In the days of those kings the God of heaven will raise up an everlasting kingdom that will not be destroyed and a kingdom that will not be left to another people. It will break in pieces and bring about the demise of all these kingdoms. But it will stand forever.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then Daniel (whose name is also Belteshazzar) was upset for a brief time;<n id="1" /> his thoughts were alarming him. The king said, &#8220;Belteshazzar, don&#8217;t let the dream and its interpretation alarm you.&#8221; But Belteshazzar replied, &#8220;Sir,<n id="2" /> if only the dream were for your enemies and its interpretation applied to your adversaries!

I also wanted to know<n id="1" /> the meaning of the ten horns on its head, and of that other horn which came up and before which three others fell. This was the horn that had eyes<n id="2" /> and a mouth speaking arrogant things, whose appearance was more formidable than the others.<n id="3" />

<p class="poetry">But leave its taproot<n id="1" /> in the ground,p> <p class="poetry">with a band of iron and bronze around it<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">surrounded by the grass of the field.p> <p class="poetry">Let it become damp with the dew of the sky,p> <p class="poetry">and let it live with<n id="3" /> the animals in the grass of the land.p>

<p class="bodytext">When Daniel realized<n id="1" /> that a written decree had been issued, he entered his home, where the windows<n id="2" /> in his upper room opened toward Jerusalem.<n id="3" /> Three<n id="4" /> times daily he was<n id="5" /> kneeling<n id="6" /> and offering prayers and thanks to his God just as he had been accustomed to do previously.

<p class="bodytext">Then I heard a holy one<n id="1" /> speaking. Another holy one said to the one who was speaking, &#8220;To what period of time does the vision pertain &#8211; this vision concerning the daily sacrifice and the destructive act of rebellion and the giving over of both the sanctuary and army to be trampled?&#8221;

The king called out loudly<n id="1" /> to summon<n id="2" /> the astrologers, wise men, and diviners. The king proclaimed<n id="3" /> to the wise men of Babylon that anyone who could read this inscription and disclose its interpretation would be clothed in purple<n id="4" /> and have a golden collar<n id="5" /> placed on his neck and be third ruler in the kingdom.p>

Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent out a summons to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates,<n id="1" /> and all the other authorities of the province to attend the dedication of the statue that he<n id="2" /> had erected.

So the king gave the order,<n id="1" /> and Daniel was brought and thrown into a den<n id="2" /> of lions. The king consoled<n id="3" /> Daniel by saying, &#8220;Your God whom you continually serve will rescue you!&#8221;

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Seventy weeks<n id="1" /> have been determinedp> <p class="poetry">concerning your people and your holy cityp> <p class="poetry">to put an end to<n id="2" /> rebellion,p> <p class="poetry">to bring sin<n id="3" /> to completion,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">to atone for iniquity,p> <p class="poetry">to bring in perpetual<n id="5" /> righteousness,p> <p class="poetry">to seal up<n id="6" /> the prophetic vision,<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">and to anoint a most holy place.<n id="8" />p>

Now I will tell you the truth.p><t /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;Three<n id="1" /> more kings will arise for Persia. Then a fourth<n id="2" /> king will be unusually rich,<n id="3" /> more so than all who preceded him. When he has amassed power through his riches, he will stir up everyone against<n id="4" /> the kingdom of Greece.

His intention<n id="1" /> will be to come with the strength of his entire kingdom, and he will form alliances.<n id="2" /> He will give the king of the south<n id="3" /> a daughter<n id="4" /> in marriage in order to destroy the kingdom, but it will not turn out to his advantage.

Then<n id="1" /> one who appeared to be a human being<n id="2" /> was touching my lips. I opened my mouth and started to speak, saying to the one who was standing before me, &#8220;Sir,<n id="3" /> due to the vision, anxiety has gripped me and I have no strength.

So they approached the king and said to him,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Did you not issue an edict to the effect that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human other than to you, O king, would be thrown into a den of lions?&#8221; The king replied, &#8220;That is correct,<n id="2" /> according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its<n id="1" /> interpretation, for none of the wise men in<n id="2" /> my kingdom are able to make known to me the interpretation. But you can do so, for a spirit of the holy gods is in you.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">Now in that very moment<n id="1" /> this pronouncement about<n id="2" /> Nebuchadnezzar came true.<n id="3" /> He was driven from human society, he ate grass like oxen, and his body became damp with the dew of the sky, until his hair became long like an eagle&#8217;s feathers, and his nails like a bird&#8217;s claws.<n id="4" />p>

I saw it approaching the ram. It went into a fit of rage against the ram<n id="1" /> and struck it<n id="2" /> and broke off its two horns. The ram had no ability to resist it.<n id="3" /> The goat hurled the ram<n id="4" /> to the ground and trampled it. No one could deliver the ram from its power.<n id="5" />

When they stumble, they will be granted some help. But many will unite with them deceitfully.

Then they said to the king, &#8220;Daniel, who is one of the captives<n id="1" /> from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the edict that you issued. Three times daily he offers his prayer.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has granted you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor.