23. And after the league _made_ with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people. 24. He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his father's fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strongholds even for a time. 25. And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south --Ptolemy Philometer-- shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him. 26. Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain. 27. And both these kings' hearts _shall_ be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table --a pretended friendship-- but it shall not prosper: for yet the end _shall be_ at the time appointed. 28. Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart _shall be_ against the holy covenant; --the worship of Jehovah-- and he shall do _exploits_, and return to his own land. 29. At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. 30. For the ships of Chittim --the fleet of the Romans under Laenas-- shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them --the Samaritans-- that forsake the holy covenant. 31. And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, --the Temple-- and shall take away the daily _sacrifice_, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. --Antiochus Epiphanes established idol-altars in every town and village of Palestine, and ordered a daily sacrifice of swine on the altars. 32. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do _exploits_. --Mattathias and his 5 sons, the "Maccabees." 33. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, _many_ days. 34. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. --see life of Judas Maccabeus. 35. And _some_ of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make _them_ white, _even_ to the time of the end: because _it is_ yet for a time appointed.