The Prophecy of Daniel, Chapter 1
1 In the third year of the reign of Joakim king of Juda,
Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and
besieged it.
2 And the Lord delivered into his hands Joakim the king of
Juda, and part of the vessels of the house of God: and he
carried them away into the land of Sennaar, to the house
of his god, and the vessels he brought into the treasure
house of his god.
3 And the king spoke to Asphenez the master of the eunuchs,
that he should bring in some of the children of Israel,
and of the king's seed and of the princes,
4 Children in whom there was no blemish, well favoured, and
skilful in all wisdom, acute in knowledge, and instructed
in science, and such as might stand in the king's palace,
that he might teach them the learning, and the tongue of
the Chaldeans.
5 And the king appointed them a daily provision, of his own
meat, and of the wine of which he drank himself, that
being nourished three years, afterwards they might stand
before the king.
6 Now there were among them of the children of Juda, Daniel,
Ananias, Misael, and Azarias.
7 And the master of the eunuchs gave them names: to Daniel,
Baltassar: to Ananias, Sidrach: to Misael, Misach: and to
Azarias, Abdenago.
8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not be
defiled with the king's table, nor with the wine which he
drank: and he requested the master of the eunuchs that he
might not be defiled.
9 And God gave to Daniel grace and mercy in the sight of the
prince of the eunuchs.
10 And the prince of the eunuchs said to Daniel: I fear my
lord the king, who hath appointed you meat and drink: who
if he should see your faces leaner than those of the other
youths your equals, you shall endanger my head to the
king.
11 And Daniel said to Malasar, whom the prince of the eunuchs
had appointed over Daniel, Ananias, Misael, and Azarias:
12 Try, I beseech thee, thy servants for ten days, and let
pulse be given us to eat, and water to drink:
13 And look upon our faces, and the faces of the children
that eat of the king's meat: and as thou shalt see, deal
with thy servants.
14 And when he had heard these words, he tried them for ten
days.
15 And after ten days their faces appeared fairer and fatter
than all the children that ate of the king's meat.
16 So Malasar took their portions, and the wine that they
should drink: and he gave them pulse.
17 And to these children God gave knowledge, and
understanding in every book, and wisdom: but to Daniel the
understanding also of all visions and dreams.
18 And when the days were ended, after which the king had
ordered they should be brought in: the prince of the
eunuchs brought them in before Nabuchodonosor.
19 And when the king had spoken to them, there were not found
among them all such as Daniel, Ananias, Misael, and
Azarias: and they stood in the king's presence.
20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the
king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than
all the diviners, and wise men, that were in all his
kingdom.
21 And Daniel continued even to the first year of king Cyrus.
The Prophecy of Daniel, Chapter 2
1 In the second year of the reign of Nabuchodonosor,
Nabuchodonosor had a dream, and his spirit was terrified,
and his dream went out of his mind.
2 Then the king commanded to call together the diviners and
the wise men, and the magicians, and the Chaldeans: to
declare to the king his dreams: so they came and stood
before the king.
3 And the king said to them: I saw a dream: and being
troubled in mind I know not what I saw.
4 And the Chaldeans answered the king in Syriac: O king,
live for ever: tell to thy servants thy dream, and we will
declare the interpretation thereof.
5 And the king answering said to the Chaldeans: The thing is
gone out of my mind: unless you tell me the dream, and the
meaning thereof, you shall be put to death, and your
houses shall be confiscated.
6 But if you tell the dream, and the meaning of it, you
shall receive of me rewards, and gifts, and great honour:
therefore tell me the dream, and the interpretation
thereof.
7 They answered again and said: Let the king tell his
servants the dream, and we will declare the interpretation
of it.
8 The king answered, and said: I know for certain that you
seek to gain time, since you know that the thing is gone
from me.
9 If therefore you tell me not the dream, there is one
sentence concerning you, that you have also framed a lying
interpretation, and full of deceit, to speak before me
till the time pass away. Tell me therefore the dream, that
I may know that you also give a true interpretation
thereof.
10 Then the Chaldeains answered before the king, and said:
There is no man upon earth, that can accomplish thy word,
O king, neither doth any king, though great and mighty,
ask such a thing of any diviner, or wise man, or Chaldean.
11 For the thing that thou askest, O king, is difficult; nor
can any one be found that can shew it before the king,
except the gods, whose conversation is not with men.
12 Upon hearing this, the king in fury, and in great wrath,
commanded that all the wise men of Babylon should be put
to death.
13 And the decree being gone forth, the wise men were slain:
and Daniel and his companions were sought for, to be put
to death.
14 Then Daniel inquired concerning the law and the sentence,
of Arioch the general of the king's army, who was gone
forth to kill the wise men of Babylon.
15 And he asked him that had received the orders of the king,
why so cruel a sentence was gone forth from the face of
the king. And when Arioch had told the matter to Daniel,
16 Daniel went in and desired of the king, that he would give
him time to resolve the question and declare it to the
king.
17 And he went into his house, and told the matter to
Ananias, and Misael, and Azarias his companions:
18 To the end that they should ask mercy at the face of the
God of heaven concerning this secret, and that Daniel and
his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise
men of Babylon.
19 Then was the mystery revealed to Daniel by a vision in the
night: and Daniel blessed the God of heaven,
20 And speaking he said: Blessed be the name of the Lord from
eternity and for evermore: for wisdom and fortitude are
his.
21 And he changeth times and ages: taketh away kingdoms and
establisheth them, giveth wisdom to the wise, and
knowledge to them that have understanding.
22 He revealeth deep and hidden things, and knoweth what is
in darkness: and light is with him.
23 To thee, O God of our fathers, I give thanks, and I praise
thee: because thou hast given me wisdom and strength: and
now thou hast shewn me what we desired of thee, for thou
hast made known to us, the king's discourse.
24 After this Daniel went in to Arioch, to whom the king had
given orders to destroy the wise men of Babylon, and he
spoke thus to him: Destroy not the wise men of Babylon:
bring me in before the king, and I will tell the solution
to the king.
25 Then Arioch in haste brought in Daniel to the king, and
said to him: I have found a man of the children of the
captivity of Juda, that will resolve the question to the
king.
26 The king answered, and said to Daniel, whose name was
Baltassar: Thinkest thou indeed that thou canst tell me
the dream that I saw, and the interpretation thereof?
27 And Daniel made answer before the king, and said: The
secret that the king desireth to know, none of the wise
men, or the philosophers, or the diviners, or the
soothsayers can declare to the king.
28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth mysteries, who
hath shewn to thee, O king Nabuchodonosor, what is to come
to pass in the latter times. Thy dream, and the visions of
thy head upon thy bed, are these:
29 Thou, O king, didst begin to think in thy bed, what should
come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth mysteries
shewed thee what shall come to pass.
30 To me also this secret is revealed, not by any wisdom that
I have more than all men alive: but that the
interpretation might be made manifest to the king, and
thou mightest know the thoughts of thy mind.
31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold there was as it were a
great statue: this statue, which was great and high, tall
of stature, stood before thee, and the look thereof was
terrible.
32 The head of this statue was of fine gold, but the breast
and the arms of silver, and the belly and the thighs of
brass:
33 And the legs of iron, the feet part of iron and part of
clay.
34 Thus thou sawest, till a stone was cut out of a mountain
without hands: and it struck the statue upon the feet
thereof that were of iron and of clay, and broke them in
pieces.
35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and
the gold broken to pieces together, and became like the
chaff of a summer's thrashingfloor, and they were carried
away by the wind: and there was no place found for them:
but the stone that struck the statue, became a great
mountain, and filled the whole earth.
36 This is the dream: we will also tell the interpretation
thereof before thee, O king.
37 Thou art a king of kings: and the God of heaven hath given
thee a kingdom, and strength, and power, and glory:
38 And all places wherein the children of men, and the beasts
of the field do dwell: he hath also given the birds of the
air into thy hand, and hath put all things under thy
power: thou therefore art the head of gold.
39 And after thee shall rise up another kingdom, inferior to
thee, of silver: and another third kingdom of brass, which
shall rule over all the world.
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as iron. As iron breaketh
into pieces, and subdueth all things, so shall that break
and destroy all these.
41 Arid whereas thou sawest the feet, and the toes, part of
potter's clay, and part of iron: the kingdom shall be
divided, but yet it shall take its origin from the iron,
according as thou sawest the iron mixed with the miry
clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of
clay, the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly
broken.
43 And whereas thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay,
they shall be mingled indeed together with the seed of
man, but they shall not stick fast one to another, as iron
cannot be mixed with clay.
44 But in the days of those kingdoms the God of heaven will
set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, and his
kingdom shall not be delivered up to another people, and
it shall break in pieces, and shall consume all these
kingdoms, and itself shall stand for ever.
45 According as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the
mountain without hands, and broke in pieces, the clay, and
the iron, and the brass, and the silver, and the gold, the
great God hath shewn the king what shall come to pass
hereafter, and the dream is true, and the interpretation
thereof is faithful.
46 Then king Nabuchodonosor fell on his face, and worshipped
Daniel, and commanded that they should offer in sacrifice
to him victims and incense.
47 And the king spoke to Daniel, and said: Verily your God is
the God of gods, and Lord of kings, and a revealer of
hidden things: seeing thou couldst discover this secret.
48 Then the king advanced Daniel to a high station, and gave
him many and great gifts: and he made him governor over
all the provinces of Babylon, and chief of the magistrates
over all the wise men of Babylon.
49 And Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed
Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago over the works of the
province of Babylon: but Daniel himself was in the king's
palace.
The Prophecy of Daniel, Chapter 3
1 King Nabuchodonosor made a statue of gold, of sixty cubits
high, and six cubits broad, and he set it up in the plain
of Dura of the province of Babylon.
2 Then Nabuchodonosor the king sent to call together the
nobles, the magistrates, and the judges, the captains, the
rulers, and governors, and all the chief men of the
provinces, to come to the dedication of the statue which
king Nabuchodonosor had set up.
3 Then the nobles, the magistrates, and the judges, the
captains, and rulers, and the great men that were placed
in authority, and all the princes of the provinces, were
gathered together to come to the dedication of the statue,
which king Nabuchodonosor had set up. And they stood
before the statue which king Nabuchodonosor had set up.
4 Then a herald cried with a strong voice: To you it is
commanded, O nations, tribes, and languages:
5 That in the hour that you shall hear the sound of the
trumpet, and of the flute, and of the harp, of the
sackbut, and of the psaltery, and of the symphony, and of
all kind of music; ye fall down and adore the golden
statue which king Nabuchodonosor hath set up.
6 But if any man shall not fall down and adore, he shall the
same hour be cast into a furnace of burning fire.
7 Upon this therefore, at the time when all the people heard
the sound of the trumpet, the flute, and the harp, of the
sackbut, and the psaltery, of the symphony, and of all
kind of music: all the nations, tribes, and languages fell
down and adored the golden statue which king
Nabuchodonosor had set up.
8 And presently at that very time some Chaldeans came and
accused the Jews,
9 And said to king Nabuchodonosor: O king, live for ever:
10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree that every man that shall
bear the sound of the trumpet, the flute, and the harp, of
the sackbut, and the psaltery, of the symphony, and of all
kind of music, shall prostrate himself, and adore the
golden statue:
11 And that if any man shall not fall down and adore, he
should be cast into a furnace of burning fire.
12 Now there are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the
works of the province of Babylon, Sidrach, Misach, and
Abdenago: these men, O king, have slighted thy decree:
they worship not thy gods, nor do they adore the golden
statue which thou hast set up.
13 Then Nabuchodonosor in fury, and in wrath, commanded that
Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago should be brought: who
immediately were brought before the king.
14 And Nabuchodonosor the king spoke to them, and said: Is it
true, O Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, that you do not
worship my gods, nor adore the golden statue that I have
set up?
15 Now therefore if you be ready at what hour soever you
shall hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, harp, sackbut,
and psaltery, and symphony, and of all kind of music,
prostrate yourselves, and adore the statue which I have
made: but if you do not adore, you shall be cast the same
hour into the furnace of burning fire: and who is the God
that shall deliver you out of my hand?
16 Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago answered and said to king
Nabuchodonosor: We have no occasion to answer thee
concerning this matter.
17 For behold our God, whom we worship, is able to save us
from the furnace of burning fire, and to deliver us out of
thy hands, O king.
18 But if he will not, be it known to thee, O king, that we
will not worship thy gods, nor adore the golden statue
which thou hast set up.
19 Then was Nabuchodonosor filled with fury: and the
countenance of his face was changed against Sidrach,
Misach, and Abdenago, and he commanded that the furnace
should be heated seven times more than it had been
accustomed to be heated.
20 And he commanded the strongest men that were in his army,
to bind the feet of Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, and to
cast them into the furnace of burning fire.
21 And immediately these men were bound and were cast into
the furnace of burning fire, with their coats, and their
caps, and their shoes, and their garments.
22 For the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace was
heated exceedingly. And the flame of the fire slew those
men that had cast in Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago.
23 But these three men, that is, Sidrach, Misach, and
Abdenago, fell down bound in the midst of the furnace of
burning fire.
24 And they walked in the midst of the flame, praising God
and blessing the Lord.
25 Then Azarias standing up prayed in this manner, and
opening his mouth in the midst of the fire, he said:
26 Blessed art thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and thy
name is worthy of praise, and glorious for ever:
27 For thou art just in all that thou hast done to us, and
all thy works are true, and thy ways right, and all thy
judgments true.
28 For thou hast executed true judgments in all the things
that thou hast brought upon us, and upon Jerusalem the
holy city of our fathers: for according to truth and
judgment, thou hast brought all these things upon us for
our sins.
29 For we have sinned, and committed iniquity, departing from
thee: and we have trespassed in all things:
30 And we have not hearkened to thy commandments, nor have we
observed nor done as thou hadst commanded us, that it
might go well with us.
31 Wherefore all that thou hast brought upon us, and every
thing that thou hast done to us, thou hast done in true
judgment:
32 And thou hast delivered us into the hands of our enemies
that are unjust, and most wicked, and prevaricators, and
to a king unjust, and most wicked beyond all that axe upon
the earth.
33 And now we cannot open our mouths: we are become a shame
and reproach to thy servants, and to them that worship
thee.
34 Deliver us not up for ever, we beseech thee, for thy
name's sake, and abolish not thy covenant.
35 And take not away thy mercy from us for the sake of
Abraham thy beloved, and Isaac thy servant, and Israel thy
holy one:
36 To whom thou hast spoken, promising that thou wouldst
multiply their seed as the stars of heaven, and as the
sand that is on the sea shore.
37 For we, O Lord, are diminished more than any nation, and
are brought low in all the earth this day for our sins.
38 Neither is there at this time prince, or leader, or
prophet, or holocaust, or sacrifice, or oblation, or
incense, or place of firstfruits before thee,
39 That we may find thy mercy: nevertheless in a contrite
heart and humble spirit let us be accepted.
40 As in holocausts of rams, and bullocks, and as in
thousands of fat lambs: so let our sacrifice be made in
thy sight this day, that it may please thee: for there is
no confusion to them that trust in thee.
41 And now we follow thee with all our heart, and we fear
thee, and seek thy face.
42 Put us not to confusion, but deal. with us according to
thy meekness, and according to the multitude of thy
mercies.
43 And deliver us according to thy wonderful works, and give
glory to thy name, O Lord:
44 And let all them be confounded that shew evils to thy
servants, let them be confounded in all thy might, and let
their strength be broken.
45 And let them know that thou art the Lord, the only God,
and glorious over all the world.
46 Now the king's servants that had cast them in, ceased not
to heat the furnace with brimstone, and tow, and pitch,
and dry sticks,
47 And the flame mounted up above the furnace nine and forty
cubits:
48 And it broke forth, and burnt such of the Chaldeans as it
found near the furnace.
49 But the angel of the Lord went down with Azarias and his
companions into the furnace: and he drove the flame of the
fire out of the furnace,
50 And made the midst of the furnace like the blowing of a
wind bringing dew, and the fire touched them not at all,
nor troubled them, nor did them any harm.
51 Then these three as with one mouth praised, and glorified,
and blessed God in the furnace, saying:
52 Blessed art thou, O Lord the God of our fathers: and
worthy to be praised, and glorified, and exalted above all
for ever: and blessed is the holy name of thy glory: and
worthy to be praised, and exalted above all in all ages.
53 Blessed art thou in the holy temple of thy glory: and
exceedingly to be praised, and exceeding glorious for
ever.
54 Blessed art thou on the throne of thy kingdom, and
exceedingly to be praised, and exalted above all for ever.
55 Blessed art thou, that beholdest the depths, and sittest
upon the cherubims: and worthy to be praised and exalted
above all for ever.
56 Blessed art thou in the firmament of heaven: and worthy of
praise, and glorious for ever.
57 All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt
him above all for ever.
58 O ye angels of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt
him above all for ever.
59 O ye heavens, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above
all for ever.
60 O all ye waters that are above the heavens, bless the
Lord; praise and exalt him above all for ever.
61 O all ye powers of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and
exalt him above all for ever.
62 O ye sun and moon, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him
above all for ever.
63 O ye stars of heaven, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him
above all for ever.
64 O every shower and dew, bless ye the Lord: praise and
exalt him above all for ever.
65 O all ye spirits of God, bless the Lord: praise and exalt
him above all for ever.
66 O ye fire and heat, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him
above all for ever.
67 O ye cold and heat, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him
above all for ever.
68 O ye dews and hoar frosts, bless the Lord: praise and
exalt him above all for ever.
69 O ye frost and cold, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him
above all for ever.
70 O ye ice and snow, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him
above all for ever.
71 O ye nights and days, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him
above all for ever.
72 O ye light and darkness, bless the Lord: praise and exalt
him above all for ever.
73 O ye lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord: praise and
exalt him above all for ever.
74 O let the earth bless the Lord: let it praise and exalt
him above all for ever.
75 O ye mountains and hills, bless the Lord: praise and exalt
him above all for ever.
76 O all ye things that spring up in the earth, bless the
Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
77 O ye fountains, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above
all for ever.
78 O ye seas and rivers, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him
above all for ever.
79 O ye whales, and all that move in the waters, bless the
Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
80 O all ye fowls of the air, bless the Lord: praise and
exalt him above all for ever.
81 O all ye beasts and cattle, bless the Lord: praise and
exalt him above all for ever.
82 O ye sons of men, bless the Lord., praise and exalt him
above all for ever.
83 O let Israel bless the Lord: let them praise and exalt him
above all for ever.
84 O ye priests of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt
him above all for ever.
85 O ye servants of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and
exalt him above all for ever.
86 O ye spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord: praise
and exalt him above all for ever.
87 O ye holy and humble of heart, bless the Lord: praise and
exalt him above all for ever.
88 O Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, bless ye the Lord: praise
and exalt him above all for ever. For he hath delivered us
from hell, and saved us out of the hand of death, and
delivered us out of the midst of the burning flame, and
saved us out of the midst of the fire.
89 O give thanks to the Lord, because he is good: because his
mercy endureth for ever and ever.
90 O all ye religious, bless the Lord the God of gods: praise
him and give him thanks, because his mercy endureth for
ever and ever.
91 Then Nabuchodonosor the king was astonished, and rose up
in haste, and said to his nobles: Did we not cast three
men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered the
king, and said: True, O king.
92 He answered, and said: Behold I see four men loose, and
walking in the midst of the fire, and there is no hurt in
them, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
93 Then Nabuchodonosor came to the door of the burning fiery
furnace, and said: Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, ye
servants of the most high God, go ye forth, and come. And
immediately Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago went out from
the midst of the fire.
94 And the nobles, and the magistrates, and the judges, and
the great men of the king being gathered together,
considered these men, that the fire had no power on their
bodies, and that not a hair of their head had been singed,
nor their garments altered, nor the smell of the fire had
passed on them.
95 Then Nabuchodonosor breaking forth, said: Blessed be the
God of them, to wit, of Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, who
hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that
believed in him: and they changed the king's word, and
delivered up their bodies that they might not serve, nor
adore any god, except their own God.
96 By me therefore this decree is made, that every people,
tribe, and tongue, which shall speak blasphemy against the
God of Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, shall be destroyed,
and their houses laid waste: for there is no other God
that can save in this manner.
97 Then the king promoted Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, in
the province of Babylon.
98 Nabuchodonosor the king, to all peoples, nations, and
tongues, that dwell in all the earth, peace be multiplied
unto you.
99 The most high God hath wrought signs and wonders toward
me. It hath seemed good to me therefore to publish
100 His signs, because they are great: and his wonders,
because they are mighty: and his kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom, I and his power to all generations.
The Prophecy of Daniel, Chapter 4
1 I Nabuchodonosor was at rest in my house, and flourishing
in my palace:
2 I saw a dream that affrighted me: and my thoughts in my
bed, and the visions of my head troubled me.
3 Then I set forth a decree, that all the wise men of
Babylon should be brought in before me, and that they
should shew me the interpretation of the dream.
4 Then came in the diviners, the wise men, the Chaldeans,
and the soothsayers, and I told the dream before them: but
they did not shew me the interpretation thereof:
5 Till their colleague Daniel came in before me, whose name
is Baltassar, according to the name of my god, who hath in
him the spirit of the holy gods: and I told the dream
before him.
6 Baltassar, prince of the diviners, because I know that
thou hast in thee the spirit of the holy gods, and that no
secret is impossible to thee: tell me the visions of my
dreams that I have seen, and the interpretation of them.
7 This was the vision of my head in my bed: I saw, and
behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height
thereof was exceeding great.
8 The tree was great, and strong: and the height thereof
reached unto heaven: the sight thereof was even to the
ends of all the earth.
9 Its leaves were most beautiful, and its fruit exceeding
much: and in it was food for all: under it dwelt cattle,
and beasts, and in the branches thereof the fowls of the
air had their abode: and all flesh did eat of it.
10 I saw in the vision of my head upon my bed, and behold a
watcher, and a holy one came down from heaven.
11 He cried aloud, and said thus: Cut down the tree, and chop
off the branches thereof: shake off its leaves, and
scatter its fruits: let the beasts fly away that are under
it, and the birds from its branches.
12 Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth,
and let it be tied with a band of iron, and of brass,
among the grass, that is without, and let it be wet with
the dew of heaven, and let its portion be with the wild
beasts in the grass of the earth.
13 Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's
heart be given him; and let seven times pass over him.
14 This is the decree by the sentence of the watchers, and
the word And demand of the holy ones; till the living know
that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men; and he
will give it to whomsoever it shall please him, and he
will appoint the basest man over it.
15 I king Nabuchodonosor saw this dream: thou, therefore, O
Baltassar, tell me quickly the interpretation: for all the
wise men of my kingdom axe not able to declare the meaning
of it to me: but thou art able, because the spirit of the
holy gods is in thee.
16 Then Daniel, whose name was Baltassar, began silently to
think within himself for about one hour: and his thoughts
troubled him. But the king answering, said: Baltassar, let
not the dream and the interpretation thereof trouble thee.
Baltassar answered, and said: My lord, the dream be to
them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thy
enemies.
17 The tree which thou sawest which was high and strong,
whose height reached to the skies, and the sight thereof
into all tire earth:
18 And the branches thereof were most beautiful, and its
fruit exceeding much, and in it was food for all, under
which the beasts of the field dwelt, and the birds of the
air had their abode in its branches.
19 It is thou, O king, who art grown great and become mighty:
for thy greatness hath grown, and hath reached to heaven,
and thy power unto the ends of the earth.
20 And whereas the king saw a watcher, and a holy one come
down from heaven, and say: Cut down the tree and destroy
it, but leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth,
and let it be bound with iron and brass among the grass
without, and let it be sprinkled with the dew of heaven,
and let his feeding be with the wild beasts, till seven
times pass over him.
21 This is the interpretation of the sentence of the most
High, which is come upon my lord the king.
22 They shall cast thee out from among men, and thy dwelling
shall be with cattle and with wild beasts, and thou shalt
eat grass as an ox, and shalt be wet with the dew of
heaven: and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou
know that the most High ruleth over the kingdom of men,
and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
23 But whereas he commanded, that the stump of the roots
thereof, that is, of the tree, should be left: thy kingdom
shall remain to thee after thou shalt have known that
power is from heaven.
24 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to thee,
and redeem thou thy sins with alms, and thy iniquities
with works of mercy to the poor: perhaps he will forgive
thy offences.
25 All these things came upon king Nabuchodonosor.
26 At the end of twelve months he was walking in the palace
of Babylon.
27 And the king answered, and said: Is not this the great
Babylon, which I have built to be the seat of the kingdom,
by the strength of my power, and in the glory of my
excellence?
28 And while the word was yet in the king's mouth, a voice
came down from heaven: To thee, O king Nabuchodonosor, it
is said: Thy kingdom shall pass from thee,
29 And they shall cast thee out from among men, and thy
dwelling shall be with cattle and wild beasts: thou shalt
eat grass like an ox, and seven times shall pass over
thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the
kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
30 The same hour the word was fulfilled upon Nabuchodonosor,
and he was driven away from among men, and did eat grass
like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven:
till his hairs grew like the feathers of eagles, and his
nails like birds' claws.
31 Now at the end of the days, I Nabuchodonosor lifted up my
eyes to heaven, and my sense was restored to me: and I
blessed the most High, and I praised and glorified him
that liveth for ever: for his power is an everlasting
power, and his kingdom is to all generations.
32 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as
nothing before him: for he doth according to his will, I
as well with the powers of heaven, as among the
inhabitants of the earth: and there is none that can
resist his hand, and say to him: Why hast thou done it?
33 At the same time my sense returned to me, and I came to
the honour and glory of my kingdom: and my shape returned
to me: and my nobles, and my magistrates sought for me,
and I was restored to my kingdom: and greater majesty was
added to me.
34 Therefore I Nabuchodonosor do now praise, and magnify, and
glorify the King of heaven: because all his works are
true, and his ways judgments, and them that walk in pride
he is able to abase.
The Prophecy of Daniel, Chapter 5
1 Baltasar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his
nobles: and every one drank according to his age.
2 And being now drunk he commanded that they should bring
the vessels of gold and silver which Nabuchodonosor his
father had brought away out of the temple, that was in
Jerusalem, that the king and his nobles, and his wives and
his concubines, might drink in them.
3 Then were the golden and silver vessels brought, which he
had brought away out of the temple that was in Jerusalem:
and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines,
drank in them.
4 They drank wine, and praised their gods of gold, and of
silver, of brass, of iron, and of wood, and of stone.
5 In the same hour there appeared fingers, as it were of the
hand of a man, writing over against the candlestick upon
the surface of the wall of the king's palace: and the king
beheld the joints of the hand that wrote.
6 Then was the king's countenance changed, and his thoughts
troubled him: and the joints of his loins were loosed, and
his knees struck one against the other.
7 And the king cried out aloud to bring in the wise men, the
Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spoke, and
said to the wise men of Babylon: Whosoever shall read this
writing, and shall make known to me the interpretation
thereof, shall be clothed with purple, and shall have a
golden chain on his neck, and shall be the third man in my
kingdom.
8 Then came in all the king's wise men, but they could
neither read the writing, nor declare the interpretation
to the king.
9 Wherewith king Baltasar was much troubled, and his
countenance was changed: and his nobles also were
troubled.
10 Then the queen, on occasion of what had happened to the
king, and his nobles, came into the banquet house: and she
spoke and said: O king, live for ever: let not thy
thoughts trouble thee, neither let thy countenance be
changed.
11 There is a man in thy kingdom that hath the spirit of the
holy gods in him: and in the days of thy father knowledge
and wisdom were found in him: for king Nabuchodonosor thy
father appointed him prince of the wise men, enchanters,
Chaldeans, and soothsayers, thy father, I say, O king:
12 Because a greater spirit, and knowledge, and
understanding, and interpretation of dreams, and shewing
of secrets, and resolving of difficult things, were found
in him, that is, in Daniel: whom the king named Baltarsar.
Now therefore let Daniel be called for, and he will tell
the interpretation.
13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. And the king
spoke, and said to him: Art thou Daniel of the children of
the captivity of Juda, whom my father the king brought out
of Judea?
14 I have heard of thee, that thou hast the spirit of the
gods, and excellent knowledge, and understanding, and
wisdom are found in thee.
15 And now the wise men the magicians have come in before me,
to read this writing, and shew me the interpretation
thereof: and they could not declare to me the meaning of
this writing.
16 But I have heard of thee, that thou canst interpret
obscure things, and resolve difficult things: now if thou
art able to read the writing, and to shew me the
interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with purple,
and shalt have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt
be the third prince in my kingdom.
17 To which Daniel made answer, and said before the king: Thy
rewards be to thyself, and the gifts of thy house give to
another: but the writing I will read to thee, O king, and
shew thee the interpretation thereof.
18 O king, the most high God gave to Nabuchodonosor thy
father a kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and honour.
19 And for the greatness that he gave to him, all people,
tribes, and languages trembled, and were afraid of him:
whom he would, he slew: and whom he would, he destroyed:
and whom he would, he set up: and whom he would, he
brought down.
20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit hardened
unto pride, he was put down from the throne of his
kingdom, and his glory was taken away.
21 And he was driven out from the sons of men, and his heart
was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the
wild asses, and he did eat grass like an ox, and his body
was wet with the dew of heaven: till he knew that the most
High ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he will set
over it whomsoever it shall please him.
22 Thou also his son, O Baltasar, hast not humbled thy heart,
whereas thou knewest all these things:
23 But hast lifted thyself up against the Lord of heaven: and
the vessels of his house have been brought before thee:
and thou, and thy nobles, and thy wives, and thy
concubines have drunk wine in them: and thou hast praised
the gods of silver, and of gold, and of brass, of iron,
and of wood, and of stone, that neither see, nor hear, nor
feel: but the God who hath thy breath in his hand, and all
thy ways, thou hast not glorified.
24 Wherefore he hath sent the part of the hand which hath
written this that is set down.
25 And this is the writing that is written: MANE, THECEL,
PHARES.
26 And this is the interpretation of the word. MANE: God hath
numbered thy kingdom, and hath finished it.
27 THECEL: thou art weighed in the balance, and art found
wanting.
28 PHARES: thy kingdom is divided, and is given to the Medes
and Persians.
29 Then by the king's command Daniel was clothed with purple,
and a chain of gold was put about his neck: and it was
proclaimed of him that he had power as the third man in
the kingdom.
30 The same night Baltasar the Chaldean king was slain.
31 And Darius the Mede succeeded to the kingdom, being
threescore and two years old.
The Prophecy of Daniel, Chapter 6
1 It seemed good to Darius, and he appointed over the
kingdom a hundred and twenty governors to be over his
whole kingdom.
2 And three princes over them, of whom Daniel was one: that
the governors might give an account to them, and the king
might have no trouble.
3 And Daniel excelled all the princes, and governors:
because a greater spirit of God was in him.
4 And the king thought to set him over all the kingdom:
whereupon the princes, and the governors sought to find
occasion against Daniel with regard to the king: and they
could find no cause, nor suspicion, because he was
faithful, and no fault, nor suspicion was found in him
5 Then these men said: We shall not find any occasion
against this Daniel, unless perhaps concerning the law of
his God.
6 Then the princes, and the governors craftily suggested to
the king, and spoke thus unto him: King Darius, live for
ever:
7 All the princes of the kingdom, the magistrates, and
governors, the senators, and judges have consulted
together, that an imperial decree, and an edict be
published: That whosoever shall ask any petition of any
god, or man, for thirty days, but of thee, O king, shall
be cast into the den of lions.
8 Now, therefore, O king, confirm the sentence, and sign the
decree: that what is decreed by the Medes and Persians may
not be altered, nor any man be allowed to transgress it.
9 So king Darius set forth the decree, and established it.
10 Now when Daniel knew this, that is to say, that the law
was made, he went into his house: and opening the windows
in his upper chamber towards Jerusalem, he knelt down
three times a day, and adored, and gave thanks before his
God, as he had been accustomed to do before.
11 Wherefore those men carefully watching him, found Daniel
praying and making supplication to his God.
12 And they came and spoke to the king concerning the edict:
O king, hast thou not decreed, that every man that should
make a request to any of the gods, or men, for thirty
days, but to thyself, O king, should be cast into the den
of the lions? And the king answered them, saying: The word
is true according to the decree of the Medes and Persians,
which it is not lawful to violate.
13 Then they answered, and said before the king: Daniel, who
is of the children of the captivity of Juda, hath not
regarded thy law, nor the decree that thou hast made: but
three times a day he maketh his prayer.
14 Now when the king had heard these words, he was very much
grieved, and in behalf of Daniel he set his heart to
deliver him and even till sunset he laboured to save him.
15 But those mer. perceiving the king's design, said to him:
Know thou, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians
is, that no decree which the king hath made, may be
altered.
16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast
him into the den of the lions. And the king said to
Daniel: Thy God, whom thou always servest, he will deliver
thee.
17 And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the
den: which the king sealed with his own ring, and with the
ring of his nobles, that nothing should be done against
Daniel.
18 And the king went away to his house and laid himself down
without taking supper, and meat was not set before him,
and even sleep departed from him.
19 Then the king rising very early in the morning, went in
haste to the lions' den:
20 And coming near to the den, cried with a lamentable voice
to Daniel, and said to him: Daniel, servant of the living
God, hath thy God, whom thou servest always, been able,
thinkest thou, to deliver thee from the lions?
21 And Daniel answering the king, said: O king, live for
ever:
22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut up the mouths of
the lions, and they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before
him justice hath been found in me: yea and before thee, O
king, I have done no offence.
23 Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and he commanded
that Daniel should be taken out of the den: and Daniel was
taken out of the den, and no hurt was found in him,
because he believed in his God.
24 And by the king's commandment, those men were brought that
bad accused Daniel: and they were cast into the lions'
den, they and their children, and their wives: and they
did not reach the bottom of the den, before the lions
caught them, and broke all their bones in pieces.
25 Then king Darius wrote to all people, tribes, and
languages, dwelling in the whole earth: PEACE be
multiplied unto you.
26 It is decreed by me, that in all my empire and my kingdom
all men dread and fear the God of Daniel. For he is the
living and eternal God for ever: and his kingdom shall not
be destroyed, and his power shall be for ever.
27 He is the deliverer, and saviour, doing signs and wonders
in heaven, and in earth: who hath delivered Daniel out of
the lions' den.
28 Now Daniel continued unto the reign of Darius, and the
reign of Cyrus the Persian.
The Prophecy of Daniel, Chapter 7
1 In the first year of Baltasar king of Babylon, Daniel saw
a dream: and the vision of his head was upon his bed: and
writing the dream, he comprehended it in few words: and
relating the sum of it in short, he said:
2 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, different one from another, came up
out of the sea.
4 The first was like a lioness, and had the wings of an
eagle: I beheld till her wings were plucked off, and she
was lifted up from the earth, and stood upon her feet as
a man, and the heart of a man was given to her.
5 And behold another beast like a bear stood up on one side:
and there were three rows in the mouth thereof, and in the
teeth thereof, and thus they said to it: Arise, devour
much flesh.
6 After this I beheld, and lo, another like a leopard, and
it had upon it four wings as of a fowl, and the beast had
four heads, and power was given to it.
7 After this I beheld in the vision of the night, and lo, a
fourth beast, terrible and wonderful, and exceeding
strong, it had great iron teeth, eating and breaking in
pieces, and treading down the rest with its feet: and it
was unlike to the other beasts which I had seen before it,
and had ten horns.
8 I considered the horns, and behold another little horn
sprung out of the midst of them: and three of the first
horns were plucked up at the presence thereof: and behold
eyes like the eyes of a man were in this horn, and a mouth
speaking great things.
9 I beheld till thrones were placed, and the Ancient of days
sat: his garment was white as snow, and the hair of his
head like clean wool: his throne like flames of fire: the
wheels of it like a burning fire.
10 A swift stream of fire issued forth from before him:
thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand
times a hundred thousand stood before him: the judgment
sat, and the books were opened.
11 I beheld because of the voice of the great words which
that horn spoke: and I saw that the beast was slain, and
the body thereof was destroyed, and given to the fire to
be burnt:
12 And that the power of the other beasts was taken away: and
that times of life were appointed them for a time, and
time.
13 I beheld therefore in the vision of the night, and lo, one
like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and he
came even to the Ancient of days: and they presented him
before him.
14 And he gave him power, and glory, and a kingdom: and all
peoples, tribes and tongues shall serve him: his power is
an everlasting power that shall not be taken away: and his
kingdom that shall not be destroyed.
15 My spirit trembled, I Daniel was affrighted at these
things, and the visions of my head troubled me.
16 I went near to one of them that stood by, and asked the
truth of him concerning all these things, and he told me
the interpretation of the words, and instructed me:
17 These four great beasts are four kingdoms, which shall
arise out of the earth.
18 But the saints of the most high God shall take the
kingdom: and they shall possess the kingdom for ever and
ever.
19 After this I would diligently learn concerning the fourth
beast. which was very different from all, and exceeding
terrible: his teeth and claws were of iron: he devoured
and broke in pieces, and the rest he stamped upon with his
feet:
20 And concerning the ten horns that he had on his head: and
concerning the other that came up, before which three
horns fell: and of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth
speaking great things, and was greater than the rest.
21 I beheld, and lo, that horn made war against the saints,
and prevailed over them,
22 Till the Ancient of days came and gave judgment to the
saints of the most High, and the time came, and the saints
obtained the kingdom.
23 And thus he said: The fourth beast shall be the fourth
kingdom upon earth, which shall be greater than all the
kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall
tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns of the same kingdom, shall be ten kings:
and another shall rise up after them, and he shall be
mightier than the former, and he shall bring down three
kings.
25 And he shall speak words against the High One, and shall
crush the saints of the most High: and he shall think
himself able to change times and laws, and they shall be
delivered into his hand until a time, and times, and half
a time.
26 And judgment shall sit, that his power may be taken away,
and be broken in pieces, and perish even to the end.
27 And that the kingdom, and power, and the greatness of the
kingdom, under the whole heaven, may be given to the
people of the saints of the most High: whose kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom, and all kings shall serve him, and
shall obey him.
28 Hitherto is the end of the word. I Daniel was much
troubled with my thoughts, and my countenance was changed
in me: but I kept the word in my heart.
The Prophecy of Daniel, Chapter 8
1 In the third year of the reign of king Baltasar, a vision
appeared to me. I Daniel, after what I had seen in the
beginning,
2 Saw in my vision when I was in the castle of Susa, which
is in the province of Elam: and I saw in the vision that
I was over the gate of Ulai.
3 And I lifted up my eyes, and saw: and behold a ram stood
before the water, having two high horns, and one higher
than the other, and growing up. Afterward
4 I saw the ram pushing with his horns against the west, and
against the north, and against the south: and no beasts
could withstand him, nor be delivered out of his hand: and
he did according to his own will, and became great.
5 And I understood: and behold a he goat came from the west
on the face of the whole earth, and he touched not the
ground, and the he goat had a notable horn between his
eyes.
6 And he went up to the ram that had the horns, which I had
seen standing before the gate, and he ran towards him in
the force of his strength.
7 And when he was come near the ram, he was enraged against
him, and struck the ram: and broke his two horns, and the
ram could not withstand him: and when he had cast him down
on the ground, he stamped upon him, and none could deliver
the ram out of his hand.
8 And the he goat became exceeding great: and when he was
grown, the great horn was broken, and there came up four
horns under it towards the four winds of heaven.
9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn: and it
became great against the south, and against the east, and
against the strength.
10 And it was magnified even unto the strength of heaven: and
it threw down of the strength, and of the stars, and trod
upon them.
11 And it was magnified even to the prince of the strength:
and it took away from him the continual sacrifice, and
cast down the place of his sanctuary.
12 And strength was given him against the continual
sacrifice, because of sins: and truth shall be cast down
on the ground, and he shall do and shall prosper.
13 And I heard one of the saints speaking, and one saint said
to another, I know not to whom that was speaking: How long
shall be the vision, concerning the continual sacrifice,
and the sin of the desolation that is made: and the
sanctuary, and the strength be trodden under foot?
14 And he said to him: Unto evening and morning two thousand
three hundred days: and the sanctuary shall be cleansed.
15 And it came to pass when I Daniel saw the vision, and
sought the meaning, that behold there stood before me as
it were the appearance of a man.
16 And I heard the voice of a man between Ulai: and he
called, and said: Gabriel, make this man to understand the
vision.
17 And he came and stood near where I stood: and when he was
come, I fell on my face trembling, and he said to me:
Understand, O son of man, for in the time of the end the
vision shall be fulfilled.
18 And when he spoke to me I fell flat on the ground: and he
touched me, and set me upright,
19 And he said to me: I will shew thee what things are to
come to pass in the end of the malediction: for the time
hath its end.
20 The ram, which thou sawest with horns, is the king of the
Medes and Persians.
21 And the he goat, is the king of the Greeks, and the great
horn that was between his eyes, the same is the first
king.
22 But whereas when that was broken, there arose up four for
it: four kings shall rise up of his nation, but not with
his strength.
23 And after their reign, when iniquities shall be grown up,
there shall arise a king of a shameless face, and
understanding dark sentences.
24 And his power shall be strengthened, but not by his own
force: and he shall lay all things waste, and shall
prosper, and do more than can be believed. And he shall
destroy the mighty, and the people of the saints,
25 According to his will, and craft shall be successful in
his hand: and his heart shall be puffed up, and in the
abundance of all things he shall kill many: and he shall
rise up against the prince of princes, and shall be broken
without hand.
26 And the vision of the evening and the morning, which was
told, is true: thou therefore seal up the vision, because
it shall come to pass after many days.
27 And I Daniel languished, and was sick for some days: and
when I was risen up, I did the king's business, and I was
astonished at the vision, and there was none that could
interpret it.
The Prophecy of Daniel, Chapter 9
1 In the first year of Darius the son of Assuerus of the
seed of the Medes, who reigned over the kingdom of the
Chaldeans:
2 The first year of his reign, I Daniel understood by books
the number of the years, concerning which the word of the
Lord came to Jeremias the prophet, that seventy years
should be accomplished of the desolation of Jerusalem.
3 And I set my face to the Lord my God, to pray and make
supplication with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.
4 And I prayed to the Lord my God, and I made my confession,
and said: I beseech thee, O Lord God, great and terrible,
who keepest the covenant, and mercy to them that love
thee, and keep thy commandments.
5 We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, we have done
wickedly, and have revolted: and we have gone aside from
thv commandments, and thy judgments.
6 We have not hearkened to thy servants the prophets, that
have spoken in thy name to our kings, to our princes, to
our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7 To thee, O Lord, justice: but to us confusion of face, as
at this day to the men of Juda, and to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, and to all Israel to them that are near, and to
them that are far off in all the countries whither thou
hast driven them, for their iniquities by which they have
sinned against thee.
8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our princes,
and to our fathers that have sinned.
9 But to thee, the Lord our God, mercy and forgiveness, for
we have departed from thee:
10 And we have not hearkened to the voice of the Lord our
God, to walk in his law, which he set before us by his
servants the prophets.
11 And all Israel have transgressed thy law, and have turned
away from hearing thy voice, and the malediction, and the
curse, which is written in the book of Moses the servant
of God, is fallen upon us, because we have sinned against
him.
12 And he hath confirmed his words which he spoke against us,
and against our princes that judged us, that he would
bring in upon us a great evil, such as never was under all
the heaven, according to that which hath been done in
Jerusalem.
13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is
come upon us: and we entreated not thy face, O Lord our
God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and think on
thy truth.
14 And the Lord hath watched upon the evil, and hath brought
it upon us: the Lord our God is just in all his works
which he hath done: for we have not hearkened to his
voice.
15 And now, O Lord our God, who hast brought forth thy people
out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand, and hast made
thee a name as at this day: we have sinned, we have
committed iniquity,
16 O Lord, against all thy justice: let thy wrath and thy
indignation be turned away, I beseech thee, from thy city
Jerusalem, and from thy holy mountain. For by reason of
our sins, and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem,
and thy people are a reproach to all that are round about
us.
17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the supplication of thy
servant, and his prayers: and shew thy face upon thy
sanctuary which is desolate, for thy own sake.
18 Incline, O my God, thy ear, and hear: open thy eyes, and
see our desolation, and the city upon which thy name is
called: for it is not for our justifications that we
present our prayers before thy face, but for the multitude
of thy tender mercies.
19 O Lord, hear: O Lord, be appeased: hearken and do: delay
not for thy own sake, O my God: because thy name is
invocated upon thy city, and upon thy people.
20 Now while I was yet speaking, and praying, and confessing
my sins, and the sins of my people of Israel, and
presenting my supplications in the sight of my God, for
the holy mountain of my God:
21 As I was yet speaking in prayer, behold the man Gabriel,
whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, flying
swiftly touched me at the time of the evening sacrifice.
22 And he instructed me, and spoke to me, and said: O Daniel,
I am now come forth to teach thee, and that thou mightest
understand.
23 From the beginning of thy prayers the word came forth: and
I am come to shew it to thee, because thou art a man of
desires: therefore do thou mark the word, and understand
the vision.
24 Seventy weeks are shortened upon thy people, and upon thy
holy city, that transgression may be finished, and sin may
have an end, and iniquity may be abolished; and
everlasting justice may be brought; and vision and
prophecy may be fulfilled; and the saint of saints may be
anointed.
25 Know thou therefore, and take notice: that from the going
forth of the word, to build up Jerusalem again, unto
Christ the prince, there shall be seven weeks, and
sixty-two weeks: and the street shall be built again, and
the walls in straitness of times.
26 And after sixty-two weeks Christ shall be slain: and the
people that shall deny him shall not be his. And a people
with their leader that shall come, shall destroy the city
and the sanctuary: and the end thereof shall be waste, and
after the end of the war the appointed desolation.
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many, in one week:
and in the half of the week the victim and the sacrifice
shall fall: and there shall be in the temple the
abomination of desolation: and ihe desolation shall
continue even to the consummation, and to the end.
The Prophecy of Daniel, Chapter 10
1 In the third year of Cyrus king of the Persians, a word
was revealed to Daniel surnamed Baltassar, and a true
word, and great strength: and he understood the word: for
there is need of understanding in a vision.
2 In those days I Daniel mourned the days of three weeks.
3 I ate no desirable bread, and neither flesh, nor wine
entered into my mouth, neither was I anointed with
ointment: till the days of three weeks were accomplished.
4 And in the four and twentieth day of the first month I was
by the great river which is the Tigris.
5 And I lifted up my eyes, and I saw: and behold a man
clothed in linen, and his loins were girded with the
finest gold:
6 And his body was like the chrysolite, and his face as the
appearance of lightning, and his eyes as a burning lamp:
and his arms, and all downward even to the feet, like in
appearance to glittering brass: and the voice of his word
like the voice of a multitude.
7 And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were
with me saw it not: but an exceeding great terror fell
upon them, and they fled away, and hid themselves.
8 And I being left alone saw this great vision: and there
remained no strength in me, and the appearance of my
countenance was changed in me, and I fainted away, and
retained no strength.
9 And I heard the voice of his words: and when I heard, I
lay in a consternation, upon my face, and my face was
close to the ground.
10 And behold a hand touched me, and lifted me up upon my
knees, and upon the joints of my hands.
11 And he said to me: Daniel, thou man of desires, understand
the words that I speak to thee, and stand upright: for I
am sent now to thee. And when he had said this word to me,
I stood trembling.
12 And he said to me: Fear not, Daniel: for from the first
day that thou didst set thy heart to understand, to
afflict thyself in the sight of thy God, thy words have
been heard: and I am come for thy words.
13 But the prince of the kingdom of the Persians resisted me
one and twenty days: and behold Michael, one of the chief
princes, came to help me, and I remained there by the king
of the Persians.
14 But I am come to teach thee what things shall befall thy
people in the latter days, for as yet the vision is for
days.
15 And when he was speaking such words to me, I cast down my
countenance to the ground, and held my peace.
16 And behold, as it were the likeness of a son of man
touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spoke, and
said to him that stood before me: O my Lord, at the sight
of thee my joints are loosed, and no strength hath
remained in me.
17 And how can the servant of my lord speak with my lord? for
no strength remaineth in me, moreover my breath is
stopped.
18 Therefore he that looked like a man touched me again, and
strengthened me.
19 And he said: Fear not, O man of desires, peace be to thee:
take courage and be strong. And when he spoke to me, I
grew strong: and I said: Speak, O my lord, for thou hast
strengthened me.
20 And he said: Dost thou know wherefore I am come to thee?
and now I will return, to fight against the prince of the
Persians. When I went forth, there appeared the prince of
the Greeks coming.
21 But I will tell thee what is set down in the scripture of
truth: and none is my helper in all these things, but
Michael your prince.
The Prophecy of Daniel, Chapter 11
1 And from the first year of Darius the Mede I stood up that
he might be strengthened and confirmed.
2 And now I will shew thee the truth. Behold there shall
stand yet three kings in Persia, and the fourth shall be
enriched exceedingly above them all: and when he shall be
grown mighty by his riches, he shall stir up all against
the kingdom of Greece.
3 But there shall rise up a strong king, and shall rule with
great power: and he shall do what he pleaseth.
4 And when he shall come to his height, his kingdom shall be
broken, and it shall be divided towards the four winds of
the heaven: but not to his posterity, nor according to his
power with which he ruled. For his kingdom shall be rent
in pieces, even for strangers, beside these.
5 And the king of the south shall be strengthened, and one
of his princes shall prevail over him, and he shall rule
with great power: for his dominion shall be great.
6 And after the end of years they shall be in league
together: and the daughter of the king of the south shall
come to the king of the north to make friendship, but she
shall not obtain the strength of the arm, neither shall
her seed stand: and she shall be given up, and her young
men that brought her, and they that strengthened her in
these times.
7 And a plant of the bud of her roots, shall stand up: and
he shall come with an army, and shall enter into the
province of the king of the north: and he shall abuse
them, and shall prevail.
8 And he shall also carry away captive into Egypt their
gods, and their graven things, and their precious vessels
of gold and silver: he shall prevail against the king of
the north.
9 And the king of the south shall enter into the kingdom,
and shall return to his own land.
10 And his sons shall be provoked, and they shall assemble a
multitude of great forces: and he shall come with haste
like a flood: and he shall return and be stirred up, and
he shall join battle with his forces.
11 And the king of the south being provoked shall go forth,
and shall fight against the king of the north, and shall
prepare an exceeding great multitude, and a multitude
shall be given into his hand.
12 And he shall take a multitude, and his heart shall be
lifted up, and he shall cast down many thousands: but he
shall not prevail.
13 For the king of the north shall return and shall prepare
a multitude much greater than before: and in the end of
times and years, be shall come in haste with a great army,
and much riches.
14 And in those times many shall rise up against the king of
the south, and the children of prevaricators of thy people
shall lift up themselves to fulfil the vision, and they
shall fall.
15 And the king of the north shall come, and shall cast up a
mount, and shall take the best fenced cities: and the arms
of the south shall not withstand, and his chosen ones
shall rise up to resist, and they shall not have strength.
16 And he shall come upon him and do according to his
pleasure, and there shall be none to stand against his
face: and he shall stand in the glorious land, and it
shall be consumed by his hand.
17 And he shall set his face to come to possess all his
kingdom, and he shall make upright conditions with him:
and he shall give him a daughter of women, to overthrow
it: and she shall not stand, neither shall she be for him.
18 And he shall turn his face to the islands, and shall take
many: and he shall cause the prince of his reproach to
cease, and his reproach shall be turned upon him.
19 And he shall turn his face to the empire of his own land,
and he shall stumble, and fall, and shall not be found.
20 And there shall stand up in his place, one most vile, and
unworthy of kingly honour: and in a few days he shall be
destroyed, not in rage nor in battle.
21 And there shall stand up in his place one despised, and
the kingly honour shall not be given him: and he shall
come privately, and shall obtain the kingdom by fraud.
22 And the arms of the fighter shall be overcome before his
face, and shall be broken; yea also the prince of the
covenant.
23 And after friendships, he will deal deceitfully with him:
and he shall go up, and shall overcome with a small
people.
24 And he shall enter into rich and plentiful cities: and he
shall do that which his fathers never did, nor his
fathers' fathers: he shall scatter their spoils, and their
prey, and their riches, and shall forecast devices against
the best fenced places: and this until a time.
25 And his strength and his heart shall be stirred up against
the king of the south with a great army: and the king of
the south shall be stirred up to battle with many and very
strong succours: and they shall not stand, for they shall
form designs against him.
26 And they that eat bread with him, shall destroy him, and
his army shall be overthrown: and many shall fall down
slain.
27 And the heart of the two kings shall be to do evil, and
they shall speak lies at one table, and they shall not
prosper: because as yet the end is unto another time.
28 And he shall return into his land with much riches: and
his heart shall be against the holy covenant, and he shall
succeed and shall return into his own land.
29 At the time appointed he shall return, and he shall come
to the south, but the latter time shall not be like the
former.
30 And the galleys and the Romans shall come upon him, and he
shall be struck, and shall return, and shall have
indignation against the covenant of the sanctuary, and he
shall succeed: and he shall return and shall devise
against them that have forsaken the covenant of the
sanctuary.
31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall defile
the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the
continual sacrifice, and they shall place there the
abomination unto desolation.
32 And such as deal wickedly against the covenant shall
deceitfully dissemble: but the people that know their God
shall prevail and succeed.
33 And they that are learned among the people shall teach
many: and they shall fall by the sword, and by fire, and
by captivity, and by spoil for many days.
34 And when they shall have fallen they shall be relieved
with a small help: and many shall be joined to them
deceitfully.
35 And some of the learned shall fall, that they may be
tried, and may be chosen, and made white even to the
appointed time, because yet there shall be another time.
36 And the king shall do according to his will, and he shall
be lifted up, and shall magnify himself against every god:
and he shall speak great things against the God of gods,
and shall prosper, till the wrath be accomplished. For the
determination is made.
37 And he shall make no account of the God of his fathers:
and he shall follow the lust of women, and he shall not
regard any gods: for he shall rise up against all things.
38 But he shall worship the god Maozim in his place: and a
god whom his fathers knew not, he shall worship with gold,
and silver, and precious stones, and things of great
price.
39 And he shall do this to fortify Maozim with a strange god,
whom he hath acknowledged, and he shall increase glory and
shall give them power over many, and shall divide the land
gratis.
40 And at the time prefixed the king of the south shall fight
against him, and the king of the north shall come against
him like a tempest, with chariots, and with horsemen, and
with a great navy, and he shall enter into the countries,
and shall destroy, and pass through.
41 And he shall enter into the glorious land, and many shall
fall: and these only shall be saved out of his hand, Edom,
and Moab, and the principality of the children of Ammon.
42 And he shall lay his hand upon the lands: and the land of
Egypt shall not escape.
43 And he shall have power over the treasures of gold, and of
silver, and all the precious things of Egypt: and he shall
pass through Libya, and Ethiopia.
44 And tidings out of the east, and out of the north shall
trouble him: and he shall come with a great multitude to
destroy and slay many.
45 And he shall fix his tabernacle Apadno between the seas,
upon a glorious and holy mountain: and he shall come even
to the top thereof, and none shall help him.
The Prophecy of Daniel, Chapter 12
1 But at that time shall Michael rise up, the great prince,
who standeth for the children of thy people: and a time
shall come such as never was from the time that nations
began even until that time. And at that time shall thy
people be saved, every one that shall be found written in
the book.
2 And many of those that sleep in the dust of the earth,
shall awake: some unto life everlasting, and others unto
reproach, to see it always.
3 But they that are learned shall shine as the brightness of
the firmament: and they that instruct many to justice, as
stars for all eternity.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book,
even to the time appointed: many shall pass over, and
knowledge shall be manifold.
5 And I Daniel looked, and behold as it were two others
stood: one on this side upon the bank of the river, and
another on that side, on the other bank of the river.
6 And I said to the man that was clothed In linen, that
stood upon the waters of the river: How long shall it be
to the end of these wonders?
7 And I heard the man that was clothed in linen, that stood
upon the waters of the river: when he had lifted up his
right hand, and his left hand to heaven, and had sworn, by
him that liveth for ever, that it should be unto a time,
and times, and half a time. And when the scattering of the
band of the holy people shall be accomplished, all these
things shall be finished.
8 And I heard, and understood not. And I said: O my lord,
what shall be after these things?
9 And he said: Go, Daniel, because the words are shut up,
and sealed until the appointed time.
10 Many shall be chosen, and made white, and shall be tried
as fire: and the wicked shall deal wickedly, and none of
the wicked shall understand, but the learned shall
understand.
11 And from the time when the continual sacrifice shall be
taken away, and the abomination unto desolation shall be
set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred ninety days,
12 Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh unto a thousand
three hundred thirty-five days.
13 But go thou thy ways until the time appointed: and thou
shalt rest, and stand in thy lot unto the end of the days.
The Prophecy of Daniel, Chapter 13
1 Now there was a man that dwelt in Babylon, and his name
was Joakim:
2 And he took a wife whose name was Susanna, the daughter of
Helcias, a very beautiful woman, and one that feared God.
3 For her parents being just, had instructed their daughter
according to the law of Moses.
4 Now Joakim was very rich, and had an orchard near his
house: and the Jews resorted to him, because he was the
most honourable of them all.
5 And there were two of the ancients of the people appointed
judges that year, of whom the Lord said: Iniquity came out
from Babylon from the ancient judges, that seemed to
govern the people.
6 These men frequented the house of Joakim, and all that had
any matters of judgment came to them.
7 And when the people departed away at noon, Susanna went
in, and walked in her husband's orchard.
8 And the old men saw her going in every day, and walking:
and they were inflamed with lust towards her:
9 And they perverted their own mind and turned away their
eyes that they might not look unto heaven, nor remember
just judgments.
10 So they were both wounded with the love of her, yet they
did not make known their grief one to the other:
11 For they were ashamed to declare to one another their
lust, being desirous to have to do with her.
12 And they watched carefully every day to see her. And one
said to the other:
13 Let us now go home, for it is dinner time. So going out
they departed one from another.
14 And turning back again, they came both to the same place:
and asking one another the cause, they acknowledged their
lust; and then they agreed upon a time, when they might
find her alone.
15 And it fell out, as they watched a fit day, she went in on
a time, as yesterday and the day before, with two maids
only, and was desirous to wash herself in the orchard: for
it was hot weather.
16 And there was nobody there, but the two old men that had
hid themselves and were beholding her.
17 So she said to the maids: Bring me oil, and washing balls,
and shut the doors of the orchard, that I may wash me.
18 And they did as she bade them: and they shut the doors of
the orchard, and went out by a back door to fetch what she
had commanded them, and they knew not that the elders were
hid within.
19 Now when the maids were gone forth, the two elders arose,
and ran to her, and said:
20 Behold the doors of the orchard are shut, and nobody seeth
us, and we are in love with thee: wherefore consent to us,
and lie with us.
21 But if thou wilt not, we will bear witness against thee,
that a young man was with thee, and therefore thou didst
send away thy maids from thee.
22 Susanna sighed, and said: I am straitened on every side:
for if I do this thing, it is death to me: and if I do it
not, I shall not escape your hands.
23 But it is better for me to fall into your hands without
doing it, than to sin in the sight of the Lord.
24 With that Susanna cried out with a loud voice: and the
elders also cried out against her.
25 And one of them ran to the door of the orchard, and opened
it.
26 So when the servants of the house heard the cry in the
orchard, they rushed in by the back door to see what was
the matter.
27 But after the old men had spoken, the servants were
greatly ashamed: for never had there been any such word
said of Susanna. And on the next day,
28 When the people were come to Joakim her husband, the two
elders also came full of wicked device against Susanna, to
put her to death.
29 And they said before the people: Send to Susanna daughter
of Helcias the wife of Joakim. And presently they sent.
30 And she came with her parents, and children, and all her
kindred.
31 Now Susanna was exceeding delicate, and beautiful to
behold.
32 But those wicked men commanded that her face should be
uncovered, (for she was covered,) that so at least they
might be satisfied with her beauty.
33 Therefore her friends and all her acquaintance wept.
34 But the two elders rising up in the midst of the people,
laid their hands upon her head.
35 And she weeping looked up to heaven, for her heart had
confidence in the Lord.
36 And the elders said: As we walked in the orchard alone,
this woman came in with two maids, and shut the doors of
the orchard, and sent away the maids from her.
37 Then a young man that was there hid came to her, and lay
with her.
38 But we that were in a corner of the orchard, seeing this
wickedness, ran up to them, and we saw them lie together.
39 And him indeed we could not take, because he was stronger
than us, and opening the doors be leaped out:
40 But having taken this woman, we asked who the young man
was, but she would not tell us: of this thing we are
witnesses.
41 The multitude believed them as being the elders and the
judges of the people, and they condemned her to death.
42 Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said: O
eternal God, who knowest hidden things, who knowest all
things before they come to pass,
43 Thou knowest that they have borne false witness against
me: and behold I must die, whereas I have done none of
these things, which these men have maliciously forged
against me.
44 And the Lord heard her voice.
45 And when she was led to be put to death, the Lord raised
up the holy spirit of a young boy, whose name was Daniel.
46 And he cried out with a loud voice I am clear from the
blood of this woman.
47 Then all the people turning themselves towards him, said:
What meaneth this word that thou hast spoken?
48 But he standing in the midst of them, said: Are ye so
foolish, ye children of Israel, that without examination
or knowledge of the truth, you have condemned a daughter
of Israel?
49 Return to judgment, for they have borne false witness
against her.
50 So all the people turned again in haste, and the old men
said to him: Come, and sit thou down among us, and shew it
as: seeing God hath given thee the honour of old age.
51 And Daniel said to the people: Separate these two far from
one another, and I will examine them.
52 So when they were put asunder one from the other, he
called one of them, and said to him: O thou that art grown
old in evil days, now are thy sins come out, which thou
hast committed before:
53 In judging unjust judgments, oppressing the innocent, and
letting the guilty to go free, whereas the Lord saith: I
The innocent and the just thou shalt not kill.
54 Now then, if thou sawest her, tell me under what tree thou
sawest them conversing together. He said: Under a mastic
tree.
55 And Daniel said: Well hast thou lied against thy own head:
for behold the angel of God having received the sentence
of him, shall cut thee in two.
56 And having put him aside, he commanded that the other
should come, and he said to him: O thou seed of Chanaan,
and not of Juda, beauty hath deceived thee, and lust hath
perverted thy heart:
57 Thus did you do to the daughters of Israel, and they for
fear conversed with you: but a daughter of Juda would not
abide your wickedness.
58 Now therefore tell me, under what tree didst thou take
them conversing together., And he answered: Under a holm
tree.
59 And Daniel said to him: Well hast thou also lied against
thy own head: for the angel of the Lord waiteth with a
sword to cut thee in two, and to destroy you.
60 With that all the assembly cried out with a loud voice,
and they blessed God, who saveth them that trust in him.
61 And they rose up against the two elders, (for Daniel had
convicted them of false witness by their own mouth,) and
they did to them as they had maliciously dealt against
their neighbour,
62 To fulfil the law of Moses: and they put them to death,
and innocent blood was saved in that day.
63 But Helcias and his wife praised God, for their daughter
Susanna, with Joakim her husband, and all her kindred,
because there was no dishonesty found in her.
64 And Daniel became great in the sight of the people from
that day, and thenceforward.
65 And king Astyages was gathered to his fathers, and Cyrus
the Persian received his kingdom.
The Prophecy of Daniel, Chapter 14
1 And Daniel was the king's guest, and was honoured above
all his friends.
2 Now the Babylonians had an idol called Bel: and there were
spent upon him every day twelve great measures of fine
flour, and forty sheep, and sixty vessels of wine.
3 The king also worshipped him, and went every day to adore
him: but Daniel adored his God. And the king said to him:
Why dost thou not adore Bel?
4 And he answered, and said to him: Because I do not worship
idols made with hands, but the living God, that created
heaven and earth, and hath power over all flesh.
5 And the king said to him: Doth not Bel seem to thee to be
a living god? Seest thou not how much he eateth and
drinketh every day?
6 Then Daniel smiled and said: O king, be not deceived: for
this is but clay within, and brass without, neither hath
he eaten at any time.
7 And the king being angry called for his priests, and said
to them: If you tell me not, who it is that eateth up
these expenses, you shall die.
8 But if you can shew that Bel eateth these things, Daniel
shall die, because he hath blasphemed against Bel. And
Daniel said to the king: Be it done according to thy word.
9 Now the priests of Bel were seventy, besides their wives,
and little ones, and children. And the king went with
Daniel into the temple of Bel.
10 And the priests of Bel said: Behold we go out: and do
thou, O king, set on the meats, and make ready the wine,
and shut the door fast, and seal it with thy own ring:
11 And when thou comest in the morning, if thou findest not
that Bel hath eaten up all, we will suffer death, or else
Daniel that hath lied against us.
12 And they little regarded it, because they had made under
the table a secret entrance, and they always came in by
it, and consumed those things.
13 So it came to pass after they were gone out, the king set
the meats before Bel: and Daniel commanded his servants,
and they brought ashes, and he sifted them all over the
temple before the king: and going forth they shut the
door, and having sealed it with the king's ring, they
departed.
14 But the priests went in by night, according to their
custom, with their wives and their children: and they ate
and drank up all.
15 And the king arose early in the morning, and Daniel with
him.
16 And the king said: Are the seals whole, Daniel? And he
answered: They are whole, O king.
17 And as soon as he had opened the door, the king looked
upon the table, and cried out with a loud voice: Great art
thou, O Bel, and there is not any deceit with thee.
18 And Daniel laughed: and he held the king that he should
not go in: and he said: Behold the pavement, mark whose
footsteps these are.
19 And the king said: I see the footsteps of men, and women,
and children. And the king was angry.
20 Then he took the priests, and their wives, and their
children: and they shewed him the private doors by which
they came in, and consumed the things that were on the
table.
21 The king therefore put them to death, and delivered Bel
into the power of Daniel: who destroyed him, and his
temple.
22 And there was a great dragon in that place, and the
Babylonians worshipped him.
23 And the king said to Daniel: Behold thou canst not say
now, that this is not a living god: adore him therefore.
24 And Daniel said: I adore the Lord my God: for he is the
living God: but that is no living god.
25 But give me leave, O king, and I will kill this dragon
without sword or club. And the king said: I give thee
leave.
26 Then Daniel took pitch, and fat, and hair, and boiled them
together: and he made lumps, and put them into the
dragon's mouth, and the dragon burst asunder. And he said:
Behold him whom you worshipped.
27 And when the Babylonians had heard this, they took great
indignation: and being gathered together against the king,
they said: The king is become a Jew. He hath destroyed
Bel, he hath killed the dragon, and he hath put the
priests to death.
28 And they came to the king, and said: Deliver us Daniel, or
else we will destroy thee and thy house.
29 And the king saw that they pressed upon him violently: and
being constrained by necessity he delivered Daniel to
them.
30 And they cast him into the den of lions, and he was there
six days.
31 And in the den there were seven lions, and they had given
to them two carcasses every day, and two sheep: but then
they were not given unto them, that they might devour
Daniel.
32 Now there was in Judea a prophet called Habacuc, and he
had boiled pottage, and had broken bread in a bowl: and
was going into the field, to carry it to the reapers.
33 And the angel of the Lord said to Habacuc: Carry the
dinner which thou hast into Babylon to Daniel, who is in
the lions' den.
34 And Habacuc said: Lord, I never saw Babylon, nor do I know
the den.
35 And the angel of the Lord took him by the top of his head,
and carried him by the hair of his head, and set him in
Babylon over the den in the force of his spirit.
36 And Habacuc cried, saying: O Daniel, thou servant of God,
take the dinner that God hath sent thee.
37 And Daniel said: Thou hast remembered me, O God, and thou
hast not forsaken them that love thee.
38 And Daniel arose and ate. And the angel of the Lord
presently set Habacuc again in his own place.
39 And upon the seventh day the king came to bewail Daniel:
and he came to the den, and looked in, and behold Daniel
was sitting in the midst of the lions.
40 And the king cried out with a loud voice, saying: Great
art thou, O Lord the God of Daniel. And he drew him out of
the lions' den.
41 But those that bad been the cause of his destruction, he
cast into the den, and they were devoured in a moment
before him.
42 Then the king said: Let all the inhabitants of the whole
earth fear the God of Daniel: for he is the Saviour,
working signs, and wonders in the earth: who hath
delivered Daniel out of the lions' den.
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