Daniel, studying Jeremiah's prophecy of seventy years, prays and confesses the sins of his people. Gabriel comes and gives him a vision of seventy weeks, to finish transgression and bring in everlasting righteousness. Christians interpret this passage in several ways.
1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus , of the seed of the Medes , which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans ;
2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years , whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet , that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem .
3 And I set my face unto the Lord God , to seek by prayer and supplications , with fasting , and sackcloth , and ashes :
4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God , and made my confession , and said , O Lord , the great and dreadful God , keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments ;
5 We have sinned , and have committed iniquity , and have done wickedly , and have rebelled , even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments :
6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets , which spake in thy name to our kings , our princes , and our fathers , and to all the people of the land .
7 O Lord , righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces , 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.
8 O Lord , to us belongeth confusion of face , to our kings , to our princes , and to our fathers , because we have sinned against thee.
9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses , though we have rebelled against him;
10 Neither have we 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 have transgressed thy law , even by departing , that they might not obey thy voice ; therefore the curse is poured upon 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 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 .
13 As it is written in the law of Moses , all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God , that we might turn from our iniquities , and understand thy truth .
14 Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil , and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth : for we obeyed not his voice .
15 And 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 .
16 O Lord , according to all thy righteousness , I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury 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 about us.
17 Now therefore, O our God , hear the prayer of thy servant , and his supplications , and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate , for the Lord's sake.
18 O 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 .
19 O Lord , hear ; O Lord , forgive ; O Lord , hearken and do ; defer not , for thine own sake, O my God : for thy city and thy people are called by thy name .
20 And whiles I was speaking , and praying , and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel , and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God ;
21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer , even 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 .
22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said , O Daniel , I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding .
23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth , and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved : therefore understand the matter , and consider the vision .
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city , to finish the transgression , and to make an end of sins , and to make reconciliation 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 forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks , and threescore and two weeks : the street shall be built again , and the wall , even in troublous times .
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off , but not for himself: 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 unto the end of the war desolations are determined .
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week : and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease , and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate , even until the consummation , and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate .