Daniel's Terrifying Vision of a Man

10 ^(A)In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, ^(B)who was named Belteshazzar. And ^(C)the word was true, and it was a great conflict.^[a] And ^(D)he understood the word and ^(E)had understanding of the vision.

² In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for ^(F)three weeks. ³ I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I ^(G)anoint myself at all, for ^(H)the full three weeks. ⁴ On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing ^(I)on the bank of the great river (^(J)that is, the Tigris) ^5 (K)I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, ^(L)a man clothed in linen, ^(M)with a belt of fine ^(N)gold from Uphaz around his waist.

¹⁰ And behold, ^(A)a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. ¹¹ And he said to me, “O Daniel, ^(B)man greatly loved, ^(C)understand the words that I speak to you, and ^(D)stand upright, for ^(E)now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. ¹² Then he said to me, ^(F)“Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you ^(G)set your heart to understand and ^(H)humbled yourself before your God, ^(I)your words have been heard, ^(J)and I have come because of your words. ^13 (K)The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me ^(L)twenty-one days, but ^(M)Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, ^14 (N)and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people ^(O)in the latter days. For ^(P)the vision is for days yet to come.”