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In the firstyear of Belshazzarking of BabylonDanielhad a dream and visions of his headupon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
2Danielspake and said, I saw in my visionbynight, and, behold, the fourwinds of the heavenstrove upon the greatsea.
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And fourgreatbeasts came upfrom the sea, diverseonefromanother.
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The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheldtill the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted upfrom the earth, and made standupon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
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And beholdanotherbeast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on oneside, and it had threeribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they saidthus unto it, Arise, devourmuchflesh.
6Afterthis I beheld, and loanother, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it fourwings of a fowl; the beast had also fourheads; and dominion was given to it.
7Afterthis I saw in the nightvisions, and behold a fourthbeast, dreadful and terrible, and strongexceedingly; and it had greatironteeth: itdevoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diversefromall the beasts that were beforeit; and it had tenhorns.
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I considered the horns, and, behold, there came upamong them anotherlittlehorn, before whom there were threeof the firsthorns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in thishorn were eyes like the eyesofman, and a mouthspeaking great things.
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I beheldtill the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the purewool: his throne was like the fieryflame, and his wheels as burningfire.
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A fierystreamissued and came forthfrombefore him: thousandthousandsministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousandstoodbefore him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
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I beheldthenbecause of the voice of the greatwords which the hornspake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his bodydestroyed, and given to the burningflame.
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As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolongedfor a season and time.
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I saw in the nightvisions, and, behold, one like the Son of mancamewith the clouds of heaven, and cameto the Ancient of days, and they brought him nearbefore him.
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And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that allpeople, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlastingdominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
15IDaniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my headtroubled me.
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I came nearuntooneof them that stood by, and askedhim the truthofallthis. So he told me, and made me know the interpretationof the things.
17Thesegreatbeasts, which are four, are fourkings, which shall arise out of the earth.
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But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdomforever, even forever and ever.
19Then I would know the truthof the fourthbeast, which wasdiversefromall the others, exceedingdreadful, whose teeth were ofiron, and his nailsofbrass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
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And of the tenhornsthat were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom threefell; even ofthathornthat had eyes, and a mouththatspake very great things, whose look was morestoutthan his fellows.
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I beheld, and the samehornmadewarwith the saints, and prevailed against them;
22Until the Ancient of dayscame, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the timecame that the saintspossessed the kingdom.
23Thus he said, The fourthbeast shall be the fourthkingdom upon earth, which shall bediversefromallkingdoms, and shall devour the wholeearth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
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And the tenhorns out of this kingdom are tenkings that shall arise: and another shall riseafter them; and he shall be diversefrom the first, and he shall subduethreekings.
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And he shall speak great wordsagainst the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to changetimes and laws: and they shall be given into his handuntil a time and times and the dividing of time.
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But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
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And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdomunder the wholeheaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlastingkingdom, and alldominions shall serve and obey him.
28Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for meDaniel, my cogitationsmuchtroubledme, and my countenancechanged in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.