1 In the first year of ^fDarius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, ^gaccording to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, ^hseventy years.

3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with ⁱfasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and ^jmade confession, saying, ^k“O Lord, the great and awesome God, who ^lkeeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 ^mwe have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have ⁿnot listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 ^oTo you, O 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, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong ^pmercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, ^qwhich he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And ^rthe curse and oath that are 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 confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us,¹ by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven ^sthere has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As 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, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have ^tmade a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and ^ufor your own sake, O Lord,^{2 v}make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is ^wcalled by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. ^xDelay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your ^ypeople are called by your name.”

20 ^zWhile 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 the holy hill of my God, 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, ^awhom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the ^bevening sacrifice. 22 He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are ^cgreatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.

24 “Seventy weeks³ are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.⁴ 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an ^danointed one, a ^eprince, there shall be seven weeks. And for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again⁵ with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its⁶ end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week,⁷ and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come ^fone who makes desolate, until the ^gdecreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

1 In the third year of ^hCyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was ⁱtrue, and it was a great conflict.⁸ And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision.

2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. 3 I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks. 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river (that is, the Tigris) 5 I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a ^jman clothed in linen, ^kwith a belt of fine gold from ^lUphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, ^mhis eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of ⁿburnished bronze, and the sound of his words ^olike the sound of a multitude. 7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. ^pMy radiant appearance was fearfully changed,⁹ and I retained no strength. 9 Then I heard the sound of his words, and ^qas I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground.

10 And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 And he said to me, “O Daniel, man ^rgreatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and ^sstand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. 13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but ^tMichael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, 14 and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. ^uFor the vision is for days yet to come.”

15 When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and was mute. 16 And behold, ^vone in the likeness of the children of man ^wtouched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke. I said to him who stood before me, “O my lord, by reason of the vision pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength. 17 How can my lord’s servant talk with my lord? For now no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.”

18 Again one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me. 19 And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, ^xpeace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” 20 Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of ^yGreece will come. 21 But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of ^ztruth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.