The Bible, Douay-Rheims Part 572

7:24. And the ten horns of the same kingdom, shall be ten kings: and another shall rise up after them, and he shall be mightier than the former, and he shall bring down three kings.

7:25. And he shall speak words against the High One, and shall crush the saints of the most High: and he shall think himself able to change times and laws, and they shall be delivered into his hand until a time, and times, and half a time.

A time, and times, and half a time... That is, three years and a half; which is supposed to be the length of the duration of the persecution of Antichrist.

7:26. And a judgment shall sit, that his power may be taken away, and be broken in pieces, and perish even to the end.

7:27. And that the kingdom, and power, and the greatness of the kingdom, under the whole heaven, may be given to the people of the saints of the most High: whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all kings shall serve him, and shall obey him.

7:28. Hitherto is the end of the word. I, Daniel, was much troubled with my thoughts, and my countenance was changed in me: but I kept the word in my heart.

Daniel Chapter 8

Daniel's vision of the ram and the he goat interpreted by the angel Gabriel.

8:1. In the third year of the reign of king Baltasar, a vision appeared to me. I, Daniel, after what I had seen in the beginning,

8:2. Saw in my vision when I was in the castle of Susa, which is in the province of Elam: and I saw in the vision that I was over the gate of Ulai.

8:3. And I lifted up my eyes, and saw: and behold a ram stood before the water, having two high horns, and one higher than the other, and growing up. Afterward

A ram... The empire of the Medes and Persians.

8:4. I saw the ram pushing with his horns against the west, and against the north, and against the south: and no beasts could withstand him, nor be delivered out of his hand: and he did according to his own will, and became great.

8:5. And I understood: and behold a he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and he touched not the ground, and the he goat had a notable horn between his eyes.

A he goat... The empire of the Greeks, or Macedonians. Ibid. He touched not the ground... He conquered all before him, with so much rapidity, that he seemed rather to fly, than to walk upon the earth.-Ibid. A notable horn... Alexander the Great.

8:6. And he went up to the ram that had the horns, which I had seen standing before the gate, and he ran towards him in the force of his strength.

8:7. And when he was come near the ram, he was enraged against him, and struck the ram: and broke his two horns, and the ram cound not withstand him: and when he had cast him down on the ground, he stamped upon him, and none could deliver the ram out of his hand.

8:8. And the he goat became exceeding great: and when he was grown, the great horn was broken, and there came up four horns under it towards the four winds of heaven.

Four horns... Seleucus, Antigonus, Philip, and Ptolemeus, the successors of Alexander, who divided his empire among them.

8:9. And out of one of them came forth a little horn: and it became great against the south, and against the east, and against the strength.

A little horn... Antiochus Epiphanes, a descendant of Seleucus. He grew against the south, and the east, by his victories over the kings of Egypt and Armenia: and against the strength, that is, against Jerusalem and the people of G.o.d.

8:10. And it was magnified even unto the strength of heaven: and it threw down of the strength, and of the stars, and trod upon them.

Unto the strength of heaven... or, against the strength of heaven. So are here called the army of the Jews, the people of G.o.d.

8:11. And it was magnified even to the prince of the strength: and it took away from him the continual sacrifice, and cast down the place of his sanctuary.

8:12. And strength was given him against the continual sacrifice, because of sins: and truth shall be cast down on the ground, and he shall do and shall prosper.

8:13. And I heard one of the saints speaking, and one saint said to another I know not to whom, that was speaking: How long shall be the vision, concerning the continual sacrifice, and the sin of the desolation that is made: and the sanctuary, and the strength be trodden under foot?

8:14. And he said to him: Unto evening and morning two thousand three hundred days: and the sanctuary shall be cleansed.

Unto evening and morning two thousand three hundred days... That is, six years and almost four months: which was the whole time from the beginning of the persecution of Antiochus till his death.

8:15. And it came to pa.s.s when I, Daniel, saw the vision, and sought the meaning, that behold there stood before me as it were the appearance of a man.

8:16. And I heard the voice of a man between Ulai: and he called, and said: Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.

8:17. And he came, and stood near where I stood: and when he was come, I fell on my face, trembling, and he said to me: Understand, O son of man, for in the time of the end the vision shall be fulfilled.

8:18. And when he spoke to me, I fell flat on the ground: and he touched me, and set me upright.

8:19. And he said to me: I will shew thee what things are to come to pa.s.s in the end of the malediction: for the time hath its end.

8:20. The ram, which thou sawest with horns, is the king of the Medes and Persians.

8:21. And the he goat, is the king of the Greeks, and the great horn that was between his eyes, the same is the first king.

8:22. But whereas when that was borken, there arose up four for it, four kings shall rise up of his nation, but not with his strength.

8:23. And after their reign, when iniquities shall be grown up, there shall arise a king of a shameless face, and understanding dark sentences.

8:24. And his power shall be strengthened, but not by his own force: and he shall lay all things waste, and shall prosper, and do more than can be believed. And he shall destroy the mighty, and the people of the saints,

8:25. According to his will, and craft shall be successful in his hand: and his heart shall be puffed up, and in the abundance of all things he shall kill many: and he shall rise up aginst the prince of princes, and shall be broken without hand.

8:26. And the vision of the evening and the morning, which was told, is true: thou, therefore, seal up the vision, because it shall come to pa.s.s after many days.

8:27. And I, Daniel, languished, and was sick for some days: and when I was risen up, I did the king's business, and I was astonished at the vision, and there was none that could interpret it.

Daniel Chapter 9

Daniel's confession and prayer: Gabriel informs him concerning the seventy weeks to the coming of Christ.

9:1. In the first year of Darius, the son of a.s.suerus, of the seed of the Medes, who reigned over the kingdom of the Chaldeans:

9:2. The first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by books the number of the years, concerning which the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, the prophet, that seventy years should be accomplished of the desolation of Jerusalem.

9:3. And I set my face to the Lord, my G.o.d, to pray and make supplication with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.

9:4. And I prayed to the Lord, my G.o.d, and I made my confession, and said: I beseech thee, O Lord G.o.d, great and terrible, who keepest the covenant, and mercy to them that love thee, and keep thy commandments.

9:5. We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly, and have revolted: and we have gone aside from thy commandments, and thy judgments.

9:6. We have not hearkened to thy servants, the prophets, that have spoken in thy name to our kings, to our princes, to our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

9:7. To thee, O Lord, justice: but to us confusion of face, as at this day to the men of Juda, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, to them that are near, and to them that are far off, in all the countries whither thou hast driven them, for their iniquities, by which they have sinned against thee.