History of the time of the Maccabees: a symbolic narrative
1 In the third year of the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia, God gave a message to Daniel, renamed Beltesha zzar. This message spoke of fidelity and great anguish. Daniel paid attention to these words and to the following vision:
2 At that time, I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks.
3 I ate no rich food, took no meat or wine, and did not perfume myself for three weeks.
4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I stood on the bank of the river Tigris,
5 I raised my eyes and saw this: a man clothed in linen with a belt of pure gold round his waist.
6 His body was like chrysolite, his face had the brilliance of light ning, his eyes were like blazing tor ches, and the sound of his words was like the noise of a crowd.
7 I, Daniel, alone saw this vision; the men who were with me did not see it, but they were seized with great fear and they fled to hide.
8 So I was left alone gazing on this vision. I was powerless. The appearance of my face changed fearfully, and I retained absolutely no strength.
9 I heard the sound of his words, and when I heard it, I fainted face down to the ground.
10 Then a hand touched me, and set me trembling on my hands and knees.
11 He said to me, “Daniel, man loved by God, pay attention to the words I shall say to you and stand up, for I have been sent to you now.” When I heard these words I stood up trembling.
12 Then he said to me, “Daniel, do not be afraid, for from that first day when you resolved to acquire understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your supplications were heard, and it is precisely because of this that I have come.
13 The prince of the Persian kingdom has resisted me for twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the leading angels, has come to my assistance. I left him there with the kings of Persia,
14 and I have come to tell you what will happen to your people in the days to come. For this new vision, too, refers to those days.”
15 When he had said these words to me, I bowed my head and kept silent, but someone like a man touched my lips.
16 Then I opened my mouth to speak and said to him who was before me, “My lord, anguish overcomes me at this vision, and I have no strength.
17 How can I speak to my lord when my strength fails me and I cannot breathe?”
18 The one who looked like a man touched me again, and he strengthened me.
19 He said to me, “Man chosen by God, do not fear. Peace be with you. Have courage and be strong.”
20 And as he spoke, I felt strengthened, and I said, “Speak, my lord, now that I feel strong.”
Then he said to me, “Do you know why I have come to you?
21 I shall reveal to you what is written in the Book of Truth. After that I have to return to fight against the angel of Persia; then, the angel of Greece will come. No one lends me support in all this except Michael, your angel.
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Comments , Chapter 10
• 10.1 All the events mentioned in chapters 10–11 were past events for the author: the same events which are related in the second book of Maccabees. Here, however, they are related as if a certain Daniel had an nounced them four centuries earlier. This is nothing more than a stylistic device. In fact, all that matters for the author is the conclusion of the story which we explain in 12:3. The author wants to teach his persecuted contemporaries, who have just gone through these events, that their hardships were leading to the coming of the kingdom of God soon and to the day of the resurrection.