Add parallel Print Page Options

Kings of the South and North

“Now then, I will reveal the truth to you. Three more Persian kings will reign, to be succeeded by a fourth, far richer than the others. He will use his wealth to stir up everyone to fight against the kingdom of Greece.[a]

“Then a mighty king will rise to power who will rule with great authority and accomplish everything he sets out to do. But at the height of his power, his kingdom will be broken apart and divided into four parts. It will not be ruled by the king’s descendants, nor will the kingdom hold the authority it once had. For his empire will be uprooted and given to others.

“The king of the south will increase in power, but one of his own officials will become more powerful than he and will rule his kingdom with great strength.

“Some years later an alliance will be formed between the king of the north and the king of the south. The daughter of the king of the south will be given in marriage to the king of the north to secure the alliance, but she will lose her influence over him, and so will her father. She will be abandoned along with her supporters. But when one of her relatives[b] becomes king of the south, he will raise an army and enter the fortress of the king of the north and defeat him. When he returns to Egypt, he will carry back their idols with him, along with priceless articles of gold and silver. For some years afterward he will leave the king of the north alone.

“Later the king of the north will invade the realm of the king of the south but will soon return to his own land. 10 However, the sons of the king of the north will assemble a mighty army that will advance like a flood and carry the battle as far as the enemy’s fortress.

11 “Then, in a rage, the king of the south will rally against the vast forces assembled by the king of the north and will defeat them. 12 After the enemy army is swept away, the king of the south will be filled with pride and will execute many thousands of his enemies. But his success will be short lived.

13 “A few years later the king of the north will return with a fully equipped army far greater than before. 14 At that time there will be a general uprising against the king of the south. Violent men among your own people will join them in fulfillment of this vision, but they will not succeed. 15 Then the king of the north will come and lay siege to a fortified city and capture it. The best troops of the south will not be able to stand in the face of the onslaught.

16 “The king of the north will march onward unopposed; none will be able to stop him. He will pause in the glorious land of Israel,[c] intent on destroying it. 17 He will make plans to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will form an alliance with the king of the south. He will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom from within, but his plan will fail.

18 “After this, he will turn his attention to the coastland and conquer many cities. But a commander from another land will put an end to his insolence and cause him to retreat in shame. 19 He will take refuge in his own fortresses but will stumble and fall and be seen no more.

20 “His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. But after a very brief reign, he will die, though not from anger or in battle.

21 “The next to come to power will be a despicable man who is not in line for royal succession. He will slip in when least expected and take over the kingdom by flattery and intrigue. 22 Before him great armies will be swept away, including a covenant prince. 23 With deceitful promises, he will make various alliances. He will become strong despite having only a handful of followers. 24 Without warning he will enter the richest areas of the land. Then he will distribute among his followers the plunder and wealth of the rich—something his predecessors had never done. He will plot the overthrow of strongholds, but this will last for only a short while.

25 “Then he will stir up his courage and raise a great army against the king of the south. The king of the south will go to battle with a mighty army, but to no avail, for there will be plots against him. 26 His own household will cause his downfall. His army will be swept away, and many will be killed. 27 Seeking nothing but each other’s harm, these kings will plot against each other at the conference table, attempting to deceive each other. But it will make no difference, for the end will come at the appointed time.

28 “The king of the north will then return home with great riches. On the way he will set himself against the people of the holy covenant, doing much damage before continuing his journey.

29 “Then at the appointed time he will once again invade the south, but this time the result will be different. 30 For warships from western coastlands[d] will scare him off, and he will withdraw and return home. But he will vent his anger against the people of the holy covenant and reward those who forsake the covenant.

31 “His army will take over the Temple fortress, pollute the sanctuary, put a stop to the daily sacrifices, and set up the sacrilegious object that causes desecration.[e] 32 He will flatter and win over those who have violated the covenant. But the people who know their God will be strong and will resist him.

33 “Wise leaders will give instruction to many, but these teachers will die by fire and sword, or they will be jailed and robbed. 34 During these persecutions, little help will arrive, and many who join them will not be sincere. 35 And some of the wise will fall victim to persecution. In this way, they will be refined and cleansed and made pure until the time of the end, for the appointed time is still to come.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 11:2 Hebrew of Javan.
  2. 11:7 Hebrew a branch from her roots.
  3. 11:16 Hebrew the glorious land.
  4. 11:30 Hebrew from Kittim.
  5. 11:31 Hebrew the abomination of desolation.

The Kings of the South and the North

“Now then, I tell you the truth:(A) Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.(B) Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases.(C) After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven.(D) It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted(E) and given to others.

“The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power[a] will not last. In those days she will be betrayed, together with her royal escort and her father[b] and the one who supported her.

“One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North(F) and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. He will also seize their gods,(G) their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt.(H) For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country. 10 His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood(I) and carry the battle as far as his fortress.

11 “Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated.(J) 12 When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant. 13 For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped.

14 “In those times many will rise against the king of the South. Those who are violent among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success. 15 Then the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps(K) and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. 16 The invader will do as he pleases;(L) no one will be able to stand against him.(M) He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it.(N) 17 He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans[c] will not succeed(O) or help him. 18 Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands(P) and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him.(Q) 19 After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall,(R) to be seen no more.(S)

20 “His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor.(T) In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle.

21 “He will be succeeded by a contemptible(U) person who has not been given the honor of royalty.(V) He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. 22 Then an overwhelming army will be swept away(W) before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed.(X) 23 After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully,(Y) and with only a few people he will rise to power. 24 When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers.(Z) He will plot the overthrow of fortresses—but only for a time.

25 “With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. 26 Those who eat from the king’s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. 27 The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil,(AA) will sit at the same table and lie(AB) to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time.(AC) 28 The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country.

29 “At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. 30 Ships of the western coastlands(AD) will oppose him, and he will lose heart.(AE) Then he will turn back and vent his fury(AF) against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.

31 “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice.(AG) Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation.(AH) 32 With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist(AI) him.

33 “Those who are wise will instruct(AJ) many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered.(AK) 34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere(AL) will join them. 35 Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined,(AM) purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Daniel 11:6 Or offspring
  2. Daniel 11:6 Or child (see Vulgate and Syriac)
  3. Daniel 11:17 Or but she

Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life[a] is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers[b] does not belong to God.

Love One Another

11 This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. 13 So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters,[c] if the world hates you.

14 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers,[d] it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15 Anyone who hates another brother or sister[e] is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister[f] in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.

23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 3:9 Greek because his seed.
  2. 3:10 Greek does not love his brother.
  3. 3:13 Greek brothers.
  4. 3:14 Greek the brothers; similarly in 3:16.
  5. 3:15 Greek hates his brother.
  6. 3:17 Greek sees his brother.

Dear children,(A) do not let anyone lead you astray.(B) The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.(C) The one who does what is sinful is of the devil,(D) because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God(E) appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.(F) No one who is born of God(G) will continue to sin,(H) because God’s seed(I) remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God(J) are and who the children of the devil(K) are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love(L) their brother and sister.(M)

More on Love and Hatred

11 For this is the message you heard(N) from the beginning:(O) We should love one another.(P) 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one(Q) and murdered his brother.(R) And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.(S) 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters,[a] if the world hates you.(T) 14 We know that we have passed from death to life,(U) because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.(V) 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister(W) is a murderer,(X) and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.(Y)

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.(Z) And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.(AA) 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them,(AB) how can the love of God be in that person?(AC) 18 Dear children,(AD) let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.(AE)

19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends,(AF) if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God(AG) 22 and receive from him anything we ask,(AH) because we keep his commands(AI) and do what pleases him.(AJ) 23 And this is his command: to believe(AK) in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,(AL) and to love one another as he commanded us.(AM) 24 The one who keeps God’s commands(AN) lives in him,(AO) and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.(AP)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 3:13 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verse 16.

Psalm 122

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.

I was glad when they said to me,
    “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
And now here we are,
    standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is a well-built city;
    its seamless walls cannot be breached.
All the tribes of Israel—the Lord’s people—
    make their pilgrimage here.
They come to give thanks to the name of the Lord,
    as the law requires of Israel.
Here stand the thrones where judgment is given,
    the thrones of the dynasty of David.

Pray for peace in Jerusalem.
    May all who love this city prosper.
O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls
    and prosperity in your palaces.
For the sake of my family and friends, I will say,
    “May you have peace.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.

Read full chapter

Psalm 122

A song of ascents. Of David.

I rejoiced with those who said to me,
    “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
Our feet are standing
    in your gates, Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is built like a city
    that is closely compacted together.
That is where the tribes go up—
    the tribes of the Lord
to praise the name of the Lord
    according to the statute given to Israel.
There stand the thrones for judgment,
    the thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
    “May those who love(A) you be secure.
May there be peace(B) within your walls
    and security within your citadels.(C)
For the sake of my family and friends,
    I will say, “Peace be within you.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek your prosperity.(D)

Read full chapter

29 Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism
    will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery.

Read full chapter

29 Whoever remains stiff-necked(A) after many rebukes
    will suddenly be destroyed(B)—without remedy.(C)

Read full chapter