HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1153
DANIEL 11
page 783
me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. 8 So I was left there
all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength
left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt
very weak. 9 Then I heard the man speak, and
when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted
and lay there with my face to the ground.
10 Just then a hand touched me and lifted me,
still trembling, to my hands and knees. 11 And the
man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious
to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to
you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When
he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling.
12 Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel.
Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your
God, your request has been heard in heaven.
I have come in answer to your prayer. 13 But for
twenty-one days the spirit prince* of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael,
one of the archangels,* came to help me, and I
left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.* 14 Now I am here to explain what
will happen to your people in the future, for this
vision concerns a time yet to come.”
15 While he was speaking to me, I looked
down at the ground, unable to say a word.
16 Then the one who looked like a man* touched
my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to
speak. I said to the one standing in front of me,
“I am filled with anguish because of the vision I
have seen, my lord, and I am very weak. 17 How
can someone like me, your servant, talk to you,
my lord? My strength is gone, and I can hardly
breathe.”
18 Then the one who looked like a man
touched me again, and I felt my strength returning. 19 “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are
very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be
strong!”
As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly
felt stronger and said to him, “Please speak to
me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”
20 He replied, “Do you know why I have
come? Soon I must return to fight against the
spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia, and after
that the spirit prince of the kingdom of Greece*
will come. 21 Meanwhile, I will tell you what is
written in the Book of Truth. (No one helps me
against these spirit princes except Michael, your
spirit prince.* 11:1 I have been standing beside
Michael* to support and strengthen him since
the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede.)
10:13a Hebrew the prince; also in 10:13c, 20. 10:13b Hebrew
the chief princes. 10:13c As in one Greek version; Hebrew
reads and I was left there with the kings of Persia. The meaning
of the Hebrew is uncertain. 10:16 As in most manuscripts
of the Masoretic Text; one manuscript of the Masoretic Text
and one Greek version read Then something that looked like
a human hand. 10:20 Hebrew of Javan. 10:21 Hebrew
against these except Michael, your prince. 11:1 Hebrew him.
11:2 Hebrew of Javan. 11:7 Hebrew a branch from her roots.
11:16 Hebrew the glorious land.
Kings of the South and North
2 “Now then, I will reveal the truth to you.
Three more Persian kings will reign, to
be succeeded by a fourth, far richer than the
others. He will use his wealth to stir up everyone
to fight against the kingdom of Greece.*
3 “Then a mighty king will rise to power who
will rule with great authority and accomplish
everything he sets out to do. 4 But at the height
of his power, his kingdom will be broken apart
and divided into four parts. It will not be ruled
by the king’s descendants, nor will the kingdom
hold the authority it once had. For his empire
will be uprooted and given to others.
5 “The king of the south will increase in
power, but one of his own officials will become
more powerful than he and will rule his kingdom with great strength.
6 “Some years later an alliance will be formed
between the king of the north and the king of
the south. The daughter of the king of the south
will be given in marriage to the king of the north
to secure the alliance, but she will lose her influence over him, and so will her father. She
will be abandoned along with her supporters.
7 But when one of her relatives* becomes king
of the south, he will raise an army and enter
the fortress of the king of the north and defeat
him. 8 When he returns to Egypt, he will carry
back their idols with him, along with priceless
articles of gold and silver. For some years afterward he will leave the king of the north alone.
9 “Later the king of the north will invade the
realm of the king of the south but will soon return to his own land. 10 However, the sons of the
king of the north will assemble a mighty army
that will advance like a flood and carry the
battle as far as the enemy’s fortress.
11 “Then, in a rage, the king of the south will
rally against the vast forces assembled by the
king of the north and will defeat them. 12 After
the enemy army is swept away, the king of the
south will be filled with pride and will execute
many thousands of his enemies. But his success
will be short lived.
13 “A few years later the king of the north will
return with a fully equipped army far greater
than before. 14 At that time there will be a general uprising against the king of the south.
Violent men among your own people will join
them in fulfillment of this vision, but they will
not succeed. 15 Then the king of the north will
come and lay siege to a fortified city and capture
it. The best troops of the south will not be able
to stand in the face of the onslaught.
16 “The king of the north will march onward
unopposed; none will be able to stop him. He
will pause in the glorious land of Israel,* intent
on destroying it. 17 He will make plans to come
with the might of his entire kingdom and will
11