In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes ▼

▼Hebrew Ahasuerus

(a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian ▼

▼Or Chaldean

kingdom –

^cIn the first year of ^dDarius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a ^eMede, who was made king over the realm of the ^fChaldeans—

in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.

in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to ^gthe word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by ^hprayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

‘Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

I prayed to the Lord my God and ⁱmade confession, saying, ^j“O Lord, the ^kgreat and awesome God, who ^lkeeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.

^mwe have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly ⁿand rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.

We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

^oWe have not listened to ^pyour servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to ^qour kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

‘Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame – the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you.

To you, ^rO Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, ^sthose who are near and ^tthose who are far away, in ^uall the lands to which you have driven them, because of ^vthe treachery that they have committed against you.

We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you.

To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because ^wwe have sinned against you.

The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;

^xTo the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him

we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets.

^yand have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by ^zhis servants the prophets.

All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.

‘Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you.

^aaAll Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, ^abrefusing to obey your voice. ^acAnd the curse and oath ^adthat are written in the Law of ^aeMoses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because ^afwe have sinned against him.

You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.

He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against ^agour rulers who ruled us, ▼

▼Or  our judges who judged us

by ^aibringing upon us a great calamity. ^ajFor under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem.

Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favour of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.

^akAs it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, ^alturning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth.

The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.

^amTherefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, ^anfor the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and ^aowe have not obeyed his voice.

‘Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong.

And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt ^apwith a mighty hand, and ^aqhave made a name for yourself, as at this day, ^arwe have sinned, we have done wickedly.

Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.

“O Lord, ^asaccording to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, ^atyour holy hill, ^aubecause for our sins, and for ^avthe iniquities of our fathers, ^awJerusalem and your people have become ^axa byword among all who are around us.

‘Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favour on your desolate sanctuary.

Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, ▼

▼Hebrew  for the Lord’s sake

^azmake your face to shine upon ^bayour sanctuary, which is desolate.

Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.

^bbO my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see ^bcour desolations, and ^bdthe city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.

Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.’

O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. ^beDelay not, ^bffor your own sake, O my God, because ^bgyour city and ^bhyour people are called by your name.”

While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill –

^biWhile I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for ^bjthe holy hill of my God,

while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.

while I was speaking in prayer, the man ^bkGabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, ^blcame to me in swift flight at ^bmthe time of the evening sacrifice.

He instructed me and said to me, ‘Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.

^bnHe made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you ^boinsight and understanding.

As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:

^bpAt the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, ^bqand I have come to tell it to you, for ^bryou are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word ^bsand understand the vision.

‘Seventy “sevens” ▼

▼Or “weeks”; also in verses 25 and 26

are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish ▼

▼Or restrain

transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place. ▼

▼Or the most holy One

^bw“Seventy weeks ▼

▼Or sevens; also twice in verse 25 and once in verse 26

are decreed about your people and ^byyour holy city, to finish ^bzthe transgression, to put an end to sin, ^caand to atone for iniquity, ^cbto bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and ^ccto anoint a most holy place. ▼

▼Or thing, or one

‘Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, ▼

▼Or an anointed one; also in verse 26

the ruler, comes, there will be seven “sevens”, and sixty-two “sevens”. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.

^cfKnow therefore and understand that ^cgfrom the going out of the word to restore and ^chbuild Jerusalem to the coming of an ^cianointed one, a ^cjprince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again ▼

▼Or  there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It shall be built again

with squares and moat, ^clbut in a troubled time.

After the sixty-two “sevens”, the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. ▼

▼Or death and will have no one; or death, but not for himself

The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: war will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.

And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall ^cnbe cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come ^coshall destroy the city and the sanctuary. ^cpIts ▼

▼Or His

end shall come with a flood, ^crand to the end there shall be war. ^csDesolations are decreed.

He will confirm a covenant with many for one “seven”. ▼

▼Or “week”

In the middle of the “seven” ▼

▼Or “week”

he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple ▼

▼Septuagint and Theodotion; Hebrew wing

he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. ▼

▼Or it

’ ▼

▼Or And one who causes desolation will come upon the wing of the abominable temple, until the end that is decreed is poured out on the desolated city

And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, ▼

▼Or seven; twice in this verse

and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. ^czAnd on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until ^dathe decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”