Daniel 7
English Standard Version
Daniel's Vision of the Four Beasts
7 In the first year of (A)Belshazzar king of Babylon, (B)Daniel saw a dream and (C)visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. 2 Daniel declared,[a] “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, (D)the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great beasts (E)came up out of the sea, different from one another. 4 The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. 5 And behold, (F)another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ 6 After this I looked, and behold, another, like a (G)leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and (H)dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, (I)terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; (J)it devoured and broke in pieces (K)and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and (L)it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and behold, (M)there came up among them another horn, a little one, (N)before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and (O)a mouth speaking great things.
The Ancient of Days Reigns
9 “As I looked,
(P)thrones were placed,
and the (Q)Ancient of Days took his seat;
(R)his clothing was white as snow,
and (S)the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames;
(T)its wheels were burning fire.
10 (U)A stream of fire issued
and came out from before him;
(V)a thousand thousands (W)served him,
(X)and ten thousand times ten thousand (Y)stood before him;
the (Z)court sat in judgment,
and (AA)the books were opened.
11 “I looked then because of the sound of (AB)the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, (AC)the beast was killed, and its body destroyed (AD)and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, (AE)their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
The Son of Man Is Given Dominion
13 “I saw in the night visions,
and (AF)behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the (AG)Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
14 (AH)And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all (AI)peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
(AJ)his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.
Daniel's Vision Interpreted
15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me[b] was anxious, and (AK)the visions of my head alarmed me. 16 I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. 17 (AL)‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. 18 But (AM)the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’
19 “Then I desired to know the truth about (AN)the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, 20 (AO)and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. 21 As I looked, this horn (AP)made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the (AQ)Ancient of Days came, and (AR)judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when (AS)the saints possessed the kingdom.
23 “Thus he said: ‘As for (AT)the fourth beast,
there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,
which shall be different from all the kingdoms,
and it shall devour the whole earth,
and trample it down, and break it to pieces.
24 As for the ten horns,
out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,
and another shall arise after them;
he shall be different from the former ones,
and shall put down three kings.
25 (AU)He shall speak words against the Most High,
and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,
and shall think to (AV)change the times and the law;
and they shall be given into his hand
for (AW)a time, times, and half a time.
26 (AX)But the court shall sit in judgment,
and (AY)his dominion shall be taken away,
to be consumed and destroyed (AZ)to the end.
27 (BA)And the kingdom and the dominion
and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven
shall be given to the people of (BB)the saints of the Most High;
(BC)his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,
and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’[c]
28 “Here is the end of the matter. (BD)As for me, Daniel, my (BE)thoughts greatly alarmed me, (BF)and my color changed, but (BG)I kept the matter in my heart.”
Footnotes
- Daniel 7:2 Aramaic answered and said
- Daniel 7:15 Aramaic within its sheath
- Daniel 7:27 Or their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them
Daniel 7
New Century Version
Daniel’s Dream About Four Animals
7 In Belshazzar’s first year as king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream. He saw visions as he was lying on his bed, and he wrote down what he had dreamed.
2 Daniel said: “I saw my vision at night. In the vision the wind was blowing from all four directions, which made the sea very rough. 3 I saw four huge animals come up from the sea, and each animal was different from the others.
4 “The first animal looked like a lion, but had wings like an eagle. I watched this animal until its wings were torn off. It was lifted from the ground so that it stood up on two feet like a human, and it was given the mind of a human.
5 “Then I saw a second animal before me that looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat all the meat you want!’
6 “After that, I looked, and there before me was another animal. This animal looked like a leopard with four wings on its back that looked like a bird’s wings. This animal had four heads and was given power to rule.
7 “After that, in my vision at night I saw in front of me a fourth animal that was cruel, terrible, and very strong. It had large iron teeth. It crushed and ate what it killed, and then it walked on whatever was left. This fourth animal was different from any animal I had seen before, and it had ten horns.
8 “While I was thinking about the horns, another horn grew up among them. It was a little horn with eyes like a human’s eyes. It also had a mouth, and the mouth was bragging. The little horn pulled out three of the other horns.
9 “As I looked,
thrones were put in their places,
and God, the Eternal One, sat on his throne.
His clothes were white like snow,
and the hair on his head was white like wool.
His throne was made from fire,
and the wheels of his throne were blazing with fire.
10 A river of fire was flowing
from in front of him.
Many thousands of angels were serving him,
and millions of angels stood before him.
Court was ready to begin,
and the books were opened.
11 “I kept on looking because the little horn was bragging. I kept watching until finally the fourth animal was killed. Its body was destroyed, and it was thrown into the burning fire. 12 (The power and rule of the other animals had been taken from them, but they were permitted to live for a certain period of time.)
13 “In my vision at night I saw in front of me someone who looked like a human being coming on the clouds in the sky. He came near God, who has been alive forever, and he was led to God. 14 He was given authority, glory, and the strength of a king. People of every tribe, nation, and language will serve him. His rule will last forever, and his kingdom will never be destroyed.
The Meaning of the Dream
15 “I, Daniel, was worried. The visions that went through my mind frightened me. 16 I came near one of those standing there and asked what all this meant.
“So he told me and explained to me what these things meant: 17 ‘The four great animals are four kingdoms that will come from the earth. 18 But the holy people who belong to the Most High God will receive the power to rule and will have the power to rule forever, from now on.’
19 “Then I wanted to know what the fourth animal meant, because it was different from all the others. It was very terrible and had iron teeth and bronze claws. It was the animal that crushed and ate what it killed and then walked on whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the little horn that grew there. It had pulled out three of the other ten horns and looked greater than the others. It had eyes and a mouth that kept bragging. 21 As I watched, the little horn began making war against God’s holy people and was defeating them 22 until God, who has been alive forever, came. He judged in favor of the holy people who belong to the Most High God; then the time came for them to receive the power to rule.
23 “And he explained this to me: ‘The fourth animal is a fourth kingdom that will come on the earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will destroy people all over the world. It will walk on and crush the whole earth. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this fourth kingdom. After those ten kings are gone, another king will come. He will be different from the kings who ruled before him, and he will defeat three of the other kings. 25 This king will speak against the Most High God, and he will hurt and kill God’s holy people. He will try to change times and laws that have already been set. The holy people that belong to God will be in that king’s power for three and one-half years.
26 “‘But the court will decide what should happen. The power of the king will be taken away, and his kingdom will be completely destroyed. 27 Then the holy people who belong to the Most High God will have the power to rule. They will rule over all the kingdoms under heaven with power and greatness, and their power to rule will last forever. People from all the other kingdoms will respect and serve them.’
28 “That was the end of the dream. I, Daniel, was very afraid. My face became white from fear, but I kept everything to myself.”
Daniel 7
King James Version
7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
9 I beheld till 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 pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
28 Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.
Daniel 7
New King James Version
Vision of the Four Beasts
7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, (A)Daniel [a]had a dream and (B)visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling [b]the main facts.
2 Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. 3 And four great beasts (C)came up from the sea, each different from the other. 4 The first was (D)like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a (E)man’s heart was given to it.
5 (F)“And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’
6 “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had (G)four heads, and dominion was given to it.
7 “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, (H)a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, (I)and it had ten horns. 8 I was considering the horns, and (J)there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes (K)of a man, (L)and a mouth speaking [c]pompous words.
Vision of the Ancient of Days
9 “I(M) watched till thrones were [d]put in place,
And (N)the Ancient of Days was seated;
(O)His garment was white as snow,
And the hair of His head was like pure wool.
His throne was a fiery flame,
(P)Its wheels a burning fire;
10 (Q)A fiery stream issued
And came forth from before Him.
(R)A thousand thousands ministered to Him;
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
(S)The [e]court was seated,
And the books were opened.
11 “I watched then because of the sound of the [f]pompous words which the horn was speaking; (T)I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
13 “I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, (U)One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
14 (V)Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all (W)peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is (X)an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.
Daniel’s Visions Interpreted
15 “I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit [g]within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. 16 I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘Those great beasts, which are four, are four [h]kings which arise out of the earth. 18 But (Y)the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’
19 “Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; 20 and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke [i]pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.
21 “I was watching; (Z)and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, (AA)and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.
23 “Thus he said:
‘The fourth beast shall be
(AB)A fourth kingdom on earth,
Which shall be different from all other kingdoms,
And shall devour the whole earth,
Trample it and break it in pieces.
24 (AC)The ten horns are ten kings
Who shall arise from this kingdom.
And another shall rise after them;
He shall be different from the first ones,
And shall subdue three kings.
25 (AD)He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall (AE)persecute[j] the saints of the Most High,
And shall (AF)intend to change times and law.
Then (AG)the saints shall be given into his hand
(AH)For a time and times and half a time.
26 ‘But(AI) the court shall be seated,
And they shall (AJ)take away his dominion,
To consume and destroy it forever.
27 Then the (AK)kingdom and dominion,
And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.
(AL)His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
(AM)And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’
28 “This is the end of the [k]account. As for me, Daniel, (AN)my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed; but I (AO)kept the matter in my heart.”
Footnotes
- Daniel 7:1 Lit. saw
- Daniel 7:1 Lit. the head or chief of the words
- Daniel 7:8 Lit. great things
- Daniel 7:9 Or set up
- Daniel 7:10 Or judgment
- Daniel 7:11 Lit. great
- Daniel 7:15 Lit. in the midst of its sheath
- Daniel 7:17 Representing their kingdoms, v. 23
- Daniel 7:20 Lit. great things
- Daniel 7:25 Lit. wear out
- Daniel 7:28 Lit. word
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.