⁵⁴ Now on the fifteenth day of Chislev, in the one hundred forty-fifth year, they erected a desolating sacrilege on the altar of burnt offering. They also built altars in the surrounding towns of Judah^(A)

The Desolating Sacrilege

¹⁵ “So when you see the desolating sacrilege, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),^(A)

²⁷ He shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall make sacrifice and offering cease, and in their place^[a] shall be a desolating sacrilege until the decreed end is poured out upon the desolator.”^(A)

³¹ Forces sent by him shall occupy and profane the temple and fortress. They shall abolish the regular burnt offering and set up the desolating sacrilege.^(A)

¹¹ From the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the desolating sacrilege is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred ninety days.^(A)

⁷ Also, it was allowed to wage war on the saints and to conquer them.^[a] It was given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation,^{(A) 8} and all the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slaughtered.^[b](B)

⁹ Let anyone who has an ear listen:

¹³ It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of all,^{(A) 14} and by the signs that it is allowed to perform on behalf of the beast it deceives the inhabitants of earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that had been wounded by the sword^[a] and yet lived,^{(B) 15} and it was allowed to give breath^[b] to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.