While the king watched the back of the hand as it was writing, his facial expression changed. Utterly frightened, he lost control of his own bowels and his knees knocked together.

The king called aloud to bring in the enchanters (Magi), the Chaldeans [who were master astrologers] and the diviners. The king said to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and explain its interpretation to me shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold put around his neck, and have authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.”

Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.

Hearing the voices of the king and his officials, the queen entered the banquet hall. "Your majesty, live forever," the queen said. "Don't be frightened by your thoughts or allow your facial expression to show it.

Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.

But I have heard concerning you that you are able {to produce interpretations} and to solve riddles; now if you are able to read the writing and to make known its explanation to me, you will be clothed [in] purple and necklace of gold [will be placed] around your neck and you will rule [as] third [in command] in the kingdom."

Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

Your majesty, the Most High God gave your grandfather Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty, as well as greatness, glory, and splendor.

And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.

And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.

And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;

But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

PERES: Your kingdom has been divided and will be given to the Medes and Persians."

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;

Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

Then the presidents and satraps were seeking to find a pretext against Daniel from the part of the kingdom; and they will not be able to find any pretext and corruption, because that he was faithful, and any error and corruption was not found upon him.

Then these men {said}, "We will not find any pretext against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God."

All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellers, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

So they approached the king and asked about his edict: “Didn’t you sign an edict that for 30 days any man who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions’ den?”

The king answered, “As a law of the Medes and Persians, the order stands and is irrevocable.”

Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.

And one stone was brought and set upon the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his signet ring, and with the signet ring of his nobles, that the will shall not be changed upon Daniel.

So the king went in to his palace, and kept him sober all night, so that there was no table spread before him, neither could he take any sleep.

But betimes in the morning, at the break of the day, the king arose, and went in all haste unto the den of the Lions.

And when he came near the hole where Daniel was, he gave a loud cry of grief; the king made answer and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, whose servant you are at all times, able to keep you safe from the lions?

My God has sent His angel and has shut the mouths of the lions so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also before you, O king, I have committed no crime.”

And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.

Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.

I make a decree, that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel; for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, And his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed; and his dominion shall be even unto the end.

So this Daniel did well in the kingdom of Darius and in the kingdom of Cyrus the Persian.

In the first year of the reign of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel dreamed a dream, receiving visions in his mind while in bed, after which he recorded the dream, relating this summary of events.

The first was like a lion and had eagle's wings; while I was watching its wings were pulled off, and it was lifted up from the earth and placed on two feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

“While I was watching, another beast appeared. It was like a leopard with four wings of a bird on its back. It had four heads and was given authority to rule.

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.

“While I was considering the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. There were eyes in this horn like a man’s, and it had a mouth that spoke arrogantly.

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.

A river of fire flowed and went out from before him: thousands of thousands will wait upon him, and myriads of myriads will stand before him: the tribunal sat, and the books were opened.

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.

I Daniel was grieved in the midst of the sheath, and the visions of my heart will terrify me.

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.

'These great beasts which are four [in number] [are] four kings [who] will arise from the earth.

But the holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom, and they will take possession of the kingdom forever, {forever and ever}.'

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;

While I was watching, that horn began to wage war against the holy ones and was defeating them,

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.

And [as for] the ten horns [coming] from it, [from] this kingdom ten kings will arise, and another will arise after them. And he will be different from the earlier [ones], and he will subdue three kings.

And he will speak words against the Most High, and he will wear out [the] holy ones of the Most High, and he will attempt to change times and law, and they will be given into his hand for a time and two times and half a time.

Then the court will sit, and his dominion will be removed, to be eradicated and to be destroyed {totally}.

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.

Even to this the end of the word. I Daniel, my thoughts will greatly terrify me, and my brightness will be changed upon me: and I kept the word in my heart

And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.

I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.

And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.

It approached the ram with the two horns that I had observed while standing beside the canal, and charged at him, out of control with rage.

And I saw him coming near to the ram, and he will be exasperated against him, and he will strike the ram and break his two horns: and there will be no power in the ram to stand before him, and he will cast him to the earth, and will tread upon him: and there was none delivering for the ram out of his hand.

Then the goat grew extremely great, but when it was strong, its great horn was shattered. In its place, four distinctive horns grew out in all directions."

And from one of them came forth one horn of a little thing, and it will be great exceedingly to the south to the sunrisings, and to the glories.

And it will be great even to the army of the heavens; and it will cast to the earth from the army, and from the stars, and it will tread them down.

Because of rebellion, a host, together with the daily sacrifice, will be given over. The horn will throw truth to the ground and will be successful in whatever it does.

Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the speaker, “How long will the events of this vision last—the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and of the host to be trampled?”

And he said to me, "For two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings, then [the] sanctuary will be restored."

While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there stood before me someone who appeared to be a man.

And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.

So he came, and stood by me. But I was afraid at his coming, and fell down upon my face. Then said he unto me, "O thou son of man, mark well, for in the last time shall this vision be fulfilled."

While he was speaking to me, I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me, made me stand up,

And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.

"Pay attention! I'm going to brief you about what will happen at the end of the period of wrath, because its end is appointed. The ram that you saw with a pair of horns are the kings of Media and Persia.

The shaggy (rough-coated) male goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the great horn between his eyes is the first king.

And the [horn] [that] was broken, and [then] there arose four [horns] in place of it--[these are] four kingdoms [that] will arise from [his] nation, but not with his power.

And at the end of their kingdom, when the transgressions are completed, a king will arise, fierce in countenance and skilled in riddles.

And his power will grow, but not by his [own] power, and he will cause fearful destruction, and he will succeed and {he will act}, and he will destroy [the] mighty and [the] people of [the] holy ones.

And through his cunning shall he cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he will magnify himself in his heart, and by prosperity will corrupt many; and he will stand up against the Prince of princes: but he shall be broken without hand.

And this vision that is showed unto thee, is as sure as the evening and the morning. Therefore write thou upon this sight, for it will be long before it come to pass."

And I, Daniel, was overcome, and I became ill for [some] days, and I {performed} the business of the king, and I was dismayed over the vision and {I did not understand it}.

And I will give my face to Jehovah God to seek prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes:

And I will pray to Jehovah my God, and I will confess and say, Ah, Jehovah, the great and dreadful God, watching the covenant and the mercy to those loving him, and to those watching his commands:

We have sinned, we have offended, we have been disobedient and gone back: yea, we have departed from all thy precepts and judgments.

Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.

Yea O LORD: Unto us, to our kings and princes, to our forefathers, even to us all that have offended thee, belongeth open shame.

Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.

And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.

As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.

Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.

O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.

And while I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before Jehovah my God for the holy mountain of my God;

yea, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

And he will cause to understand, and will speak with me, and say, O Daniel, now came I forth to teach thee understanding.

For as soon as thou begannest to make thy prayer, it was so devised, and therefore am I come to show thee. And why? For thou art a man greatly beloved. Wherefore, ponder the matter well, that thou mayest learn to understand the vision.

Seventy weeks have been fixed for your people and your holy town, to let wrongdoing be complete and sin come to its full limit, and for the clearing away of evil-doing and the coming in of eternal righteousness: so that the vision and the word of the prophet may be stamped as true, and to put the holy oil on a most holy place.

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

Then after the sixty-two weeks [of years] the Anointed One will be cut off [and denied His Messianic kingdom] and have nothing [and no one to defend Him], and the people of the [other] prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

And he will make a strong covenant with the many [for] one week, but [in] half of the week he will let cease sacrifice and offering {and in its place} a desolating abomination [comes] even until {the determined complete destruction} is poured out on [the] desolator."

In the third year of king Cyrus of Persia, there was showed unto Daniel, otherwise called Balteshazzar, a matter: yea, a true matter, but it is yet a long time unto it. He understood the matter well, and perceived what the vision was.

In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three whole weeks.

I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, while I was beside the bank of the great Tigris River,

His body resembled yellow jasper, and his face had an appearance like lightning. His eyes were like blazing torches; his arms and feet had the gleam of polished bronze. His voice thundered forth like the sound of a large crowd.

And, I, Daniel, alone, beheld the revelation, and, the men who were with me, beheld not the revelation, - in truth, a great terror, had fallen upon them, and they had fled while hiding themselves.

So I was by myself, and I saw this great vision, and all my strength went from me; and the colour went from my face.

"All of a sudden, a hand touched me and lifted me upon my hands and knees.