< Daniel 7 >

1 In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel, beheld, a dream, and visions of his head upon his bed, —then, the dream, he wrote, the sum of the matters, he told.
In the firste yeer of Balthasar, kyng of Babiloyne, Danyel siy a sweuene. Forsothe he wroot the visioun of his hed in his bed, and the dreem, and comprehendide in schort word; and he touchide schortli the sentence,
2 Daniel spake and said, I was looking, in my vision [which came] with the night, —when, lo! the four winds of the heavens, bursting forth upon the great sea;
and seide, Y siy in my visioun in niyt, and lo! foure wyndis of heuene fouyten in the myddis of the greet see.
3 and four large wild beasts, coming up out of the sea, —diverse, one from another: —
And foure grete beestis dyuerse bitwixe hem silf stieden fro the see.
4 The foremost, like a lion, having, the wings of an eagle, —I looked until the wings thereof, were torn out, and it was lifted up from the earth, and, upon its feet, like a man, was it caused to stand, and, the heart of a man, was given to it.
The firste beeste was as a lionesse, and hadde wyngis of an egle. Y bihelde til the wyngis therof weren pullid awei, and it was takun awei fro erthe, and it stood as a man on the feet, and the herte therof was youun to it.
5 And, lo! another wild beast, a second, resembling a bear, and, on one side, was it raised up, with three ribs in its mouth, between its teeth, —and, thus, were they saying to it, Rise! devour much flesh.
And lo! another beeste, lijk a bere in parti, stood, and thre ordris weren in the mouth therof, and thre princes in the teeth therof. And thus thei seiden to it, Rise thou, ete thou ful many fleischis.
6 After that, I was looking, and lo! another like a leopard, and it, had four wings of a bird upon its back, —and four heads, had the wild beast, and dominion, was given to it,
Aftir these thingis Y bihelde, and lo! anothir beeste as a pard, and it hadde on it silf foure wyngis of a brid, and foure heedis weren in the beeste, and power was youun to it.
7 After that, I was looking in the visions of the night, when lo! a fourth wild beast, terrible and well-hipped and exceeding strong, and it had, large teeth of iron, it devoured and brake in pieces, and, the residue—with its feet, it trampled down, —and, it, was diverse from all the wild beasts that were before it, and it had, ten horns.
Aftir these thingis Y bihelde in the visioun of niyt, and lo! the fourthe beeste, ferdful, and wondirful, and ful strong. It hadde grete irun teeth, and it ete, and made lesse, and defoulide with hise feet othere thingis; forsothe it was vnlijk othere beestis, which Y hadde seyn bifore it, and it hadde ten hornes.
8 I was considering the horns, when lo! another horn, a little one, came up among them, and, three of the former horns, were uprooted from before it, —and lo! eyes, like the eyes of a man, in this horn, and, a mouth, speaking great things.
Y bihelde the hornes, and lo! an other litil horn cam forth of the myddis of tho, and thre of the firste hornes weren drawun out fro the face therof; and lo! iyen as iyen of a man weren in this horn, and a mouth spekynge grete thingis.
9 I continued looking, until that, thrones, were placed, and, the Ancient of days, took his seat, —whose, garment, like snow, was white, and, the hair of his head, like pure wool, his throne, was flames of fire, his wheels, a burning fire.
Y bihelde, til that trones weren set, and the elde of daies sat; his cloth was whijt as snow, and the heeris of his heed weren as cleene wolle, his trone was as flawmes of fier, hise wheelis weren fier kyndlid.
10 A stream of fire, was flowing on and issuing forth from before him, a thousand thousand, waited upon him and, ten thousand times ten thousand, before him, stood up, —Judgment, took its seat, and, books, were opened.
A flood of fier and rennynge faste yede out fro his face, a thousynde thousynde mynistriden to hym, and ten sithis a thousynde sithis an hundrid thousynde stoden niy hym; the dom sat, and bookis weren opened.
11 I continued looking, then because of the sound of the great words which the horn was speaking, I continued looking, until that the wild beast, was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning of the fire.
Y bihelde for the vois of grete wordis whiche thilke horn spak; and Y siy that the beeste was slayn, and his bodi was perischid, and was youun to be brent in fier.
12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, their dominion, was taken away, —but, a lengthening of life, was given to them, until time and season.
And Y siy that the power of othere beestis was takun awei, and the tymes of lijf weren ordeyned to hem, til to tyme and tyme.
13 I continued looking in the visions of the night, when lo! with the clouds of the heavens, one like a son of man, was coming, —and, unto the Ancient of days, he approached, and, before him, they brought him near;
Therfor Y bihelde in the visyoun of niyt, and lo! as a sone of man cam with the cloudis of heuene; and he cam fulli til to the elde of daies, and in the siyt of hym thei offriden hym.
14 and, unto him, were given dominion and dignity and kingship, that all peoples, races and tongues, unto him, should do service, —his dominion, was an age-abiding dominion, which should not pass away, and, his kingdom, that which should not be destroyed.
And he yaf to hym power, and onour, and rewme, and alle the puplis, lynagis, and langagis schulen serue hym; his power is euerlastynge power, that schal not be takun awei, and his rewme, that schal not be corrupt.
15 The spirit of, me, Daniel, was grieved in the midst of the sheath, —and, the visions of my head, terrified me.
My spirit hadde orrour, ether hidousnesse; Y, Danyel, was aferd in these thingis, and the siytis of myn heed disturbliden me.
16 I drew near unto one of them who stood by, and made exact enquiry of him, concerning all this, —so he told me, and, the interpretation of the things, made he known unto me.
Y neiyede to oon of the stonderis niy, and Y axide of hym the treuthe of alle these thingis. And he seide to me the interpretyng of wordis, and he tauyte me.
17 These great wild beasts, which are four, —are four kings who shall arise out of the earth;
These foure grete beestis ben foure rewmes, that schulen rise of erthe.
18 but the holy ones of the Highest, shall receive the kingdom, —and shall possess the kingdom for the age, yea for the age of ages.
Forsothe hooli men schulen take the rewme of hiyeste God, and thei schulen holde the rewme, til in to the world, and `til in to the world of worldis.
19 Then desired I to be sure, concerning the fourth wild beast, which was diverse from all of them, —exceeding terrible, whose, teeth, were iron, and, his claws, of bronze, he devoured, brake in pieces, and, the residue—with his feet, he trampled down;
Aftir these thingis Y wolde lerne diligentli of the fourthe beeste, that was greetli vnlijk fro alle, and was ful ferdful, the teeth and nailis therof weren of irun; it eet, and made lesse, and defoulide with hise feet othere thingis.
20 also concerning the ten horns, which were in his head, and the other, which came up, and there fell—from among them that were before it—three, —and this horn which had, eyes, and, a mouth, speaking great things, and, his look, was more proud than his fellows:
And of ten hornes whiche it hadde in the heed, and of the tother horn, that cam forth, bifore which thre hornes fellen doun, and of that horn that hadde iyen, and a mouth spekynge grete thingis, and was grettere than othere;
21 I continued looking, when, this horn, made war with the holy ones, —and prevailed against them:
I bihelde, and lo! thilke horn made batel ayens hooli men, and hadde maistrie of hem,
22 until that the Ancient of Days, came, and, justice, was granted to the holy ones of the Highest, —and, the time, arrived, that the holy ones should possess, the kingdom.
til the elde of daies cam, and hiy God yaf doom to hooli men; and lo! tyme cam, and hooli men goten rewme.
23 Thus, he said, The fourth wild beast, is a fourth kingdom which shall be in the earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, —and shall devour all the earth, and shall trample it down, and break it in pieces.
And he seide thus, The fourthe beeste schal be the fourthe rewme in erthe, that schal be more than alle rewmes, and it schal deuoure al erthe, and it schal defoule, and make lesse that erthe.
24 And, the ten horns of that kingdom, are ten kings who will arise, —and, another, will arise after them, and, he, will be diverse from the former ones, and, three kings, will he cast down;
Forsothe ten hornes schulen be ten kyngis of that rewme; and another kyng schal rise after hem, and he schal be miytiere than the formere, and he schal make low thre kyngis.
25 and, words against the Most High, will he speak, and, the holy ones of the Highest, will he afflict, —and will hope to change times and law, and they will be given into his hand, for a season and seasons and the dividing of a season,
And he schal speke wordis ayens the hiy God, and he schal defoule the seyntis of the hiyeste; and he schal gesse, that he mai chaunge tymes and lawis; and thei schulen be youun in to his hondis, til to tyme, and times, and the half of tyme.
26 but, Judgment, will take its seat, —and, his dominion, will they take away, to destroy and make disappear unto an end.
And doom schal sitte, that the power be takun awei, and be al to-brokun, and perische til in to the ende.
27 And, the kingdom, and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under all the heavens, shall be given to the people of the holy ones of the Highest, —his kingdom, is an age-abiding kingdom, and, all the dominions, unto him, will render service, and show themselves obedient.
Sotheli that the rewme, and power, and the greetnesse of rewme, which is vndur ech heuene, be youun to the puple of the seintis of the hiyeste, whos rewme is euerlastynge rewme, and alle kingis schulen serue, and obeie to hym.
28 Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, greatly did my thoughts terrify me, and, my bright looks, were changed upon me, but, the matter—in mine own heart, I kept.
Hidur to is the ende of the word. Y, Danyel, was disturblid myche in my thouytis, and my face was chaungid in me; forsothe Y kepte the word in myn herte.

< Daniel 7 >