"And the king—Ptolemy son of Lagos,—of the south,"—Egypt,—"shall be strong,—but one of his princes shall be strong above him,"—Seleucus king of Syria,—"and his dominion shall be a great dominion,"—Appian says that he was the most powerful of Alexander's successors.
"And in the end of years they shall join themselves together, and the king's daughter of the South,"—Berenice, daughter of Ptolemy Philadelphus, son of the other Ptolemy—"shall come to the king of the North to make peace between these princes"—to Antiochus Deus, king of Syria and of Asia, son of Seleucus Lagidas.
"But neither she nor her seed shall have a long authority, for she and they that sent her and they that brought her, and her children and her friends, shall be delivered to death,"—Berenice and her son were killed by Seleucus Callinicus.
"But out of a branch of her roots"—Ptolemy Euergetes was the son of the same father as Berenice—"shall one stand up in his estate, who shall come with an army into the land of the king of the north, and shall put all under subjection, and carry captives into Egypt their gods, their princes, their gold, their silver, and all their precious spoils, and shall continue many years when the king of the North can do nought against him."—If he had not been called into Egypt by domestic reasons, says Justin, he would have entirely ruined Seleucus.
"And thus he shall return into his kingdom, but his sons shall be stirred up and shall prepare an exceeding great multitude"—Seleucus Ceraunus, Antiochus the Great.
"And their army shall come and overthrow all, whereat the king of the South being moved with choler, shall come forth and fight with him and conquer,"—Ptolemy Philopator against Antiochus the Great at Raphia—"and his troops shall become insolent, and his heart shall be lifted up,"—this Ptolemy desecrated the temple—Josephus—"and he shall cast down many ten thousands, but he shall not be strengthened by it.
"For the king of the North"—Antiochus the Great—"shall return with a greater multitude than before,"—in the reign of the young Ptolemy Epiphanes—"and then a great number of enemies shall stand up against the king of the south, also the apostates and robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall perish"—those who abandon their religion to please Euergetes, when he will send his troops to Scopas. For Antiochus will again take Scopas and conquer them.
"And the king of the North shall destroy the fenced cities and the armies of the south shall not withstand, and all shall yield to his will. He shall stand in the land of Israel and it shall yield to him.