³ So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting,^(A) and in sackcloth and ashes.^(B)

The Seventy “Sevens”

²⁰ While I was speaking and praying, confessing^(A) my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill^(B)— ²¹ while I was still in prayer, Gabriel,^(C) the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.^{(D) 22} He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.^{(E) 23} As soon as you began to pray,^(F) a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed.^(G) Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:^(H)

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet^(A) as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me^(B) and said: “Do not be afraid.^(C) I am the First and the Last.^(D)