1“玛代人大流士元年，我去帮助、护卫米迦勒。 2现在我要把真相告诉你。波斯将再有三位王兴起，随后的第四位王远比其他王富有。他靠财富强盛后，便会煽动众民去攻打希腊国。 3那时必有一位英勇的王兴起，执掌大权，随心所欲。 4但他兴起后不久，他的国必土崩瓦解，在天下一分为四，既不归他的后代统治，也不如他掌权时强盛。因为他的国必被连根拔除，归给外人。
5“南方王必强盛，他的将领中将有一位比他更强盛，这人执掌王权，势力强大。 6若干年后，南方王将与北方王联盟。南方王的女儿将到北方王那里缔结盟约。但她必保不住自己的势力，王权也无法长久。她和她的随从、父亲和辅佐者必遭杀害。
7“她家族中必有一人继承王位，率军攻打北方王，侵入他们的堡垒，击败他们， 8将他们的神像、铸造的偶像及金银宝器掳到埃及。此后数年，他不再去攻击北方王。 9后来，北方王必侵入南方王的国土，但终必撤回本国。
10“北方王的儿子们必发动战争，召集大军，如洪水席卷而来，直打到南方王的堡垒。 11南方王必大怒，出来迎战北方王的大军，并击败他们。 12南方王获胜后必心高气傲，杀戮成千上万的人，但他的胜利不能持久。 13因为数年后，北方王必召集更庞大的军队，带着大量装备卷土重来。
14“那时，许多人必起来反抗南方王。你同胞中的残暴之徒也必反叛，从而使异象应验，但他们必失败。 15北方王必修筑高台攻取南方王的坚城，南方的军兵必无力抵挡，就是精兵也抵挡不住。 16北方王必为所欲为，所向无敌。他必侵占佳美之地，手握毁灭之权。 17他决意倾全国之力而来，与南方王建立联盟，并将自己的女儿嫁给南方王，旨在推翻他的国。但北方王的计划必然失败，毫无收益。
18“后来，他将转而攻打沿海地区，征服许多地方。但一位将领必制止他的嚣张气焰，使他自取其辱。 19他将返回本国的堡垒，从此一蹶不振，销声匿迹。 20继承他王位的人将派税吏横征暴敛，以维持王国的荣耀。但不久他必灭亡，并非死于民怨，也非死于战争。
21“接着继位的是一个卑鄙的人。他无权继位，却乘人不备用奸计夺取王位。 22他横扫千军，击溃他们，包括盟国的王。 23他与人结盟后，必行欺诈，借不多的人掌握大权。 24他必乘人不备入侵最富庶的地区，行他祖先从未行过的事，将掳掠的财物分给部下，并策划攻打堡垒，但这都是短暂的。 25他集中力量，鼓起勇气，率领大军进攻南方王。南方王也率领强大的军队迎战，却敌不过他，因为有人暗算南方王。 26南方王必遭亲信暗算，全军溃败，许多人被杀。 27两个王心怀叵测，同席而坐，尔虞我诈，但都不成功，因为结局必在所定的时间到来。 28北方王必带着大量财物回国，但他决意反对圣约，在回国的路上任意妄为。
29“到了所定的时间，他必再次攻打南方，但结果与上次不同， 30因为基提的战船必来攻击他，使他丧胆而回。他必向圣约之民发泄愤怒，任意妄为，支持背弃圣约的人。 31他的军队必亵渎圣地，亵渎那堡垒，废除日常献的祭，设立带来毁灭的可憎之物。 32他必花言巧语笼络违背圣约的人，但认识上帝的人必奋起反抗。 33那些智者必教导许多民众，但他们将在一段时间内被刀剑杀戮，或被烧死，或被掳去，或被抢掠。 34他们败亡时必得不到多少援助，许多人并非真心实意地加入他们的行列。 35有些智者将被害，但这是为了熬炼、净化他们，使他们洁白无瑕，一直到末了。因为结局必在所定的时间到来。
36“北方王必任意妄为，自高自大，自以为超越一切神明，肆意诋毁万神之神。他必亨通，一直到上帝发烈怒的日子结束。因为所定的必然成就。 37他不尊崇他祖先的神明，也不尊崇妇女们爱慕的神明或其他任何神明，因为他自认为超越一切。 38他反倒祭拜他祖先不认识的堡垒之神，向它献上金银宝石及贵重的礼物。 39他必靠外族神明的帮助攻打坚固的堡垒，将尊荣赐给顺从他的人，派他们治理民众，分给他们土地作奖赏。
40“到了末后，南方王必与北方王交战。北方王必率领战车、骑兵和大批战船攻击他，又如洪水般横扫列国。 41他必侵入佳美之地，杀死成千上万的人，只有以东、摩押及亚扪人的首领得以逃脱。 42他必攻击列国，埃及也无法幸免。 43他必掌管埃及的金银财宝，利比亚人和古实人必归顺他。 44但从东方和北方传来的消息必令他震惊，他必大怒，出兵杀戮、毁灭许多人。 45他必在海和荣美的圣山之间搭起他宫殿般的帐幕。但他必灭亡，无人相助。
1I stepped forward to help him and keep him safe. It was the first year that Darius, the Mede, was king.
The Kings of Egypt and Syria
2“Now then, what I’m about to tell you is true. Three more kings will come to power in Persia. Then a fourth one will rule. He will be much richer than all the others. He will use his wealth to gain power. And he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3After him, a mighty king will come to power. He will rule with great power and do as he pleases. 4Not long after his rule ends, his kingdom will be broken up. It will be divided up into four parts. His children will not receive it when he dies. And it will not be as strong as his kingdom. It will be pulled up by the roots. And it will be given to others.
5“The king of Egypt will become strong. But one of his commanders will become even stronger. He will rule over his own kingdom with great power. 6After many years, the two kingdoms will join forces. The daughter of the next king of Egypt will go to the king of Syria. She will join forces with him. But she will not hold on to her power. And he and his power will not last either. In those days she and her attendants will die. They will die when the people she trusts lie to her. The same thing will happen to her father and the one who helped her.
7“Someone from her family line will take her place. He will attack the army of the next king of Syria. Then he will enter his fort. He will fight against that army and win. 8He will take the metal statues of their gods. He will also take away their priceless objects of silver and gold. He will carry everything off to Egypt. For many years he will leave the king of Syria alone. 9Then the king of Syria will march into territory that was controlled by Egypt. After that, he will return to his own country. 10His sons will prepare for war. They will gather a huge army. It will sweep along like a mighty flood. The army will fight its way as far as one of the Egyptian forts.
11“Another king of Egypt will march out with mighty force. He will be very angry. By then, another person will have become king in Syria. The king of Egypt will come to fight against him. The king of Syria will gather a huge army. But that army will lose the battle. 12His soldiers will be carried off. Then the king of Egypt will be filled with pride. He will kill many thousands of soldiers. But his success will not last. 13The king of Syria will bring another army together. It will be larger than the first one. After several years, he will march out with a huge army. It will have everything it needs for battle.
14“In those times many people will rise up against the next king of Egypt. Lawless people in your own nation will refuse to obey him. That is what you saw in your vision. But they will not succeed. 15Then the king of Syria will go to a certain city that has high walls around it. He will build ramps against them. And he will capture that city. The forces of Egypt will not have the power to stop him. Even their best troops will not be strong enough to stand up against him. 16He will do anything he wants to. No one will be able to stand up against him. He will take over the beautiful land of Israel. And he will have the power to destroy it. 17The king of Syria will decide to come with the might of his entire kingdom. He will join forces with the king of Egypt. And the king of Syria will give his daughter to him to become his wife. The king of Syria will do this in order to take control of Egypt. But his plans will not succeed or help him. 18Then he will turn his attention to the lands along the Mediterranean coast. He will take over many of them. But a commander will put an end to his proud actions. He will turn his pride back on him. 19After this, the king of Syria will return to the forts in his own country. But he will trip and fall. And he will never be seen again.
20“The next king after him will send someone out to collect taxes. The taxes will help maintain the glory of his kingdom. But in a few years the king will be destroyed. It will not happen because someone becomes angry with him or kills him in battle.
21“After him, another king will take his place. Many people will hate him. He will not be honored as a king should be. He will lead an army into the kingdom when its people feel secure. He will make clever plans to capture it. 22Then he will sweep away a huge army. The army and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. 23The king of Syria will make an agreement with that prince. But then the king of Syria will not keep his word. He will rise to even greater power with the help of only a few people. 24When the people in the richest areas feel secure, he will attack them. He will do what the kings before him could not do. And he will reward his followers with the goods and wealth he takes. He will make clever plans to take over the forts. But that will last for only a short time.
25“He will become stronger and more confident. He will do that by gathering a large army. Then he will go to war against the next king of Egypt. That king will fight against him with a huge and very powerful army. But the king of Egypt will not be able to stand up against him. So the plans of the king of Syria will succeed. 26The trusted advisers of the king of Egypt will try to destroy him. His army will be swept away. Many of his soldiers will be wounded or killed. 27The kings of Syria and Egypt will sit at the same table. But in their hearts they will plan to do what is evil. And they will tell lies to each other. But it will not do them any good. God will put an end to their plans at his appointed time. 28The king of Syria will return to his own country. He will go back there with great wealth. But he will make evil plans against the holy temple in Jerusalem. He will do a lot of harm to the temple and the people who worship there. Then he will return to his own country.
29“At God’s appointed time, the king of Syria will march south again. But this time things will turn out differently. 30Roman ships will oppose him. He will lose hope. Then he will turn back. He will take out his anger against the holy temple. And he will do good to the Jews who desert it.
31“His army will come and make the temple area ‘unclean.’ They will put a stop to the daily sacrifices. Then they will set up a hated thing that destroys. 32He will pretend to praise those who have broken the covenant. He will lead them to do what is evil. But the people who know their God will firmly oppose him.
33“Those who are wise will teach many others. But for a while, some of the wise will be killed by swords. Others will be burned to death. Still others will be made prisoners. Or they will be robbed of everything they have. 34When that happens, they will receive a little help. Many who are not honest will join them. 35So some of the wise people will suffer. They will be made pure in the fire. They will be made spotless until the time of the end. It will still come at God’s appointed time.
The King Who Honors Himself
36“A certain king will do as he pleases. He will honor himself. He will put himself above every god. He will say things against the greatest God of all. Those things have never been heard before. He will have success until God is not angry anymore. What God has decided to do must take place. 37The king will not show any respect for the gods his people have always worshiped. There is a god desired by women. He will not respect that god either. He will not have respect for any god. Instead, he will put himself above all of them. 38In place of them, he will worship a god of war. He will honor a god his people have not known before. He will give gold and silver to that god. He will bring jewels and expensive gifts to it. 39He will attack the strongest forts. A new god will help him do it. He will greatly honor those who recognize him as their leader. He will make them rulers over many people. And he will give them land as a reward.
40“A king in the south will go to war against him. It will happen at the time of the end. The king who will honor himself will rush out against him. He will come with chariots and horsemen. He will attack with a lot of ships. He will lead his army into many countries. He will sweep through them like a flood. 41He will also march into the beautiful land of Israel. Many countries will fall. But Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be saved from his mighty hand. 42His power will reach out into many countries. Even Egypt will not escape. 43He will gain control of all Egypt’s riches. He will take their gold and silver treasures. The people of Libya and Cush will be under his control. 44But reports from the east and the north will terrify him. He will march out with great anger to destroy many people and wipe them out. 45He will set up his royal tents. He will put them between the Mediterranean Sea and the beautiful holy mountain of Zion. But his end will come. And no one will help him.
