Daniel 10
Young's Literal Translation
10 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a thing is revealed to Daniel, whose name is called Belteshazzar, and the thing [is] true, and the warfare [is] great: and he hath understood the thing, and hath understanding about the appearance.
2 `In those days, I, Daniel, have been mourning three weeks of days;
3 desirable bread I have not eaten, and flesh and wine hath not come in unto my mouth, and I have not anointed myself at all, till the completion of three weeks of days.
4 `And in the twenty and fourth day of the first month, I have been by the side of the great river, that [is] Hiddekel:
5 and I lift up mine eyes, and look, and lo, a certain one clothed in linen, and his loins girt with pure gold of Uphaz,
6 and his body as a beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet as the aspect of bright brass, and the voice of his words as the voice of a multitude.
7 `And I have seen -- I, Daniel, by myself -- the appearance: and the men who have been with me have not seen the appearance, but a great trembling hath fallen on them, and they flee to be hidden;
8 and I have been left by myself, and I see this great appearance, and there hath been no power left in me, and my honour hath been turned in me to corruption, yea, I have not retained power.
9 `And I hear the voice of his words, and when I hear the voice of his words, then I have been in a trance on my face, and my face [is] to the earth;
10 and lo, a hand hath come against me, and shaketh me on my knees and the palms of my hands.
11 `And he saith unto me: Daniel, man greatly desired, attend to the words that I am speaking unto thee, and stand on thy station, for now I have been sent unto thee. `And when he speaketh with me this word, I have stood trembling.
12 And he saith unto me: Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that thou didst give thy heart to understand, and to humble thyself before thy God, thy words have been heard, and I have come because of thy words.
13 `And the head of the kingdom of Persia is standing over-against me twenty and one days, and lo, Michael, first of the chief heads, hath come in to help me, and I have remained there near the kings of Persia;
14 and I have come to cause thee to understand that which doth happen to thy people in the latter end of the days, for yet the vision [is] after days.
15 `And when he speaketh with me about these things, I have set my face toward the earth, and have been silent;
16 and lo, as the manner of the sons of men, he is striking against my lips, and I open my mouth, and I speak, and say unto him who is standing over-against me: My lord, by the appearance turned have been my pangs against me, and I have retained no power.
17 And how is the servant of this my lord able to speak with this my lord? as for me, henceforth there remaineth in me no power, yea, breath hath not been left in me.
18 `And he addeth, and striketh against me, as the appearance of a man, and strengtheneth me,
19 and he saith: Do not fear, O man greatly desired, peace to thee, be strong, yea, be strong; and when he speaketh with me, I have strengthened myself, and I say, Let my lord speak, for thou hast strengthened me.
20 And he saith, Hast thou known why I have come unto thee? and now I turn back to fight with the head of Persia; yea, I am going forth, and lo, the head of Javan hath come;
21 but I declare to thee that which is noted down in the Writing of Truth, and there is not one strengthening himself with me, concerning these, except Michael your head.
Daniel 10
New International Version
Daniel’s Vision of a Man
10 In the third year of Cyrus(A) king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar).(B) Its message was true(C) and it concerned a great war.[a] The understanding of the message came to him in a vision.
2 At that time I, Daniel, mourned(D) for three weeks. 3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips;(E) and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.
4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank(F) of the great river, the Tigris,(G) 5 I looked up(H) and there before me was a man dressed in linen,(I) with a belt of fine gold(J) from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like topaz,(K) his face like lightning,(L) his eyes like flaming torches,(M) his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze,(N) and his voice(O) like the sound of a multitude.
7 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it,(P) but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8 So I was left alone,(Q) gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left,(R) my face turned deathly pale(S) and I was helpless.(T) 9 Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.(U)
10 A hand touched me(V) and set me trembling on my hands and knees.(W) 11 He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed,(X) consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up,(Y) for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid,(Z) Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble(AA) yourself before your God, your words(AB) were heard, and I have come in response to them.(AC) 13 But the prince(AD) of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael,(AE) one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain(AF) to you what will happen to your people in the future,(AG) for the vision concerns a time yet to come.(AH)”
15 While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless.(AI) 16 Then one who looked like a man[b] touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak.(AJ) I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish(AK) because of the vision, my lord, and I feel very weak. 17 How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.”(AL)
18 Again the one who looked like a man touched(AM) me and gave me strength.(AN) 19 “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,”(AO) he said. “Peace!(AP) Be strong now; be strong.”(AQ)
When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.”(AR)
20 So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece(AS) will come; 21 but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth.(AT) (No one supports me against them except Michael,(AU) your prince.
Footnotes
- Daniel 10:1 Or true and burdensome
- Daniel 10:16 Most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text; one manuscript of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint Then something that looked like a human hand
Daniel 10
New King James Version
Vision of the Glorious Man
10 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose (A)name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, [a]but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision. 2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. 3 I ate no [b]pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
4 Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the [c]Tigris, 5 I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in (B)linen, whose waist was (C)girded with gold of Uphaz! 6 His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, (D)and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.
7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. 8 Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my [d]vigor was turned to [e]frailty in me, and I retained no strength. 9 Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.
Prophecies Concerning Persia and Greece
10 (E)Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. 11 And he said to me, “O Daniel, (F)man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.
12 Then he said to me, (G)“Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, (H)your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 (I)But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, (J)Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people (K)in the latter days, (L)for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”
15 When he had spoken such words to me, (M)I [f]turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. 16 And suddenly, (N)one having the likeness of the [g]sons of men (O)touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, “My lord, because of the vision (P)my sorrows have [h]overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength. 17 For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me.”
18 Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me. 19 (Q)And he said, “O man greatly beloved, (R)fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!”
So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”
20 Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight (S)with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come. 21 But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, (T)except Michael your prince.
Footnotes
- Daniel 10:1 Or and of great conflict;
- Daniel 10:3 desirable
- Daniel 10:4 Heb. Hiddekel
- Daniel 10:8 Lit. splendor
- Daniel 10:8 Lit. ruin
- Daniel 10:15 Lit. set
- Daniel 10:16 Theodotion, Vg. the son; LXX a hand
- Daniel 10:16 Or turned upon
Daniel 10
Living Bible
10 In the third year of the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia, Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) had another vision. It concerned events certain to happen in the future: times of great tribulation—wars and sorrows, and this time he understood what the vision meant.
2 When this vision came to me (Daniel said later), I had been in mourning for three full weeks. 3 All that time I tasted neither wine nor meat, and, of course, I went without desserts. I neither washed nor shaved nor combed my hair.
4 Then one day early in April, as I was standing beside the great Tigris River, 5-6 I looked up, and suddenly there before me stood a person robed in linen garments, with a belt of purest gold around his waist and glowing, lustrous skin! From his face came blinding flashes like lightning, and his eyes were pools of fire; his arms and feet shone like polished brass, and his voice was like the roaring of a vast multitude of people.
7 I, Daniel, alone saw this great vision; the men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly filled with unreasoning terror and ran to hide, 8 so I was left alone. When I saw this frightening vision, my strength left me, and I grew pale and weak with fright.
9 Then he spoke to me, and I fell to the ground face downward in a deep faint. 10 But a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. 11 And I heard his voice—“O Daniel, greatly beloved of God,” he said, “stand up and listen carefully to what I have to say to you, for God has sent me to you.” So I stood up, still trembling with fear.
12 Then he said, “Don’t be frightened, Daniel, for your request has been heard in heaven and was answered the very first day you began to fast before the Lord and pray for understanding; that very day I was sent here to meet you. 13 But for twenty-one days the mighty Evil Spirit[a] who overrules the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the top officers of the heavenly army, came to help me, so that I was able to break through these spirit rulers of Persia. 14 Now I am here to tell you what will happen to your people, the Jews, at the end times—for the fulfillment of this prophecy is many years away.”
15 All this time I was looking down, unable to speak a word. 16 Then someone—he looked like a man—touched my lips and I could talk again, and I said to the messenger from heaven, “Sir, I am terrified by your appearance and have no strength. 17 How can such a person as I even talk to you? For my strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe.”
18 Then the one who seemed to be a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning. 19 “God loves you very much,” he said; “don’t be afraid! Calm yourself; be strong—yes, strong!”
Suddenly, as he spoke these words, I felt stronger and said to him, “Now you can go ahead and speak, sir, for you have strengthened me.”
20-21 He replied, “Do you know why I have come? I am here to tell you what is written in the ‘Book of the Future.’ Then, when I leave, I will go again to fight my way back, past the prince of Persia; and after him, the prince of Greece. Only Michael, the angel who guards your people Israel,[b] will be there to help me.
Footnotes
- Daniel 10:13 the mighty Evil Spirit, literally, “the prince of Persia.”
- Daniel 10:20 your people Israel, literally, “your prince.”
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

