Daniel’s Prayer of Supplication

1In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, from the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— 2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, discerned in the books the number of the years concerning which the word of [†]Yahweh came to Jeremiah the prophet for the fulfillment of the laying waste of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3So I gave my face to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4And I prayed to Yahweh my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 5we have sinned and committed iniquity and acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and judgments. 6Moreover, we have not listened to Your slaves the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and all the people of the land.

7“To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us [†]open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have banished them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. 8O Yahweh, to us belongs [†]open shame, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, [†]for we have rebelled against Him; 10nor have we listened to the voice of Yahweh our God, to walk in His [†]laws which He put before us through His slaves the prophets. 11Indeed all Israel has trespassed against Your law, even turning aside, not listening to Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the [†]law of Moses the [†]servant of God, for we have sinned against Him. 12Thus He has established His words which He had spoken against us and against our judges who judged us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. 13As it is written in the [†]law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not [†]entreated the favor of Yahweh our God by turning from our iniquity and acting wisely in Your truth. 14Therefore Yahweh has watched over the calamity and brought it on us; for Yahweh our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not listened to His voice.

15“So now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned; we have acted wickedly. 16O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteousness, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us. 17So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your slave and to his supplications, and for [†]Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. 18O my God, incline Your ear and listen! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not [†]presenting our supplications before You on account of any righteousness of our own, but on account of Your abundant compassion. 19O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, give heed and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

Gabriel Brings Understanding

20Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and [†]presenting my supplication before Yahweh my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21and while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision [†]previously, [†]touched me [†]in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. 22Then he made me understand and spoke with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. 23At the beginning of your supplications the word was issued, so I have come to tell you, for you are [†]highly esteemed; so understand the message and gain understanding in what has appeared.

Seventy Weeks and the Messiah

24“Seventy [†]weeks have been determined for your people and for your holy city, to [†]finish the transgression, to [†]make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and [†]prophecy, and to anoint the Holy of Holies. 25So you are to know and have insight that from the going out of a [†]word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until [†]Messiah the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be restored and rebuilt, with [†]plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26Then after the sixty-two weeks the [†]Messiah will be cut off and have [†]nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And [†]its end will come with a flood; even to the end [†]there will be war; desolations are decreed. 27And he will make a [†]firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will make sacrifice and grain offering cease; and on the wing of [†]abominations will come one who [†]makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who [†]makes desolate.”