Daniel 11

Kings and conflicts

1“In the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood to strengthen and protect him. 2“Now I will tell you the truth. Three more kings will arise in Persia, and a fourth will become far richer than all the others. When his wealth has made him powerful, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3Then a mighty king will arise. He will rule a vast realm and do as he pleases. 4But as he rises, his kingdom will be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven. It will not pass to his descendants or retain the power with which he ruled. His kingdom will be uprooted and given to others besides them. 5“The king of the south will grow strong, but one of his commanders will become stronger than he is and rule an even greater realm. 6After some years they will form an alliance. The daughter of the king of the south will come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she will not retain her strength, nor will he and his strength endure. She will be handed over, along with those who brought her, her father, and the one who supported her in those times. 7A shoot from her roots will rise in his place. He will advance against the army, enter the northern king’s fortress, and deal with them successfully. 8He will even carry their gods, cast images, and precious silver and gold vessels into captivity in Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the north alone. 9Then the king of the north will enter the southern king’s realm but return to his own land. 10His sons will prepare for war and gather a vast army. One will advance, flooding through, then renew the fighting as far as the fortress. 11The king of the south will rage and go out to fight the king of the north. The northern king will raise a great army, but it will be handed over to his opponent. 12When the army is carried off, the southern king’s heart will grow proud. He will bring down tens of thousands, but his strength will not endure. 13The king of the north will return with an army larger than before. After some years, he will advance with a great army and abundant supplies. 14“In those times many will rise against the king of the south. Violent men among your own people will also rise to fulfill a vision, but they will stumble. 15The king of the north will come, build a siege ramp, and capture a fortified city. The southern forces will not stand; even their picked troops will lack the strength to resist. 16The invader will do as he pleases, and no one will withstand him. He will stand in the Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand. 17He will resolve to come with the strength of his entire kingdom and make an agreement. He will give a daughter to the other king to bring ruin, but she will not stand with him or serve his purpose. 18Then he will turn toward the coastlands and capture many. But a commander will put an end to his insolence and turn that insolence back upon him. 19He will turn back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall and be found no more. 20“In his place will arise one who sends an exactor through the splendor of the kingdom. Within a few days he will be broken, though not in anger or battle.

A contemptible ruler

21In his place a despised person will arise, one who has not been given royal honor. He will come in while all is quiet and seize the kingdom through intrigue. 22Flooding forces will be swept away before him and broken, along with a prince of the covenant. 23After an alliance is made with him, he will act deceitfully. He will rise to power with only a small following. 24While all is quiet, he will enter the richest parts of the province and do what neither his fathers nor his fathers’ fathers did. He will distribute plunder, spoil, and wealth among them and devise plans against fortresses—but only for a time. 25He will rouse his strength and courage against the king of the south with a great army. The southern king will wage war with an exceedingly large and powerful army, but he will not stand, because schemes will be devised against him. 26Those who eat his rich food will break him. His army will be swept away, and many will fall slain. 27Both kings will have evil in their hearts. They will sit at one table and speak lies, but it will accomplish nothing, for the end still awaits its appointed time. 28The northern king will return to his land with great wealth, his heart set against the holy covenant. He will take action and return to his own land. 29“At the appointed time he will invade the south again, but this later campaign will not be like the first. 30Ships of Kittim will come against him, and he will lose heart. He will turn back and vent his fury on the holy covenant, taking action. On his return he will pay attention to those who abandon the holy covenant. 31Forces sent by him will arise, profane the sanctuary-fortress, remove the regular offering, and set up the abomination that devastates. 32With smooth words he will corrupt those who violate the covenant. But the people who know their God will stand firm and act. 33The discerning among the people will give understanding to many. Yet for a time they will fall by sword and flame, captivity and plunder. 34When they fall, they will receive a little help, but many will join them insincerely. 35Some of the discerning will fall, to refine, purify, and cleanse them until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.

The king’s ambition

36“The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god, speak astonishing things against the God of gods, and prosper until the wrath is finished. What has been decreed will be done. 37He will pay no attention to the gods of his ancestors, to the desire of women, or to any god, because he will magnify himself above them all. 38Instead he will honor a god of fortresses. He will honor a god his ancestors did not know with gold, silver, precious stones, and costly gifts. 39He will act against strong fortresses with a foreign god. Those he acknowledges he will greatly honor, giving them authority over many and dividing land for a price. 40“At the time of the end, the king of the south will clash with him. The king of the north will storm against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships. He will invade lands, flooding through them. 41He will enter the Beautiful Land, and many will fall. But Edom, Moab, and the foremost of the Ammonites will escape his hand. 42He will stretch out his hand against the lands, and Egypt will not escape. 43He will control Egypt’s hidden stores of gold and silver and all its treasures. Libyans and Cushites will follow in his steps. 44But reports from the east and north will alarm him. He will go out in great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. 45He will pitch his royal tents between the seas and the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, with no one to help him.