Daniel 10
American Standard Version
10 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, even a great warfare: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision. 2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three whole weeks. 3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine into my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. 4 And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is [a]Hiddekel, 5 I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, a man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with pure gold of Uphaz: 6 his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as flaming torches, and his arms and his feet like unto burnished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. 7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision; for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me; for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. 9 Yet heard I the voice of his words; and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I fallen into a deep sleep on my face, with my face toward the ground.
10 And, behold, a hand touched me, which [b]set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. 11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, thou man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright; for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. 12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel; for from the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand, and to humble thyself before thy God, thy words were heard: and I am come for thy words’ sake. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days; but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me: and I [c]remained there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days; for the vision is yet for many days. 15 And when he had spoken unto me according to these words, I set my face toward the ground, and was dumb. 16 And, behold, one in the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by reason of the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I retain no strength. 17 For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither was there breath left in me.
18 Then there touched me again one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me. 19 And he said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he spake unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me. 20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I am come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I go forth, lo, the prince of [d]Greece shall come. 21 But I will tell thee that which is inscribed in the writing of truth: and there is none that [e]holdeth with me [f]against these, but Michael your prince.
Footnotes
- Daniel 10:4 That is, Tigris.
- Daniel 10:10 Or, set me tottering upon etc.
- Daniel 10:13 Or, was not needed
- Daniel 10:20 Hebrew Javan.
- Daniel 10:21 Hebrew strengtheneth himself.
- Daniel 10:21 Or, concerning these things
Daniel 10
International Standard Version
Daniel’s Vision
10 In the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar). The message was trustworthy and concerned a great conflict. He understood it and had insight concerning the vision.
2 “At that time I, Daniel, had been mourning for three straight weeks.[a] 3 I ate no fancy foods—neither meat nor wine entered my mouth. Furthermore, I didn’t use any ointment until the end of the entire three weeks.[b] 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, while I was beside the bank of the great Tigris[c] River, 5 I lifted up my eyes to look, and to my surprise, there was a certain man dressed in linen, whose waist was encircled with gold from Uphaz! 6 His body was like beryl,[d] his face flashed like lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and legs were like polished bronze, and his speech roared[e] like that of a crowd.
7 “Now I, Daniel, was the only one to receive the vision—the men who were with me didn’t see it.[f] However, an enormous fear overwhelmed them, so they ran away to hide, 8 and I was left alone to observe this magnificent vision. Nevertheless, no strength remained in me—my face lost its color, and I became weak. 9 As I listened to the sound of his words, I fell down on my face unconscious, with my face to the ground.”
Daniel is Given Understanding
10 “All of a sudden, a hand touched me and lifted me upon my hands and knees. 11 He told me, ‘Daniel, man highly regarded, understand the message that I’m about to relate to you. Stand up, because I’ve been sent to you.’ When he spoke this statement to me, I stood there trembling.
12 “‘Don’t be afraid, Daniel,’ he told me, ‘because from the first day that you committed yourself to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard. I’ve come in answer to[g] your prayers. 13 However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for 21 days. Then all of a sudden, Michael, one of the chief angels,[h] came to assist me! I had been detained there near the kings of Persia. 14 Now I’ve come to help you understand what will happen to your people in the days to come, because the vision pertains to those days.’
15 “After he had spoken to me like this, I bowed my face to the ground, unable to speak. 16 But suddenly someone who resembled a human being touched my lips, so addressing the one who was standing in front of me, I opened my mouth and said, ‘Sir,[i] I’m overwhelmed with anguish by this vision. I have no strength left.[j] 17 So how can a servant of my lord talk with someone like you, sir?[k] And as for me, there’s no strength left in me, and I can hardly breathe.’
18 “Then this person who looked like a man touched me again and strengthened me 19 and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, man highly regarded. Be at peace, and be strong.’
“As soon as he spoke to me, I gained strength and replied, ‘Sir, please[l] speak, now that you’ve strengthened me.’
20 “Then he said, ‘Do you understand why I came to you? Soon I’ll return to fight the prince of Persia. I’m going forth to war—and take note—the prince of Greece[m] is coming! 21 I’ll inform you about what has been recorded in the Book of Truth. No one stands firmly with me against these opponents,[n] except Michael your prince.
Footnotes
- Daniel 10:2 Lit. for three weeks of days
- Daniel 10:3 Lit. the three weeks of days
- Daniel 10:4 Lit. Hiddekel
- Daniel 10:6 Lit. Tarshish; a yellow semi-precious stone named after its region of origin
- Daniel 10:6 The Heb. lacks roared
- Daniel 10:7 Lit. see the vision
- Daniel 10:12 The Heb. lacks answer to
- Daniel 10:13 Lit. princes
- Daniel 10:16 Lit. My lord
- Daniel 10:16 The Heb. lacks left
- Daniel 10:17 Lit. like my lord
- Daniel 10:19 Lit. May my lord
- Daniel 10:20 Lit. Javan
- Daniel 10:21 The Heb. lacks opponents
Daniel 10
New Century Version
Daniel’s Vision of a Man
10 During Cyrus’ third year as king of Persia, Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, received a vision about a great war. It was a true message that Daniel understood.
2 At that time I, Daniel, had been very sad for three weeks. 3 I did not eat any fancy food or meat, or drink any wine, or use any perfumed oil for three weeks.
4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, I was standing beside the great Tigris River. 5 While standing there, I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothes with a belt of fine gold wrapped around his waist. 6 His body was like shiny yellow quartz. His face was bright like lightning, and his eyes were like fire. His arms and legs were shiny like polished bronze, and his voice sounded like the roar of a crowd.
7 I, Daniel, was the only person who saw the vision. The men with me did not see it, because they were so frightened that they ran away and hid. 8 So I was left alone, watching this great vision. I lost my strength, my face turned white like a dead person, and I was helpless. 9 Then I heard the man in the vision speaking. As I listened, I fell into a deep sleep with my face on the ground.
10 Then a hand touched me and set me on my hands and knees. I was so afraid that I was shaking. 11 The man in the vision said to me, “Daniel, God loves you very much. Think carefully about the words I will speak to you, and stand up, because I have been sent to you.” When he said this, I stood up, but I was still shaking.
12 Then the man said to me, “Daniel, do not be afraid. Some time ago you decided to get understanding and to humble yourself before your God. Since that time God has listened to you, and I have come because of your prayers. 13 But the prince of Persia has been fighting against me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the most important angels, came to help me, because I had been left there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people, because the vision is about a time in the future.”
15 While he was speaking to me, I bowed facedown and could not speak. 16 Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, so I opened my mouth and started to speak. I said to the one standing in front of me, “Master, I am upset and afraid because of what I saw in the vision. I feel helpless. 17 Master, how can I, your servant, talk with you? My strength is gone, and it is hard for me to breathe.”
18 The one who looked like a man touched me again and gave me strength. 19 He said, “Daniel, don’t be afraid. God loves you very much. Peace be with you. Be strong now; be courageous.”
When he spoke to me, I became stronger and said, “Master, speak, since you have given me strength.”
20 Then he said, “Daniel, do you know why I have come to you? Soon I must go back to fight against the prince of Persia. When I go, the prince of Greece will come, 21 but I must first tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. No one stands with me against these enemies except Michael, the angel ruling over your people.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
