The Babylonian Exile

And through his policie also, hee shall cause craft to prosper in his hand, and he shall extoll himselfe in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: hee shall also stande vp against the prince of princes, but he shalbe broken downe without hand.

And the vision of the euening and the morning, which is declared, is true: therefore seale thou vp the vision, for it shall be after many dayes.

And I Daniel was striken and sicke certaine dayes: but when I rose vp, I did the Kings busines, and I was astonished at the vision, but none vnderstood it.

In the first yeere of Darius the sonne of Ahashuerosh, of the seede of the Medes, which was made King ouer the realme of the Caldeans,

Euen in the first yeere of his reigne, I Daniel vnderstood by bookes the nomber of the yeeres, whereof the Lord had spoken vnto Ieremiah the Prophet, that he would accomplish seuentie yeeres in the desolation of Ierusalem.

And I turned my face vnto the Lord God, and sought by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

And I prayed vnto the Lord my God, and made my confession, saying, Oh Lord God, which art great and fearefull, and keepest couenant and mercy toward them which loue thee, and toward them that keepe thy commandements,

We haue sinned, and haue committed iniquitie and haue done wickedly, yea, we haue rebelled, and haue departed from thy precepts, and from thy iudgements.

For we would not obey thy seruants the Prophets, which spake in thy Name to our Kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

O Lord, righteousnes belongeth vnto thee, and vnto vs open shame, as appeareth this day vnto euery man of Iudah, and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem: yea, vnto all Israel, both neere and farre off, through all the countreys, whither thou hast driuen them, because of their offences, that they haue committed against thee.

O Lord, vnto vs apperteineth open shame, to our Kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we haue sinned against thee.

Yet compassion and forgiuenesse is in the Lord our God, albeit we haue rebelled against him.

For we haue not obeyed the voyce of the Lord our God, to walke in his lawes, which he had laide before vs by the ministerie of his seruants the Prophets.

Yea, all Israel haue transgressed thy Lawe, and are turned backe, and haue not heard thy voyce: therefore the curse is powred vpon vs, and the othe that is written in the Lawe of Moses the seruant of God, because we haue sinned against him.

And he hath confirmed his wordes, which he spake against vs, and against our iudges that iudged vs, by bringing vpon vs a great plague: for vnder the whole heauen hath not bene the like, as hath bene brought vpon Ierusalem.

All this plague is come vpon vs, as it is written in the Lawe of Moses: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turne from our iniquities and vnderstand thy trueth.

Therefore hath the Lord made ready the plague, and brought it vpon vs: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we would not heare his voyce.

And nowe, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people out of the land of Egypt with a mightie hand, and hast gotten thee renoume, as appeareth this day, we haue sinned, we haue done wickedly.

O Lord, according to all thy righteousnes, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy wrath be turned away from thy citie Ierusalem thine holy Mountaine: for because of our sinnes, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Ierusalem and thy people are a reproche to all that are about vs.

Nowe therefore, O our God, heare the prayer of thy serunant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine vpon thy Sanctuarie, that lyeth waste for the Lords sake.

O my God, encline thine eare and heare: open thine eyes, and beholde our desolations, and the citie whereupon thy Name is called: for we doe not present our supplications before thee for our owne righteousnes, but for thy great tender mercies.

O Lord, heare, O Lord forgiue, O Lord consider, and doe it: deferre not, for thine owne sake, O my God: for thy Name is called vpon thy citie, and vpon thy people.

And whiles I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sinne, and the sinne of my people Israel, and did present my supplication before the Lord my God, for the holy Mountaine of my God,

Yea, while I was speaking in prayer, euen the man Gabriel, whome I had seene before in the vision, came flying, and touched mee about the time of the euening oblation.

And he informed me, and talked with me, and sayd, O Daniel, I am now come forth to giue thee knowledge and vnderstanding.