9. “Then the king of the north will invade the realm of the king of the south, but he will retreat to his own land.
10. His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will advance and overflow and sweep through like a flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress.
11. “Then the king of the south, enraged, will march out and fight against the king of the north, who will also muster a massive army. But the army will be defeated.
12. But when the army is carried off, the heart of the king of the south will become arrogant, and will slaughter thousands and thousands, yet he will not prevail.
13. The king of the north will raise up another army, one greater than the first. After an interval of some years, he will advance with a great army and with abundant supplies.
14. “In those times many will rise up against the king of the south. The lawless sons among your own people will raise themselves up in order to confirm the vision, but they will stumble.
15. Then the king of the north will come, build a siege-ramp and capture a well-fortified city. The forces of the south will not prevail—not even their select troops will have strength to prevail.
16. But the invader will do as he pleases, and no one will be able to stand against him. He will take his stand in the beautiful land and its devastation in his hand.
17. His intention will be to come with the strength of his entire kingdom, but he will reach an agreement with him. He will give him a daughter in marriage in order to destroy the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him.
18. Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and capture many. But a commander will put an end to his insolence and pay him back for his insolence.
19. He will then turn his face toward the strongholds of his own land, but he will stumble and fall, not to be found again.
20. “In his place will arise one who will dispatch a tax collector to extract tribute for royal glory, but within a few days he will be destroyed, though not in anger or battle.
21. “Then in his place will arise a despicable person, on whom royal honor has not been conferred. He will come in a time of tranquility, and seize the kingdom through intrigue.
22. Armies will be utterly swept away from before him and will be broken, as well as the leader of the covenant.
23. After an alliance is made with him, he will act deceitfully; he will rise to power with a small force.
24. Without warning, he will invade the richest province and accomplish what his fathers or predecessors were unable to do. He will lavish on them plunder, loot and spoils. He will plot the overthrow of strongholds, though only for a while.
25. “He will summon his strength and courage against the king of the south with a great army. The king of the south will wage war with a very large and mighty army, but he will not succeed because of plots devised against him.
26. Those who eat his delicacies will destroy him, and his army will be swept away; many will be slain in battle.
27. These two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and speak lies, but to no avail, for the end will still come at the appointed time.
28. The king of the north will return to his own land with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action and then return to his own land.