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In 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.
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Daniel spoke and said: I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven broke forth upon the great sea.
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And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
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The first was like a lion, and had eagle"s wings;
I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon two feet as a man, and a man"s heart was given to it.
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And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth;
and it was said thus unto it: "Arise, devour much flesh."
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After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the sides of it four wings of a fowl;
the beast had also four heads;
and dominion was given to it.
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After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly;
and it had great iron teeth;
it devoured and broke 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.
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I 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.
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I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit: his raiment was as white snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames, and the wheels thereof burning fire.
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A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him;
thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;
the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
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I beheld at that time because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke, I beheld even till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed, and it was given to be burned with fire.
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And as for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away;
yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
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I 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 he was brought near before Him.
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And 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.
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As for me Daniel, my spirit was pained in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head affrighted me.
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I 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:
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"These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, that shall arise out of the earth.
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But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever."
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Then 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;
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and 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 spoke great things, whose appearance was greater than that of its fellows.
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I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
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until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High;
and the time came, and the saints possessed the kingdom.
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Thus 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.
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And 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.
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And 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 seasons and the law;
and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.
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But the judgment shall sit, and his dominions shall be taken away, to be consumed and to be destroy unto the end.
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And 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;
their kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them."
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Here is the end of the matter.
As for me Daniel, my thoughts much affrighted me, and my countenance was changed in me;
but I kept the matter in my heart.