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clothed in linen, and his loins girded with gold of Ophaz, and his body was like Tharsis, and his face was like the appearance of lightning, and his eyes like lamps of fire, and his arms and his legs like the appearance of shining bronze, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, and the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great ecstasy fell upon them, and they fled in fear. And I was left alone, and I saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me, and my glory was turned to corruption, and I retained no strength. And I heard the voice of his words; and when I heard, I was stupefied on my face, and my face was upon the ground. And behold, a hand touched me, and raised me upon my knees, and upon the palms of my feet. And he said to me: Daniel, man of desires, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand in your place, for I have now been sent to you. And when he spoke this word to me, I stood up trembling. And he said to me: Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before the Lord your God, your words were heard, and I have come because of your words. Do you see what I said, and this one almost defending himself to him? From the first day, he says, 56.242 I was sent. For what reason, then, were you delayed? And the prince of the kingdom of the Persians stood against me for twenty-one days. Have you heard that 'He set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of his angels'? And each nation has its own overseer, and he wishes to be the more powerful. And understanding was given to him in the vision. For the words were not enough to teach what was being said. Do you see the prophets being taught in another way? And the great power of the vision. For truly great, that the weakened ones overcame that Antiochus who had overcome so many. And the word is true. Since some were about to disbelieve. Whose name was Belteshazzar. He reminds you of the former things, so that he may appear trustworthy. Behold, he even broke the Passover. For if the Passover occurs in the first month, he fasted until the twenty-fourth of the month. It falls on the fourteenth, from the fourteenth to the twenty-first, and another two days. See the laws already being dissolved. Did the fear not turn you away, O Daniel? No, he says. See where he sees the vision: in the wilderness, just like Moses. For the cities are full of tumult and disturbance. Thus also Christ is transfigured on the mountain. And behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I left him there with the prince of the king of the Persians. And I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for behold the vision is for many days. And while he was speaking with me all these words, I set my face to the ground, and was struck dumb. And behold, as a likeness of a son of man touched my lips. And I opened my mouth, and spoke, and said to the one standing before me: Lord, in your vision my inward parts were turned within me, and behold I have no strength. And how will your servant, Lord, be able to speak with this my Lord? And as for me, from now on no strength will remain in me, and no breath is left in me. And he proceeded, and touched me like the appearance of a man, and strengthened me, and said to me: Do not fear, man of desires, peace be to you, be strong, and have courage. And when he spoke with me, I was strengthened, and said: Let my Lord speak, for you have strengthened me. And he said, Do you know why I have come to you? And now I will return to fight with the prince of the Persians. And I was going forth, and the prince of the Greeks was coming. But I will announce to you what is ordained in the writing of truth; and there is no one who stands with me concerning these things, except Michael your prince. And behold a man clothed in a robe. Perhaps a priestly one. His appearance was as lightning of fire from his eyes. How did he appear to them in lightning? for what reason does he appear so

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ἐνδεδυμένος Βαδὶμ, καὶ ἡ ὀσφὺς αὐτοῦ περιεζωσμένη χρυσίῳ Ὀφὰζ, καὶ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ Θαρσεῖς, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ ὅρασις ἀστραπῆς, καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ λαμπάδες πυρὸς, καὶ οἱ βραχίονες αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ σκέλη ὡς ὅρασις χαλκοῦ στίλβοντος, καὶ ἡ φωνὴ τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ ὡς φωνὴ ὄχλου. Καὶ εἶδον ἐγὼ ∆ανιὴλ μόνος τὴν ὀπτασίαν, καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ μετ' ἐμοῦ οὐκ εἶδον τὴν ὀπτασίαν, ἀλλ' ἢ ἔκ στασις μεγάλη ἐπέπεσεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἔφυγον ἐν φόβῳ. Καὶ ἐγὼ ἀπελείφθην μόνος, καὶ εἶδον τὴν ὀπτασίαν τὴν μεγάλην ταύτην, καὶ οὐχ ὑπελείφθη ἐν ἐμοὶ ἰσχὺς, καὶ ἡ δόξα μου μετ εστράφη εἰς διαφθορὰν, καὶ οὐκ ἐκράτησα ἰσχύος. Καὶ ἤκουσα τὴν φωνὴν τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀκοῦσαί με ἤμην κατανενυγμένος ἐπὶ πρόσ ωπόν μου, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. Καὶ ἰδοὺ χεὶρ ἁπτομένη μου, καὶ ἤγειρέ με ἐπὶ τὰ γόνατά μου, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἴχνη τῶν ποδῶν μου. Καὶ εἶπε πρός με· ∆ανιὴλ, ἀνὴρ ἐπιθυμιῶν, σύνες ἐν τοῖς λόγοις, οἷς ἐγὼ λαλῶ πρὸς σὲ, καὶ στῆθι ἐν τῇ στάσει σου, ὅτι νῦν ἀπεστάλην ἐγὼ πρὸς σέ. Καὶ ἐν τῷ λαλῆσαι αὐτὸν πρὸς μὲ τὸν λόγον τοῦτον, ἀνέστην ἔντρομος. Καὶ εἶπε πρός με· Μὴ φοβοῦ, ∆ανιὴλ, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας τῆς πρώτης, ἧς ἔδωκας τὴν καρδίαν σου τοῦ συνεῖ ναι καὶ κακωθῆναι ἔναντι Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου, ἠκούσθησαν οἱ λόγοι σου, καὶ ἐγὼ ἦλθον ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου. Ὁρᾷς ὅπερ ἔφην, καὶ τοῦτον ἀπολογού μενον αὐτῷ σχεδόν; Ἀπὸ πρώτης ἡμέρας, φησὶν, 56.242 ἀπεστάλην. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἐβράδυνας; Καὶ ὁ ἄρ χων βασιλείας Περσῶν εἱστήκει ἐξ ἐναντίας μου εἴκοσι καὶ μίαν ἡμέραν. Ἤκουσας ὅτι Ἔθηκεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ; Καὶ ἕκαστον ἔθνος ἔχει τὸν ἐφεστῶτα, καὶ βούλεται αὐτὸς εἶναι δυνατώτερος. Καὶ σύνεσις ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ ὀπτασίᾳ. Οὐ γὰρ ἤρκει τὰ ῥήματα διδάξαι τὰ λεγό μενα. Ὁρᾷς ἑτέρως παιδευομένους τοὺς προφήτας; Καὶ δύναμις μεγάλη τῆς ὄψεως. Ὄντως γὰρ με γάλη, τὸ τοὺς ἠσθενηκότας ἐκείνου τοῦ τοσαῦτα πε ριγενομένου περιγενέσθαι Ἀντιόχου. Καὶ ἀληθινὸς ὁ λόγος. Ἐπειδή τινες ἔμελλον ἀπιστεῖν. Οὗ τὸ ὄνομα Βαλτάσαρ. Ἀναμιμνήσκει σε τῶν πρώτων, ἵνα ἀξιόπιστος φανῇ. Ἰδοὺ καὶ τὸ πάσχα ἔλυσεν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ μηνὶ τὸ πάσχα γίνεται, οὗτος δὲ μέχρι τῆς τετάρτης εἰκάδος τοῦ μηνὸς ἐνήστευσεν. Ἐμπίπτει δὲ εἰς τὴν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην, ἀπὸ τῆς τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτης ἐπὶ τὴν πρώτην εἰκάδα, καὶ ἑτέ ρας δύο ἡμέρας. Ὅρα τὰ νόμιμα ἤδη καταλυόμενα. Οὐκ ἐνέτρεψέ σε ὁ φόβος, ὦ ∆ανιήλ; Οὐχὶ, φησί. Ὅρα ποῦ τὴν ὀπτασίαν βλέπει· ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου, καθάπερ καὶ Μωϋσῆς. Αἱ γὰρ πόλεις θορύβων γέμουσι, καὶ ταραχῆς. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους μετα μορφοῦται. Καὶ ἰδοὺ Μιχαὴλ εἷς τῶν ἀρχόν των πρώτων ἦλθε βοηθῆσαί μοι, καὶ αὐτὸν κατ έλιπον ἐκεῖ μετὰ τοῦ ἄρχοντος βασιλέως Περ σῶν. Καὶ ἦλθον συνετίσαι σε ὅσα ἀπαντήσεται τῷ λαῷ σου ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν, ὅτι ἰδοὺ ἡ ὅρασις εἰς ἡμέρας. Καὶ ἐν τῷ λαλῆσαι αὐτὸν μετ' ἐμοῦ πάντας τοὺς λόγους τούτους, ἔδωκα τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ κατενύγην. Καὶ ἰδοὺ ὡς ὁμοίωμα υἱοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἥψατο τῶν χειλέων μου. Καὶ ἤνοιξα τὸ στόμα μου, καὶ ἐλάλησα, καὶ εἶπον πρὸς τὸν ἑστῶτα ἐναντίον μου· Κύριε, ἐν τῇ ὁράσει σου ἐστράφη τὰ ἐντός μου ἐν ἐμοὶ, καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἔχω ἰσχύν. Καὶ πῶς δυνήσεται ὁ παῖς σου, Κύριε, λαλῆσαι μετὰ τοῦ Κυρίου μου τού του; Καὶ ἐγὼ, ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν οὐ στήσεται ἐν ἐμοὶ ἰσχὺς, καὶ πνοὴ οὐχ ὑπελείφθη ἐν ἐμοί. Καὶ προσ έθετο, καὶ ἥψατό μου ὡς ὅρασις ἀνθρώπου, καὶ ἐνίσχυσέ με, καὶ εἶπέ μοι· Μὴ φοβοῦ, ἀνὴρ ἐπι θυμιῶν, εἰρήνη σοι, ἀνδρίζου, καὶ ἴσχυε. Καὶ ἐν τῷ λαλῆσαι αὐτὸν μετ' ἐμοῦ, ἐνίσχυσα, καὶ εἶπον· Λαλήτω ὁ Κύριός μου, ὅτι ἐνίσχυσάς με. Καὶ εἶπεν, Εἰ οἶδας τί ἦλθον πρὸς σέ; Καὶ νῦν ἐπιστρέψω τοῦ πολεμῆσαι μετὰ τοῦ ἄρχοντος Περσῶν. Καὶ ἐγὼ ἐξεπορευόμην, καὶ ὁ ἄρχων τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἤρχετο. Ἀλλ' ἢ ἀναγγελῶ σοι τὸ τεταγμένον ἐν γραφῇ ἀληθείας· καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν εἷς ἀντεχόμενος μετ' ἐμοῦ περὶ τούτων, ἀλλ' ἢ Μιχαὴλ ὁ ἄρχων ὑμῶν. Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ ἐνδεδυμένος στολήν. Ἴσως ἱερατικήν. Ἡ ὄψις αὐτοῦ ὡς ἀστραπὴ ἦν πυρὸς ἀπὸ ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ. Πῶς ἐν ἀστραπῇ ἐκείνοις ἔφαινε; τίνος ἕνεκεν οὕτω φαίνεται