The Babylonian Exile

`And he stirreth up his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great force, and the king of the south stirreth himself up to battle with a very great and mighty force, and standeth not, for they devise devices against him,

and those eating his portion of food destroy him, and his force overfloweth, and fallen have many wounded.

`And both of the kings' hearts are to do evil, and at one table they speak lies, and it doth not prosper, for yet the end is at a time appointed.

And he turneth back to his land with great substance, and his heart is against the holy covenant, and he hath wrought, and turned back to his land.

At the appointed time he turneth back, and hath come against the south, and it is not as the former, and as the latter.

And ships of Chittim have come in against him, and he hath been pained, and hath turned back, and hath been insolent toward the holy covenant, and hath wrought, and turned back, and he understandeth concerning those forsaking the holy covenant.

And strong ones out of him stand up, and have polluted the sanctuary, the stronghold, and have turned aside the continual sacrifice , and appointed the desolating abomination.

And those acting wickedly against the covenant, he defileth by flatteries; and the people knowing their God are strong, and have wrought.

And the teachers of the people give understanding to many; and they have stumbled by sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil--days.

And in their stumbling, they are helped--a little help, and joined to them have been many with flatteries.

And some of the teachers do stumble for refining by them, and for purifying, and for making white--till the end of the time, for it is yet for a time appointed.

`And the king hath done according to his will, and exalteth himself, and magnifieth himself against every god, and against the God of gods he speaketh wonderful things, and hath prospered till the indignation hath been completed, for that which is determined hath been done.

And unto the God of his fathers he doth not attend, nor to the desire of women, yea, to any god he doth not attend, for against all he magnifieth himself.

And to the god of strongholds, on his station, he giveth honour; yea, to a god whom his fathers knew not he giveth honour, with gold, and with silver, and with precious stone, and with desirable things.

And he hath dealt in the fortresses of the strongholds with a strange god whom he hath acknowledged; he multiplieth honour, and hath caused them to rule over many, and the ground he apportioneth at a price.

`And at the time of the end, push himself forward with him doth a king of the south, and storm against him doth a king of the north, with chariot, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he hath come in to the lands, and hath overflowed, and passed over,

and hath come into the desirable land, and many do stumble, and these escape from his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the sons of Ammon.

`And he sendeth forth his hand upon the lands, and the land of Egypt is not for an escape;

and he hath ruled over treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the desirable things of Egypt, and Lubim and Cushim are at his steps.

`And reports trouble him out of the east and out of the north, and he hath gone forth in great fury to destroy, and to devote many to destruction;

and he planteth the tents of his palace between the seas and the holy desirable mountain, and hath come unto his end, and there is no helper to him.

`And at that time stand up doth Michael, the great head, who is standing up for the sons of thy people, and there hath been a time of distress, such as hath not been since there hath been a nation till that time, and at that time do thy people escape, every one who is found written in the book.

`And the multitude of those sleeping in the dust of the ground do awake, some to life age-during, and some to reproaches--to abhorrence age-during.

And those teaching do shine as the brightness of the expanse, and those justifying the multitude as stars to the age and for ever.

And thou, O Daniel, hide the things, and seal the book till the time of the end, many do go to and fro, and knowledge is multiplied.'