1 In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who had been made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans, 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass over the desolations of Jerusalem: seventy years. 3 So I turned my face toward the Lord God, seeking him in prayer and pleas for mercy, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, turning away from your commandments and your judgments. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and all the people of the land. 7 Righteousness belongs to you, O Lord, but shame of face belongs to us, as it does this day—to the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, near and far, in all the lands where you have driven them because of their unfaithfulness to you. 8 O LORD, shame of face belongs to us, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him. 10 We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. So the curse and the oath written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has fulfilled the words he spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, bringing great calamity upon us. Nothing under the whole heaven has been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us. Yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquity and giving heed to your truth. 14 The LORD watched over this calamity and brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and made a name for yourself that endures to this day, we have sinned; we have acted wickedly. 16 O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, please turn your anger and wrath away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. Because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a reproach to all those around us. 17 Now, our God, hear the prayer of your servant and his pleas for mercy. For the Lord’s sake, let your face shine upon your desolate sanctuary. 18 Incline your ear, my God, and hear; open your eyes and see our desolations and the city that bears your name. For we present our pleas before you not because of our righteous deeds, but because of your great mercies. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay, for your own sake, my God, for your city and your people bear your name.” 20 While I was still speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, reached me in utter weariness at about the time of the evening offering. 22 He instructed me and spoke with me, saying, “Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your pleas a word went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved. So consider the word and understand the vision. 24 Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city: to restrain transgression, to seal up sins, to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. 25 Know and understand: from the going out of the word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until an anointed one, a prince, there will be seven weeks. For sixty-two weeks it will be rebuilt, with a square and a moat, but in troubled times. 26 After the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of a prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end will come with a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed. 27 He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, and for half the week he will put an end to sacrifice and grain offering. On a wing of abominations there will be a desolator, until the complete destruction that has been decreed is poured out on the desolator.”