Daniel 7 - New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995)

Vision of the Four Beasts

7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a ^(A)dream and visions ^[a]in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he ^(B)wrote the dream down and related the ^[b]following summary of ^[c]it. ² Daniel ^[d]said, “I was ^(C)looking in my vision by night, and behold, the ^(D)four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. ³ And four great ^(E)beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. ⁴ The first was ^(F)like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human ^[e]mind also was given to it. ⁵ And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, ‘Arise, devour much meat!’ ⁶ After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, ^(G)like a leopard, which had on its ^[f]back four wings of a bird; the beast also had ^(H)four heads, and dominion was given to it. ⁷ After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a ^(I)fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ^(J)ten horns. ⁸ While I was contemplating the horns, behold, ^(K)another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, ^[g]this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and ^(L)a mouth uttering great boasts.

The Ancient of Days Reigns

⁹ “I kept looking
Until ^(M)thrones were set up,
And the Ancient of Days took His seat;
His ^(N)vesture was like white snow
And the ^(O)hair of His head like pure wool.
His ^(P)throne was ^[h]ablaze with flames,
Its ^(Q)wheels were a burning fire.
¹⁰ “A river of ^(R)fire was flowing
And coming out from before Him;
^(S)Thousands upon thousands were attending Him,
And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him;
The ^(T)court sat,
And ^(U)the books were opened.

¹¹ Then I kept looking because of the sound of the ^[i]boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the ^(V)burning ^[j]fire. ¹² As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.

The Son of Man Presented

¹³ “I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a ^(W)Son of Man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.
¹⁴ “And to Him was given ^(X)dominion,
Glory and ^[k](Y)a kingdom,
^(Z)That all the peoples, nations and men of every ^[l]language
Might serve Him.
^(AA)His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
^(AB)And His kingdom is one
Which will not be destroyed.

The Vision Interpreted

¹⁵ “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed ^[m]within me, and the ^(AC)visions ^[n]in my mind kept ^(AD)alarming me. ¹⁶ I approached one of those who were ^(AE)standing by and began asking him the ^[o]exact meaning of all this. So he ^(AF)told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ¹⁷ ‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. ¹⁸ But the ^[p](AG)saints of the Highest One will ^(AH)receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, ^[q]for all ages to come.’

¹⁹ “Then I desired to know the ^[r]exact meaning of the ^(AI)fourth beast, which was different from all ^[s]the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet, ²⁰ and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and ^[t]which was larger in appearance than its associates. ²¹ I kept looking, and that horn was ^(AJ)waging war with the ^[u]saints and overpowering them ²² until the Ancient of Days came and ^(AK)judgment was ^[v]passed in favor of the ^[w]saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the ^[x]saints took possession of the kingdom.

²³ “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. ²⁴ As for the ^(AL)ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. ²⁵ He will ^(AM)speak ^[y]out against the ^(AN)Most High and ^(AO)wear down the ^[z]saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make ^(AP)alterations in times and in law; and ^[aa]they will be given into his hand for a ^[ab](AQ)time, ^[ac]times, and half a ^[ad]time. ²⁶ But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be ^(AR)taken away, ^[ae]annihilated and destroyed ^[af]forever. ²⁷ Then the ^[ag](AS)sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the ^[ah]saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an ^(AT)everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will ^(AU)serve and obey Him.’

²⁸ “^[ai]At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were ^(AV)greatly alarming me and my ^[aj]face grew pale, but I ^(AW)kept the matter ^[ak]to myself.”

Footnotes

1. Daniel 7:1 Lit of his head
2. Daniel 7:1 Or beginning
3. Daniel 7:1 Lit words
4. Daniel 7:2 Lit spoke and said
5. Daniel 7:4 Lit heart
6. Daniel 7:6 Or sides
7. Daniel 7:8 Lit in this horn were eyes
8. Daniel 7:9 Lit flames of fire
9. Daniel 7:11 Lit great
10. Daniel 7:11 Lit of the fire
11. Daniel 7:14 Or sovereignty
12. Daniel 7:14 Lit tongue
13. Daniel 7:15 Lit in the midst of its sheath
14. Daniel 7:15 Lit of my head
15. Daniel 7:16 Lit truth concerning
16. Daniel 7:18 Lit holy ones
17. Daniel 7:18 Lit and unto the age of the ages
18. Daniel 7:19 Lit truth concerning
19. Daniel 7:19 Lit of them
20. Daniel 7:20 Lit its appearance was larger
21. Daniel 7:21 Lit holy ones
22. Daniel 7:22 Lit given for
23. Daniel 7:22 Lit holy ones
24. Daniel 7:22 Lit holy ones
25. Daniel 7:25 Lit words
26. Daniel 7:25 Lit holy ones
27. Daniel 7:25 I.e. the saints
28. Daniel 7:25 I.e. year(s)
29. Daniel 7:25 I.e. year(s)
30. Daniel 7:25 I.e. year(s)
31. Daniel 7:26 Lit to annihilate and to destroy
32. Daniel 7:26 Lit to the end
33. Daniel 7:27 Or kingdom
34. Daniel 7:27 Lit holy ones
35. Daniel 7:28 Lit To here the end of the word
36. Daniel 7:28 Lit brightness was changing upon me
37. Daniel 7:28 Lit in my heart

Cross references

1. Daniel 7:1 : Job 33:14-16; Dan 1:17; 2:1, 26-28; 4:5-9; Joel 2:28
2. Daniel 7:1 : Jer 36:4, 32
3. Daniel 7:2 : Dan 7:7, 13
4. Daniel 7:2 : Rev 7:1
5. Daniel 7:3 : Dan 7:17; Rev 13:1; 17:8
6. Daniel 7:4 : Jer 4:7
7. Daniel 7:6 : Rev 13:2
8. Daniel 7:6 : Dan 8:22
9. Daniel 7:7 : Dan 7:19, 20, 23
10. Daniel 7:7 : Rev 12:3; 13:1
11. Daniel 7:8 : Dan 8:9
12. Daniel 7:8 : Rev 13:5, 6
13. Daniel 7:9 : Rev 20:4
14. Daniel 7:9 : Mark 9:3
15. Daniel 7:9 : Rev 1:14
16. Daniel 7:9 : Ezek 1:13, 26
17. Daniel 7:9 : Ezek 10:2, 6
18. Daniel 7:10 : Ps 18:8; 50:3; 97:3; Is 30:27, 33
19. Daniel 7:10 : Deut 33:2; 1 Kin 22:19; Rev 5:11
20. Daniel 7:10 : Ps 96:11-13; Dan 7:22, 26
21. Daniel 7:10 : Dan 12:1; Rev 20:11-15
22. Daniel 7:11 : Rev 19:20; 20:10
23. Daniel 7:13 : Matt 24:30; 26:64; Mark 13:26; 14:62; Luke 21:27; Rev 1:7, 13; 14:14
24. Daniel 7:14 : Dan 7:27; John 3:35; 1 Cor 15:27; Eph 1:20-22; Phil 2:9-11; Rev 1:6; 11:15
25. Daniel 7:14 : Dan 2:37
26. Daniel 7:14 : Ps 72:11; 102:22
27. Daniel 7:14 : Mic 4:7; Luke 1:33
28. Daniel 7:14 : Heb 12:28
29. Daniel 7:15 : Dan 7:1
30. Daniel 7:15 : Dan 4:19; 7:28
31. Daniel 7:16 : Zech 1:9, 19; Rev 5:5; 7:13, 14
32. Daniel 7:16 : Dan 8:16, 17; 9:22
33. Daniel 7:18 : Dan 7:22, 25, 27
34. Daniel 7:18 : Ps 149:5-9; Is 60:12-14; Dan 7:14; Rev 2:26, 27; 20:4; 22:5
35. Daniel 7:19 : Dan 7:7, 8
36. Daniel 7:21 : Rev 11:7; 13:7
37. Daniel 7:22 : Dan 7:10; 1 Cor 6:2, 3
38. Daniel 7:24 : Dan 7:7; Rev 17:12
39. Daniel 7:25 : Dan 11:36; Rev 13:6
40. Daniel 7:25 : Dan 3:26; 4:2, 17, 34
41. Daniel 7:25 : Rev 13:7; 18:24
42. Daniel 7:25 : Dan 2:21
43. Daniel 7:25 : Dan 12:7; Rev 12:14
44. Daniel 7:26 : Rev 17:14; 19:2
45. Daniel 7:27 : Is 54:3; Dan 7:14, 18, 22; Rev 20:4
46. Daniel 7:27 : Ps 145:13; Is 9:7; Dan 2:44; 4:34; 7:14; Luke 1:33; Rev 11:15; 22:5
47. Daniel 7:27 : Ps 2:6-12; 22:27; 72:11; 86:9; Is 60:12; Rev 11:1
48. Daniel 7:28 : Dan 4:19
49. Daniel 7:28 : Luke 2:19, 51