Read the Bible

¹ In the first yeare off Darius the sonne off Ahasuerus, which was of the sede off the Medes, & was made kynge ouer the realme of the Caldees:² Yee euen in the first yeare off his raigne, I Daniel desyred to knowe the yearly nombre out of the bokes, wherof the LORDE spake vnto Ieremy the prophet: that Ierusalem shulde lie waist lxx. yeares:³ ad I turned me vnto God the LORDE, for to praye and make myne intercessio, with fastinge, sackcloth ad ashes

⁴ I prayed before the LORDE my God, and knowleged, sayenge: O LORDE, thou greate & fearfull God, thou that kepest couenaunt and mercy with them, which loue the, and do thy commaundementes:⁵ We haue synned, we haue offended, we haue bene disobedient and gone backe: yee we haue departed from all thy preceptes and iudgmentes.⁶ We wolde neuer folowe thy seruauntes the prophetes, that spake in thy name to oure kynges and prynces to oure forefathers, and to all the people off the londe.⁷ O LORDE, rightuousnesse belongeth vnto the, vnto vs pertayneth nothynge but open shame: as it is come to passe this daye vnto euery man of Iuda, and to them that dwell at Ierusalem: Yee vnto all Israel, whether they be farre or nye: thorow out all londes, wherin thou hast strowed them, because of the offences that they had done agaynst the.⁸ Yee o LORDE, vnto vs, to oure kinges & prynces, to oure forefathers: euen to vs all, that haue offended the, belongeth open shame.⁹ But vnto the o LORDE oure God, pertayneth mercy and forgeuenesse. As for vs, we are gone backe from him,¹⁰ and haue not obeyed the voyce of the LORDE oure God, to walke in his lawes, which he layed before vs by his seruauntes the prophetes:¹¹ yee all Israel haue transgressed, and gone backe from thy lawe, so that they haue not herkened vnto thy voyce. Wherfore the curse and ooth, that is written in the law of Moses the seruaut of God (against whom we haue offended) is poured vpon vs.¹² And he hath perfourmed his wordes, which he spake agaynst vs, & agaynst oure iudges that iudged vs: to bringe vpon vs soch a greate plage, as neuer was vnder heauen, like as it is now come to passe in Ierusalem.¹³ Yee all this plage, as it is written in the lawe of Moses, is come vpon vs. Yet made we not oure prayer before the LORDE oure God, that we might turne agayne from oure wickednesse, and to be lerned in thy verite.¹⁴ Therfore hath ye LORDE made haist, to bringe this plage vpon vs: for the LORDE oure God is rightuous, in all his workes which he doth: for why, we wolde not harken vnto his voyce.¹⁵ And now, o LORDE oure God, thou that with a mightie honde hast brought thy people out of Egipte, to get thy self a name, which remayneth this daye: we haue synned¹⁶ (o LORDE) & done wickedly agaynst all thy rightuousnes: yet let thy wrothfull displeasure be turned awaye (I beseke the) from thy cite Ierusalem thy holy hill. And why? for oure synnes sake and for the wickednesse of oure forefathers: is Ierusalem and thy people abhorred, of all them that are aboute vs.¹⁷ Now therfore (O oure God) heare the prayer of thy seruaunt, and his intercession: O let thy face shyne ouer thy sanctuary, that lieth waist.¹⁸ O my God, enclyne thine eare, and herken (at the leest for thine owne sake) open thine eyes: beholde how we be desolated, yee and the cite also, which is called after thy name: For we do not cast oure prayers before the in oure owne rightuousnesse, no: but only in thy greate mercies.¹⁹ O LORDE, heare: O forgeue LORDE: O LORDE considre, tary not ouer longe: but for thine owne sake do it, O my God: for thy cite and thy people is called after thy name.

²⁰ As I was yet speakinge at my prayers, knowleginge myne owne synnes and ye synnes of my people, makinge so myne intercession before the LORDE my God, for the holy hils sake of my God:²¹ yee whyle I was yet speakinge in my prayer, beholde, the ma Gabriel (whom I had sene afore in the vision) came flyenge to me, and touched me aboute ye offeringe tyme in the euenynge.²² He infourmed me, and spake vnto me: O Daniel (sayde he) I am now come, to make the vnderstonde it:²³ For as soone as thou begannest to make thy prayer, it was so diuysed, and therfore am I come to shewe the. And why? for thou art a man greatly beloued. Wherfore, pondre the matter wel, that thou mayest lerne, to vnderstonde the vision.²⁴ Lxx. wekes are determed ouer thy people, & ouer thy holy cite: that the wickednesse maye be consumed, that the synne maye haue an ende, that the offence maye be reconciled, and to bringe in euerlastinge rightuousnesse, to fulfill ye visions and the prophetes, and to anoynte the most holy one.²⁵ Vnderstode this then, and marcke it well: that from the tyme it shalbe concluded, to go and repayre Ierusalem agayne, vnto Christ (or the anoynted) prynce: there shalbe seuen wekes. Then shall the stretes & walles be buylded agayne lxij. wekes, but with harde troublous tyme.²⁶ After these lxij. wekes, shal Christ be slayne, & they shal haue no pleasure in him. Then shal there come a people with the prynce, and destroye the cite and the sanctuary: and his ende shal come as the water floude. But the desolacion shall continue till the ende of the batell.²⁷ He shall make a stronge bonde with many, for the space of a weke: and when the weke is half gone, he shal put downe the slayne and meatoffringe. And in the temple there shalbe an abhominable desolacio, till it haue destroyed all. And it is concluded, yt this waistinge shal continue vnto the ende.