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¹ In the firste yeer of Darius, the sone of Assuerus, of the seed of Medeis, that was emperour on the rewme of Caldeis,² in the firste yeer of his rewme, Y, Danyel, vndurstood in bookis the noumbre of yeeris, of which noumbre the word of the Lord was maad to Jeremye, the profete, that seuenti yeer of desolacioun of Jerusalem schulde be fillid.³ And Y settide my face to my Lord God, to preie and to biseche in fastyngis, in sak, and aische.

⁴ And Y preiede my Lord God, and Y knoulechide, and seide, Y biseche, thou Lord God, greet and ferdful, kepynge couenaunt and mercy to hem that louen thee, and kepen thi comaundementis.⁵ We han synned, we han do wickidnesse, we diden unfeithfuli, and yeden awei, and bowiden awei fro thi comaundementis and domes.⁶ We obeieden not to thi seruauntis, profetis, that spaken in thi name to oure kyngis, to oure princes, and to oure fadris, and to al the puple of the lond.⁷ Lord, riytfulnesse is to thee, forsothe schenschipe of face is to vs, as is to dai to a man of Juda, and to the dwelleris of Jerusalem, and to al Israel, to these men that ben niy, and to these men that ben afer in alle londis, to which thou castidist hem out for the wickidnessis of hem, in whiche, Lord, thei synneden ayens thee.⁸ Schame of face is to vs, to oure kyngis, to oure princes, and to oure fadris, that synneden;⁹ but merci and benygnytee is to thee, oure Lord God. For we yeden awei fro thee,¹⁰ and herden not the vois of oure Lord God, that we schulden go in the lawe of hym, whiche he settide to vs bi hise seruauntis, profetis.¹¹ And al Israel braken thi lawe, and bowiden awei, that thei herden not thi vois; and cursyng, and wlatyng, which is writun in the book of Moises, the seruaunt of God, droppide on vs, for we synneden to hym.¹² And he ordeynede hise wordis, whiche he spak on vs, and on oure princes, that demyden vs, that thei schulden brynge in on vs greet yuel, what maner yuel was neuer vndur al heuene, bi that that is doon in Jerusalem,¹³ as it is writun in the lawe of Moises. Al this yuel cam on vs, and, oure Lord God, we preieden not thi face, that we schulden turne ayen fro oure wickidnessis, and schulden thenke thi treuthe.¹⁴ And the Lord wakide on malice, and brouyt it on vs; oure Lord God is iust in alle his werkis whiche he made, for we herden not his vois.¹⁵ And now, Lord God, that leddist thi puple out of the lond of Egipt in strong hond, and madist to thee a name bi this dai, we han synnede,¹⁶ we han do wickidnesse, Lord, ayens thi riytfulnesse. Y biseche, thi wraththe and thi stronge veniaunce be turned awey fro thi citee Jerusalem, and fro thi hooli hil; for whi for oure synnes, and for the wickidnessis of oure fadris, Jerusalem and thi puple ben in schenschipe, to alle men bi oure cumpas.¹⁷ But now, oure God, here thou the preyer of thi seruaunt, and the bisechyngis of him, and schewe thi face on thi seyntuarie, which is forsakun.¹⁸ My God, for thi silf boowe doun thin eere, and here; opene thin iyen, and se oure desolacioun, and the citee, on which thi name is clepid to help. For not in oure iustifiyngis we setten forth mekeli preiers bifor thi face, but in thi many merciful doyngis.¹⁹ Lord, here thou; Lord, be thou plesid, perseyue thou, and do; my Lord God, tarie thou not, for thi silf, for thi name is clepid to help on the citee, and on thi puple.

²⁰ And whanne Y spak yit, and preiede, and knoulechide my synnes, and the synnes of my puple Israel, that Y schulde sette forth mekeli my preieris in the siyt of my God, for the hooli hil of my God,²¹ the while Y spak yit in my preyer, lo! the man Gabriel, whom Y hadde seyn in visioun at the bigynnyng, flei soone, and touchide me in the tyme of euentid sacrifice;²² and he tauyt me, and he spak to me, and seide, Danyel, now Y yede out, that Y schulde teche thee, and thou schuldist vndurstonde.²³ Fro the bigynnyng of thi preieris a word yede out. Forsothe Y cam to schewe to thee, for thou art a man of desiris; therfor perseyue thou the word, and vndurstonde thou the visioun.²⁴ Seuenti woukis of yeeris ben abreggid on thi puple, and on thin hooli citee, that trespassyng be endid, and synne take an ende, and that wickidnesse be doon awei, and euerlastynge riytfulnesse be brouyt, and that the visioun, and prophesie be fillid, and the hooli of seyntis be anoyntid.²⁵ Therfor wite thou, and perseyue; fro the goyng out of the word, that Jerusalem be bildid eft, til to Crist, the duyk, schulen be seuene woukis of yeeris and two and sixti woukis of yeeris; and eft the street schal be bildid, and wallis, in the angwisch of tymes.²⁶ And after two and sixti woukis `of yeeris Crist schal be slayn. And it schal not be his puple, that schal denye hym. And the puple with the duyk to comynge schal distrie the citee, and the seyntuarie; and the ende therof schal be distriyng, and after the ende of batel schal be ordeynede desolacioun.<sup>27</sup> Forsothe o wouk `of yeeris schal conferme the couenaunt to many men, and the offryng and sacrifice schal faile in the myddis of the wouke of yeeris; and abhomynacioun of desolacioun schal be in the temple, and the desolacioun schal contynue til to the parformyng and ende.