בִּשְׁנַת שָׁלוֹשׁ לְמַלְכוּת בֵּלְאשַׁצַּר הַמֶּלֶךְ חָזוֹן נִרְאָה אֵלַי אֲנִי דָנִיֵּאל אַחֲרֵי הַנִּרְאָה אֵלַי בַּתְּחִלָּה

In the third year of the reign of King Belshatzar a vision appeared to me, I, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at first, the vision described in the previous section, which also depicts future kingdoms.

וָאֶרְאֶה בֶּחָזוֹן וַיְהִי בִּרְאֹתִי ואֲנִי בְּשׁוּשַׁן הַבִּירָה אֲשֶׁר בְּעֵילָם הַמְּדִינָה וָאֶרְאֶה בֶּחָזוֹן וַאֲנִי הָיִיתִי עַל־אוּבַל אוּלָי

I saw in the vision, and it was as I was seeing myself in the vision. I was in the Shushan citadel,the administrative complex at the heart of the city of Shushan, which is in the province of Elam; I saw in the vision, and I was beside a channel of a river called the Ulai.

וָאֶשָּׂא עֵינַי וָאֶרְאֶה וְהִנֵּה אַיִל אֶחָד עֹמֵד לִפְנֵי הָאֻבָל וְלוֹ קְרָנָיִם וְהַקְּרָנַיִם גְּבֹהוֹת וְהָאַחַת גְּבֹהָה מִן־הַשֵּׁנִית וְהַגְּבֹהָה עֹלָה בָּאַחֲרֹנָה

I lifted my eyes and I saw, and behold, there was one ram standing before the channel; it had horns, and the horns were high and one was higher than the other, and the higher grew, sprouted, last. Alternatively, it started to sprout behind the lower horn.

רָאִיתִי אֶת־הָאַיִל מְנַגֵּחַ יָמָּה וְצָפוֹנָה וָנֶגְבָּה וְכָל חַיּוֹת לֹא־יַעַמְדוּ לְפָנָיו וְאֵין מַצִּיל מִיָּדוֹ וְעָשָׂה כִרְצֹנוֹ וְהִגְדִּיל

I saw the ram, with its great horns, goring to the west, and to the north, and to the south, and no beasts could withstand it, it felled them all, and there was no savior from its hand; it did as it willed, and became great; the animal grew in size and strength.

וַאֲנִי הָיִיתִי מֵבִין וְהִנֵּה צְפִיר־הָעִזִּים בָּא מִן־הַמַּעֲרָב עַל־פְּנֵי כָל־הָאָרֶץ וְאֵין נוֹגֵעַ בָּאָרֶץ וְהַצָּפִיר קֶרֶן חָזוּת בֵּין עֵינָיו

I was looking, reflecting on this scene, and behold, a goat came from the west and moved over the surface of the entire earth, and it was not touching the ground; it did not walk but appeared to float. The goat had a conspicuous horn between its eyes.

וַיָּבֹא עַד־הָאַיִל בַּעַל הַקְּרָנַיִם אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתִי עֹמֵד לִפְנֵי הָאֻבָל וַיָּרָץ אֵלָיו בַּחֲמַת כֹּחוֹ

It, the goat with the single horn, came to the horned ram that I saw standing before the channel, and it ran to it with the fury of its power.

וּרְאִיתִיו מַגִּיעַ אֵצֶל הָאַיִל וַיִּתְמַרְמַר אֵלָיו וַיַּךְ אֶת־הָאַיִל וַיְשַׁבֵּר אֶת־שְׁתֵּי קְרָנָיו וְלֹא־הָיָה כֹחַ בָּאַיִל לַעֲמֹד לְפָנָיו וַיַּשְׁלִיכֵהוּ אַרְצָה וַיִּרְמְסֵהוּ וְלֹא־הָיָה מַצִּיל לָאַיִל מִיָּדוֹ

I saw it reaching the ram, and it stormed against it, it charged in rage, and struck the ram, and it shattered its two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand it. It, the goat, cast it, the ram, to the ground and trampled it, and there was no savior for the ram from its hand.

וּצְפִיר הָעִזִּים הִגְדִּיל עַד־מְאֹד וּכְעָצְמוֹ נִשְׁבְּרָה הַקֶּרֶן הַגְּדֹלָה וַתַּעֲלֶנָה חָזוּת אַרְבַּע תַּחְתֶּיהָ לְאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת הַשָּׁמָיִם

The goat became exceedingly great, and when it became powerful, the great horn on its forehead was broken, and in its place, there were four conspicuous horns directed toward the four winds of the heavens.

וּמִן־הָאַחַת מֵהֶם יָצָא קֶרֶן־אַחַת מִצְּעִירָה וַתִּגְדַּל־יֶתֶר אֶל־הַנֶּגֶב וְאֶל־הַמִּזְרָח וְאֶל הַצֶּבִי

From one of them, a horn emerged from smallness and expanded greatly, grew in strength more than the others; it was turned to the south, and to the east, and toward the magnificent, splendid, and desirable land, the Land of Israel.

וַתִּגְדַּל עַד־צְבָא הַשָּׁמָיִם וַתַּפֵּל אַרְצָה מִן־הַצָּבָא וּמִן הַכּוֹכָבִים וַתִּרְמְסֵם

It, this horn, expanded up to the host of the heavens, to the constellations, and it threw some of the host and some of the stars to the ground and trampled them. It reached such heights that it even overshadowed the stars.

וְעַד שַׂר־הַצָּבָא הִגְדִּיל וּמִמֶּנּוּ הוּרַם הַתָּמִיד וְהֻשְׁלַךְ מְכוֹן מִקְדָּשׁוֹ

It grew great, as the horn grew up to the prince of the host; and the continual burnt offering was removed from before him, the prince of the host, and the place of His Sanctuary was cast down. The horn struck down the Temple.

וְצָבָא תִּנָּתֵן עַל הַתָּמִיד בּפָשַׁע וְתַשְׁלֵךְ אֱמֶת אַרְצָה וְעָשְׂתָה וְהִצְלִיחָה

A host, or war, or a fixed period of time, was given for the nullification of the continual burnt offering, for, due to, transgression; it, the horn, cast down and trampled truth to the ground, and it acted and succeeded. The horn’s successes continued.

וָאֶשְׁמְעָה אֶחָד־קָדוֹשׁ מְדַבֵּר וַיֹּאמֶר אֶחָד קָדוֹשׁ לַפַּלְמוֹנִי הַמְדַבֵּר עַד־מָתַי הֶחָזוֹן הַתָּמִיד וְהַפֶּשַׁע שֹׁמֵם תֵּת וְקֹדֶשׁ וְצָבָא מִרְמָס

Then I heard one of the holy, an angel, speaking, and beforehand another holy one had said to that anonymous one, the angel who was speaking: Until when will the vision of the continual burnt offering and the desolating transgression be; how long will the vision last? Alternatively, until when will there be idolatry; And how much time will be granted for giving the Sanctuary and the host of heaven over for trampling?

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי עַד עֶרֶב בֹּקֶר אַלְפַּיִם וּשְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת וְנִצְדַּק קֹדֶשׁ

The answer is as cryptic as the vision itself: He, that holy one, said to me: Until evening-morning two thousand three hundred; this state of affairs is supposed to continue for 2,300 units of a specific time period, perhaps days, and then the Sanctuary will be vindicated, it will be recognized that the Temple is victorious and righteous. It will no longer be broken and shattered, but will triumph and be rebuilt. These are the matters that Daniel saw and heard.

וַיְהִי בִּרְאֹתִי אֲנִי דָנִיֵּאל אֶת־הֶחָזוֹן וָאֲבַקְשָׁה בִינָה וְהִנֵּה עֹמֵד לְנֶגְדִּי כְּמַרְאֵה־גָבֶר

It was when I, Daniel, saw the vision, that I requested understanding; behold, there was a figure who had the appearance of a man standing before me, but who was actually an angel.

וָאֶשְׁמַע קוֹל־אָדָם בֵּין אוּלָי וַיִּקְרָא וַיֹּאמַר גַּבְרִיאֵל הָבֵן לְהַלָּז אֶת־הַמַּרְאֶה

I heard the voice of a man by the thickets of the River Ulai, and he called to the angel that looked like a man, and said: Gavriel, explain the vision to this one. The voice Daniel heard instructed the angel to explain his vision to him.

וַיָּבֹא אֵצֶל עָמְדִי וּבְבֹאוֹ נִבְעַתִּי וָאֶפְּלָה עַל־פָּנָי וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי הָבֵן בֶּן־אָדָם כִּי לְעֶת־קֵץ הֶחָזוֹן

He, the angel, came to where I was standing, and when he came, I was terrified and fell upon my face, due to the force of the angelic revelation. He said to me: Understand, son of man, for the vision is for the end time of history, or for a very late period.

וּבְדַבְּרוֹ עִמִּי נִרְדַּמְתִּי עַל־פָּנַי אָרְצָה וַיִּגַּע־בִּי וַיַּעֲמִידֵנִי עַל־עָמְדִי

As he was speaking with me, I fell asleep, my face to the ground. Even though Daniel did not hear the voice of God directly, his mere proximity to the angel so terrified him that he fell and fainted. And he touched me and thereby gave me strength, and once again stood me up where I was standing.

וַיֹּאמֶר הִנְנִי מוֹדִיעֲךָ אֵת אֲשֶׁר־יִהְיֶה בְּאַחֲרִית הַזָּעַם כִּי לְמוֹעֵד קֵץ

He said: Behold, I will make known to you what will be at the end of the fury, for there is an appointed time for the end; at the designated time, the events will be revealed before everyone.

הָאַיִל אֲשֶׁר־רָאִיתָ בַּעַל הַקְּרָנָיִם מַלְכֵי מָדַי וּפָרָס

He elaborates: The ram that you saw with the horns: The kings of Media and Persia, as the Persian Empire was comprised of two nations. First the king of Media reigned, followed by the king of Persia, the greater king, who was represented by the larger animal.

וְהַצָּפִיר הַשָּׂעִיר מֶלֶךְ יָוָן וְהַקֶּרֶן הַגְּדוֹלָה אֲשֶׁר בֵּין־עֵינָיו הוּא הַמֶּלֶךְ הָרִאשׁוֹן

The goat is the king of Yavan, Greece, and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king who will reign in Greece.

והַנִּשְׁבֶּרֶת וַתַּעֲמֹדְנָה אַרְבַּע תַּחְתֶּיהָ אַרְבַּע מַלְכֻיּוֹת מִגּוֹי יַעֲמֹדְנָה וְלֹא בְכֹחוֹ

And as for the meaning of the broken one, and the four horns that arose in its place: Four kingdoms will arise, develop, from the nation, Greece, but this will not be from its power. They will not be built by the first king, but will arise and be established of their own accord.

וּבְאַחֲרִית מַלְכוּתָם כְּהָתֵם הַפֹּשְׁעִים יַעֲמֹד מֶלֶךְ עַז־פָּנִים ומֵבִין חִידוֹת

At the end of their kingdom, when the transgressors are finished, there will arise a brazen king, who understands subtleties. This intelligent king is represented by the small horn that will sprout and grow between the eyes.

וְעָצַם כֹּחוֹ וְלֹא בְכֹחוֹ וְנִפְלָאוֹת יַשְׁחִית וְהִצְלִיחַ וְעָשָׂה וְהִשְׁחִית עֲצוּמִים ועַם־קְדֹשִׁים

His power will increase mightily, but this will not be by his own power; and he will destroy wondrously, in astonishing ways, and will succeed and accomplish, and he will destroy the mighty and will mainly harass the people of the holy, Israel.

וְעַל שִׂכְלוֹ וְהִצְלִיח מִרְמָה בְּיָדוֹ וּבִלְבָבוֹ יַגְדִּיל וּבְשַׁלְוָה יַשְׁחִית רַבִּים ועַל שַׂר־שָׂרִים יַעֲמֹד וּבְאֶפֶס יָד יִשָּׁבֵר

It will be by his cunning, his stratagems, that this king will establish himself, not by any special military prowess, and deceit will succeed in his hand, as he will cheat those whom he cannot defeat in battle; he will grow arrogant, and in tranquility, when others are complacent and are not paying attention, he will destroy many; he will rise to fight against the prince of princes, the “prince of the host” in the dream; but ultimately he will be broken, by no one’s hand striking him. When the time comes, he will stumble by himself, without external force.

וּמַרְאֵה הָעֶרֶב וְהַבֹּקֶר אֲשֶׁר נֶאֱמַר אֱמֶת הוּא וְאַתָּה סְתֹם הֶחָזוֹן כִּי לְיָמִים רַבִּים

The vision of the evening and the morning that was said is true, even though the meaning of these dates is unclear to you; and you, suppress, conceal, the vision, for it will not come to pass immediately, as it relates to many days to come, since the kingdom of Media and Persia lasted for centuries after Daniel’s time.

וַאֲנִי דָנִיֵּאל נִהְיֵיתִי וְנֶחֱלֵיתִי יָמִים ואָקוּם וָאֶעֱשֶׂה אֶת־מְלֶאכֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ וָאֶשְׁתּוֹמֵם עַל־הַמַּרְאֶה וְאֵין מֵבִין

I, Daniel, was weakened after the dream, and was sick for days; I rose, I strengthened myself, and again performed the king’s business, and I was astonished at the vision, and no one understood its details. The prophecy referred to the very distant future, so during Daniel’s time, it remained wrapped in mystery.