Daniel 9

Seventy Weeks, and an Anointed One Cut Off

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Daniel Considers the Seventy Years

9:1In the first year under Darius son of Xerxes, from the Median family who ruled over the kingdom of the Chaldeans,

9:2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, considered in the books the number of years, when a command came to the land concerning Jeremiah the prophet, to bring Jerusalem’s reproach to its full term: seventy years.

9:3I set my face toward the Lord God to find prayer and mercy, with fasts, sackcloth, and ashes.

The Prayer of Confession

9:4I prayed to the Lord God and confessed, saying, “Look, Lord, You are the great, strong, and fearsome God, keeping the covenant and mercy for those who love You and guard Your commands:

9:5we have sinned, done wrong, acted impiously, fallen away, and transgressed Your commandments and judgments,

9:6and have not listened to Your servants the prophets, to what they spoke in Your name to our kings, our rulers, our fathers, and every nation upon the earth.

9:7Righteousness belongs to You, Lord, but shame of face to us as on this day—to the people of Judah, those dwelling in Jerusalem, and all the people Israel, near and far, in all the countries where You scattered them because of the trespass they committed before You.

9:8Master, shame of face belongs to us, to our kings, rulers, and fathers, because we have sinned against You.

9:9To the Lord belong righteousness and mercy, for we have fallen away from You

9:10and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God, to follow Your law that You set before Moses and us through Your servants the prophets.

9:11All Israel abandoned Your law and fell away, refusing to hear Your voice. The curse and oath written in the law of Moses, God’s servant, came upon us, because we sinned against Him.

9:12He established for us His commands, all He spoke against us and against our judges, all You judged for us, bringing great calamities upon us, such as had not occurred under heaven as occurred in Jerusalem.

9:13According to what is written in Moses’ covenant, all the calamities came upon us. Yet we did not seek the face of the Lord our God by departing from our sins and understanding Your righteousness, Lord.

9:14The Lord God kept watch over the calamities and brought them upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything He may do, and we did not listen to His voice.

Let Your Wrath Turn Away from Your City

9:15Now, Master, Lord our God, who brought Your people out of Egypt with Your uplifted arm and made Yourself a name as on this day: we have sinned and acted in ignorance.

9:16Master, according to Your righteousness, let Your wrath and anger turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain. Because of our sins and our fathers’ acts of ignorance, Jerusalem and Your people, Lord, are a reproach among all around us.

9:17Now, Master, hear Your servant’s prayer and my supplications. Let Your face look upon Your desolate holy mountain, for Your servants’ sake, Master.

9:18Attend with Your ear, Lord, and hear me. Open Your eyes and see our desolation and that of Your city, over which Your name has been called. For we make our supplication in our prayers before You because of Your mercy, not our righteous deeds.

9:19Lord, be propitious! Lord, hear and act, and do not delay, for Your own sake, Master, because Your name has been called over Your city Zion and Your people Israel.”

Gabriel Comes at the Evening Offering

9:20While I was speaking in prayer, confessing my sins and the sins of my people Israel, and making supplication in prayers before the Lord my God and on behalf of our God’s holy mountain,

9:21while I was still speaking in my prayer, the man I had seen at first in my sleep, Gabriel, was carried swiftly and approached me at the hour of the evening sacrifice.

9:22He approached and spoke with me, saying, “Daniel, I have just come out to show you understanding.

9:23At the beginning of your supplication, a command went out from the Lord, and I came to explain it to you, because you are worthy of pity. Understand the command.

The Seventy Weeks

9:24Seventy weeks have been determined for your people and the city Zion: for sin to be brought to completion, injustices to become scarce, injustices to be wiped away, the vision to be understood, everlasting righteousness to be given, the vision to be fulfilled, and a holy of holies to be gladdened.

9:25You will know, understand, and rejoice. You will find commands to be answered, and you will build Jerusalem as a city for the Lord.

9:26After seven and seventy and sixty-two, an anointing will be removed and no longer exist. A kingdom of nations will destroy the city and sanctuary together with the anointed one. Its completion will come with wrath and last until the time of completion; it will be assailed by war.

9:27The covenant will prevail for many. It will return again and be rebuilt in breadth and length. At the completion of times, after seven and seventy periods and sixty-two years, until the time of the completion of war, desolation will be removed when the covenant grows strong for many weeks. At the end of the week the sacrifice and libation will be removed. Upon the temple will be an abomination of desolations until completion, and completion will be given upon the desolation.”

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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.