^{1 Ref} And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede I was on his side to make his position safe and make him strong.

^{2 Ref} And now I will make clear to you what is true. There are still three kings to come in Persia, and the fourth will have much greater wealth than all of them: and when he has become strong through his wealth, he will put his forces in motion against all the kingdoms of Greece.

^{3 Ref} And a strong king will come to power, ruling with great authority and doing whatever is his pleasure.

^{4 Ref} And when he has become strong, his kingdom will be broken and parted to the four winds of heaven; but not to his offspring, for it will be uprooted; and his kingdom will be for the others and not for these: but not with the same authority as his.

^{5 Ref} And the king of the south will be strong, but one of his captains will be stronger than he and will be ruler; and his rule will be a great rule.

^{6 Ref} And at the end of years they will be joined together; and the daughter of the king of the south will come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she will not keep the strength of her arm; and his offspring will not keep their place; but she will be uprooted, with those who were the cause of her coming, and her son, and he who took her in those times.

^{7 Ref} But out of a branch from her roots one will come up to take his place, who will come against the army, forcing his way into the strong place of the king of the north, and he will take them in hand and overcome them:

^{8 Ref} And their gods and their metal images and their fair vessels of silver and gold he will take away into the south; and for some years he will keep away from the king of the north.

⁹ And he will come into the kingdom of the king of the south, but he will go back to his land.

^{10 Ref} And his son will make war, and will get together an army of great forces, and he will make an attack on him, overflowing and going past: and he will again take the war even to his strong place.

^{11 Ref} And the king of the south will be moved with wrath, and will come out and make war on him, on this same king of the north: and he will get together a great army, but the army will be given into his hand.

^{12 Ref} And the army will be taken away, and his heart will be uplifted: he will be the cause of the downfall of tens of thousands, but he will not be strong.