To The Word – Day 203

₁Darius decided to appoint 120 governors to hold office throughout his empire. ₂In addition, he chose Daniel and two others to supervise the governors and to look after the king's interests. ₃Daniel soon showed that he could do better work than the other supervisors or the governors. Because he was so outstanding, the king considered putting him in charge of the whole empire. ₄Then the other supervisors and the governors tried to find something wrong with the way Daniel administered the empire, but they couldn't, because Daniel was reliable and did not do anything wrong or dishonest. ₅They said to one another, “We are not going to find anything of which to accuse Daniel unless it is something in connection with his religion.”

₆So they went to see the king and said, “King Darius, may Your Majesty live for ever! ₇All of us who administer your empire — the supervisors, the governors, the lieutenant-governors, and the other officials — have agreed that Your Majesty should issue an order and enforce it strictly. Give orders that for thirty days no one be permitted to request anything from any god or from any human being except from Your Majesty. Anyone who violates this order is to be thrown into a pit filled with lions. ₈So let Your Majesty issue this order and sign it, and it will be in force, a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.” ₉And so King Darius signed the order. ₁₀When Daniel learnt that the order had been signed, he went home. In an upstairs room of his house there were windows that faced towards Jerusalem. There, just as he had always done, he knelt down at the open windows and prayed to God three times a day.

₁₁When Daniel's enemies observed him praying to God, ₁₂all of them went together to the king to accuse Daniel. They said, “Your Majesty, you signed an order that for the next thirty days anyone who requested anything from any god or from any human being except you, would be thrown into a pit filled with lions.”

The king replied, “Yes, a strict order, a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.”

₁₃Then they said to the king, “Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, does not respect Your Majesty or obey the order you issued. He prays regularly three times a day.”

₁₄When the king heard this, he was upset and did his best to find some way to rescue Daniel. He kept trying until sunset. ₁₅Then Daniel's enemies came back to the king and said to him, “Your Majesty knows that according to the laws of the Medes and Persians no order which the king issues can be changed.”

₁₆So the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and he was thrown into the pit filled with lions. He said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve so loyally, rescue you.” ₁₇A stone was put over the mouth of the pit, and the king placed his own royal seal and the seal of his noblemen on the stone, so that no one could rescue Daniel. ₁₈Then the king returned to the palace and spent a sleepless night, without food or any form of entertainment.

₁₉At dawn the king got up and hurried to the pit. ₂₀When he got there, he called out anxiously, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was the God you serve so loyally able to save you from the lions?”

₂₁Daniel answered, “May Your Majesty live for ever! ₂₂God sent his angel to shut the mouths of the lions so that they would not hurt me. He did this because he knew that I was innocent and because I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”

₂₃The king was overjoyed and gave orders for Daniel to be pulled up out of the pit. So they pulled him up and saw that he had not been hurt at all, for he trusted God. ₂₄Then the king gave orders to arrest all the men who had accused Daniel, and they were thrown, together with their wives and their children, into the pit filled with lions. Before they even reached the bottom of the pit, the lions pounced on them and broke all their bones.

₂₅Then King Darius wrote to the people of all nations, races, and languages on earth:

“Greetings! ₂₆I command that throughout my empire everyone should fear and respect Daniel's God.

₂₈Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

₁In the first year that Belshazzar was king of Babylonia, I had a dream and saw a vision in the night. I wrote the dream down, and this is the record ₂of what I saw that night:

Winds were blowing from all directions and lashing the surface of the ocean. ₃Four huge beasts came up out of the ocean, each one different from the others. ₄The first one looked like a lion, but had wings like an eagle. While I was watching, the wings were torn off. The beast was lifted up and made to stand upright. And then a human mind was given to it.

₅The second beast looked like a bear standing on its hind legs. It was holding three ribs between its teeth, and a voice said to it, “Go on, eat as much meat as you can!”

₆While I was watching, another beast appeared. It looked like a leopard, but on its back there were four wings, like the wings of a bird, and it had four heads. It had a look of authority about it.

₇As I was watching, a fourth beast appeared. It was powerful, horrible, terrifying. With its huge iron teeth it crushed its victims, and then it trampled on them. Unlike the other beasts, it had ten horns. ₈While I was staring at the horns, I saw a little horn coming up among the others. It tore out three of the horns that were already there. This horn had human eyes and a mouth that was boasting proudly.

₉While I was looking, thrones were put in place. One who had been living for ever sat down on one of the thrones. His clothes were white as snow, and his hair was like pure wool. His throne, mounted on fiery wheels, was blazing with fire, ₁₀and a stream of fire was pouring out from it. There were many thousands of people there to serve him, and millions of people stood before him. The court began its session, and the books were opened.

₁₁While I was looking, I could still hear the little horn bragging and boasting. As I watched, the fourth beast was killed, and its body was thrown into the flames and destroyed. ₁₂The other beasts had their power taken away, but they were permitted to go on living for a limited time.

₁₃During this vision in the night, I saw what looked like a human being. He was approaching me, surrounded by clouds, and he went to the one who had been living for ever and was presented to him. ₁₄He was given authority, honour, and royal power, so that the people of all nations, races, and languages would serve him. His authority would last for ever, and his kingdom would never end.

₁₅The visions I saw alarmed me, and I was deeply disturbed. ₁₆I went up to one of those standing there and asked him to explain it all. So he told me the meaning. ₁₇He said, “These four huge beasts are four empires which will arise on earth. ₁₈And the people of the Supreme God will receive royal power and keep it for ever and ever.”

₁₉Then I wanted to know more about the fourth beast, which was not like any of the others — the terrifying beast which crushed its victims with its bronze claws and iron teeth and then trampled on them. ₂₀And I wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and the horn that had come up afterwards and had made three of the horns fall. It had eyes and a mouth and was boasting proudly. It was more terrifying than any of the others.

₂₁While I was looking, that horn made war on God's people and conquered them. ₂₂Then the one who had been living for ever came and pronounced judgement in favour of the people of the Supreme God. The time had arrived for God's people to receive royal power.

₂₃This is the explanation I was given: “The fourth beast is a fourth empire that will be on the earth and will be different from all other empires. It will crush the whole earth and trample it down. ₂₄The ten horns are ten kings who will rule that empire. Then another king will appear; he will be very different from the earlier ones and will overthrow three kings. ₂₅He will speak against the Supreme God and oppress God's people. He will try to change their religious laws and festivals, and God's people will be under his power for 3.5 years. ₂₆Then the heavenly court will sit in judgement, take away his power, and destroy him completely. ₂₇The power and greatness of all the kingdoms on earth will be given to the people of the Supreme God. Their royal power will never end and all rulers on earth will serve and obey them.”

₂₈This is the end of the account. I was so frightened that I turned pale, and I kept everything to myself.

₁In the third year that Belshazzar was king, I saw a second vision. ₂In the vision I suddenly found myself in the walled city of Susa in the province of Elam. I was standing by the River Ulai, ₃and there beside the river I saw a ram that had two long horns, one of which was longer and newer than the other. ₄I watched the ram butting with his horns to the west, the north, and the south. No animal could stop him or escape his power. He did as he pleased and grew arrogant.

₅While I was wondering what this meant, a goat came rushing out of the west, moving so fast that his feet didn't touch the ground. He had one prominent horn between his eyes. ₆He came towards the ram, which I had seen standing beside the river, and rushed at him with all his force. ₇I watched him attack the ram. He was so angry that he smashed into him and broke the two horns. The ram had no strength to resist. He was thrown to the ground and trampled on, and there was no one who could save him.

₈The goat grew more and more arrogant, but at the height of his power his horn was broken. In its place four prominent horns came up, each pointing in a different direction. ₉Out of one of these four horns grew a little horn, whose power extended towards the south and the east and towards the Promised Land. ₁₀It grew strong enough to attack the army of heaven, the stars themselves, and it threw some of them to the ground and trampled on them. ₁₁It even defied the Prince of the heavenly army, stopped the daily sacrifices offered to him, and desecrated the Temple. ₁₂People sinned there instead of offering the proper daily sacrifices, and true religion was thrown to the ground. The horn was successful in everything it did.

₁₃Then I heard one angel ask another, “How long will these things that were seen in the vision continue? How long will an awful sin replace the daily sacrifices? How long will the army of heaven and the Temple be trampled on?”

₁₄I heard the other angel answer, “It will continue for 2,300 evenings and mornings, during which sacrifices will not be offered. Then the Temple will be restored.”

₁₅I was trying to understand what the vision meant, when suddenly someone was standing in front of me. ₁₆I heard a voice call out over the River Ulai, “Gabriel, explain to him the meaning of what he saw.” ₁₇Gabriel came and stood beside me, and I was so terrified that I fell to the ground.

He said to me, “Mortal man, understand the meaning. The vision has to do with the end of the world.” ₁₈While he was talking, I fell to the ground unconscious. But he took hold of me, raised me to my feet, ₁₉and said, “I am showing you what the result of God's anger will be. The vision refers to the time of the end.

₂₀“The ram you saw that had two horns represents the kingdoms of Media and Persia. ₂₁The goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the prominent horn between his eyes is the first king. ₂₂The four horns that came up when the first horn was broken represent the four kingdoms into which that nation will be divided and which will not be as strong as the first kingdom.

₂₃“When the end of those kingdoms is near and they have become so wicked that they must be punished, there will be a stubborn, vicious, and deceitful king. ₂₄He will grow strong — but not by his own power. He will cause terrible destruction and be successful in everything he does. He will bring destruction on powerful men and on God's own people. ₂₅Because he is cunning, he will succeed in his deceitful ways. He will be proud of himself and destroy many people without warning. He will even defy the greatest King of all, but he will be destroyed without the use of any human power. ₂₆This vision about the evening and morning sacrifices which has been explained to you will come true. But keep it secret now, because it will be a long time before it does come true.”

₂₇I was depressed and ill for several days. Then I got up and went back to the work that the king had assigned to me, but I was puzzled by the vision and could not understand it.

₁Darius the Mede, who was the son of Xerxes, ruled over the kingdom of Babylonia. ₂In the first year of his reign, I was studying the sacred books and thinking about the seventy years that Jerusalem would be in ruins, according to what the LORD had told the prophet Jeremiah. ₃And I prayed earnestly to the Lord God, pleading with him, fasting, wearing sackcloth, and sitting in ashes. ₄I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed the sins of my people.

I said, “Lord God, you are great, and we honour you. You are faithful to your covenant and show constant love to those who love you and do what you command.

₅“We have sinned, we have been evil, we have done wrong. We have rejected what you commanded us to do and have turned away from what you showed us was right. ₆We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our rulers, our ancestors, and our whole nation. ₇You, Lord, always do what is right, but we have always brought disgrace on ourselves. This is true of all of us who live in Judah and in Jerusalem and of all the Israelites whom you scattered in countries near and far because they were unfaithful to you. ₈Our kings, our rulers, and our ancestors have acted shamefully and sinned against you, Lord. ₉You are merciful and forgiving, although we have rebelled against you. ₁₀We did not listen to you, O LORD our God, when you told us to live according to the laws which you gave us through your servants the prophets. ₁₁All Israel broke your laws and refused to listen to what you said. We sinned against you, and so you brought on us the curses that are written in the Law of Moses, your servant. ₁₂You did what you said you would do to us and our rulers. You punished Jerusalem more severely than any other city on earth, ₁₃giving us all the punishment described in the Law of Moses. But even now, O LORD our God, we have not tried to please you by turning from our sins or by following your truth. ₁₄You, O LORD our God, were prepared to punish us, and you did, because you always do what is right, and we did not listen to you.

₁₅“O Lord our God, you showed your power by bringing your people out of Egypt, and your power is still remembered. We have sinned; we have done wrong. ₁₆You have defended us in the past, so do not be angry with Jerusalem any longer. It is your city, your sacred hill. All the people in the neighbouring countries look down on Jerusalem and on your people because of our sins and the evil our ancestors did. ₁₇O God, hear my prayer and pleading. Restore your Temple, which has been destroyed; restore it so that everyone will know that you are God. ₁₈Listen to us, O God; look at us, and see the trouble we are in and the suffering of the city that bears your name. We are praying to you because you are merciful, not because we have done right. ₁₉Lord, hear us. Lord, forgive us. Lord, listen to us, and act! In order that everyone will know that you are God, do not delay! This city and these people are yours.”

₂₀I went on praying, confessing my sins and the sins of my people Israel, and pleading with the LORD my God to restore his holy Temple. ₂₁While I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came flying down to where I was. It was the time for the evening sacrifice to be offered. ₂₂He explained, “Daniel, I have come here to help you understand the prophecy. ₂₃When you began to plead with God, he answered you. He loves you, and so I have come to tell you the answer. Now pay attention while I explain the vision.

₂₄“Seven times seventy years is the length of time God has set for freeing your people and your holy city from sin and evil. Sin will be forgiven and eternal justice established, so that the vision and the prophecy will come true, and the holy Temple will be rededicated. ₂₅Note this and understand it: from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem, until God's chosen leader comes, seven times seven years will pass. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defences, and will stand for seven times 62 years, but this will be a time of troubles. ₂₆And at the end of that time God's chosen leader will be killed unjustly. The city and the Temple will be destroyed by the invading army of a powerful ruler. The end will come like a flood, bringing the war and destruction which God has prepared. ₂₇That ruler will have a firm agreement with many people for seven years, and when half this time is past, he will put an end to sacrifices and offerings. The Awful Horror will be placed on the highest point of the Temple and will remain there until the one who put it there meets the end which God has prepared for him.”

₁(In the third year that Cyrus was emperor of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who is also called Belteshazzar. The message was true but extremely hard to understand. It was explained to him in a vision.)

₂At that time, I was mourning for three weeks. ₃I did not eat any rich food or any meat, drink any wine, or comb my hair until the three weeks were past.

₄On the 24th day of the first month of the year, I was standing on the bank of the mighty River Tigris. ₅I looked up and saw someone who was wearing linen clothes and a belt of fine gold. ₆His body shone like a jewel. His face was as bright as a flash of lightning, and his eyes blazed like fire. His arms and legs shone like polished bronze, and his voice sounded like the roar of a great crowd.

₇I was the only one who saw the vision. Those who were with me did not see anything, but they were terrified and ran and hid. ₈I was left there alone, watching this amazing vision. I had no strength left, and my face was so changed that no one could have recognized me. ₉When I heard his voice, I fell to the ground unconscious and lay there face downwards. ₁₀Then a hand took hold of me and raised me to my hands and knees; I was still trembling.

₁₁The angel said to me, “Daniel, God loves you. Stand up and listen carefully to what I am going to say. I have been sent to you.” When he had said this, I stood up, still trembling.

₁₂Then he said, “Daniel, don't be afraid. God has heard your prayers ever since the first day you decided to humble yourself in order to gain understanding. I have come in answer to your prayer. ₁₃The angel prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for 21 days. Then Michael, one of the chief angels, came to help me, because I had been left there alone in Persia. ₁₄I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the future. This is a vision about the future.”

₁₅When he said this, I stared at the ground, speechless. ₁₆Then the angel, who looked like a human being, stretched out his hand and touched my lips. I said to him, “Sir, this vision makes me so weak that I can't stop trembling. ₁₇I am like a slave standing before his master. How can I talk to you? I have no strength or breath left in me.”

₁₈Once more he took hold of me, and I felt stronger. ₁₉He said, “God loves you, so don't let anything worry you or frighten you.”

When he had said this, I felt even stronger and said, “Sir, tell me what you have to say. You have made me feel better.”

_20-21He said, “Do you know why I came to you? It is to reveal to you what is written in the Book of Truth. Now I have to go back and fight the guardian angel of Persia. After that, the guardian angel of Greece will appear. There is no one to help me except Michael, Israel's guardian angel.