8:1In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, a vision appeared to me. 8:1I, Daniel, after that which I had seen at the beginning, saw in my vision, when I was in the fortress of Susa, which is in the region of Elam: and I saw in the vision that I was above the gate of Ulai. 8:3And I lifted my eyes, and saw: and behold, one ram was standing before the marsh, having lofty horns, and one loftier than the other and growing up after it. 8:3Afterwards I saw the ram butting with its horns towards the west, and towards the north, and towards the south, and all the beasts could not resist it, nor be freed from its hand: and it did according to its will, and was made great.
8:5And I was understanding: but behold, a he-goat of the goats was coming from the west over the face of the whole earth, and it was not touching the earth: further, the he-goat had a notable horn between its eyes. 8:6And it came right up to that horned ram, which I had seen standing before the gate, and it ran at it in the onrush of its strength. 8:7And when it had drawn near beside the ram, it grew savage against it, and struck the ram: and it broke its two horns in pieces, and the ram could not resist it: and when it had cast it to the ground, it trampled it, and no one was able to free the ram from its hand.
8:8But the he-goat of the goats became exceedingly great: and when it had grown, the great horn was broken, and four horns arose under it towards the four winds of heaven. 8:9But from one of them there went out one small horn: and it became great towards the south, and towards the east, and towards the strength. 8:10And it was made great right up to the strength of heaven: and it threw down some of the strength, and of the stars, and trampled them. 8:11And right up to the prince of the strength it was made great: and from him it took away the continual sacrifice, and threw down the place of his sanctuary.
8:12And might was given to it against the continual sacrifice on account of sins: and truth will be cast down on the earth, and it will act, and will prosper. 8:13And I heard one of the holy ones speaking: and one holy one said to another, I do not know whom, who was speaking: "How long the vision, and the continual sacrifice, and the sin of desolation which has been made: and the sanctuary, and the strength will be trampled?" 8:14And he said to him: "Up to evening and morning, two thousand three hundred days: and the sanctuary will be cleansed." 8:15And it happened, when I, Daniel, was seeing the vision, and seeking understanding: behold, there stood in my sight as it were the appearance of a man.
8:16And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai: and he cried out, and said: "Gabriel, make him understand this vision." 8:17And he came, and stood beside where I was standing: and when he had come, trembling I fell on my face: and he said to me: "Understand, son of man, that in the time of the end the vision will be fulfilled." 8:18And while he was speaking to me, I collapsed face down on the ground: and he touched me, and set me in my place, and said to me: "I will show you the things which are to be in the last time of the curse: since the time has its end.
8:20The ram which you saw having horns is the king of the Medes and Persians. 8:21Further, the he-goat of the goats is the king of the Greeks; 8:21and the great horn which was between its eyes, that is the first king. 8:22But as for four arising in its place when that one was broken: four kings will rise up from his nation, but not in his strength. 8:23And after their kingdom, when iniquities have grown, there will rise up a king shameless of face, and understanding riddles; 8:24and his strength will be made firm, but not by his own powers: and beyond what can be believed, he will lay waste all things, and will prosper, and will act.
8:24And he will kill the mighty, and the people of the saints, according to his will, and guile will be guided in his hand: and he will make his heart great, and in the abundance of all things he will slay very many: and against the prince of princes he will rise up, and without a hand he will be crushed. 8:26And the vision of evening and morning which has been told is true: you therefore seal up the vision, because it will be after many days." 8:27And I, Daniel, languished, and was sick for days: and when I had risen, I was doing the king's works, and I was astounded at the vision, and there was no one to interpret it.