return and fight, even to his fortress. 11 And the king of the south will be moved with anger, and will come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north. He will assemble a large army, and the army will be defeated. 12 The army will be lifted up, and his heart will be filled with pride. He will cast down tens of thousands, but he will not prevail. 13 The king of the north will return, and will set forth an army greater than the former. He will come on at the end of the times with a great army that is well supplied with much equipment.
14 In those times there will many who stand up against the king of the south. Also the children of the violent among your people will rebel up to establish the vision, but they will fall. 15 So the king of the north will come, and cast up a siege ramp, and capture a well-fortified city. The forces of the south will not stand, neither his chosen people, neither will there be any strength to stand. 16 But he that comes against him will do according to his own will, and none will stand against him. He will stand in the glorious land, and in his hand will be destruction. 17 And he will be determined to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and with him equitable conditions. He will perform them. He will give him the daughter of women, to corrupt her; but she will not stand or be on his side. 18 He will turn back to the coastlands and will capture many. However, a prince will cause the reproach offered by him to cease. He will cause his reproach to turn upon him. 19 Then he will turn his attention toward the fortresses of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and will not be found.
20 Then one will stand up in his place who will send an oppressor (tax collecter) to pass through the glory of the kingdom. However, he will be destroyed within a few days, neither in anger, nor in battle.
21 A contemptible person will stand in his place. He will be one whom they had not given the honor of the kingdom. He will come in time of security, and will obtain the kingdom by flatteries. 22 The overwhelming forces will be overwhelmed from before him, and will be broken after the prince of the covenant is destroyed. 23 And after the alliance made with him he will work deceitfully. He will come up, and will become strong, with a small nation of people. 24 In time of security he will come even upon the richest places of the province. He will do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers. He will scatter among them prey, and spoil, and substance. He will devise his devices against the strongholds, even for a time.
25 He will stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army. The king of the south will war in battle with an exceeding great and mighty army, but he will not stand. This is because they will devise schemes against him. 26 Those who eat of his rich foods will destroy him. His army will overflow and many will fall down slain. 27 And as for both these kings, their hearts will be inclined to do bad things. They will speak lies at one table and nothing will succeed. The end will come at the time appointed. 28 Then king of the north will return to his land with great wealth. His heart will be against the holy covenant. He will do what he pleases and return to his own land.
29 At the time appointed he will invade the south again. But the outcome will not be the same as it was at the earlier time. 30 For ships of Kittim will come against him. He will be grieved and will return. He will have indignation against the holy covenant and will do what he pleases. He will even return, and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 His armed forces will stand with him, and they will profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and will take away the continual burnt offering. They will set up the abomination that makes desolate. 32 Those who act wickedly against the covenant will be perverted by flatteries. However, the people who know their God will be strong and act effectively. 33 Those who are wise among the people will instruct many. Yet they will fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by spoil, for many days. 34 When they fall, they will be helped with a little help; but many will join them in their flatteries. 35 Some of them who are wise (have insight) will fall. This will refine them, and purify them, and make them clean, even to the time of the end, because it is yet for the time appointed.
36 The king will do according to his will. He will exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god. He will speak horrable (atrocious) things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the indignation is accomplished for that which is determined will be done. 37 Neither will he honor the gods of his father's, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god for he will magnify himself above them all. 38 He will honor the god of military fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know. He will honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and expensive gifts. 39 He will deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god. Whoever acknowledges him will increase with glory. He will make them rulers over many, and will divide the land for a price.
40 The king of the south will contend with him at the time of the end. The king of the north will come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with a large fleet of ships. He will enter into the countries and overflow and pass through them. 41 He will also invade the glorious land, and many countries will be overthrown. These will be delivered out of his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. 42 He will stretch forth his power and authority over many countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. 43 He will exercise power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt. The Libyans and the Ethiopians will be under his control. 44 News from the east and the north will trouble him. He will go forth with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45 He will plant the tents of his palace (dwell in and control) between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. But he will come to his end, and none will help him.