8 In the third year of King Belshatstsar’s reign, I, Daniel, had another vision—different from the previous one. 2 In the vision, I saw that I was at the fortress in Shusan (often called Susa, in Eylam province), beside the Ulai Canal. 3 Then I looked up, and to my surprise, there was a ram standing beside the canal. It had two horns and both horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one had grown last. 4 I saw the ram charging westward, and northward, and southward—no animal could stand against it—there was no one to rescue anything from it. The ram did whatever it wanted, and it became very powerful.

5 As I was observing, suddenly a billy goat was coming from the west, crossing the entire world without touching the ground. The goat had a prominent horn between its eyes. 6 In a powerful rage, it charged at the two-horned ram that I had seen standing in front of the canal. 7 I saw the furious goat reach the ram and strike it, shattering the ram’s two horns. The ram wasn’t strong enough to stay standing so it was knocked to the ground and trampled on—there was no one who could rescue the ram from the goat’s power.

8 Then the billy goat became even more powerful, but at its peak, the large horn was broken, and in its place, four prominent horns came up facing in the four different compass directions. 9 Then a small horn grew out of one of them—it grew very long towards the south, towards the east, and towards the beautiful land of Israel. 10 It grew up to the army in the heavens, but it threw some of the army and some of the stars down to the earth and trampled on them.[ref] 11 It became as powerful as the general leading the heavenly army. It took the regular burnt offering away from him, and his sanctuary place was overthrown. 12 Because of sinfulness, it will be allowed to take control of the army, along with the regular burnt offering. It will overthrow truth, but it will be active and will prosper.

13 Then I heard a holy one[fn] speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, “How long until this vision about the regular burnt offering will be fulfilled, and about the transgression that makes desolate, the giving over of the sanctuary and the army to be trampled on?”

14 “For 2,300 evenings and mornings,” he said to me, “Then the sanctuary will be restored.”