Daniel 9

Daniel’s Prayer

1In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom—[#9:1 Hebrew Ahasuerus; #9:1 Or Chaldean]

2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.

3So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

4I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

The Seventy “Sevens”

20While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill—

21while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.

22He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.

23As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:

24“Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.[#9:24 Or ‘weeks’ ; also in verses 25 and 26; #9:24 Or restrain; #9:24 Or the most holy One]

25“Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.[#9:25 Or an anointed one ; also in verse 26]

26After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.[#9:26 Or death and will have no one ; or death, but not for himself]

27He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”[#9:27 Or ‘week’; #9:27 Or ‘week’; #9:27 Septuagint and Theodotion; Hebrew wing; #9:27 Or it; #9:27 Or And one who causes desolation will come upon the wing of the abominable temple, until the end that is decreed is poured out on the desolated city]

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