Daniel 8; Daniel 9; Daniel 10; 3 John 1

Daniel 8

1 In the third year of King Belshazzar's reign, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that had appeared to me earlier.

2 I saw the vision, and as I watched, I was in the fortress city of Susa, in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal.

3 I looked up, and there was a ram standing beside the canal. He had two horns. The two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one came up last.

4 I saw the ram charging to the west, the north, and the south. No animal could stand against him, and there was no rescue from his power. He did whatever he wanted and became great.

5 As I was observing, a male goat appeared, coming from the west across the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground. The goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes.

6 He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and rushed at him with savage fury.

7 I saw him approaching the ram, and infuriated with him, he struck the ram, shattering his two horns, and the ram was not strong enough to stand against him. The goat threw him to the ground and trampled him, and there was no one to rescue the ram from his power.

8 Then the male goat became very great, but when he became powerful, the large horn was shattered. Four conspicuous horns came up in its place, [pointing] toward the four winds of heaven.

9 From one of them a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land.

10 It grew as high as the heavenly host, made some of the stars and some of the host fall to the earth, and trampled them.

11 It made itself great, even up to the Prince of the host; it removed His daily sacrifice and overthrew the place of His sanctuary.

12 Because of rebellion, a host, together with the daily sacrifice, will be given over. The horn will throw truth to the ground and will be successful in whatever it does.

13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the speaker, "How long will [the events of] this vision last-the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and of the host to be trampled?"

14 He said to me, "For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be restored."

15 While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there stood before me someone who appeared to be a man.

16 I heard a human voice calling from the middle of the Ulai: "Gabriel, explain the vision to this man."

17 So he approached where I was standing; when he came near, I was terrified and fell facedown. "Son of man," he said to me, "understand that the vision refers to the time of the end."

18 While he was speaking to me, I fell into a deep sleep, with my face [to the ground]. Then he touched me, made me stand up,

19 and said, "I am here to tell you what will happen at the conclusion of the time of wrath, because it refers to the appointed time of the end.

20 The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia.

21 The shaggy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes represents the first king.

22 The four horns that took the place of the shattered horn represent four kingdoms. They will rise from that nation, but without its power.

23 Near the end of their kingdoms, when the rebels have reached the full measure of their sin, an insolent king, skilled in intrigue, will come to the throne.

24 His power will be great, but it will not be his own. He will cause terrible destruction and succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the powerful along with the holy people.

25 He will cause deceit to prosper through his cunning and by his influence, and in his own mind he will make himself great. In [a time of] peace, he will destroy many; he will even stand against the Prince of princes. But he will be shattered, not by human hands.

26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true. Now you must seal up the vision because it refers to many days [in the future]."

27 I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for days. Then I got up and went about the king's business. I was greatly disturbed by the vision and could not understand it.

Daniel 9

1 In the first year of Darius, who was the son of Ahasuerus, was a Mede by birth, and was ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans-

2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet that the number of years for the desolation of Jerusalem would be 70.

3 So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: Ah, Lord-the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps His gracious covenant with those who love Him and keep His commandments-

5 we have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from Your commandments and ordinances.

6 We have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, leaders, fathers, and all the people of the land.

7 Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but this day public shame belongs to us: the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel-those who are near and those who are far, in all the countries where You have dispersed them because of the disloyalty they have shown toward You.

8 Lord, public shame belongs to us, our kings, our leaders, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.

9 Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against Him

10 and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by following His instructions that He set before us through His servants the prophets.

11 All Israel has broken Your law and turned away, refusing to obey You. The promised cursewritten in the law of Moses, the servant of God, has been poured out on us because we have sinned against Him.

12 He has carried out His words that He spoke against us and against our rulers by bringing on us so great a disaster that nothing like what has been done to Jerusalem has ever been done under all of heaven.

13 Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not appeased the Lord our God by turning from our injustice and paying attention to Your truth.

14 So the Lord kept the disaster in mind and brought it on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all He has done. But we have not obeyed Him.

15 Now, Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and made Your name [renowned] as it is this day, we have sinned, we have acted wickedly.

16 Lord, in keeping with all Your righteous acts, may Your anger and wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the injustices of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become an object of ridicule to all those around us.

17 Therefore, our God, hear the prayer and the petitions of Your servant. Show Your favor to Your desolate sanctuary for the Lord's sake.

18 Listen, my God, and hear. Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city called by Your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before You based on our righteous acts, but based on Your abundant compassion.

19 Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for Your own sake, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.

20 While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before Yahweh my God concerning the holy mountain of my God-

21 while I was praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the first vision, came to me in my extreme weariness, about the time of the evening offering.

22 He gave me this explanation: "Daniel, I've come now to give you understanding.

23 At the beginning of your petitions an answer went out, and I have come to give it, for you are treasured [by God]. So consider the message and understand the vision:

24 Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city- to bring the rebellion to an end, to put a stop to sin, to wipe away injustice, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place.

25 Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince will be seven weeks and 62 weeks. It will be rebuilt with a plaza and a moat, but in difficult times.

26 After those 62 weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the coming prince will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come with a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations are decreed.

27 He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator."

Daniel 10

1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. The message was true and was about a great conflict. He understood the message and had understanding of the vision.

2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks.

3 I didn't eat any rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I didn't put any oil [on my body] until the three weeks were over.

4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris,

5 I looked up, and there was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of gold from Uphaz around his waist.

6 His body was like topaz, his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.

7 Only I, Daniel, saw the vision. The men who were with me did not see it, but a great terror fell on them, and they ran and hid.

8 I was left alone, looking at this great vision. No strength was left in me; my face grew deathly pale,and I was powerless.

9 I heard the words he said, and when I heard them I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground.

10 Suddenly, a hand touched me and raised me to my hands and knees.

11 He said to me, "Daniel, you are a man treasured [by God]. Understand the words that I'm saying to you. Stand on your feet, for I have now been sent to you." After he said this to me, I stood trembling.

12 "Don't be afraid, Daniel," he said to me, "for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers.

13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for 21 days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia.

14 Now I have come to help you understand what will happen to your people in the last days, for the vision refers to those days."

15 While he was saying these words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and was speechless.

16 Suddenly one with human likeness touched my lips. I opened my mouth and said to the one standing in front of me, "My lord, because of the vision, I am overwhelmed and powerless.

17 How can someone like me, your servant, speak with someone like you, my lord? Now I have no strength, and there is no breath in me."

18 Then the one with human likeness touched me again and strengthened me.

19 He said, "Don't be afraid, you who are treasured [by God]. Peace to you; be very strong!" As he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me."

20 He said, "Do you know why I've come to you? I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I leave, the prince of Greece will come.

21 No one has the courage to support me against them except Michael, your prince. However, I will tell you what is recorded in the book of truth.

3 John 1

1 To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in truth.

2 Dear friend, I pray that you may prosper in every way and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.

3 For I was very glad when some brothers came and testified to your [faithfulness] to the truth-how you are walking in the truth.

4 I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

5 Dear friend, you are showing your faith by whatever you do for the brothers, and this [you are doing] for strangers;

6 they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God,

7 since they set out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from pagans.

8 Therefore, we ought to support such men, so that we can be co-workers with the truth.

9 I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have first place among them, does not receive us.

10 This is why, if I come, I will remind him of the works he is doing, slandering us with malicious words. And he is not satisfied with that! He not only refuses to welcome the brothers himself, but he even stops those who want to do so and expels them from the church.

11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

12 Demetrius has a [good] testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. And we also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true.

13 I have many things to write you, but I don't want to write to you with pen and ink.

14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace be with you. The friends send you greetings. Greet the friends by name.