9 In the first year of Da·riʹus the son of A·has·u·eʹrus—a descendant of the Medes who had been made king over the kingdom of the Chal·deʹans— 2 in the first year of his reign I, Dany'Al, discerned by the books the number of years mentioned in the word of Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} to Yeremyah the prophet to fulfill the desolation of Yerushalom, namely, 70 years. 3 So I turned my face to Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} the true Yahavah {Yah'-ha-vah'}, entreating him in prayer, along with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} my Yahavah {Yah'-ha-vah'} and made confession and said:
“O Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} the true Yahavah {Yah'-ha-vah'}, the great and awe-inspiring One, who keeps his covenant and shows loyal love to those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled; and we have deviated 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 forefathers, and all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, belongs righteousness, but to us belongs shame as is the case today, to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Yerushalom, and all Isra'Al, those nearby and far away, in all the lands to which you dispersed them because they acted unfaithfully toward you.
8 “O Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, to us belongs shame, to our kings, our princes, and our forefathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} our Yahavah {Yah'-ha-vah'} belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him. 10 We have not obeyed the voice of Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} our Yahavah {Yah'-ha-vah'} by following his laws that he set before us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Isra'Al has overstepped your Law and turned away by not obeying your voice, so that you poured out on us the curse and the sworn oath written about in the Law of Moses the servant of the true Yahavah {Yah'-ha-vah'}, for we have sinned against Him. 12 He has carried out his words that he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled over us, by bringing great calamity on us; nothing has ever been done under the whole heavens such as what was done in Yerushalom. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us, yet we have not begged for the favor of Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} our Yahavah {Yah'-ha-vah'} by turning away from our error and by showing insight into your truth.
14 “So Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} kept watchful and brought calamity on us, for Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} our Yahavah {Yah'-ha-vah'} is righteous in all the works that he has done; yet we have not obeyed his voice.
15 “Now, O Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} our Yahavah {Yah'-ha-vah'}, the One who brought your people out of the land of Egypt by a mighty hand and made a name for yourself down to this day, we have sinned and acted wickedly. 16 O Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, according to all your righteous acts, please, may your anger and wrath turn away from your city Yerushalom, your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the errors of our forefathers, Yerushalom and your people are an object of reproach to all those around us. 17 And now listen, O our Yahavah {Yah'-ha-vah'}, to the prayer of your servant and to his entreaties, and cause your face to shine upon your sanctuary that is desolate, for your own sake, O Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}. 18 Incline your ear, O my Yahavah {Yah'-ha-vah'}, and hear! Do open your eyes and see our desolate condition and the city that has been called by your name; for we are not entreating you because of our righteous acts but because of your great mercy. 19 O Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, do hear. O Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, do forgive. O Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, do pay attention and act! Do not delay, for your own sake, O my Yahavah {Yah'-ha-vah'}, for your own name has been called upon your city and upon your people.”
20 While I was still speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Isra'Al and making my request for favor before Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} my Yahavah {Yah'-ha-vah'} concerning the holy mountain of my Yahavah {Yah'-ha-vah'}, 21 yes, while I was yet speaking in prayer, the man Gaʹbri·Al, whom I had previously seen in the vision, came to me when I was extremely weary at about the time of the evening gift offering. 22 And he gave me understanding, saying:
“O Dany'Al, now I have come to give you insight and understanding. 23 When you began your entreaty the word went out, and I have come to report it to you, because you are someone very precious. So consider the matter and understand the vision.
24 “There are 70 weeks that have been determined for your people and your holy city, in order to terminate the transgression, to finish off sin, to make atonement for error, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and the prophecy, and to anoint the Holy of Holies. 25 You should know and understand that from the issuing of the word to restore and to rebuild Yerushalom until Mes·siʹah” the Leader, there will be 7 weeks, also 62 weeks. She will be restored and rebuilt, with a public square and moat, but in times of distress.
26 “And after the 62 weeks, Mes·siʹah” will be cut off, with nothing for himself.
“And the people of a leader who is coming will destroy the city and the holy place. And its end will be by the flood. And until the end there will be war; what is decided upon is desolations.
27 “And he will keep the covenant in force for the many for one week; and at the half of the week, he will cause sacrifice and gift offering to cease.
“And on the wing of disgusting things there will be the one causing desolation; and until an extermination, what was decided on will be poured out also on the one lying desolate.”