A prophecy of the kingdoms, which should be enemies to the Church of God, as of Persia, 3 Of Greece, 5 Of Egypt, 28 Of Syria, 36 And of the Romaines
1.Also I, in the first year of Darius of the Medes, even I astood to encourage & to strengthen him.
2.And now will I shewe thee the truth. Behold, there shal stand up yet bthree Kings in Persia, and the fourth shalbe far richer then they all: and by his strength, and by his riches he shal stir up call against the realm of Grecia.
3.But a dmighty King shal stand up, that shal rule with great dominion, and do according to his pleasure.
4.And when he shal stand up, ehis kingdom shalbe broken, fand shalbe divided toward the gfour winds of heaven: & not to his hposterity, nor according to ihis dominion, which he ruled: for his kingdom shalbe pluckt up, even to be for others besides kthose.
5.And the lKing of the South shalbe mightie, and one of mhis princes, and shal prevail against him, and bear rule: his dominion shalbe a great dominion.
6.And in the end of years they shalbe joined together: for the King’s ndaughter of the South shal come to the King of the North to make an agreement, but she shal not retain the power of the oarm, neither shal phe continue, nor his qarm: but she shalbe delivered to death, and they that brought her, and he rthat begate her, and he that comforted her in these times.
7.But out of the bud of her sroots shal one stand up in his stead, twhich shal come with an army, & shal enter into the fortress of the King of the North, & do with them as he list, and shal prevail,
8.And shal also carry captives into Egypt their gods with their molten images, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold, and he shal continue umo years then the King of the North.
9.So the King of the South shal come into his kingdom, and shal return into his own land.
10.Wherefore his xsons shalbe stirred up, and shal assemble a mighty great army: and one yshal come, and overflow, and pass through: then shal he zreturn, and be stirred up at his fortress.
11.And the King of the South shalbe angry, and shal come forth, and fight with him, even with the King of the North: for he shal set forth a great amultitude, and the multitude shalbe given into his hand.
12.Then the multitude shalbe proud, and their heart shalbe lifted up: for he shal cast down thousands: but he shal not stil prevail.
13.For the King of the North bshal return, and shal set forth a greater multitude then afore, and shal come forth (after certain years) with a mighty army, and great riches.
14.And at the same time there shal cmany stand up against the King of the South: also the rebellious children of thy dpeople shal exalt them selves to establish the vision, but they shal fall.
15.So the King of the North shal come, and cast up a mount, and take the strong city: and the arms of the South shal enot resist, neither his chosen people, neither shal there be any strength to withstand.
16.But he that shal come, shal do unto him as he list, and none shal stand against him: and he shal stand in the fpleasant land, which by his hand shalbe consumed.
17.Again he shal gset his face to enter with the power of his whole kingdom, and his confederates with him: thus shal he do, and he shal give him the hdaughter of women, to destroy iher: but kshe shal not stand on his side, neither be for him.
18.After this shal he turn his face unto the lisles, and shal take many, but a prince mshal cause his shame to light upon him, beside that he shal cause his own shame to turn upon nhim self.
19.For he shal turn his face toward the forts of ohis own land: but he shalbe overthrown and fall, and be no more pfound.
20.qThen shal stand up in his place in the glory of the kingdom, one that shal raise taxes: but after few days he shalbe destroyed, neither in rwrath, nor in battle.
21.And in his place shal stand up a svile person, to whom they shal not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shal come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
22.And the tarms shalbe overthrown with a flood before him, and shalbe broken: and also the prince of the ucovenant.
23.And after xthe league made with him, he shal work deceitfully: for he shal come up, and overcome with a ysmall people.
24.He shal enter into the quiet and plentiful province, and he shal do that which he fathers zhave not done, nor his father’s fathers: he shal divide among them the prey and the spoil, and the substance, yea, and he shal forecast his devises against the strongholds, even for a atime.
25.Also he shal stir up his power and his courage against the King of the South with a great army, and the King of the South shalbe stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army: but he shal not bstand: for they shal forecast & practice against him.
26.Yea, they that feed of the portion of chis meat, shal destroy him, and his army dshal overflow: & many shal fall, and be slain.
27.And both these King’s hearts shalbe to do emischief, and they shal talk of deceit at one table: but it shal not avail: for fyet the end shalbe at the time appointed.
28.Then shal he return into his land with great gsubstance: for his heart shalbe against the holie covenant: so shal he do and return to his own land.
29.At the time appointed he shal return, and come toward the South: but the last shal not be as the first.
30.For the ships hof Chittím shal come against him: therefore he shalbe sorry and return, and freat against the holie covenant: so shal he do, he shal even return iand have intelligence with them that forsake the holie covenant.
31.And arms kshal stand on his part, and they shal pollute the Sanctuary lof strength, and shal take away the daily sacrifice, and they shal set up the abominable desolation.
32.And such as wickedly mbreak the covenant, shal he cause to sin by flattery: but the people that do know their God, shal prevail and prosper.
33.And they that understand among nthe people, shal instruct many: oyet they shal fall by sword, and by flame, by captivity and by spoil many days.
34.Now when they shal fall, they shal be holpen with a plittle help: but many shal cleave unto them qfainedly.
35.And some of them rof understanding shal fall to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, til the time be out: for there is a time appointed.
36.And the sKing shal do what him list: he shal exalt him self, and magnify him self against all, that is God, and shal speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shal proper, til the wrath tbe accomplished: for the determination is made.
37.Neither shal he regard the uGod of his fathers, nor the desires xof women, nor care for any God: for he shal magnify him self above all.
38.But in his place shal he honour the ygod Mauzzím, and the god whom his fathers knew not, shal he honour with zgold and with silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39.Thus shal he do in athe holds of Mauzzím with a strange god whom he shal acknowledge: he shal increase his glory, and shal cause them to rule over many, and shal divide the land for gain.
40.And at the end of time shal the King of the bSouth push at him, and the King of the North shal come against him like a whirl wind with charets, and with horsemen, and with many ships, & he shal enter into the countries, & shal overflow and pass through.
41.He shal enter into the cpleasant land, and many countries shalbe overthrown: but these shal escape out of his hand, even Edóm and Moáb, and the chief of the children of Ammón.
42.He shal stretch forth his hands also upon the countries, and the land of Egypt shal not escape.
43.But he shal have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt, and of the Lybians, and of the black Mores where he shal pass.
44.But the tidings out of the East and the North shal dtrouble him: therefore he shal go forth ewith great wrath to destroy and root out many.
45.And he shal plant the tabernacle fof his palace between the seas in the glorious and holie mountain, yet he shal come to his end, and none shal help him,
The Angel assures Daniel that God has given him power to perform these things, seeing he appointed him to assist Darius, when he overcame the Caldeans.
Whereof Cambyses that now reigned, was the first, the second Smerdes, the third, Darius the son of Hystaspis, and the fourth Zerxes, which all were enemies of the people of God, and stood against them.
For he raised up all the East countries to fight against the Grecians: and albeit he had in his army nine hundred thousand men, yet in four battles he was discomforted and fled away with shame.
Thus God revenged Alexander’s ambition and cruelty in causing his posterity to be murdered, partly of the father’s chief friends, and partly one of another.
That is, Berenice the daughter of Ptolemeus Philadelphus shall be given in marriage to Antiochus Theos, thinking by this affinity that Syria and Egypt should have a continual peace together.
That force and strength shall not continue: for soon after Berenice and her young son after her husband’s death, was slain of her stepson Seleucus Calinieus the son of Laodice, the lawful wife of Antiochus, but put away for this woman’s sake.
Some read, she that begate her, and thereby understand her nurse, which brought her up: so that all they that were occasion of this marriage, were destroyed.
For under Onias which falsely alleged that place of Isa. 19.19 certain of the Jews retired with him into Egypt to fulfill this prophecy: also the Angel showed that all these troubles which are in the Church, are by the providence and counsel of God.
He shows that he shall not only afflict the Egyptians, but also the Jews, and shall enter into their country, whereof he admonishes them before that they may know that all these things come by God’s providence.
That is, toward Asia, Grecia and those isles which are in the sea called Mediterraneun: for the Jews called all countries isles which were divided from them by sea.
For where as Antiochus was wont to contemn the Romans, and put their ambassadors to shame in all places, Attilius the Consul, or Lucius Scipio put him to flight and caused his shame to turn on his own head.
Which was Antiochus Epiphanes, who as is thought, was the occasion of Seleucus his brother’s death and was of a vile, cruel and flattering nature, and defrauded his brother’s son of the kingdom, and usurped the kingdom without the consent of the people.
Meaning Ptolomeus Philometor Philopater’s son, who was this child’s cousin germaine, and is here called the prince of the covenant, because he was the chief, and all other followed his conduit.
Signifying that it stands not in the counsel of men to bring things to pass, but in the providence of God who rules the Kings by a secret bridle that they can not do what they list themselves.
Which he shall take of the Jews in spoiling Jerusalem and the Temple, and this is told them before to move them to patience, knowing all things are done by God’s providence.
That is, the Roman power shall come against him: for P Popilius the ambassador appointed him to depart in the Roman’s name, to which thing he obeyed, although with grief, and to revenge his rage he came against the people of God the second time.
With the Jews which shall forsake the covenant of the Lord: for first he was called against the Jews by Jason the high Priest, and this second time by Menelaus.
So called, because the power of God was nothing diminished, although this tyrant set up in the Temple the image of Jupiter Olympius, and so began to corrupt the pure service of God.
As God will not leave his Church destitute, yet will he not deliver it all at once, but so help, as they may still seem to fight under the cross, as he did in the time of the Maccabees whereof he here prophecies.
To wit, of them that fear God and will loose their life for the defence of true religion, signifying also that the Church must continually be tried and purged and ought to look for one persecution after another: for God has appointed the time: therefore we must obey.
Because the Angel’s purpose is to show the whole course of the persecutions of the Jews unto the coming of Christ, he now speaks of the monarchy of the Romans which he notes by the name of a King, who were without all religion and contemned the true God.
The Romans shall observe no certain form of religion as other nations, but shall change their gods at their pleasures, yea, contemn them and prefer themselves to their gods.
Under pretence of worshipping the gods, they shall enrich their city with the most precious jewels of all the world, because that hereby all men should have them in admiration for their power and riches.
Although in their hearts they had no religion, yet they did acknowledge the gods and worshipped them in their temples, lest they should have been despised as atheists: but this was to increase their fame and riches: and when they got any country, they so make others the rulers thereof, and the profit ever came to the Romans.
The Angel forewarns the Jews that when they should see the Romans invade them, and that the wicked should escape their hands, that then they should not think but that all this was done by God’s providence, forasmuch as he warned them of it so long a fore, and therefore he would still preserve him.