| 1 And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to
confirm and strengthen him. 2 And now will I show thee the truth. Behold,
there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far
richer than they all: and when he is waxed strong through his riches, he
shall stir up all against the realm of Greece. 3 And a mighty king shall
stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
4 And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be
divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor
according to his dominion wherewith he ruled; for his kingdom shall be
plucked up, even for others besides these. 5 And the king of the south
shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above
him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion. 6 And at
the end of years they shall join themselves together; and the daughter of the
king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement:
but she shall not retain the strength of her arm; neither shall he stand, nor
his arm; but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that
begat her, and he that strengthened her in those times. 7 But out of a
shoot from her roots shall one stand up in his place, who shall come unto the
army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall
deal against them, and shall prevail. 8 And also their gods, with their
molten images, and with their goodly vessels of silver and of gold,
shall he carry captive into Egypt; and he shall refrain some years from the
king of the north. 9 And he shall come into the realm of the king of the
south, but he shall return into his own land. 10 And his sons shall war,
and shall assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall come on, and
overflow, and pass through; and they shall return and war, even to his
fortress. 11 And the king of the south shall be moved with anger, and
shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north; and he
shall set forth a great multitude, and the multitude shall be given into his
hand. 12 And the multitude shall be lifted up, and his heart shall be
exalted; and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail.
13 And the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude
greater than the former; and he shall come on at the end of the times,
even of years, with a great army and with much substance. 14 And
in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also
the children of the violent among thy people shall lift themselves up to
establish the vision; but they shall fall. 15 So the king of the north
shall come, and cast up a mound, and take a well-fortified city: and the
forces of the south shall not stand, neither his chosen people, neither shall
there be any strength to stand. 16 But he that cometh against him shall do
according to his own will, and none shall stand before him; and he shall
stand in the glorious land, and in his hand shall be destruction. 17 And
he shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and
with him equitable conditions; and he shall perform them: and he shall give
him the daughter of women, to corrupt her; but she shall not stand, neither
be for him. 18 After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall
take many: but a prince shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease;
yea, moreover, he shall cause his reproach to turn upon him. 19 Then he
shall turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land; but he shall
stumble and fall, and shall not be found. 20 Then shall stand up in his
place one that shall cause an exactor to pass through the glory of the
kingdom; but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in
battle. 21 And in his place shall stand up a contemptible person, to whom
they had not given the honor of the kingdom: but he shall come in time of
security, and shall obtain the kingdom by flatteries. 22 And the
overwhelming forces shall be overwhelmed from before him, and shall be
broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant. 23 And after the league made
with him he shall work deceitfully; for he shall come up, and shall become
strong, with a small people. 24 In time of security shall he come even
upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his
fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them
prey, and spoil, and substance: yea, he shall devise his devices against the
strongholds, even for a time. 25 And he shall stir up his power and his
courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the
south shall war in battle with an exceeding great and mighty army; but he
shall not stand; for they shall devise devices against him. 26 Yea, they
that eat of his dainties shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow; and
many shall fall down slain. 27 And as for both these kings, their hearts
shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table: but it shall
not prosper; for yet the end shall be at the time appointed. 28 Then shall
he return into his land with great substance; and his heart shall be
against the holy covenant; and he shall do his pleasure, and return
to his own land. 29 At the time appointed he shall return, and come into
the south; but it shall not be in the latter time as it was in the former.
30 For ships of Kittim shall come against him; therefore he shall be
grieved, and shall return, and have indignation against the holy covenant,
and shall do his pleasure: he shall even return, and have regard unto
them that forsake the holy covenant. 31 And forces shall stand on his
part, and they shall profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and shall take
away the continual burnt-offering, and they shall set up the
abomination that maketh desolate. 32 And such as do wickedly against the
covenant shall he pervert by flatteries; but the people that know their God
shall be strong, and do exploits. 33 And they that are wise among
the people shall instruct many; yet they shall fall by the sword and by
flame, by captivity and by spoil, many days. 34 Now when they
shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help; but many shall join
themselves unto them with flatteries. 35 And some of them that are wise
shall fall, to refine them, and to purify, and to make them white, even to
the time of the end; because it is yet for the time appointed. 36 And the
king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify
himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of
gods; and he shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that
which is determined shall be done. 37 Neither shall he regard the gods of
his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall
magnify himself above all. 38 But in his place shall he honor the god of
fortresses; and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and
silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. 39 And he shall
deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god: whosoever
acknowledgeth him he will increase with glory; and he shall cause
them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for a price. 40 And at
the time of the end shall the king of the south contend with him; and the
king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and
with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries,
and shall overflow and pass through. 41 He shall enter also into the
glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these
shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the
children of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the
countries; and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 But he shall have
power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious
things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him; and
he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to sweep away many.
45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the sea and the
glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help
him.
Genesis - Public
Domain
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