In the ¹third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a second vision appeared to me, Daniel, this was two years after the one that first appeared to me. 2 I ^alooked in the vision and it seemed that I was at the citadel of ^1bSusa, the capital of Persia, which is in the province of ^cElam; and I looked in the vision and I saw myself by the Ulai Canal. 3 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there in front of the canal stood a lone ^aram (the Medo-Persian Empire) which had two horns. The two horns were high, but one (Persia) was higher than the other (Media) , and the higher one came up last. 4 I saw the ram (Medo-Persia) ^acharging westward and northward and southward; no beast could stand before him, nor was there anyone who could rescue anything from his power, but ^bhe did as he pleased and magnified himself. Dan 8:20

5 As I was observing this, behold, a male goat (Greece) was coming from the west rushing across the face of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a ^aconspicuous and remarkable horn (Alexander the Great) between his eyes. Dan 8:21 6 He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal, and charged at him in the fury of his power and wrath. 7 In my vision I saw him come close to the ram (Medo-Persia) , and he was filled with rage toward him; and the goat (Greece) struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to stand before him. So the goat threw him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly, and when ^ahe was young and strong, the ^bgreat horn (Alexander) was suddenly ¹broken; and in its place there came up four prominent horns among whom the kingdom was divided, one toward each of the ^cfour winds of heaven.

9 Out of one of them (Antiochus IV Epiphanes) came forth a rather ^asmall horn but one of irreverent presumption and profane pride which grew exceedingly powerful toward the south, toward the east, and toward the ^bBeautiful Land (Israel) . Dan 8:23 10 And in my vision this ¹horn grew up to the host of heaven, and caused some of the host and some of the ^astars to fall to the earth, and it ^btrampled on them. 11 Indeed, it ^amagnified itself to be equal with the ¹Commander of the host of heaven; and it took away from Him the ^bdaily sacrifice (burnt offering) , and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down (profaned) . 12 Because of the transgression of God’s people—their irreverence and ungodliness the host will be given over to the wicked horn, along with the regular sacrifice; and righteousness and truth will be ^aflung to the ground, and the horn will do as it pleases by divine permission and prosper. 13 Then I heard a ^aholy one (angel) speaking, and another holy one said to the one who was speaking, “^bHow much time will be required to complete the vision regarding the regular sacrifice, the transgression that brings horror, and the ^ctrampling underfoot of both the sanctuary and the host of the people?” Luke 21:24 14 He said to me, “For ^a2,300 evenings and mornings; ¹then the sanctuary will be cleansed and properly restored.”

15 When ^aI, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it; then behold, standing before me was one who looked like a ^bman. 16 And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of the Ulai, which called out and said, “^aGabriel, give this man (Daniel) an understanding of the vision.” Dan 9:21; Luke 1:19, 26 17 So he came near where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and ^afell face downward; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the fulfillment of the vision pertains to events that will occur in the ^btime of the end.”

18 Now as he (Gabriel) was speaking with me, I ^adrifted into a deep sleep (unconsciousness) with my face to the ground; but he ^btouched me and made me stand where I had stood before. 19 He said, “Behold, I am going to ^alet you know what will happen during the final time of the indignation and wrath of God upon the ungodly, for it concerns the appointed time of the end.

20 The ^aram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia.

21 The shaggy (rough-coated) male goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the great horn between his eyes is the ¹first king. 22 Regarding the ^ashattered horn and the ¹four others that arose in its place, four kingdoms will rise from his (Alexander’s) nation, although not with his power and heritage.

27 And I, Daniel, was ^aexhausted and was sick for several days. Afterward I got up and ^bcontinued with the king’s business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was no one who could explain it.