Study Desk

In the first year of Darius,^(a) the son of Ahasuerus, a Mede by birth, who was ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans:

In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet that the number of years for the desolation of Jerusalem would be 70.^(b)

So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.^(c)

I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: Ah, Lord—the great and awe-inspiring God^(d) who keeps His gracious covenant^(e) with those who love Him^(f) and keep His commands^(g)—

we have sinned,^(h) done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled,⁽ⁱ⁾ and turned away from Your commands and ordinances.^(j)

We have not listened to Your servants the prophets,^(k) who spoke in Your name to our kings, leaders, fathers, and all the people of the land.

Lord, righteousness belongs to You,^(l) but this day public shame belongs to us: the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel—those who are near and those who are far, in all the countries where You have dispersed them because of the disloyalty they have shown toward You.

Lord , public shame^(m) belongs to us, our kings, our leaders, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.⁽ⁿ⁾

Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against Him

and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by following His instructions that He set before us through His servants^(o) the prophets.

All Israel has broken Your law and turned away,^(p) refusing to obey You. The promised curse^[a] written in the law of Moses,^(q) the servant of God, has been poured out on us because we have sinned against Him.

He has carried out His words^(r) that He spoke against us and against our rulers^[b](s) by bringing on us so great a disaster that nothing like what has been done to Jerusalem has ever been done^(t) under all of heaven.

Just as it is written in the law of Moses,^(u) all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not appeased^(v) the Lord our God by turning from our iniquities and paying attention to Your truth.^(w)

So the Lord kept the disaster in mind and brought it on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all He has done. But we have not obeyed Him.

Now, Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand^(x) and made Your name renowned^(y) as it is this day, we have sinned, we have acted wickedly.

Lord, in keeping with all Your righteous acts, may Your anger and wrath^(z) turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain;^(aa) for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become an object of ridicule to all those around us.

Therefore, our God, hear the prayer and the petitions of Your servant. Show Your favor^(ab) to Your desolate sanctuary^(ac) for the Lord's sake.

Listen,^[c] my God, and hear. Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city called by Your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before You based on our righteous acts, but based on Your abundant compassion.

Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for Your own sake, do not delay,^(ad) because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.

While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel,^(ae) and presenting my petition before Yahweh my God concerning the holy mountain of my God—

while I was praying, Gabriel,^(af) the man I had seen in the first vision,^(ag) came to me in my extreme weariness, about the time of the evening offering.^(ah)

He gave me this explanation: "Daniel, I've come now to give you understanding.^(ai)

At the beginning of your petitions an answer went out, and I have come to give it, for you are treasured by God.^(aj) So consider the message and understand the vision:^(ak)

Seventy weeks^[d] are decreed^(al) about your people and your holy city— to bring the rebellion to an end, to put a stop to sin, to wipe away iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness,^(am) to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place.

Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem^(an) until Messiah^(ao) the Prince^[e] will be seven weeks and 62 weeks.^[f] It will be rebuilt with a plaza and a moat, but in difficult times.

After those 62 weeks^[g] the Messiah will be cut off^(ap) and will have nothing. The people of the coming prince will destroy the city^(aq) and the sanctuary. The^[h] end will come with a flood,^(ar) and until the end there will be^[i] war; desolations are decreed.

He will make a firm covenant^[j] with many for one week,^[k] but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation^(as) will be on a wing^(at) of the temple^[l][m] until the decreed destruction^(au) is poured out on the desolator."

In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia,^(a) a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar.^(b) The message was true and was about a great conflict. He understood the message and had understanding of the vision.^(c)

In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks.^(d)

I didn't eat any rich food,^(e) no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I didn't put any oil on my body until the three weeks were over.

On the twenty-fourth day of the first month,^[a] as I was standing on the bank of the great river,^(f) the Tigris,

I looked up, and there was a man dressed in linen,^(g) with a belt of gold^(h) from Uphaz^[b](i) around his waist.

His body was like topaz,^[c] his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches,^(j) his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.^(k)

Only I, Daniel, saw the vision.^(l) The men who were with me did not see it,^(m) but a great terror fell on them,⁽ⁿ⁾ and they ran and hid.

I was left alone, looking at this great vision.^(o) No strength was left in me; my face grew deathly pale,^[d](p) and I was powerless.

I heard the words he said, and when I heard them I fell into a deep sleep,^[e](q) with my face to the ground.

Suddenly, a hand touched me and raised me to my hands and knees.

He said to me, "Daniel, you are a man treasured by God.^(r) Understand the words that I'm saying to you. Stand on your feet,^(s) for I have now been sent to you."^(t) After he said this to me, I stood trembling.

"Don't be afraid,^(u) Daniel," he said to me, "for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God,^(v) your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers.^(w)

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for 21 days. Then Michael,^(x) one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia.^(y)

Now I have come to help you understand what will happen to your people in the last days,^(z) for the vision refers to those days."^(aa)

While he was saying these words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and was speechless.^(ab)

Suddenly one with human likeness^(ac) touched my lips.^(ad) I opened my mouth and said to the one standing in front of me, "My lord, because of the vision, anguish overwhelms me and I am powerless.^(ae)

How can someone like me,^(af) your servant,^[f] speak with someone like you, my lord? Now I have no strength, and there is no breath in me."

Then the one with human likeness touched me again and strengthened me.^(ag)

He said, "Don't be afraid,^(ah) you who are^[g] treasured by God.^(ai) Peace to you; be very strong!"^(aj) As he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me."^(ak)

He said, "Do you know why I've come to you? I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I leave, the prince of Greece will come.^(al)

No one has the courage to support me against them except Michael,^(am) your prince. However, I will tell you what is recorded in the book of truth.