1. IN the third yeare of Cyrus king of the Persians, a word was reueled to Daniel surnamed Baltassar, and a true word, and great strength: & he vnderstood the word: for there is neede of vnderstanding in vision.
2. In those dayes I Daniel mourned the dayes of three weekes,
3. desiderable I did not eate, and flesh and wine entered not into my mouth, yea neither with ointment was I annoynted: til the dayes of three weeks were accomplished.
4. And in the foure & twentith day of the first moneth I was by the great riuer, which is Tigris.
5. And I lifted vp mine eyes, & I saw: and beholde a man clothed with linnen clothes, & his reynes girded with the finest gold:
6. and his bodie as it were the chrysolithus, and his face as the forme of lightning, and his eyes as a burning lampe: and his armes, & the partes that are downward euen to the feete, as it were the forme of glistering brasse: and the voice of his word as the voice of a multitude.
7. And I Daniel alone saw the vision: moreouer the men that were with me, saw it not, but exceding terrour fel vpon them, and they fled away, and hidde themselues.
8. And I being left alone saw this great vision: and there remayned no strength in me, yea and my shape of contenance was changed in me, and I withered, neither had any strength.
9. And I heard the voice of his wordes: and hearing I lay astonished vpon my face, and my visage cleaued to the ground.
10. And behold a hand touched me, and lifted me vp vpon my knees, and vpon the ioynts of my handes.
11. And he said to me: Daniel thou man of desires, vnderstand the wordes, that I speake to thee, and stand in thy place: for now am I sent to thee. And when he had said this word to me, I stood trembling.
12. And he said to me: Feare not Daniel: because since the first day that thou didst set thy hart to vnderstand to afflict thy self in the sight of thy God, thy wordes haue bene heard: and I am come for thy wordes.
13. But the prince of the kingdom of the Persians resisted me one and twentie dayes: and behold Michael one of the chiefe princes came to ayde me, and I taried there by the king of the Persians.
14. But I am come to teach thee what thinges shal come to thy people in the later dayes, because as yet the vision vnto dayes.
15. And when he spake to me in these maner of wordes, I cast downe my countenance to the ground, and held my peace.
16. And behold as it were the similitude of the sonne of man touched my lipped, and opening my mouth I spake, and sayd to him, that stood before me: My Lord, in thy vision my ioynts are dissolued, and no strength hath remayned in me.
17. And how can the seruant of my Lord speake with me Lord? for no strength is remayning in me, yea & my breath is stopped.
18. Agayne therfore there touched me as it were the vision of a man, and strengthened me,
19. and he sayd: Feare not o man of desires, Peace be to thee: take courege & be strong. And when he spake with me, I receiued strength, and sayd: Speake my Lord, because thou hast strengthened me.
20. And he sayd: Doest thou know wherfore I am come to thee? and now I wil returne, that I may fight agaynst the prince of the Persians. when I therfore went forth, there appeared the prince of the Greekes coming.
21. But yet I wil tel thee that which is expressed in the scripture of truth: and none is my helper in al these, but Michael your prince.