Gabriel Brings an Answer

²⁰ While I was still ^(A)speaking and praying, and ^(B)confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and ^[a]presenting my plea before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, ²¹ while I was still speaking in prayer, the man ^(C)Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision ^[b]previously, ^[c]came to me ^[d]in my extreme weariness about the time of the ^(D)evening offering. ²² And he instructed me and talked with me and said, “Daniel, I have come now to give you insight with ^(E)understanding. ²³ At the ^(F)beginning of your pleas the ^[e]command was issued, and I have come to tell you, because you are ^[f](G)highly esteemed; so pay attention to the message and gain ^(H)understanding of the vision.

Cornelius’ Vision

10 Now there was a man in ^(A)Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was ^(B)called the Italian ^[a]cohort, ² a devout man and ^(C)one who feared God with all his household, and ^(D)made many charitable contributions to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually. ³ About ^(E)the ^[b]ninth hour of the day he clearly saw ^(F)in a vision ^(G)an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!” ⁴ And he ^(H)looked at him intently and became terrified, and said, “What is it, lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and charitable gifts ^(I)have ascended ^(J)as a memorial offering before God. ⁵ Now dispatch some men to ^(K)Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; ⁶ he is staying with a tanner named ^(L)Simon, whose house is by the sea.”

^3 (A)Another angel came and stood at the ^(B)altar, holding a ^(C)golden censer; and much ^(D)incense was given to him, so that he might ^[a]add it to the ^(E)prayers of all the ^[b]saints on the ^(F)golden altar which was before the throne. ⁴ And ^(G)the smoke of the incense ascended from the angel’s hand with the prayers of the ^[c]saints before God. ⁵ Then the angel ^[d]took the ^[e]censer and ^(H)filled it with the fire of the altar, and ^(I)hurled it to the earth; and there were ^(J)peals of thunder and sounds, and flashes of lightning and an ^(K)earthquake.

The Fifth Seal: Martyrs

⁹ When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw ^(A)underneath the ^(B)altar the ^(C)souls of those who had been killed ^(D)because of the word of God, and because of the ^(E)testimony which they had maintained; ¹⁰ and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “^(F)How long, O ^[a](G)Lord, ^(H)holy and true, ^[b]will You refrain from ^(I)judging and avenging our blood on ^(J)those who live on the earth?” ¹¹ And a ^(K)white robe was given to each of them; and they were told that they were to ^(L)rest for a little while longer, ^(M)until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, was ^(N)completed also.