1In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes , who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans , 2in the first year of his reign I , Daniel , understood by the books the number of the years whereof the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah the prophet , for the accomplishing of the desolations of Jerusalem , even seventy years . 3And I set my face unto the Lord God , to seek by prayer and supplications , with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4And I prayed unto Jehovah my God , and made confession , and said, Oh, Lord , the great and dreadful God , who keepeth covenant and lovingkindness with them that love him and keep his commandments , 5we have sinned , and have dealt perversely , and have done wickedly , and have rebelled , even turning aside from thy precepts and from thine ordinances ; 6neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets , that spake in thy name to our kings , our princes , and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee , but unto us confusion of face , as at this day ; to the men of Judah , and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem , and unto all Israel , that are near , and that are far off , through all the countries whither thou hast driven them , because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee . 8O Lord , to us belongeth confusion of face , to our kings , to our princes , and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee . 9To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness ; for we have rebelled against him ; 10neither have we obeyed the voice of Jehovah our God , to walk in his laws , which he set before us by his servants the prophets . 11Yea , all Israel have transgressed thy law , even turning aside , that they should not obey thy voice : therefore hath the curse been poured out upon us , and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God; for we have sinned against him . 12And he hath confirmed his words , which he spake against us , and against our judges that judged us , by bringing upon us a great evil ; for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem . 13As it is written in the law of Moses , all this evil is come upon us : yet have we not entreated the favor of Jehovah our God , that we should turn from our iniquities , and have discernment in thy truth . 14Therefore hath Jehovah watched over the evil , and brought it upon us ; for Jehovah our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth , and we have not obeyed his voice . 15And now , O Lord our God , that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand , and hast gotten thee renown , as at this day ; we have sinned , we have done wickedly . 16O Lord, according to all thy righteousness , let thine anger and thy wrath , I pray thee , be turned away from thy city Jerusalem , thy holy mountain ; because for our sins , and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are round about us . 17Now therefore , O our God, hearken unto the prayer of thy servant , and to his supplications , and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate , for the Lord’s sake . 18O my God , incline thine ear , and hear ; open thine eyes , and behold our desolations , and the city which is called by thy name : for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses , but for thy great mercies ’ sake . 19O Lord, hear ; O Lord, forgive ; O Lord, hearken and do ; defer not , for thine own sake , O my God, because thy city and thy people are called by thy name .
The Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks
20And while I was speaking , and praying , and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel , and presenting my supplication before Jehovah my God for the holy mountain of my God ; 21yea, while I was speaking in prayer , the man Gabriel , whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning , being caused to fly swiftly , touched me about the time of the evening oblation . 22And he instructed me , and talked with me , and said , O Daniel , I am now come forth to give thee wisdom and understanding . 23At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment went forth , and I am come to tell thee ; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore consider the matter , and understand the vision . 24Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city , to finish transgression , and to make an end of sins , and to make reconciliation for iniquity , and to bring in everlasting righteousness , and to seal up vision and prophecy , and to anoint the most holy . 25Know therefore and discern , that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the anointed one , the prince , shall be seven weeks , and threescore and two weeks : it shall be built again , with street and moat , even in troublous times . 26And after the threescore and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off , and shall have nothing: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary ; and the end thereof shall be with a flood , and even unto the end shall be war ; desolations are determined . 27And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week : and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease ; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate ; and even unto the full end , and that determined , shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate .