Daniel, Chapter 9

1. In 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,    2. in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood the number of the years by books, which came of the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.    3. And I set my face toward the Lord God, to seek by prayer and holy desires, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.    4. And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and awesome God, keeping the covenant and mercy to those who love Him, and to those who keep His commandments,    5. we have sinned and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Your commandments and from Your judgments.    6. Neither have we listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our rulers, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.    7. O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us the shame of our faces, as it is today to the men of Judah and to the people of Jerusalem, and to all Israel who are near and who are afar off, through all the countries where You have driven them because of their sin which they have sinned against You.    8. O Lord, shame of face belongs to us, to our kings, to our rulers, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against You.    9. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against Him.    10. We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws which He set before us by His servants the prophets.    11. Yea, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and turned aside, that they might not obey Your voice. Therefore the curse has been poured out on us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him.    12. And He has confirmed His words which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing on us a great evil. For under all the heavens it has not been done as it has been done to Jerusalem.    13. As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil has come on us. Yet we did not make our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand Your truth.    14. Therefore the LORD has watched over the evil, and has brought it on us. For the LORD our God is righteous in all His works which He does; for we did not obey His voice.    15. And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out from the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have brought fame to Yourself, as it is today, we have sinned, we have done wrong.    16. O Lord, I pray You, according to all Your righteousness let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain. Because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a curse to all those who are around us.    17. And now, O our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his holy desires, and cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.    18. O my God, bow down Your ear and hear. Open Your eyes and behold our ruins, and the city which is called by Your name. For we do not present our prayers before You on account of our righteousnesses, but because of Your great mercies.    19. O LORD, hear; O LORD, forgive; O LORD, listen and do. Do not delay, for Your own sake, O my God; for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.    20. And while I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin, and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my cry before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;    21. yes, while I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, touched me in my severe exhaustion, about the time of the evening sacrifice.    22. And he enlightened me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I have now come out to give you skill and understanding.    23. At the beginning of your prayers the commandment came out, and I have come to explain. For you are greatly beloved; therefore understand the matter, and attend to the vision:    24. Seventy weeks are decreed as to your people and as to your holy city, to finish the transgression and to make an end of sins, and to make atonement for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.    25. Know therefore and understand, that from the going out of the command to restore and to build Jerusalem, to Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks. The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in times of affliction.    26. And after sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself. And the people of the ruler who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. And the end of it shall be with the flood, and ruins are determined, until the end shall be war.    27. And he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease, and on a corner of the altar desolating abominations, even until the end. And that which was decreed shall be poured on the desolator.