Day 257 of 364

^6:1It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred twenty local governors, who should be throughout the whole kingdom; ^6:2and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one, that these local governors might give account to them, and that the king should suffer no loss. ^6:3Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the local governors, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. ^6:4Then the presidents and the local governors sought to find occasion against Daniel as touching the kingdom; but they could find no occasion or fault, because he was faithful. There wasn’t any error or fault found in him. ^6:5Then these men said, “We won’t find any occasion against this Daniel, unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” ^6:6Then these presidents and local governors assembled together to the king, and said this to him, “King Darius, live forever! ^6:7All the presidents of the kingdom, the deputies and the local governors, the counselors and the governors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a strong decree, that whoever asks a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except of you, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. ^6:8Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, that it not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which doesn’t alter.” ^6:9Therefore King Darius signed the writing and the decree. ^6:10When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his room toward Jerusalem) and he kneeled on his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did before. ^6:11Then these men assembled together, and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. ^6:12Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king’s decree: “Haven’t you signed a decree that every man who makes a petition to any god or man within thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered, “This thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which doesn’t alter.” ^6:13Then they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, who is of the children of the captivity of Judah, doesn’t respect you, O king, nor the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” ^6:14Then the king, when he heard these words, was very displeased, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored until the going down of the sun to rescue him. ^6:15Then these men assembled together to the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians, that no decree nor statute which the king establishes may be changed.” ^6:16Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Your God whom you serve continually, he will deliver you.” ^6:17A stone was brought, and laid on the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. ^6:18Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting. No musical instruments were brought before him; and his sleep fled from him. ^6:19Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste to the den of lions. ^6:20When he came near to Daniel in the den, he cried with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from the lions?” ^6:21Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! ^6:22My God has sent his angel, and has shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not hurt me, because innocence was found in me before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” ^6:23Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. ^6:24The king commanded, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions mauled them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they came to the bottom of the den. ^6:25Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages who dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. ^6:26“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 steadfast forever. His kingdom is that which will not be destroyed. His dominion will be even to the end. ^6:27He delivers and rescues. He works signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.” ^6:28So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian. ^7:1In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters. ^7:2Daniel spoke and said, “I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the sky broke out on the great sea. ^7:3Four great animals came up from the sea, different from one another. ^7:4“The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet as a man. A man’s heart was given to it. ^7:5“Behold, there was another animal, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth. They said this to it: ‘Arise! Devour much flesh!’ ^7:6“After this I saw, and behold, another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The animal also had four heads; and dominion was given to it. ^7:7“After this I saw in the night visions, and, behold, there was a fourth animal, awesome, powerful, and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth. It devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet. It was different from all the animals that were before it. It had ten horns. ^7:8“I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots; and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking arrogantly. ^7:9“I watched until thrones were placed, and one who was Ancient of Days sat. His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool. His throne was fiery flames, and its wheels burning fire. ^7:10A fiery stream issued and came out from before him. Thousands of thousands ministered to him. Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The judgment was set. The books were opened. ^7:11“I watched at that time because of the voice of the arrogant words which the horn spoke. I watched even until the animal was slain, and its body destroyed, and it was given to be burned with fire. ^7:12As for the rest of the animals, their dominion was taken away; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. ^7:13“I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man, and he came even to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. ^7:14Dominion was given him, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and his kingdom one that will not be destroyed. ^7:15“As for me, Daniel, my spirit was grieved within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. ^7:16I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth concerning all this. “So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. ^7:17‘These great animals, which are four, are four kings, who will arise out of the earth. ^7:18But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’ ^7:19“Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth animal, which was different from all of them, exceedingly terrible, whose teeth were of iron, and its nails of bronze; which devoured, broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet; ^7:20and concerning the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three fell, even that horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke arrogantly, whose look was more stout than its fellows. ^7:21I saw, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them, ^7:22until 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. ^7:23“So he said, ‘The fourth animal will be a fourth kingdom on earth, which will be different from all the kingdoms, and will devour the whole earth, and will tread it down and break it in pieces. ^7:24As for the ten horns, ten kings will arise out of this kingdom. Another will arise after them; and he will be different from the former, and he will put down three kings. ^7:25He will speak words against the Most High, and will wear out the saints of the Most High. He will plan to change the times and the law; and they will be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time. ^7:26“‘But the judgment will be set, and they will take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it to the end. ^7:27The kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole sky, will be given to the people of the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions will serve and obey him.’ ^7:28“Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts troubled me greatly, and my face was changed in me; but I kept the matter in my heart.” ^8:1In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, a vision appeared to me, even to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. ^8:2I saw the vision. Now it was so, that when I saw, I was in the citadel of Susa, which is in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision, and I was by the river Ulai. ^8:3Then I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram which had two horns stood before the river. The two horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. ^8:4I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward. No animals could stand before him. There wasn’t any who could deliver out of his hand, but he did according to his will, and magnified himself. ^8:5As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west over the surface of the whole earth, and didn’t touch the ground. The goat had a notable horn between his eyes. ^8:6He came to the ram that had the two horns, which I saw standing before the river, and ran on him in the fury of his power. ^8:7I saw him come close to the ram, and he was moved with anger against him, and struck the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to stand before him; but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. There was no one who could deliver the ram out of his hand. ^8:8The male goat magnified himself exceedingly. When he was strong, the great horn was broken; and instead of it there came up four notable horns toward the four winds of the sky. ^8:9Out of one of them came out a little horn which grew exceedingly great—toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the glorious land. ^8:10It grew great, even to the army of the sky; and it cast down some of the army and of the stars to the ground and trampled on them. ^8:11Yes, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the army; and it took away from him the continual burnt offering, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. ^8:12The army was given over to it together with the continual burnt offering through disobedience. It cast down truth to the ground, and it did its pleasure and prospered. ^8:13Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who spoke, “How long will the vision about the continual burnt offering, and the disobedience that makes desolate, to give both the sanctuary and the army to be trodden under foot be?” ^8:14He said to me, “To two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary will be cleansed.” ^8:15When I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. Then behold, there stood before me someone with the appearance of a man. ^8:16I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, which called and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” ^8:17So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I was frightened, and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, for the vision belongs to the time of the end.” ^8:18Now as he was speaking with me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face toward the ground; but he touched me and set me upright. ^8:19He said, “Behold, I will make you know what will be in the latter time of the indignation, for it belongs to the appointed time of the end. ^8:20The ram which you saw, that had the two horns, they are the kings of Media and Persia. ^8:21The rough male goat is the king of Greece. The great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. ^8:22As for that which was broken, in the place where four stood up, four kingdoms will stand up out of the nation, but not with his power. ^8:23“In the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have come to the full, a king of fierce face, and understanding riddles, will stand up. ^8:24His power will be mighty, but not by his own power. He will destroy awesomely, and will prosper in what he does. He will destroy the mighty ones and the holy people. ^8:25Through his policy he will cause deceit to prosper in his hand. He will magnify himself in his heart, and he will destroy many in their security. He will also stand up against the prince of princes, but he will be broken without human hands. ^8:26“The vision of the evenings and mornings which has been told is true; but seal up the vision, for it belongs to many days to come.” ^8:27I, Daniel, fainted, and was sick for some days. Then I rose up and did the king’s business. I wondered at the vision, but no one understood it.