Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Prayer for God to Be Near

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹⁵ I, Daniel, saw this vision and tried to understand what it meant. In it I saw someone who looked like a man standing near me. ¹⁶ And I heard a man’s voice calling from the Ulai Canal: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”

¹⁷ Gabriel came to where I was standing. When he came close to me, I was very afraid and bowed facedown on the ground. But Gabriel said to me, “Human being, understand that this vision is about the time of the end.”

¹⁸ While Gabriel was speaking, I fell into a deep sleep with my face on the ground. Then he touched me and lifted me to my feet. ¹⁹ He said, “Now, I will explain to you what will happen in the time of God’s anger. Your vision was about the set time of the end.

²⁰ “You saw a male sheep with two horns, which are the kings of Media and Persia. ²¹ The male goat is the king of Greece, and the big horn between its eyes is the first king. ²² The four horns that grew in the place of the broken horn are four kingdoms. Those four kingdoms will come from the nation of the first king, but they will not be as strong as the first king.

²³ “When the end comes near for those kingdoms, a bold and cruel king who tells lies will come. This will happen when many people have turned against God. ²⁴ This king will be very powerful, but his power will not come from himself. He will cause terrible destruction and will be successful in everything he does. He will destroy powerful people and even God’s holy people. ²⁵ This king will succeed by using lies and force. He will think that he is very important. He will destroy many people without warning; he will try to fight even the Prince of princes! But that cruel king will be destroyed, and not by human power.

²⁶ “The vision that has been shown to you about these evenings and mornings is true. But seal up the vision, because those things won’t happen for a long time.”

²⁷ I, Daniel, became very weak and was sick for several days after that vision. Then I got up and went back to work for the king, but I was very upset about the vision. I didn’t understand what it meant.

³² Remember those days in the past when you first learned the truth. You had a hard struggle with many sufferings, but you continued strong. ³³ Sometimes you were hurt and attacked before crowds of people, and sometimes you shared with those who were being treated that way. ³⁴ You helped the prisoners. You even had joy when all that you owned was taken from you, because you knew you had something better and more lasting.

³⁵ So do not lose the courage you had in the past, which has a great reward. ³⁶ You must hold on, so you can do what God wants and receive what he has promised. ³⁷ For in a very short time,

³⁹ But we are not those who turn back and are lost. We are people who have faith and are saved.