1Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede , even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. 2And now will I shew thee the truth . Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia ; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all : and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia . 3And a mighty king shall stand up , that shall rule with great dominion , and do according to his will . 4And when he shall stand up , his kingdom shall be broken , and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven ; and not to his posterity , nor according to his dominion which he ruled : for his kingdom shall be plucked up , even for others beside those. 5And the king of the south shall be strong , and one of his princes ; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion ; his dominion shall be a great dominion . 6And in the end of years they shall join themselves together ; for the king’s daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement : but she shall not retain the power of the arm ; neither shall he stand , nor his arm : but she shall be given up , and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times . 7But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate , which shall come with an army , and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north , and shall deal against them, and shall prevail : 8And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods , with their princes , and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold ; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north . 9So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom , and shall return into his own land . 10But his sons shall be stirred up , and shall assemble a multitude of great forces : and one shall certainly come , and overflow , and pass through : then shall he return , and be stirred up , even to his fortress . 11And the king of the south shall be moved with choler , and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north : and he shall set forth a great multitude ; but the multitude shall be given into his hand . 12And when he hath taken away the multitude , his heart shall be lifted up ; and he shall cast down many ten thousands : but he shall not be strengthened by it . 13For the king of the north shall return , and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former , and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches . 14And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south : also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision ; but they shall fall . 15So the king of the north shall come , and cast up a mount , and take the most fenced cities : and the arms of the south shall not withstand , neither his chosen people , neither shall there be any strength to withstand . 16But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will , and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land , which by his hand shall be consumed . 17He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom , and upright ones with him; thus shall he do : and he shall give him the daughter of women , corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side , neither be for him. 18After this shall he turn his face unto the isles , and shall take many : but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease ; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him. 19Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land : but he shall stumble and fall , and not be found . 20Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom : but within few days he shall be destroyed , neither in anger , nor in battle .
The Rise of a Notable King
21And in his estate shall stand up a vile person , to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom : but he shall come in peaceably , and obtain the kingdom by flatteries . 22And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken ; yea, also the prince of the covenant . 23And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully : for he shall come up , and shall become strong with a small people . 24He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province ; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done , nor his fathers’ fathers ; he shall scatter among them the prey , and spoil , and riches : yea , and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds , even for a time . 25And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army ; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army ; but he shall not stand : for they shall forecast devices against him. 26Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow : and many shall fall down slain . 27And both these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief , and they shall speak lies at one table ; but it shall not prosper : for yet the end shall be at the time appointed . 28Then shall he return into his land with great riches ; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant ; and he shall do exploits , and return to his own land . 29At the time appointed he shall return , and come toward the south ; but it shall not be as the former , or as the latter . 30For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved , and return , and have indignation against the holy covenant : so shall he do ; he shall even return , and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant . 31And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength , and shall take away the daily sacrifice , and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate . 32And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries : but the people that do know their God shall be strong , and do exploits . 33And they that understand among the people shall instruct many : yet they shall fall by the sword , and by flame , by captivity , and by spoil , many days . 34Now when they shall fall , they shall be holpen with a little help : but many shall cleave to them with flatteries . 35And some of them of understanding shall fall , to try them, and to purge , and to make them white , even to the time of the end : because it is yet for a time appointed .
The End Times and the Final Conflict
36And the king shall do according to his will ; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god , and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods , and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished : for that that is determined shall be done . 37Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers , nor the desire of women , nor regard any god : for he shall magnify himself above all. 38But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces : and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold , and silver , and with precious stones , and pleasant things . 39Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god , whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory : and he shall cause them to rule over many , and shall divide the land for gain . 40And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind , with chariots , and with horsemen , and with many ships ; and he shall enter into the countries , and shall overflow and pass over . 41He shall enter also into the glorious land , and many countries shall be overthrown : but these shall escape out of his hand , even Edom , and Moab , and the chief of the children of Ammon . 42He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries : and the land of Egypt shall not escape . 43But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver , and over all the precious things of Egypt : and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps . 44But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy , and utterly to make away many . 45And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain ; yet he shall come to his end , and none shall help him.