1In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed : then he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters . 2Daniel spake and said , I saw in my vision by night , and , behold, the four winds of heaven brake forth upon the great sea . 3And four great beasts came up from the sea , diverse one from another . 4The first was like a lion, and had eagle ’s wings : I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked , and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand upon two feet as a man; and a man’s heart was given to it . 5And , behold, another beast , a second , like to a bear ; and it was raised up on one side , and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth : and they said thus unto it , Arise , devour much flesh . 6After this I beheld , and , lo, another , like a leopard , which had upon its back four wings of a bird ; the beast had also four heads ; and dominion was given to it . 7After this I saw in the night-visions, and , behold, a fourth beast , terrible and powerful , and strong exceedingly ; and it had great iron teeth ; it devoured and brake in pieces , and stamped the residue with its feet : and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it ; and it had ten horns . 8I considered the horns , and , behold, there came up among them another horn , a little one , before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots : and , behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things .
The Ancient of Days and the Judgment
9I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit : his raiment was white as snow , and the hair of his head like pure wool ; his throne was fiery flames , and the wheels thereof burning fire . 10A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him : thousands of thousands ministered unto him , and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him : the judgment was set , and the books were opened . 11I beheld at that time because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake ; I beheld even till the beast was slain , and its body destroyed, and it was given to be burned with fire. 12And as for the rest of the beasts , their dominion was taken away : yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time . 13I saw in the night-visions, and , behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days , and they brought him near before him . 14And there was given him dominion , and glory , and a kingdom , that all the peoples , nations, and languages should serve him : his dominion is an everlasting dominion , which shall not pass away , and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed .
The Son of Man and His Kingdom
15As for me, Daniel , my spirit was grieved in the midst of my body , and the visions of my head troubled me. 16I came near unto one of them that stood by , and asked him the truth concerning all this . So he told me , and made me know the interpretation of the things . 17These great beasts , which are four, are four kings , that shall arise out of the earth. 18But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom , and possess the kingdom for ever , even for ever and ever . 19Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth beast , which was diverse from all of them , exceeding terrible , whose teeth were of iron , and its nails of brass ; which devoured, brake in pieces , and stamped the residue with its feet ; 20and concerning the ten horns that were on its head , and the other horn which came up , and before which three fell , even that horn that had eyes , and a mouth that spake great things , whose look was more stout than its fellows . 21I beheld , and the same horn made war with the saints , and prevailed against them ; 22until the ancient of days came , and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High , and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom . 23Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms , and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down , and break it in pieces . 24And as for the ten horns , out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise : and another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the former, and he shall put down three kings . 25And he shall speak words against the Most High , and shall wear out the saints of the Most High ; and he shall think to change the times and the law ; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time . 26But the judgment shall be set , and they shall take away his dominion , to consume and to destroy it unto the end . 27And the kingdom and the dominion , and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven , shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High : his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom , and all dominions shall serve and obey him . 28Here is the end of the matter . As for me , Daniel , my thoughts much troubled me , and my countenance was changed in me : but I kept the matter in my heart .