it is I who says of Cyrus, “He is My shepherd, and shall perform all My desire”; and he declares to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” and to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”
Then he said, “Do you understand why I have come to you? But now I shall return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I have gone forth, behold, the prince of Greece will come.
Wherever the sons of men dwell, or the animals of the field, or the fowl of the heavens, He has given them into your hand and has made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold.
And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, for iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, it shall crush and shatter all these.
Thus he said: “The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be different from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth and shall tread it down and break it in pieces.
The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the white ones are going after them, while the dappled ones are going toward the south country.”