1 You also need to know that I protected and helped Darius the Mede in his first year as king.
The Angel's Message to Daniel
Part One: The Four Kings and Their Successors
2 What I am going to tell you is certain to happen. Four kings will rule Persia, one after the other, but the fourth one will become much richer than the others. In fact, his wealth will make him so powerful that he will turn everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a mighty king will come to power and will be able to do whatever he pleases. 4 But suddenly his kingdom will be crushed and scattered to the four corners of the earth, where four more kingdoms will rise. But these won't be ruled by his descendants or be as powerful as his kingdom.
5 The king of the south will grow powerful. Then one of his generals will rebel and will rule an even larger kingdom. 6 Years later the southern kingdom and the northern kingdom will make a treaty, and the daughter of the king of the south will marry the king of the north. But she will lose her power. Then she, her husband, their child, and the servants who came with her will all be killed.
After this, 7 one of her relatives will become the ruler of the southern kingdom. He will attack the army of the northern kingdom and capture its fortresses. 8 Then he will carry their idols to Egypt, together with their precious treasures of silver and gold, but it will be a long time before he attacks the northern kingdom again. Some years later 9 the king of the north will invade the southern kingdom, but he will be forced back to his own country.
10 The sons of the king of the north will gather a huge army that will sweep down like a roaring flood, reaching all the way to the fortress of the southern kingdom. 11 But this will make the king of the south angry, and he will defeat this large army from the north. 12 The king of the south will feel proud because of the many thousands he has killed. But his victories won't last long, 13 because the king of the north will gather a larger and more powerful army than ever before. Then in a few years, he will start invading other countries.
14 At this time many of your own people will try to make this vision come true by rebelling against the king of the south, but their rebellion will fail. 15 Then the army from the north will surround and capture a fortress in the south, and not even the most experienced troops of the southern kingdom will be able to make them retreat. 16 The king who invaded from the north will do as he pleases, and he will even capture and destroy the holy land. 17 In fact, he will decide to invade the south with his entire army. Then he will attempt to make peace by giving the king of the south a bride from the northern kingdom, but this won't be successful.
18 Afterwards, this proud king of the north will invade and conquer many of the nations along the coast, but a military leader will defeat him and make him lose his pride. 19 He will retreat to his fortresses in his own country, but on the way he will be defeated and never again be seen.
20 The next king of the north will try to collect taxes for the glory of his kingdom. However, he will come to a sudden end in some mysterious way, instead of in battle or because of someone's anger.
Part Two: The Evil King from the North
21 The successor of this king of the north will be a worthless nobody, who doesn't even come from a royal family. He will suddenly appear and gain control of the kingdom by treachery. 22 Then he will destroy armies and remove God's chosen high priest. 23 He will make a treaty, but he will be deceitful and break it, even though he has only a few followers. 24 Without warning, he will successfully invade a wealthy province, which is something his ancestors never did. Then he will divide among his followers all of its treasures and property. But none of this will last very long.
25 He will gather a large and powerful army, and with great courage he will attack the king of the south. The king of the south will meet him with a much stronger army, but he will lose the battle, because he will be betrayed 26 by members of the royal court. He will be ruined, and most of his army will be slaughtered.
27 The two kings will meet around a table and tell evil lies to each other. But their plans will fail, because God has already decided what will happen. 28 Then the king of the north will return to his country with great treasures. But on the way, he will attack the religion of God's people and do whatever else he pleases.
29 At the time God has decided, the king of the north will invade the southern kingdom again, but this time, things will be different. 30 Ships from the west will come to attack him, and he will be discouraged. Then he will start back to his own country and take out his anger on the religion of God's faithful people, while showing kindness to those who are unfaithful. 31 He will send troops to pollute the temple and the fortress, and he will stop the daily sacrifices. Then he will set up that “Horrible Thing” that causes destruction. 32 The king will use deceit to win followers from those who are unfaithful to God, but those who remain faithful will do everything possible to oppose him.
33 Wise leaders will instruct many of the people. But for a while, some of these leaders will either be killed with swords or burned alive, or else robbed of their possessions and thrown into prison. 34 They will receive only a little help in their time of trouble, and many of their followers will be treacherous. 35 Some of those who are wise will suffer, so that God will make them pure and acceptable until the end, which will still come at the time he has decided.
36 This king will do as he pleases. He will proudly claim to be greater than any god and will insult the only true God. Indeed, he will be successful until God is no longer angry with his people. 37 This king will reject the gods his ancestors worshiped and the god preferred by women. In fact, he will put himself above all gods 38 and worship only the so-called god of fortresses, who was unknown to his ancestors. And he will honor it with gold, silver, precious stones, and other costly gifts. 39 With the help of this foreign god, he will capture the strongest fortresses. Everyone who worships this god will be put in a position of power and rewarded with wealth and land.
Part Three: The Time of the End
40 At the time of the end, the king of the south will attack the kingdom of the north. But its king will rush out like a storm with war chariots, cavalry, and many ships. Indeed, his forces will flood one country after another, 41 and when they reach the holy land, tens of thousands will be killed. But the countries of Edom and Moab and the ruler of Ammon will escape.
42 The king of the north will invade many countries, including Egypt, 43 and he will take its rich treasures of gold and silver. He will also conquer Libya and Ethiopia. 44 But he will be alarmed by news from the east and the north, and he will become furious and cause great destruction. 45 After this, he will set up camp between the Mediterranean Sea and Mount Zion. Then he will be destroyed, and no one will be able to save him.
1 Ngono ndakati mu gole le kutanga la Dariyasi we Mede, ama naye ambhatsha kakale ambakilila.
Bomambo be burwa ne be bunandzwa
2 Nlume iwoyo kadwilila kalebeleka eti, “Ndokubudza panoti lebeswa, kutjowozha bomambo bamwe bali batatu mu Pheshiya ngono kudwapo kowozha we bunna, iye unowobe akafuma kupinda ibaba bamwe. Ngono unowoti asimisiwa nge fumwa iye kadzonga bose kugwisana ne bushe gwe Gerisi. 3 Ngono kudwapo kowozha mambo wakasima ne kupinda unowobusa nge simba gulu ethama sekwa anoshaka. 4 Kowoti atjakula, mbuso uwe unowopaladziwa ukakobanyiwa nge phepo nna dze zhuzhugwe. Mbuso uwe autoyenda ku zwizekugwana zwizwe, kene ukabe ne simba linonga lile ngobe mbuso uwe unowobe wapaladziwa. 5 Mambo we burwa unowobe ne simba koga mmwe we makulukota awe unowobe ne simba kumpinda ngono kabusa ntuthu uwe nge simba gulu. 6 Ngono kowoti shule kwe makole mambo we burwa unowothama tjidumano na mambo we bunandzwa kuti mambo we bunandzwa alobole nkololokadzi wa mambo we burwa koga tjidumano itjetji atjitowotola tjibaka ngoti mu mazhuba iyawo nkololokadzi iwoyu ne balisi babe be bushe ne nlume uwe ne mwana uwe banowobulawa. 7 Shule kwa ipapo mmwe we gamu lile unowotola bumambo. Ngono unowonginilila mambo we bunandzwa kose ne matizhilo awe ngono unowobakunda. 8 Unowotapa midzimu yabo ye zwifano yabakazwithamigwa ne zwija zwe ntengo upezhugwi zwakathamwa nge siliva nge golide kazwiyisa ku Egipiti. Ngono unowotongo fadza mambo we bunandzwa kwe makole. 9 Ngono mambo we bunandzwa unowonginilila mbuso we mambo we burwa, koga unowobgwilila ku shango iye.
10 “Bakololo ba mambo we bunandzwa banowozhala bushongola bakakubunganya babhayani bakazwilulwamisila ngwa inowokuba se nkubila, bakagwa na mambo we burwa kunoti ku matizhilo awe. 11 Ngono mambo we burwa unowozhalabo bushongola kabhuda kanogwa na mambo we bunandzwa ngono unowotapa babhayani babe basi bashoma. 12 Ngono unowoti asinokunda mu ngwa iyeyi unowozhala mazwikudzo ngono kabulaya zwiwulu zwinjinji zwe bathu ngono koga aangabhudililile tjatjose, 13 Mambo we bunandzwa unowodana babhayani bamwe kakale banji kupinda bekutanga ngono kowoti shule kwe makole unowobuya ne babhayani banjinji bana mathumo wose e ngwa manjinji.
14 “Mu mazhuba iyawo bunji gowomukila mambo we burwa ne bathu banotjinya be batoleli banowobe pakati kwe bathu bakanyi kwenyu banowopanduka ngono ikoku kuli kuti mbono yawakabona izhadzisike koga banowokundiwa. 15 Mambo we bunandzwa unowozha kabaka duluthulo lisi shoma kupoteleka nzi we matizhilo ngono katapa matizhilo iyawa. Babhayani babe bakashagwa bakasima abangatubule kuma mbeli kukwe. 16 Ngono iye unozha kuwonginilila mambo we bunandzwa unowothama kuda ne kubona nge kukwe akuna unowomilana naye, ngono unowogala mu shango yakanaka kabe ne simba lose muili.
17 “Mambo we bunandzwa unowopedzisa nkumbulo we kuti azhe ne simba le mbuso uwe wose ngono unowothama tjidumano tje mbakiso na mambo we burwa. Ngono unowon'lobodza nkololokadzi we bakadzi kuti ndizo akolomole mbuso we burwa koga mikumbulo iye aingatubuke kene kuli kumbhatsha. 18 Kowoti kwajalo unoshandukila kuna be shango dzimu tjekelo dze gungwa katapa banjinji babo koga nlauli we ngwa we ntaya unowozha kamisa bhisepise le bushongola gugwe ngono bhisepise le bushongola gugwe mambo we bunandzwa unowolishandusila pezhugwi kukwe. 19 Shule kwa ikoku unowoshanduka kalinga ku matizhilo e shango iye koga unowokong'wa kawa kukabe ilo bhelelo lile.
20 “Koga unowotola mamo awe unowozhisa nkhethisi unowotshambilidza bathu banowokong'wa ngo dusa lukhetho bedusila zwe bushe gugwe. Koga kowoti mu makole asi mangana unowobe abulawa kusi nge bushongola kene mu ngwa.
Mambo mbiimbi we bunandzwa
21 “Mambo we bunandzwa kowobe ne nthu wakabipa meya usakafanigwa nge kube mambo koga kowoti bathu batjakafala kazha kadzamula bushe nge bupitipiti. 22 Babhayani abangagwisa kuma mbeli kukwe banowobulawa kose ne mpirisiti nkulu unowobulawabo. 23 Kowoti asinothama tjidumano na bomambo bamwe ndiko kwaanotangisa kuthama bupitipiti ngono unowosima nge bathu basimuni koga. 24 Unowoti paasakakumbugwa kanginilila mituthu yakafuma ngono kathama tjisakatongo thang'wa ne mmwe wa bobatategulu babe. Unowokoba kapaladza thundu yose yaatapa. Unowoluka gwanga kunginilila mizi ye matizhilo koga kowobe kwe tjibaka tjisimuni koga.
25 “Unowozhala bushongola kasima moyo ngono kagwisa mambo we burwa nge babhayani banjinji kwazo, mambo we burwa unowommukila nge ngwa yakasima koga aatotubula kumilana naye ngobe banowobe banlukila gwanga. 26 Naibabo bapejo naye ndibo banowontjinyidzila butjilo, babhayani babe banowotshwayiligwa kutjena bakabulawa, babhayani banjinji banowobulawa. 27 Bomambo ibabo babili banowobe balizhele bubi benyepelana koga beja mu ndilo i nng'ompela ngono ikoku akutobabuzila tjimwe ngoti tjibaka tjakabigwa tjowobe tjisathu tjikazha. 28 Mambo we bunandzwa unowobgwilila ku shango iye nge fumwa isi shoma koga meya dzidze idzo dzowobe dzakazwimisila kulobesa budumili gwe bathu be Ndzimu. Unowothama sekwa anoshaka kudwapo ekobgwilila ku shango iye.
29 “Nge tjibaka tjakabigwa mambo we bunandzwa unowoshanduka kabgwilila ku burwa koga tjibaka tja ngwenu aatobe akasima se mu tjibaka tje kutanga. 30 Baroma banowozha nge zwikepe kuwon'gwisa ngono unowobe nge kutja kapelegwa, ngono kashandukila bagalimoyo be Ndzimu kagwisa kubalobesa. Unowotola gumbuludzo la ibabo bakafupatila budumili. 31 Bamwe babhayani babe banowozha ngono bakatemapadza Ng'umba ye Ndzimu ne matizhilo bakamisa zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa zwe mazhuba wose kakale bakabiga n'yila unotjenamisa. 32 Unowotjebela ibabo basingalondolodze tjidumano tjabo koga ibabo banoziba Ndzimu wabo banomililana naye. 33 Kwe tjibaka batjenjedu banowotjenesela banji nenguba banowobulawa nge thumo kene bejiwa nge moto kene betapiwa bethan'gwa basungwa. 34 Ngono badumili ibo abe dengadenga mu ngwa banowowana bhatsho. Banji banowozwishanganya nabo koga bamwe bana zwibili. 35 Koga bamwe banowodengadenga kuti ndizo bangudziwe batjenapadziwe basale bali babuyanana kudza bhelelo le shango lizha, ngobe ilo izhuba lakabigwa ne Ndzimu. 36 Mambo unoshinga kuda kukwe. Unowozwikudza kazwibiga iye nkulu mu midzimu yose ngono unowolebela Ndzimu we midzimu zwithu zwisakatongo hwiwa mu shango. Unowobhudilila kudzina bushongola gwe Ndzimu gwa n'delukila koga sekwa kwakayi kowoshingikala. 37 Aatobe ne hanya ne midzimu ya bobatategulu babe kene kuli kube ne hanya ne ndzimu unodiwa ne bakadzi, hwuti aatobe ne hanya ne midzimu mimwe koga unowozwituthumadza muili yose. 38 Koga mu bumo gwayo unowobe ne hanya ne ndzimu unobakilila mizi ye matizhilo, ndzimu usakatongo zibgwa ndi bobatategulu babe kaukudza nge siliva ne golide nenge mabgwe e ntengo upezhugwi. 39 Unowogwila matizhilo awe ngo shingisa bhatsho ye bathu banothigamila ndzimu we bataya. Unowokudza ibabo banonteta, kababiga mu mamo apezhugwi e butungamili ngono kabafupa nge kubakobela shango.
40 “Ngono nge tjibaka itjetjo bhelelo lowobe latjiswika, mambo we burwa unowonginilila mambo we bunandzwa koga mambo we bunandzwa unowonginilila se tjampupudze ezha nge koloyi dze ngwa ne mbizi ne zwikepe zwinjinji. Unowonginilila shango dzili njinji kadzitutudzila kutjena se vula ye nkubila. 41 Unowonginililabo shango yakanaka, kabulaya bathu bali banjinji koga shango dze Edomu ne Moabu ne malimbelimbe e Baamoni banowopudzumuka. 42 Ngono unowonginilila shango njinji naiyo Egipiti dumbu aingapudzumuke. 43 Unowokubulula golide ne siliva yose na zose zwe ntengo upezhugwi zwe Egipiti kakunda bose ne Libhiya ne Baitopiya. 44 Koga thawu dzinodwa ku bhezhuba ne ku bunandzwa dzowon'totomosa kwazo ngono kazhala bushongola ne kupinda kabulaya bathu banjinji. 45 Unowobambula nshasha we tante dze ntengo upezhugwi pakati kwe gungwa ne dombo lakanaka lakayengemala koga ndilo linowobe labe bhelelo lile akuna unowombhatsha.”