1-2Men lad mig nu fortælle dig, hvad der skal ske i fremtiden. Efter at endnu tre konger har regeret i Persien, skal en fjerde træde frem, som er meget rigere end nogen af de andre. Med sin rigdom og magt vil han sætte alt ind i kampen mod det græske rige.3Derefter kommer en mægtig konge til magten i Grækenland, og han får magt til at gøre fuldstændig, som han vil.4Men når hans magt er på sit højeste, sprænges hans rige og deles i fire svagere riger, som hverken tilfalder hans efterkommere eller bliver så stærke, som da han regerede. Han mister sin magt fuldstændigt, og hans storrige bliver delt.5Den ene af de fire nye konger, den egyptiske, vil opnå stor magt. Men så gør en af hans egne ledere oprør imod ham, tager magten i riget og gør det endnu stærkere.6Nogle år senere slutter kongen af Aram forbund med kongen af Egypten.[1] Den egyptiske kongedatter bliver gift med den aramæiske konge for at besegle samarbejdet. Men hun vil blive forstødt, og hun selv, hendes mand, hendes barn[2] og deres egyptiske tjenere mister livet.7Kort efter overtager en af hendes slægtninge magten i Egypten, og han drager med sin hær mod den aramæiske konge, stormer hans fæstning, og vinder over hans hær.8Egyptens konge hjemfører endog deres afgudsbilleder som krigsbytte tillige med deres kostbare sølv- og guldkar. Derefter lader han i lang tid den aramæiske konge være i fred.9Senere gør den aramæiske konge et fremstød imod Egypten, men må hurtigt trække sig tilbage til sit eget territorium.10Hans sønner tager derefter kampen op og samler en stor hær, der skyller ind over Egypten som en flodbølge, der når helt frem til kongens fæstning.11Det gør kongen rasende, så han rykker ud mod den aramæiske konge, der trods sin store hær bliver slået.12Efter sejren nedslagter den egyptiske konge tusindvis af sine fjender. Men sejrsrusen varer ikke ved,13for nogle år efter samler den aramæiske konge en større og bedre udrustet hær end den første,14og andre nationer slutter sig til ham i kampen imod Egyptens konge. Krigere fra dit eget folk vil søge at opfylde det profetiske syn ved at gøre oprør mod Egyptens overherredømme, men de bliver slået.15Den aramæiske konge vil belejre en stærkt befæstet by[3] og indtage den. Selv Egyptens bedste krigere kan ikke stå sig i kampen.16Den aramæiske konge marcherer derefter frem uden at møde modstand, ingen kan standse ham. Han overtager kontrollen med Israels herlige land.17Hans plan er at angribe Egypten med hele sin hærstyrke. Derfor indgår han en fredsaftale med den egyptiske konge og giver ham sin datter til ægte med det formål at ødelægge ham, men hans planer mislykkes.18Så vender han opmærksomheden mod landene langs Middelhavets kyst og erobrer en del af dem. Men en hærfører standser ham og gør ende på hans overmod ved at besejre ham i et knusende nederlag.19Derefter trækker han sig tilbage til sit eget lands fæstninger, men han bliver besejret og forsvinder ud af billedet.20Hans efterfølger vil opkræve skatter i de besatte områder, men efter en kort regeringsperiode dør han, dog ikke i krig eller åben kamp.21Den næste, der kommer til magten, er en ondsindet person, som ikke er den retmæssige tronfølger. Han tilraner sig pludselig magten ved hjælp af intriger og løgn.22Enhver, der modsætter sig ham, ryddes af vejen, også en af ypperstepræsterne.23Han indgår alliancer, men føler sig ikke selv bundet af dem. Ved hjælp af nogle få lydige håndlangere får han mere og mere magt.24Han gør noget, som ingen af hans forfædre kunne finde på: Uden varsel plyndrer han sit eget lands rigeste områder og deler byttet ud til sine håndlangere. Selv de stærkeste fæstninger har han planer om at indtage, dog kun for en tid.25Han samler sine styrker og sit mod og rykker ud mod Egypten med en mægtig hær. Egyptens konge går imod ham, også med en mægtig hær, men kan ikke slå ham, for han bliver offer for intriger.26Hans egne rådgivere modarbejder ham, en del af hæren deserterer, og mange bliver dræbt under flugten.27De to konger har begge ondt i sinde. De mødes og forhandler, men lyver for hinanden. De får intet ud af det, for det er Gud, der har fastsat, hvad der skal ske.28Da den aramæiske konge er på vej hjem med store rigdomme, lader han sine frustrationer gå ud over Israels folk, som Gud har indgået en pagt med.29Senere, når tiden er inde, drager han igen mod Egypten, men denne gang går det ikke som sidst.30Krigsskibe der kommer ned fra Kittim,[4] angriber ham, og han bliver bange og vender om. Han lader så igen sin frustration gå ud over Israels folk og belønner dem, der frasiger sig pagten med Gud.31Han sætter sin hær til at vanhellige templet, standse de daglige ofre og opstille et afskyeligt afgudsbillede på tempelområdet.32Med smiger lokker han de frafaldne over på sin side. Men de, som kender deres Gud, står fast og handler på deres overbevisning.33De ledere, som har åndelig indsigt, vil undervise mange, men må i en periode lide under forfølgelse, blive udplyndret og fængslet eller dræbt med sværd eller ild.34Nogle få blandt befolkningen vil oprigtigt prøve at hjælpe dem, men mange andre vil slutte sig til dem for at udspionere dem.35Nogle af lederne vil blive fristet til at give op. Men modgangen vil resultere i, at de bliver renset og lutret inden afslutningen. Men den fastsatte tid for afslutningen kommer først senere.
Den store spotter i endetiden
36Nordens konge[5] gør præcis, som han vil. Han udnævner hovmodigt sig selv til at være den højeste gud og taler hånligt imod den almægtige Gud. En tid har han lykken med sig, men kun indtil Guds straf over Israels folk har nået sit mål, for det Gud har fastsat, må nødvendigvis ske.37Kongen forkaster både sine forfædres guder, kvindernes foretrukne gud og alle andre guder, og han hævder, at han er større end dem alle.38I stedet dyrker han fæstningsværkernes gud, som hans forfædre ikke kendte til, og han ofrer guld, sølv, juveler og andre kostbare gaver til den.39Ved hjælp af denne fremmede gud vil han angribe og nedbryde sine fjenders største fæstninger. Dem, der støtter ham, giver han ære og høje positioner, og han giver dem land som belønning.40-41I verdenshistoriens afsluttende fase prøver sydens konge kræfter med ham. Men nordens konge stormer imod ham med mængder af vogne, ryttere og krigsskibe. Han besætter mange lande og løber dem aldeles over ende—det gælder også Israel, det herlige land—mens Edom, Moab og Ammons ledere undslipper.42Egypten og mange andre nationer bukker under for ham.43Han tilraner sig alle Egyptens kostbarheder, guld- og sølvskatte, og folk fra Libyen og Kush[6] bliver hans tjenere.44Men da kommer der meldinger fra øst og nord, som gør ham bange, og i stor vrede drager han af sted for at ødelægge mange af disse lande.45Så gør han holdt og slår lejr mellem havene[7] tæt ved tempelbjerget i Jerusalem. Men han går sin undergang i møde, og da er der ingen, som vil hjælpe ham.
1“And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him. (Dan 9,1)2“And now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. (Dan 10,21)3Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. (Dan 7,6; Dan 8,4; Dan 8,5; Dan 8,21; Dan 11,16; Dan 11,36)4And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these. (Salm 109,13; Dan 7,2; Dan 8,8; Dan 8,22)5“Then the king of the south shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he and shall rule, and his authority shall be a great authority. (Dan 7,6)6After some years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and her attendants, he who fathered her, and he who supported[1] her in those times. (Dan 11,23)7“And from a branch from her roots one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of the north, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail. (Dan 11,10; Dan 11,19; Dan 11,38)8He shall also carry off to Egypt their gods with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold, and for some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north. (Dan 11,43)9Then the latter shall come into the realm of the king of the south but shall return to his own land.10“His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming and overflow and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress. (Es 8,8; Dan 11,7; Dan 11,26; Dan 11,40)11Then the king of the south, moved with rage, shall come out and fight against the king of the north. And he shall raise a great multitude, but it shall be given into his hand. (Dan 8,7; Dan 11,13)12And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail.13For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude, greater than the first. And after some years[2] he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies. (Dan 4,16; Dan 11,11)14“In those times many shall rise against the king of the south, and the violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail. (Dan 11,19; Dan 11,33)15Then the king of the north shall come and throw up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, or even his best troops, for there shall be no strength to stand. (Ez 4,2)16But he who comes against him shall do as he wills, and none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in the glorious land, with destruction in his hand. (Josva 10,8; Dan 8,9; Dan 11,3; Dan 11,36; Dan 11,41)17He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom,[3] but it shall not stand or be to his advantage. (Jer 42,15)18Afterward he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed,[4] he shall turn his insolence back upon him. (Hos 12,14)19Then he shall turn his face back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found. (Job 20,8; Salm 37,36; Jer 46,6; Ez 26,21; Dan 11,7; Dan 11,10; Dan 11,38)20“Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an exactor of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle. (Es 60,17; Zak 9,8)21In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. (Dan 11,24; Dan 11,34)22Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. (Jer 46,7; Dan 11,10)23And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people.24Without warning he shall come into the richest parts[5] of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers’ fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. (1.Mos 27,28; 1.Mos 27,39; Dan 11,21)25And he shall stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. (Dan 8,9)26Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. (Dan 11,10; Dan 11,40)27And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed. (Dan 11,35)28And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land.29“At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before.30For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. (1.Mos 10,4; 4.Mos 24,24; Dan 11,28)31Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. (Dan 8,13; Dan 12,11; Matt 24,15; Mark 13,14)32He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.33And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. (Dan 12,3; Dan 12,10)34When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery,35and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time. (Dan 11,27; Dan 11,40; Mal 3,3; Åb 7,14)36“And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. (5.Mos 10,17; Es 10,25; Dan 7,25; Dan 8,12; Dan 9,27; Dan 11,3; Dan 11,16; 2.Thess 2,4; Åb 13,5)37He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all. (Dan 11,36)38He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. (Joel 3,5)39He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price.[6] (Klag 5,2; Klag 5,6)40“At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack[7] him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through. (Dan 11,10; Dan 11,26; Dan 11,27; Dan 11,35; Zak 9,14)41He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites. (Es 11,14; Dan 8,9; Dan 11,16)42He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.43He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train. (2.Krøn 12,3; Ez 30,4; Nah 3,9)44But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction.45And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.