1In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans—
2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books the number of the years that the word of Yahweh had come to Jeremiah the prophet, for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem—namely, seventy years.
3So I set my face toward the Lord God, to seek him by prayer and pleas for mercy, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
4And I prayed to Yahweh my God and made confession, and I said: “Ah, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps the covenant and the loyal love for those who love him and keep his commandments,
5we have sinned and done wrong; we have acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and your ordinances.
6We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our officials, our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7To you, Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those near and those far off in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of their treachery that they committed against you.
8Yahweh, to us belongs shame of face—to our kings, our officials, and our fathers—because we have sinned against you.
9To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him.
10We have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh our God, to walk in his laws that he set before us through his servants the prophets.
11All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. So the curse and the oath that are written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him.
12He has carried out his words that he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, bringing upon us a great disaster; for under all the heavens nothing has been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.
13As it is written in the law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not entreated the favor of Yahweh our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to your truth.
14So Yahweh watched over the disaster and brought it upon us, for Yahweh our God is righteous in all his works that he has done—yet we have not obeyed his voice.
15And now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and made a name for yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have acted wickedly.
16Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away, please, from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become an object of reproach to all who surround us.
17And now, our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for the Lord’s sake make your face shine on your desolate sanctuary.
18Incline your ear, my God, and hear; open your eyes and see our desolations and the city that is called by your name; for it is not on account of our righteous acts that we are laying our pleas for mercy before you, but on account of your great compassion.
19Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, give heed and act! Do not delay, for your own sake, my God, for your name is called over your city and over your people.”
20While I was still speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and laying my plea before Yahweh my God concerning the holy mountain of my God—
21while I was still speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight, reaching me about the time of the evening offering.
22He gave me understanding and spoke with me, and said: “Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding.
23At the beginning of your pleas a word went out, and I have come to declare it, for you are greatly loved. So consider the word and understand the vision:
24“Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to seal up sins, to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.
25Know therefore and understand: from the going out of the word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall again be built, with plaza and moat, but in troubled times.
26And after the sixty-two weeks an anointed one shall be cut off and have nothing; and the people of a coming prince shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and until the end war is decreed—desolations.
27And he shall make a strong covenant with the many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And upon the wing of abominations comes one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”
Open in the interactive reader →