Daniel 8:12

¹⁴Justice is turned away backward, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has fallen in the street, and uprightness can’t enter.

¹You are righteous, LORD, when I contend with you; yet I would like to plead a case with you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are they all at ease who deal very treacherously?

³¹“Forces from him will profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and will take away the continual burnt offering. Then they will set up the abomination that makes desolate. ³²He will corrupt those who do wickedly against the covenant by flatteries; but the people who know their God will be strong and take action.

³³“Those who are wise among the people will instruct many; yet they will fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder, many days. ³⁴Now when they fall, they will be helped with a little help; but many will join themselves to them with flatteries. ³⁵Some of those who are wise will fall—to refine them, and to purify, and to make them white, even to the time of the end, because it is yet for the time appointed.

³⁶“The king will do according to his will. He will exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and will speak marvelous things against the God of gods. He will prosper until the indignation is accomplished, for that which is determined will be done.

²⁸Then he will return into his land with great wealth. His heart will be against the holy covenant. He will take action, and return to his own land.

¹¹I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. ¹²He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. He makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. ¹³He performs great signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of people. ¹⁴He deceives my own^[+] people who dwell on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of the beast, saying to those who dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast who had the sword wound and lived. ¹⁵It was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause as many as wouldn’t worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶He causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, to be given marks on their right hands or on their foreheads; ¹⁷and that no one would be able to buy or to sell unless he has that mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.

¹⁰and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹Because of this, God sends them a powerful delusion, that they should believe a lie, ¹²that they all might be judged who didn’t believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

⁷It was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him.

⁴³Don’t snatch the word of truth out of my mouth, for I put my hope in your ordinances.

⁴I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward. No animals could stand before him. There wasn’t any who could deliver out of his hand, but he did according to his will, and magnified himself.

⁹David knew that Saul was devising mischief against him. He said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.”