In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream; he told the sum of the matters.:
Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of the heavens broke forth upon the great sea.
And four great beasts came up from the sea, different one from another.
The first was like a lion and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till its wings were plucked; and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand upon two feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it, between the teeth of it; and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
After this I saw, and behold, another, like a leopard, and upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads, and dominion was given to it.
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.
I considered the ten horns that were in its head, and behold there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and behold in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth that spake very great things,
I beheld till the thrones were set up, 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 fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
I beheld them because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame.
As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of heaven, one like the Son of man, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
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.
As for me Daniel, my spirit was grieved in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the certainty of all this. And he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things:
These great beasts, which are four, are four kings which shall arise out of the earth.
But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even to the ages of ages.
Then I desired to know the certainty concerning the fourth beast, which was different from them all, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and its nails of brass; which devoured, broke in pieces, and stamped the rest with its feet;
And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
He said thus: The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon the earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
And as to the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall arise ten kings; and another shall arise after them; and he shall be different from the former, and he shall subdue three kings.
And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High , and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hands, until a time and times and the dividing of time.
And the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
But the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heavens, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High places. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
So far is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my thoughts much troubled me, and my countenance was changed in me; but I kept the matter in my heart.