THE KINGS OF THE WORLD

Passage: Daniel 11:2-27

Key verse: 27

NIV

The Kings of the South and the North

2 “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) 3 Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases.(C) 4 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.

5 “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. 6 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.

7 “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. 8 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. 9 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)

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

ESV

2 “And now I will show you (A)the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then (B)a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and (C)do as he wills. 4 And as soon as he has arisen, (D)his kingdom shall be broken and divided (E)toward the (F)four winds of heaven, but (G)not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.

5 “Then the king of the south shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he (H)and shall rule, and his authority shall be a great authority. 6 After some years (I)they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and her attendants, he who fathered her, and he who supported[a] her in those times.

7 “And from a branch from her roots one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the (J)fortress of the king of the north, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail. 8 He shall also carry off to Egypt their gods with their metal images and their precious (K)vessels of silver and gold, and for some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north. 9 Then the latter shall come into the realm of the king of the south but shall return to his own land.

10 “His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming (L)and overflow and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his (M)fortress. 11 Then the king of the south, (N)moved with rage, shall come out and fight against the king of the north. (O)And he shall raise a great multitude, but it shall be given into his hand. 12 And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail. 13 For the king of the north shall again (P)raise a multitude, greater than the first. And (Q)after some years[b] he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies.

14 “In those times many shall rise against the king of the south, and the violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but (R)they shall fail. 15 Then the king of the north shall come and (S)throw up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, or even his best troops, for there shall be no strength to stand. 16 But he who comes against him shall (T)do as he wills, and (U)none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in (V)the glorious land, with destruction in his hand. 17 He shall (W)set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom,[c] but it shall not stand or be to his advantage. 18 Afterward he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed,[d] he (X)shall turn his insolence back upon him. 19 Then he shall turn his face back toward the (Y)fortresses of his own land, but he shall (Z)stumble and fall, (AA)and shall not be found.

20 “Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an (AB)exactor of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle. 21 In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. (AC)He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom (AD)by flatteries. 22 Armies shall be (AE)utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. 23 And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people. 24 (AF)Without warning he shall come into (AG)the richest parts[e] of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers' fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. 25 And he shall stir up his power and his heart against (AH)the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. 26 Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be (AI)swept away, and many shall fall down slain. 27 And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for (AJ)the end is yet to be at the time appointed.

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Footnotes
  1. Daniel 11:6 Or obtained
  2. Daniel 11:13 Hebrew at the end of the times
  3. Daniel 11:17 Hebrew her, or it
  4. Daniel 11:18 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  5. Daniel 11:24 Or among the richest men
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. Battles among kings (2-19) The word of God came to Daniel regarding the kings of the North and South. They fought to conquer and rule in this world, but none of their kingdoms lasted. They made alliances to become rich at the expense of the nations. The tragedy was that they would establish themselves in the Beautiful Land-the home of God's people-with power to destroy it. 2. An end will still come (2 -27) Each successive king would attempt to maintain the splendor and wealth of the world. They would do so with armed strength and intrigue, yet each one would fall to the next, having enemies within and without. Two of them would sit at the same table and lie to each other, but God is ruling. There is an appointed time by the God of truth. An end will come to the violence of the sinful world.

Prayer: Lord, protect us from the destruction of the world. Rule us in your beauty and truth.

One Word: Live under God's rule