Daniel 9
1 Darius was the son of Ahasuerus, a descendant of the Medes. It was Ahasuerus who had been made king over the realm of the Babylonians.
In the first year of Darius the son of Achashverosh, of the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans,
2 Now in the first year of Darius' reign I, Daniel, was studying the books containing Yahweh's word, the word that had come to Jeremiah the prophet. I observed that there would be seventy years until Jerusalem's abandonment would end.
In the first year of his reign, I Daniel searched in the books for understanding concerning the number of the years whereof the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would let pass full seventy years over the ruins of Jerusalem.
3 I turned my face to the Lord God, to seek him with prayer and requests, with fasting, wearing sackcloth, and sitting in ashes.
And I directed my face unto the Lord God, to ask by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and in sackcloth, and ashes.
4 I prayed to Yahweh my God, and I made confession of our sins. I said, “Please, Lord—you are the great and awesome God—you are the one who keeps the covenant and is faithful to love those who love you and keep your commandments.
And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and terrible God, who keepeth the covenant and kindness to those that love him, and to those that keep his commandments:
5 We have sinned and have done what is wrong. We have acted wickedly and we have rebelled, turning aside from your commands and decrees.
We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, and have departed from thy commandments and from thy ordinances;
6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets who spoke in your name to our kings, our leaders, our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
Nor have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, who spoke in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7 To you, Lord, belongs righteousness. To us today, however, belongs shame on our faces—for the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem, and to all Israel. This includes those who are near and those who are far away in all the lands where you scattered them. This is because of the great treachery that we committed against you.
Thine, O Lord, is the righteousness, but unto us belongeth the shame of face, as it is this day, —to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, those that are near, and those that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass which they have trespassed against thee.
8 To us, Yahweh, belongs shame on our faces—to our kings, to our leaders, and to our ancestors—because we have sinned against you.
O Lord, to us belongeth the shame of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers; because we have sinned against thee.
9 To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him.
To the Lord our God belong mercies and pardonings; for we have rebelled against him;
10 We have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh our God by walking in his laws he gave us through his servants the prophets.
And we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us through means of his servants the prophets.
11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. The curse and oath that are written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, for we have sinned against him.
Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, and have departed so as not to obey thy voice: therefore was poured out over us the curse, with the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God; because we had sinned against him.
12 Yahweh has confirmed the words that he spoke against us and against our rulers over us, by bringing on us a great disaster. For under the whole of heaven there has not been done anything that could compare with what has been done to Jerusalem.
And he hath accomplished his words, which he had spoken concerning us, and concerning our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil, which was never done under the whole heaven as it hath been done in Jerusalem.
13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not begged for mercy from Yahweh our God by turning away from our iniquities and paying attention to your truth.
As it is written in the law of Moses; all this evil came over us: yet offered we not any entreaty before the Lord our God, to return from our iniquities, and to become intelligent in thy truth.
14 Therefore Yahweh has kept the disaster ready and has brought it on us, for Yahweh our God is righteous in all the deeds he does, yet we have not obeyed his voice.
Therefore did the Lord watch over the evil, and he brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous because of all his deeds which he hath done; but we have not obeyed his voice.
15 Now, Lord our God, you brought out your people from the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and you have made a famous name for yourself, as in this present day. But still we sinned; we have done wicked things.
And now, O Lord our God, who hast brought forth thy people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand, and hast made thyself a [great] name, as it is this day: we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
16 Lord, because of all your righteous deeds, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. Because of our sins, and because of the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people have become an object of scorn to all those around us.
O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thy anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain; because through our sins, and through the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all who are round about us.
17 Now, our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy; for your sake, Lord, make your face shine on your sanctuary that is desolate.
And now listen, O our God, to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary which is desolate, for the sake of the Lord.
18 My God, open your ears and listen; open your eyes and see. We have been devastated; look at the city that is called by your name. We do not beg for your help because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.
Incline, O my God, thy ear, and hear; open thy eyes, and look on our desolations, and the city whereupon thy name is called: for not [relying] on our acts of righteousness do we present humbly our supplications before thee, but [relying] on thy great mercies.
19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, pay attention and take action! For your own sake, do not delay, my God, for your city and your people are called by your name.”
O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do it; delay it not; for thy own sake, O my God; for thy name is called upon thy city and upon thy people.
20 While I was speaking—praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my requests before Yahweh my God on behalf of God's holy mountain—
And while I was yet speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication humbly before the Lord my God because of the holy mountain of my God:
21 while I was praying, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, flew down to me in rapid flight, at the time of the evening sacrifice.
Yea, while I was yet speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, came, flying swiftly, near me about the time of the evening oblation.
22 He gave me understanding and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding.
And he gave me understanding, and spoke with me, and said, O Daniel, now am I come forth to make thee intelligent with understanding.
23 When you began pleading for mercy, the order was given and I have come to tell you the answer, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider this word and understand the revelation.
At the beginning of thy supplications the word went forth, and I am come to tell it; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and have understanding of the appearance.
24 Seventy sevens are decreed for your people and your holy city to end the guilt and put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring everlasting righteousness, to carry out the vision and the prophecy, and to consecrate the most holy place.
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to close up the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to atone for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy thing.
25 Know and understand that from the issuing of the order to restore and rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the anointed one (who will be a leader), there will be seven sevens and sixty-two sevens. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and a moat, despite the times of distress.
Know therefore and comprehend, that from the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the anointed the prince will be seven weeks: and during sixty and two weeks will it be again built with streets and ditches [around it], even in the pressure of the times.
26 After the sixty-two sevens, the anointed one will be destroyed and will have nothing. The army of a coming ruler will destroy the city and the holy place. Its end will come with a flood, and there will be war even to the end. Desolations have been decreed.
And after the sixty and two weeks will an anointed one be cut off without a successor to follow him: and the city and the sanctuary will the people of the prince that is coming destroy; but his end will come in a violent overthrow; but until the end of the war devastations are decreed [against it].
27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one seven. In the middle of the seven he will put an end to the sacrifice and the offering. On the wing of abominations will come someone who makes desolate. A full end and destruction are decreed to be poured out on the one who has made the desolation.”
And he will make a strong covenant with the many for one week; and in the half of the week will he cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and this because of the prevalence of the abominations which bringeth devastation, and until destruction and what is decreed shall be poured out upon the waster.
