iran

¹⁰The Persians, and the Lydians, and the Libyans were your men of war in your army. They suspended shield and helmet within you for your adornment.

²⁰The ram, which you saw to have horns, is the king of the Medes and Persians. ²¹Furthermore, the he-goat among she-goats is the king of the Greeks, and the great horn, which was between his eyes, is the same one, the first king. ²²And since, having been shattered, there grew four in its place, four kings will rise up from his people, but not in his strength. ²³And after their reign, when iniquities will be increased, there will arise a king of shameless face and understanding negotiations. ²⁴And his advantage will be strengthened, but not by his kind of force, and other than what he will be able to trust, everything will be eradicated, and he will prosper, and he will act. And he will execute the successful and the people of the saints, ²⁵according to his will, and treachery will be guided by his hand. And his heart will be inflated, and by the abundance of everything he will kill many, and he will rise up against the Lord of lords, and he will be knocked down without a hand.

²And now I will announce to you the truth. Behold, up to a certain point, three kings will stand in Persia, and the fourth will be exceedingly enriched in power above them all. And when he has grown strong by his resources, he will stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. ³But there will rise up a strong king, and he will rule with great power, and he will do what he pleases. ⁴And when he has been firmly established, his kingdom will be shattered and will be divided towards the four winds of the heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to his power with which he ruled. For his kingdom will be torn to pieces, even for the outsiders who have been expelled from these. ⁵And the king of the South will be reinforced, yet one of his leaders will prevail over him, and he will rule with riches, for great is his domain. ⁶And after the end of years, they will form a federation, and the daughter of the king of the South will come to the king of the North to make friendship, but she will not obtain the strength of arms, neither will her offspring stand firm, and she will be handed over, along with those who brought her, her young men, and those who comforted her in these times. ⁷And a transplant from the germination of her roots will stand up, and he will come with an army, and will enter into the province of the king of the North, and he will abuse them, and will hold it fast.

²O God, who will ever be like you? Do not be silent, and do not be unmoved, O God. ³For behold, your enemies have sounded off, and those who hate you have carried out a head. ⁴They have acted with malice in counsel over your people, and they have plotted against your holy ones. ⁵They have said, “Come, let us scatter them from the nations and not allow the name of Israel to be remembered any longer.” ⁶For they plotted unanimously. Joined together against you, they ordained a covenant: ⁷the tabernacle of Edomites and Ishmaelites, and Moab and the Hagarites,

¹⁶But he responded: “Do not be afraid. For there are more with us than with them.”

¹¹Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers. The Lord has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. And his mind is against Babylon, so that he may destroy her. For this is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of his temple.

³⁴The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, the king of Judah, saying: ³⁵“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, and the summit of their strength. ³⁶And I will lead the four winds over Elam, from the four corners of heaven. And I will scatter them into all these winds. And there will be no nation to which the fugitives of Elam will not travel. ³⁷And I will cause Elam to be terrified before their enemies and in the sight of those who seek their life. And I will lead an evil over them, the wrath of my fury, says the Lord. And I will send the sword after them, until I consume them. ³⁸And I will set my throne in Elam, and I will perish the kings and princes from there, says the Lord. ³⁹But in the last days, I will cause the captives of Elam to return, says the Lord.”

¹And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ²“Son of man, set your face against Gog, the land of Magog, the prince of the head of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy about him. ³And you shall say to him: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of the head of Meshech and Tubal. ⁴And I will turn you around, and I will place a bit in your jaws. And I will lead you away, with all your army, the horses and the horsemen all clothed in armor, a great multitude, equipped with spears and light shields and swords, ⁵the Persians, the Ethiopians, and the Libyans with them, all with heavy shields and helmets, ⁶Gomer, and all his companies, the house of Togarmah, the northern parts, and all his strength, and the many peoples with you.

¹²And the sixth Angel poured out his bowl upon that great river Euphrates. And its water dried up, so that a way might be prepared for the kings from the rising of the sun. ¹³And I saw, from the mouth of the dragon, and from the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophetess, three unclean spirits go out in the manner of frogs. ¹⁴For these are the spirits of the demons that were causing the signs. And they advanced to the kings of the entire earth, to gather them for battle on the great day of Almighty God. ¹⁵“Behold, I arrive like a thief. Blessed is he who is vigilant and who preserves his vestment, lest he walk naked and they see his disgrace.” ¹⁶And he shall gather them together at a place which is called, in Hebrew, Armageddon. ¹⁷And the seventh Angel poured out his bowl upon the air. And a great voice went out of the temple from the throne, saying: “It is done.”

²The kings of the earth have stood up, and the leaders have joined together as one, against the Lord and against his Christ: ³“Let us shatter their chains and cast their yoke away from us.” ⁴He who dwells in heaven will ridicule them, and the Lord will mock them. ⁵Then will he speak to them in his anger and trouble them with his fury. ⁶Yet I have been appointed king by him over Zion, his holy mountain, preaching his precepts. ⁷The Lord has said to me: You are my son, this day have I begotten you.

²Save me, O God, for the waters have entered, even to my soul. ³I have become stuck in a deep quagmire, and there is no firm footing. I have arrived at the height of the sea, and a tempest has overwhelmed me. ⁴I have endured hardships, while crying out. My jaws have become hoarse; my eyes have failed. Meanwhile, I hope in my God. ⁵Those who hate me without cause have been multiplied beyond the hairs of my head. My enemies, who persecuted me unjustly, have been strengthened. Then I was required to pay for what I did not take. ⁶O God, you know my foolishness, and my offenses have not been hidden from you. ⁷Let those who wait for you, O Lord, the Lord of hosts, not be shamed in me. Let those who seek you, O God of Israel, not be confounded over me.

²And his strength and his authority, and the dignity and supremacy with which he exalted Mordecai, have been written in the books of the Medes and the Persians,

²³And immediately, an Angel of the Lord struck him down, because he had not given honor to God. And having been consumed by worms, he expired. ²⁴But the word of the Lord was increasing and multiplying.