Kongerigerne Egypten og Aram
1-2Men lad mig nu fortælle dig, hvad der skal ske i fremtiden. Efter at endnu tre konger har regeret i Persien, skal en fjerde træde frem, som er meget rigere end nogen af de andre. Med sin rigdom og magt vil han sætte alt ind i kampen mod det græske rige. 3Derefter kommer en mægtig konge til magten i Grækenland, og han får magt til at gøre fuldstændig, som han vil. 4Men når hans magt er på sit højeste, sprænges hans rige og deles i fire svagere riger, som hverken tilfalder hans efterkommere eller bliver så stærke, som da han regerede. Han mister sin magt fuldstændigt, og hans storrige bliver delt. 5Den ene af de fire nye konger, den egyptiske, vil opnå stor magt. Men så gør en af hans egne ledere oprør imod ham, tager magten i riget og gør det endnu stærkere.
6Nogle år senere slutter kongen af Aram forbund med kongen af Egypten.11,6 På hebraisk: „nordens konge” og „sydens konge”. Den egyptiske kongedatter bliver gift med den aramæiske konge for at besegle samarbejdet. Men hun vil blive forstødt, og hun selv, hendes mand, hendes barn11,6 Eller: „hendes far”. og deres egyptiske tjenere mister livet. 7Kort efter overtager en af hendes slægtninge magten i Egypten, og han drager med sin hær mod den aramæiske konge, stormer hans fæstning, og vinder over hans hær. 8Egyptens konge hjemfører endog deres afgudsbilleder som krigsbytte tillige med deres kostbare sølv- og guldkar. Derefter lader han i lang tid den aramæiske konge være i fred.
9Senere gør den aramæiske konge et fremstød imod Egypten, men må hurtigt trække sig tilbage til sit eget territorium. 10Hans sønner tager derefter kampen op og samler en stor hær, der skyller ind over Egypten som en flodbølge, der når helt frem til kongens fæstning. 11Det gør kongen rasende, så han rykker ud mod den aramæiske konge, der trods sin store hær bliver slået. 12Efter sejren nedslagter den egyptiske konge tusindvis af sine fjender. Men sejrsrusen varer ikke ved, 13for nogle år efter samler den aramæiske konge en større og bedre udrustet hær end den første, 14og andre nationer slutter sig til ham i kampen imod Egyptens konge. Krigere fra dit eget folk vil søge at opfylde det profetiske syn ved at gøre oprør mod Egyptens overherredømme, men de bliver slået. 15Den aramæiske konge vil belejre en stærkt befæstet by11,15 Byen Sidon, som var under egyptisk herredømme. og indtage den. Selv Egyptens bedste krigere kan ikke stå sig i kampen.
16Den aramæiske konge marcherer derefter frem uden at møde modstand, ingen kan standse ham. Han overtager kontrollen med Israels herlige land. 17Hans plan er at angribe Egypten med hele sin hærstyrke. Derfor indgår han en fredsaftale med den egyptiske konge og giver ham sin datter til ægte med det formål at ødelægge ham, men hans planer mislykkes.
18Så vender han opmærksomheden mod landene langs Middelhavets kyst og erobrer en del af dem. Men en hærfører standser ham og gør ende på hans overmod ved at besejre ham i et knusende nederlag. 19Derefter trækker han sig tilbage til sit eget lands fæstninger, men han bliver besejret og forsvinder ud af billedet.
20Hans efterfølger vil opkræve skatter i de besatte områder, men efter en kort regeringsperiode dør han, dog ikke i krig eller åben kamp.
21Den næste, der kommer til magten, er en ondsindet person, som ikke er den retmæssige tronfølger. Han tilraner sig pludselig magten ved hjælp af intriger og løgn. 22Enhver, der modsætter sig ham, ryddes af vejen, også en af ypperstepræsterne. 23Han indgår alliancer, men føler sig ikke selv bundet af dem. Ved hjælp af nogle få lydige håndlangere får han mere og mere magt.
24Han gør noget, som ingen af hans forfædre kunne finde på: Uden varsel plyndrer han sit eget lands rigeste områder og deler byttet ud til sine håndlangere. Selv de stærkeste fæstninger har han planer om at indtage, dog kun for en tid.
25Han samler sine styrker og sit mod og rykker ud mod Egypten med en mægtig hær. Egyptens konge går imod ham, også med en mægtig hær, men kan ikke slå ham, for han bliver offer for intriger. 26Hans egne rådgivere modarbejder ham, en del af hæren deserterer, og mange bliver dræbt under flugten. 27De to konger har begge ondt i sinde. De mødes og forhandler, men lyver for hinanden. De får intet ud af det, for det er Gud, der har fastsat, hvad der skal ske.
28Da den aramæiske konge er på vej hjem med store rigdomme, lader han sine frustrationer gå ud over Israels folk, som Gud har indgået en pagt med.
29Senere, når tiden er inde, drager han igen mod Egypten, men denne gang går det ikke som sidst. 30Krigsskibe der kommer ned fra Kittim,11,30 Navnet „Kittim” var oprindeligt en henvisning til Cypern, men blev senere også brugt om det romerske rige. LXX siger „romerske”. angriber ham, og han bliver bange og vender om. Han lader så igen sin frustration gå ud over Israels folk og belønner dem, der frasiger sig pagten med Gud. 31Han sætter sin hær til at vanhellige templet, standse de daglige ofre og opstille et afskyeligt afgudsbillede på tempelområdet. 32Med smiger lokker han de frafaldne over på sin side. Men de, som kender deres Gud, står fast og handler på deres overbevisning.
33De ledere, som har åndelig indsigt, vil undervise mange, men må i en periode lide under forfølgelse, blive udplyndret og fængslet eller dræbt med sværd eller ild. 34Nogle få blandt befolkningen vil oprigtigt prøve at hjælpe dem, men mange andre vil slutte sig til dem for at udspionere dem. 35Nogle af lederne vil blive fristet til at give op. Men modgangen vil resultere i, at de bliver renset og lutret inden afslutningen. Men den fastsatte tid for afslutningen kommer først senere.
Den store spotter i endetiden
36Nordens konge11,36 Mens de foregående afsnit blev opfyldt gennem de egyptiske og aramæiske konger indtil Antiochus Epifanes, henviser dette og de følgende afsnit måske til den sidste tid før verdens ende. gør præcis, som han vil. Han udnævner hovmodigt sig selv til at være den højeste gud og taler hånligt imod den almægtige Gud. En tid har han lykken med sig, men kun indtil Guds straf over Israels folk har nået sit mål, for det Gud har fastsat, må nødvendigvis ske. 37Kongen forkaster både sine forfædres guder, kvindernes foretrukne gud og alle andre guder, og han hævder, at han er større end dem alle. 38I stedet dyrker han fæstningsværkernes gud, som hans forfædre ikke kendte til, og han ofrer guld, sølv, juveler og andre kostbare gaver til den. 39Ved hjælp af denne fremmede gud vil han angribe og nedbryde sine fjenders største fæstninger. Dem, der støtter ham, giver han ære og høje positioner, og han giver dem land som belønning.
40-41I verdenshistoriens afsluttende fase prøver sydens konge kræfter med ham. Men nordens konge stormer imod ham med mængder af vogne, ryttere og krigsskibe. Han besætter mange lande og løber dem aldeles over ende—det gælder også Israel, det herlige land—mens Edom, Moab og Ammons ledere undslipper. 42Egypten og mange andre nationer bukker under for ham. 43Han tilraner sig alle Egyptens kostbarheder, guld- og sølvskatte, og folk fra Libyen og Kush11,43 Kush svarer nogenlunde til Nubien, området syd for Egypten. bliver hans tjenere.
44Men da kommer der meldinger fra øst og nord, som gør ham bange, og i stor vrede drager han af sted for at ødelægge mange af disse lande. 45Så gør han holdt og slår lejr mellem havene11,45 Sikkert Middelhavet og Det Døde Hav, da de to have angiver Israels vest- og østgrænse. tæt ved tempelbjerget i Jerusalem. Men han går sin undergang i møde, og da er der ingen, som vil hjælpe ham.
1And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.)
The Kings of the South and the North
2“Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. 4After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others.
5“The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. 6After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power11:6 Or offspring will not last. In those days she will be betrayed, together with her royal escort and her father11:6 Or child (see Vulgate and Syriac) and the one who supported her.
7“One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. 8He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. 9Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country. 10His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress.
11“Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated. 12When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant. 13For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped.
14“In those times many will rise against the king of the South. Those who are violent among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success. 15Then the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. 16The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it. 17He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans11:17 Or but she will not succeed or help him. 18Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him. 19After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more.
20“His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle.
21“He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. 22Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. 23After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power. 24When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses—but only for a time.
25“With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. 26Those who eat from the king’s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. 27The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time. 28The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country.
29“At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. 30Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.
31“His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. 32With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.
33“Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. 34When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. 35Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.
The King Who Exalts Himself
36“The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. 37He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. 38Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price.11:39 Or land for a reward
40“At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. 41He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. 42He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. 43He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites11:43 That is, people from the upper Nile region in submission. 44But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. 45He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at11:45 Or the sea and the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.
