After you there will be another empire, not as great as yours, and after that a third, an empire of bronze, which will rule the whole earth.

While I was wondering what this meant, a goat came rushing out of the west, moving so fast that his feet didn't touch the ground. He had one prominent horn between his eyes.

I watched him attack the ram. He was so angry that he smashed into him and broke the two horns. The ram had no strength to resist. He was thrown to the ground and trampled on, and there was no one who could save him.

He said, "Do you know why I came to you? It is to reveal to you what is written in the Book of Truth. Now I have to go back and fight the guardian angel of Persia. After that the guardian angel of Greece will appear. There is no one to help me except Michael, Israel's guardian angel.

"Then a heroic king will appear. He will rule over a huge empire and do whatever he wants.

"The king of Egypt will be strong. One of his generals, however, will be even stronger and rule a greater kingdom.

Soon afterward one of her relatives will become king. He will attack the army of the king of Syria, enter their fortress, and defeat them.

the king of Syria will invade Egypt, but he will be forced to retreat.

In his anger the king of Egypt will go to war against the king of Syria and capture his huge army.

"The king of Syria will go back and gather a larger army than he had before. When the proper time comes, he will return with a large, well-equipped army.

So the king of Syria will lay siege to a fortified city and capture it. The soldiers of Egypt will not continue to fight; even the best of them will not have enough strength.

"The king of Syria will plan an expedition, using his whole army. Then, in order to destroy his enemy's kingdom, he will make an alliance with him and offer him his daughter in marriage; but his plan will not succeed.

The king will return to the fortresses of his own land, but he will be defeated, and that will be the end of him.

So I will attack you like a lion. Like a leopard I will lie in wait along your path.

The beast looked like a leopard, with feet like a bear's feet and a mouth like a lion's mouth. The dragon gave the beast his own power, his throne, and his vast authority.

The first one looked like a lion, but had wings like an eagle. While I was watching, the wings were torn off. The beast was lifted up and made to stand up straight. And then a human mind was given to it.

to let them know what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying to them: There was a giant eagle with beautiful feathers and huge wings, spread wide. He flew to the Lebanon Mountains and broke off the top of a cedar tree,

The goat grew more and more arrogant, but at the height of his power his horn was broken. In its place four prominent horns came up, each pointing in a different direction.

The four horns that came up when the first horn was broken represent the four kingdoms into which that nation will be divided and which will not be as strong as the first kingdom.

But at the height of his power his empire will break up and be divided into four parts. Kings not descended from him will rule in his place, but they will not have the power that he had.

After a number of years the king of Egypt will make an alliance with the king of Syria and give him his daughter in marriage. But the alliance will not last, and she, her husband, her child, and the servants who went with her will all be killed.

He will carry back to Egypt the images of their gods and the articles of gold and silver dedicated to those gods. After several years of peace

"The sons of the king of Syria will prepare for war and gather a large army. One of them will sweep on like a flood and attack an enemy fortress.

He will be proud of his victory and of the many soldiers he has killed, but he will not continue to be victorious.

Then many people will rebel against the king of Egypt. And some violent people from your nation, Daniel, will rebel because of a vision they have seen, but they will be defeated.

The Syrian invader will do with them as he pleases, without opposition. He will stand in the Promised Land and have it completely in his power.

After that he will attack the nations by the sea and conquer many of them. But a foreign leader will defeat him and put an end to his arrogance; indeed he will turn the arrogance of Syria's king back on him.

"He will be followed by another king, who will send an officer to oppress the people with taxes in order to increase the wealth of his kingdom. In a short time that king will be killed, but not publicly and not in battle."