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Daniel chapter 12

English Standard Version

1"At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."
5Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. 6And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, "How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?" 7And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished. 8I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, "O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?" 9He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. 11And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. 12Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. 13But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days."
New International Version

1"At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. 4But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge."
5Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?"
7The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed."
8I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?"
9He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. 10Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.
11"From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.
13"As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."
New American Standard Bible

1Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. 2And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. 3And those who have insight will shine like the glow of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4But as for you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal up the book until the end of time; many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.'
5Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the stream and the other on that bank of the stream. 6And someone said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, 'How long will it be until the end of these wonders?' 7And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish smashing the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. 8But as for me, I heard but did not understand; so I said, 'My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?' 9And he said, 'Go your way, Daniel, for these words will be kept secret and sealed up until the end time. 10Many will be purged, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. 11And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12Blessed is the one who is patient and attains to the 1,335 days! 13But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will rest and rise for your allotted portion at the end of the age.'
Christian Standard Bible

1At that time Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred since nations came into being until that time. But at that time all your people who are found written in the book will escape. 2Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, and some to disgrace and eternal contempt. 3Those who have insight will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
4"But you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam about, and knowledge will increase."
5Then I, Daniel, looked, and two others were standing there, one on this bank of the river and one on the other. 6One of them said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the water of the river, "How long until the end of these wondrous things?" 7Then I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the water of the river. He raised both his hands toward heaven and swore by him who lives eternally that it would be for a time, times, and half a time. When the power of the holy people is shattered, all these things will be completed.
8I heard but did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will be the outcome of these things?"
9He said, "Go on your way, Daniel, for the words are secret and sealed until the time of the end. 10Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. 11From the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12Happy is the one who waits for and reaches 1,335 days. 13But as for you, go on your way to the end; you will rest, and then you will stand to receive your allotted inheritance at the end of the days."
New Living Translation

1At that time Michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued. 2Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace. 3Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever. 4But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.'
5Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing on opposite banks of the river. 6One of them asked the man dressed in linen, who was now standing above the river, 'How long will it be until these shocking events are over?'
7The man dressed in linen, who was standing above the river, raised both his hands toward heaven and took a solemn oath by the One who lives forever, saying, 'It will go on for a time, times, and half a time. When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened.'
8I heard what he said, but I did not understand what he meant. So I asked, 'How will all this finally end, my lord?'
9But he said, 'Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end. 10Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means.
11From the time the daily sacrifice is stopped and the sacrilegious object that causes desecration is set up to be worshiped, there will be 1,290 days. 12And blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days!
13As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you.'
King James Version

1And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
2And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
3And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. 4But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. 5Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. 6And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
8And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. 11And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. 13But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.
New King James Version

1“At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book. 2And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.
4“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
5Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank. 6And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?”
7Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.
8Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?”
9And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.
11“And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.
13“But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.”

What does Daniel chapter 12 mean?

This concludes an extensive prophecy given to Daniel (Daniel 10:1) in 536 BC. While standing near the Tigris River, Daniel sees an angelic figure (Daniel 10:4–6) who begins summarizing events which would occur between the fourth and second centuries BC. At the end of the prior chapter, those prophecies were transitioning towards a much longer view, reaching into the end times.

The celestial being, probably the angel Gabriel (Daniel 8:15–16; 9:21–22; Luke 1:26) makes another mention of Michael (Daniel 10:13, 21). He implies that Michael is the angel primarily concerned with the nation of Israel. His predictions involve a time of unprecedented hardship. This echoes remarks made by Jesus, and others, with respect to the "tribulation" and "great tribulation" at the end of history (Matthew 24:9–26). Some will follow God and find eternal life; others will reject God and experience everlasting shame. Daniel, for his part, is told to safeguard what he's been told, knowing that as the end comes closer, mankind's understanding will improve (Daniel 12:1–4).

Daniel then notes two more beings, probably human-like in appearance, and likely angels. A voice asks about the timing of the recently predicted events. The celestial being refers to "a time, times, and half a time." This is generally taken to mean three-and-one-half years (Daniel 7: 25; Revelation 12:6, 14; 13:5). Daniel asks for more clarity but is told to go back to his daily life. What has been given is all the information God would provide at that time. However, the angel's words are encouraging. He reassures Daniel that he will be resurrected and restored after death (Daniel 12:5–13).
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