9It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians.H259H8141H1867H1121H325H2233H4074H4427H4438H3778 2During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the Lord, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years.H259H8141H4427H1840H995H5612H4557H8141H1697H3068H3414H5030H4390H7657H8141H2723H3389 3So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.H5414H6440H136H430H1245H8605H8469H6685H8242H665 4I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands.H6419H3068H430H3034H559H577H136H1419H3372H410H8104H1285H2617H157H8104H4687 5But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations.H2398H5753H7561H4775H5493H4687H4941 6We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land.H8085H5650H5030H1696H8034H4428H8269H1H5971H776 7“Lord, you are in the right; but as you see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you.H136H6666H1322H6440H3117H376H3063H3427H3389H3478H7138H7350H776H5080H4604H4603 8O Lord, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you.H136H1322H6440H4428H8269H1H2398 9But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.H136H430H7356H5547H4775 10We have not obeyed the Lord our God, for we have not followed the instructions he gave us through his servants the prophets.H8085H6963H3068H430H3212H8451H5414H6440H3027H5650H5030 11All Israel has disobeyed your instruction and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice. “So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured down on us because of our sin.H3478H5674H8451H5493H8085H6963H423H5413H7621H3789H8451H4872H5650H430H2398 12You have kept your word and done to us and our rulers exactly as you warned. Never has there been such a disaster as happened in Jerusalem.H6965H1697H1696H8199H8199H935H1419H7451H8064H6213H6213H3389 13Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses has come true. Yet we have refused to seek mercy from the Lord our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth.H3789H8451H4872H7451H935H2470H6440H3068H430H7725H5771H7919H571 14Therefore, the Lord has brought upon us the disaster he prepared. The Lord our God was right to do all of these things, for we did not obey him.H3068H8245H7451H935H3068H430H6662H4639H6213H8085H6963 15“O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness.H136H430H3318H5971H3318H776H4714H2389H3027H6213H8034H3117H2398H7561 16In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors.H136H6666H639H2534H7725H5892H3389H6944H2022H2399H5771H1H3389H5971H2781H5439 17“O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary.H430H8085H8605H5650H8469H6440H215H4720H8076H136 18“O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy.H430H5186H241H8085H6491H5869H7200H8074H5892H7121H8034H5307H8469H6440H6666H7227H7356 19“O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.”H136H8085H136H5545H136H7181H6213H309H408H430H5892H5971H7121H8034 20I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people, pleading with the Lord my God for Jerusalem, his holy mountain.H1696H6419H3034H2403H2403H5971H3478H5307H8467H6440H3068H430H6944H2022H430 21As I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice.H1696H8605H376H1403H7200H2377H8462H3286H3288H5060H6256H6153H4503 22He explained to me, “Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding.H995H1696H559H1840H3318H7919H998 23The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision.H8462H8469H1697H3318H935H5046H2532H995H1697H995H4758 24“A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.H7657H7620H2852H5971H6944H5892H3607H6588H8552H2856H2403H3722H5771H935H5769H6664H2856H2377H5030H4886H6944H6944 25Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times.H3045H7919H4161H1697H7725H1129H3389H4899H5057H7651H7620H8346H8147H7620H7339H1129H7725H2742H6695H6256 26“After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end.H310H8346H8147H7620H4899H3772H5971H5057H935H7843H5892H6944H7093H7858H7093H4421H8074H2782 27The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.”H1396H1285H7227H259H7620H2677H7620H2077H4503H7673H3671H8251H8074H3617H2782H5413H8074
10In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) had another vision. He understood that the vision concerned events certain to happen in the future—times of war and great hardship.H7969H8141H3566H4428H6539H1697H1540H1840H8034H7121H1095H1697H571H6635H1419H995H1697H998H4758 2When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks.H3117H1840H56H7969H3117H7620 3All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed.H398H2532H3899H935H1320H3196H6310H5480H5480H7969H3117H7620H4390 4On April 23, as I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River,H702H6242H3117H7223H2320H3027H1419H5104H2313 5I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist.H5375H5869H7200H259H376H3847H906H4975H2296H3800H210 6His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people.H1472H8658H6440H4758H1300H5869H3940H784H2220H4772H5869H7044H5178H6963H1697H6963H1995 7Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide.H1840H7200H4759H582H7200H4759H61H1419H2731H5307H1272H2244 8So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak.H7604H7200H1419H4759H7604H3581H1935H2015H4889H6113H3581 9Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.H8085H6963H1697H8085H6963H1697H7290H6440H6440H776 10Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees.H3027H5060H5128H1290H3709H3027 11And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling.H559H1840H376H2532H995H1697H1696H5975H5977H7971H1696H1697H5975H7460 12Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.H559H3372H1840H7223H3117H5414H3820H995H6031H6440H430H1697H8085H935H1697 13But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.H8269H4438H6539H5975H259H6242H3117H4317H259H7223H8269H935H5826H3498H681H4428H6539 14Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”H935H995H7136H5971H319H3117H2377H3117 15While he was speaking to me, I looked down at the ground, unable to say a word.H1696H1697H5414H6440H776H481 16Then the one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing in front of me, “I am filled with anguish because of the vision I have seen, my lord, and I am very weak.H1823H1121H120H5060H8193H6605H6310H1696H559H5975H113H4759H6735H2015H6113H3581 17How can someone like me, your servant, talk to you, my lord? My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe.”H1963H3201H5650H113H1696H113H6258H5975H3581H5397H7604 18Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning.H3254H5060H4758H120H2388 19“Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!” As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, “Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”H559H376H2532H3372H7965H2388H2388H1696H2388H559H113H1696H2388 20He replied, “Do you know why I have come? Soon I must return to fight against the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia, and after that the spirit prince of the kingdom of Greece will come.H559H3045H935H7725H3898H8269H6539H3318H8269H3120H935 21Meanwhile, I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one helps me against these spirit princes except Michael, your spirit prince.H61H5046H7559H3791H571H259H2388H4317H8269
11I have been standing beside Michael to support and strengthen him since the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede.)H259H8141H1867H4075H5977H2388H45812“Now then, I will reveal the truth to you. Three more Persian kings will reign, to be succeeded by a fourth, far richer than the others. He will use his wealth to stir up everyone to fight against the kingdom of Greece.H5046H571H5975H7969H4428H6539H7243H6239H6238H1419H2393H6239H5782H4438H31203“Then a mighty king will rise to power who will rule with great authority and accomplish everything he sets out to do.H1368H4428H5975H4910H7227H4474H6213H75224But at the height of his power, his kingdom will be broken apart and divided into four parts. It will not be ruled by the king’s descendants, nor will the kingdom hold the authority it once had. For his empire will be uprooted and given to others.H5975H4438H7665H2673H702H7307H8064H319H4915H4910H4438H5428H3125“The king of the south will increase in power, but one of his own officials will become more powerful than he and will rule his kingdom with great strength.H4428H5045H2388H8269H2388H4910H4475H7227H44746“Some years later an alliance will be formed between the king of the north and the king of the south. The daughter of the king of the south will be given in marriage to the king of the north to secure the alliance, but she will lose her influence over him, and so will her father. She will be abandoned along with her supporters.H7093H8141H2266H4428H1323H5045H935H4428H6828H6213H4339H6113H3581H2220H5975H2220H5414H935H3205H2388H62567But when one of her relatives becomes king of the south, he will raise an army and enter the fortress of the king of the north and defeat him.H5342H8328H5975H3653H935H2428H935H4581H4428H6828H6213H23888When he returns to Egypt, he will carry back their idols with him, along with priceless articles of gold and silver. For some years afterward he will leave the king of the north alone.H935H7628H4714H430H5257H2532H3627H3701H2091H5975H8141H4428H68289“Later the king of the north will invade the realm of the king of the south but will soon return to his own land.H4428H5045H935H4438H7725H12710However, the sons of the king of the north will assemble a mighty army that will advance like a flood and carry the battle as far as the enemy’s fortress.H1121H1624H622H1995H7227H2428H935H935H7857H5674H7725H1624H458111“Then, in a rage, the king of the south will rally against the vast forces assembled by the king of the north and will defeat them.H4428H5045H4843H3318H3898H4428H6828H5975H7227H1995H1995H5414H302712After the enemy army is swept away, the king of the south will be filled with pride and will execute many thousands of his enemies. But his success will be short lived.H5375H1995H3824H7311H7311H5307H7239H581013“A few years later the king of the north will return with a fully equipped army far greater than before.H4428H6828H7725H5975H1995H7227H7223H935H935H7093H6256H8141H1419H2428H7227H739914At that time there will be a general uprising against the king of the south. Violent men among your own people will join them in fulfillment of this vision, but they will not succeed.H6256H7227H5975H4428H5045H1121H6530H5971H5375H5975H2377H378215Then the king of the north will come and lay siege to a fortified city and capture it. The best troops of the south will not be able to stand in the face of the onslaught.H4428H6828H935H8210H5550H3920H4013H5892H2220H5045H5975H4005H5971H3581H597516“The king of the north will march onward unopposed; none will be able to stop him. He will pause in the glorious land of Israel, intent on destroying it.H935H6213H7522H5975H6440H5975H6643H776H3027H361717He will make plans to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will form an alliance with the king of the south. He will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom from within, but his plan will fail.H7760H6440H935H8633H4438H3477H6213H5414H1323H802H7843H597518“After this, he will turn his attention to the coastland and conquer many cities. But a commander from another land will put an end to his insolence and cause him to retreat in shame.H7760H7725H6440H339H3920H7227H7101H2781H7673H1115H2781H772519He will take refuge in his own fortresses but will stumble and fall and be seen no more.H7725H6440H4581H776H3782H5307H467220“His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. But after a very brief reign, he will die, though not from anger or in battle.H5975H3653H5674H5065H1925H4438H259H3117H7665H639H442121“The next to come to power will be a despicable man who is not in line for royal succession. He will slip in when least expected and take over the kingdom by flattery and intrigue.H3653H5975H959H5414H1935H4438H935H7962H2388H4438H251922Before him great armies will be swept away, including a covenant prince.H2220H7858H7857H6440H7665H5057H128523With deceitful promises, he will make various alliances. He will become strong despite having only a handful of followers.H2266H6213H4820H5927H6105H4592H147124Without warning he will enter the richest areas of the land. Then he will distribute among his followers the plunder and wealth of the rich—something his predecessors had never done. He will plot the overthrow of strongholds, but this will last for only a short while.H935H7962H4924H4082H6213H1H6213H1H1H967H961H7998H7399H2803H4284H4013H625625“Then he will stir up his courage and raise a great army against the king of the south. The king of the south will go to battle with a mighty army, but to no avail, for there will be plots against him.H5782H3581H3824H4428H5045H1419H2428H4428H5045H1624H4421H3966H1419H6099H2428H5975H2803H428426His own household will cause his downfall. His army will be swept away, and many will be killed.H398H6598H7665H2428H7857H7227H5307H249127Seeking nothing but each other’s harm, these kings will plot against each other at the conference table, attempting to deceive each other. But it will make no difference, for the end will come at the appointed time.H8147H4428H3824H4827H7451H1696H3577H259H7979H6743H7093H415028“The king of the north will then return home with great riches. On the way he will set himself against the people of the holy covenant, doing much damage before continuing his journey.H7725H776H1419H7399H3824H6944H1285H6213H7725H77629“Then at the appointed time he will once again invade the south, but this time the result will be different.H4150H7725H935H5045H7223H31430For warships from western coastlands will scare him off, and he will withdraw and return home. But he will vent his anger against the people of the holy covenant and reward those who forsake the covenant.H6716H3794H935H3512H7725H2194H6944H1285H6213H7725H995H5800H6944H128531“His army will take over the Temple fortress, pollute the sanctuary, put a stop to the daily sacrifices, and set up the sacrilegious object that causes desecration.H2220H5975H2490H4720H4581H5493H8548H5414H8251H807432He will flatter and win over those who have violated the covenant. But the people who know their God will be strong and will resist him.H7561H1285H2610H2514H5971H3045H430H2388H621333“Wise leaders will give instruction to many, but these teachers will die by fire and sword, or they will be jailed and robbed.H7919H5971H995H7227H3782H2719H3852H7628H961H311734During these persecutions, little help will arrive, and many who join them will not be sincere.H3782H5826H4592H5828H7227H3867H251935And some of the wise will fall victim to persecution. In this way, they will be refined and cleansed and made pure until the time of the end, for the appointed time is still to come.H7919H3782H6884H1305H3835H6256H7093H415036“The king will do as he pleases, exalting himself and claiming to be greater than every god, even blaspheming the God of gods. He will succeed, but only until the time of wrath is completed. For what has been determined will surely take place.H4428H6213H7522H7311H1431H410H1696H6381H410H410H6743H2195H3615H2782H621337He will have no respect for the gods of his ancestors, or for the god loved by women, or for any other god, for he will boast that he is greater than them all.H995H430H1H2532H802H995H433H143138Instead of these, he will worship the god of fortresses—a god his ancestors never knew—and lavish on him gold, silver, precious stones, and expensive gifts.H3653H3513H433H4581H433H1H3045H3513H2091H3701H3368H68H253239Claiming this foreign god’s help, he will attack the strongest fortresses. He will honor those who submit to him, appointing them to positions of authority and dividing the land among them as their reward.H6213H4581H4013H5236H433H5234H5234H7235H3519H4910H7227H2505H127H424240“Then at the time of the end, the king of the south will attack the king of the north. The king of the north will storm out with chariots, charioteers, and a vast navy. He will invade various lands and sweep through them like a flood.H6256H7093H4428H5045H5055H4428H6828H8175H7393H6571H7227H591H935H776H7857H567441He will enter the glorious land of Israel, and many nations will fall, but Moab, Edom, and the best part of Ammon will escape.H935H6643H776H7227H3782H4422H3027H123H4124H7225H1121H598342He will conquer many countries, and even Egypt will not escape.H7971H3027H776H776H4714H641343He will gain control over the gold, silver, and treasures of Egypt, and the Libyans and Ethiopians will be his servants.H4910H4362H2091H3701H2532H4714H3864H3569H470344“But then news from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in great anger to destroy and obliterate many.H8052H4217H6828H926H3318H1419H2534H8045H2763H722745He will stop between the glorious holy mountain and the sea and will pitch his royal tents. But while he is there, his time will suddenly run out, and no one will help him.H5193H168H643H3220H6643H6944H2022H935H7093H5826
12“At that time Michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued.H6256H4317H5975H1419H8269H5975H1121H5971H1961H6256H6869H1471H6256H6256H5971H4422H4672H3789H5612 2Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace.H7227H3463H6083H127H6974H5769H2416H2781H5769H1860 3Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.H7919H2094H2096H7549H7227H6663H3556H5769H5703 4But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.”H1840H5640H1697H2856H5612H6256H7093H7227H7751H1847H7235 5Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing on opposite banks of the river.H1840H7200H5975H312H8147H259H2008H8193H2975H259H8193H2975 6One of them asked the man dressed in linen, who was now standing above the river, “How long will it be until these shocking events are over?”H559H376H3847H906H4605H4325H2975H7093H6382 7The man dressed in linen, who was standing above the river, raised both his hands toward heaven and took a solemn oath by the One who lives forever, saying, “It will go on for a time, times, and half a time. When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened.”H8085H376H3847H906H4605H4325H2975H7311H3225H8040H8064H7650H2416H5769H4150H4150H2677H3615H5310H3027H6944H5971H3615 8I heard what he said, but I did not understand what he meant. So I asked, “How will all this finally end, my lord?”H8085H995H559H113H319 9But he said, “Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end.H559H3212H1840H1697H5640H2856H6256H7093 10Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means.H7227H1305H3835H6884H7563H7561H7563H995H7919H995 11“From the time the daily sacrifice is stopped and the sacrilegious object that causes desecration is set up to be worshiped, there will be 1,290 days.H6256H8548H5493H8251H8074H5414H505H3967H8673H3117 12And blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days!H835H2442H5060H505H7969H3967H2568H7970H3117 13“As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you.”H3212H7093H5117H5975H1486H7093H3117
Dublin, OH
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