1I kong Belshazzars tredje regeringsår[1] fik jeg, Daniel, en ny drøm med endnu et syn.2I drømmesynet fandt jeg mig selv stående ved Ulaj-kanalen i den befæstede by Susa i provinsen Elam.3Da jeg så mig omkring, opdagede jeg ved bredden af kanalen en vædder med to lange horn. Det ene horn voksede og blev større end det andet.4Vædderen stangede mod vest, mod nord og mod syd, og ingen kunne holde stand imod den eller redde dens ofre. Den gjorde, som det passede den, og fik stor magt.5Så kom der pludselig en gedebuk med et mægtigt horn i panden farende fra vest med en sådan fart, at dens klove ikke rørte jorden.6Med rasende fart styrede den lige imod den tohornede vædder, som stod ved bredden af kanalen,7og jeg så, hvordan den rasende buk stødte frontalt ind i vædderen med en sådan kraft, at vædderens to horn brækkede af. Vædderen kunne ikke klare sig imod gedebukken, men blev kastet om på jorden og trampet ned, uden at nogen kunne redde den.8Derefter voksede gedebukken og blev endnu stærkere. Men da den var allerstærkest, brækkede dens store horn af, og i stedet voksede fire mindre horn frem, der pegede mod hver sit verdenshjørne.9Fra det ene af hornene voksede et andet horn frem. Det blev meget stærkt og udbredte sin magt mod syd og mod øst og mod Israels land.10Det voksede helt op til stjernehimlen og slyngede nogle af himlens hære[2] til jorden og trampede på dem.11-12Det satte sig op imod anføreren for himlens hære og standsede de daglige ofringer til Guds ære. Det vanhelligede templet med urene ofre og bekæmpede Guds folk.[3] Sandheden blev undertrykt, og ondskaben havde fremgang.13Da hørte jeg to af de hellige engle tale sammen. Den ene spurgte: „Hvor længe vil de daglige offerhandlinger være ophævet og erstattet af afskyeligheder? Hvor længe vil templet være vanhelliget og Guds folk undertrykt?”14Hertil svarede den anden engel: „Efter 2300 dage skal templet igen komme til sin ret.”
Betydningen af drømmesynet
15Mens jeg prøvede at forstå, hvad synet betød, kom en, der lignede et menneske, hen imod mig,16og jeg hørte en menneskestemme råbe fra den anden side af kanalen: „Gabriel, forklar den mand, hvad synet betyder!”17Da Gabriel kom hen til mig, blev jeg så overvældet af rædsel, at jeg faldt om med ansigtet mod jorden. Så sagde han til mig: „Du må forstå, unge mand, at det, du her har set, vil ske i de sidste tider.”18Mens han talte til mig, lå jeg som bedøvet med ansigtet mod jorden. Men han rørte ved mig og hjalp mig på benene.19Derpå sagde han: „Jeg er kommet for at fortælle dig, hvad der skal ske i de sidste tider, når Gud udfører sin straf. Det vil alt sammen ske en gang i fremtiden, på den tid Gud har fastsat.”20„Vædderens to horn, som du så, er kongerne af Medien og Persien.21Gedebukken er det græske storrige, og det lange horn i dens pande symboliserer storrigets første konge.22At hornet blev brækket af og erstattet med fire mindre horn, betyder, at storriget vil blive delt op i fire mindre riger med hver sin konge.23Mod slutningen af disse fire rigers tid, når deres ondskab er på sit højeste, vil en brutal og bedragerisk konge komme til magten.24Han vil få stor magt, men ikke ved egen kraft. Han har heldet med sig og skaber store ødelæggelser. Han vil overvinde mægtige fjender og undertrykke Guds folk.25Hans ondskabsfulde planer vil lykkes, og det vil gøre ham stolt. Uden varsel vil han styrte mange i ulykke, og han vil ikke vige tilbage for at gå imod Fyrsten over alle fyrster! Men så vil han blive styrtet i ulykke, dog ikke af noget menneske.[4]26Som du allerede hørte i synet vil der gå 2300 dage,[5] før ofringerne i templet genindføres. Skriv synet ned og luk skriftrullen med segl, for det varer længe, før det vil ske.”27Efter dette syn var jeg helt slået ud og lå syg i lang tid. Til sidst stod jeg op og genoptog mit arbejde i kongens tjeneste, men jeg var stadig rædselsslagen over synet og forstod ikke betydningen af det.
1In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. (Dan 5,1; Dan 7,1)2And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. (Neh 1,1; Es 11,11; Ez 1,1; Dan 8,16)3I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. (Dan 8,20)4I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great. (5.Mos 33,17; Ez 34,21; Dan 3,15; Dan 7,17; Dan 8,7; Dan 8,8; Dan 11,3; Dan 11,16; Dan 11,36)5As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. (Dan 8,21)6He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. (Job 15,26; Dan 8,20)7I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. (Salm 7,5; Dan 8,4; Dan 11,11)8Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. (Dan 7,2; Dan 8,4; Dan 8,5)9Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. (Salm 48,2; Ez 20,6; Ez 20,15; Dan 7,8; Dan 11,16; Dan 11,25; Dan 11,41)10It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some[1] of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. (Es 14,13; Dan 8,7; Dan 11,28; Åb 12,4)11It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. (Josva 5,14; Dan 8,25; Dan 11,31; Dan 11,36; Dan 12,11)12And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression,[2] and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper. (Dan 8,24; Dan 11,28; Dan 11,30)13Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” (Dan 4,13; Dan 9,21; Dan 11,31; Dan 12,6; Åb 6,10)14And he said to me,[3] “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.” (Dan 8,26)
The Interpretation of the Vision
15When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. (Ez 1,26; Dan 7,13; Dan 10,16; Dan 10,18; 1.Pet 1,10; Åb 1,13)16And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” (Dan 8,2; Dan 9,21; Dan 12,5; Luk 1,19; Luk 1,26)17So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.” (Ez 1,28; Ez 2,1; Dan 8,19; Dan 11,27; Dan 11,35; Dan 11,40; Dan 12,4; Dan 12,9; Luk 1,12)18And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up. (Dan 9,21; Dan 10,9; Dan 10,10; Dan 10,18; Luk 9,32)19He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. (Salm 102,13; Dan 8,17; Dan 11,36)20As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. (Dan 6,8; Dan 8,3)21And the goat[4] is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. (Dan 8,5; Dan 10,20; Dan 11,3)22As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his[5] nation, but not with his power. (Dan 8,8; Dan 8,24)23And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise.24His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. (Dan 7,21; Dan 8,12; Dan 11,28; Dan 11,30; Åb 17,17)25By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. (Dan 2,34; Dan 8,11; Dan 11,21; Dan 11,23; Dan 11,24)26The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.” (Dan 8,14; Dan 10,1; Dan 10,14; Dan 12,4; Dan 12,9)27And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it. (Dan 7,28; Dan 8,16)