Daniel 9

9 ¹For di first year wey Darius, pikin of Xerxes, wey be Mede, dem make am king over di kingdom of Babylon. ²For di first year wey e dey reign, me, Daniel, come understand from di books how many years our Papa tell Jeremiah di prophet: seventy years, so dat di desolation of Jerusalem go complete. ³So I turn my face go meet Oga Papa, to seek am for prayer and to beg am, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

⁴I pray to my Papa, dey confess say: “Oga Papa, wey great and wey we suppose fear well well, wey dey keep Covenant and love wey no dey change for dem wey love am and dey keep im commands, ⁵we don sin, we don do wrong, we don do evil, we don rebel, we turn comot from your commands and your judgements. ⁶We no listen to your servants di prophets wey talk for your name to our kings, our princes, our ancestors, and all di people for di land.

⁷Correct-and-holy way na your own, Oga Papa, but for us na open shame today—di people of Judah, di people wey dey Jerusalem, and all Israel, dem wey dey near and dem wey dey far, for every land wey you scatter dem go, because dem no be faithful to you. ⁸O our Papa, na open shame be our own—us, our kings, our princes, and our ancestors—because we sin against you. ⁹Na Oga Papa get mercy and forgiveness, even as we don rebel against am, ¹⁰and we no obey di voice of our Papa, to waka for im laws wey e put before us through im servants di prophets. ¹¹All Israel break your law and turn comot, dem refuse to obey your voice. So di curse and di oath wey dem swear, wey dem write for di Law of Moses, di servant of our Papa, pour for our head, because we sin against am. ¹²E confirm di words wey e talk against us and against our judges wey dey judge us, e bring big trouble for us; nothing wey dey under di whole heaven fit match wetin happen to Jerusalem. ¹³Just as dem write am for di Law of Moses, all dis trouble come for us; but still we never seek di favour of our Papa, we never turn from our sins or understand your truth. ¹⁴So our Papa ready di trouble and bring am for us, because our Papa dey correct-and-holy for everything wey e dey do; but we no obey im voice.

¹⁵And now, Oga Papa, wey bring your people comot from Egypt with strong hand, and make name for yourself wey still dey stand till today—we don sin, we don do wrong. ¹⁶Oga Papa, by all your correct-and-holy work, make you turn your vex and your anger comot from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain—because na our sins and di wrong wey our ancestors do make Jerusalem and your people turn to disgrace for everybody wey surround us.

¹⁷So now, our Papa, hear di prayer and di begging of your servant, and make your face shine on your holy place wey don scatter, for your own sake, Oga Papa. ¹⁸Turn your ear come our side, my Papa, and hear; open your eyes, look di ruins wey be our own and di city wey dem dey call by your name. Na so we dey bring our begging come before you, no be because we get correct-and-holy way, but because of your plenty mercy. ¹⁹Oga Papa, hear! Oga Papa, forgive! Oga Papa, listen and do something! No delay, for your own sake, my Papa, because your city and your people dey carry your name.”

Di Papa Send Gabriel With Answer

²⁰As I still dey talk, dey pray, dey confess my own sin and di sin of my people Israel, dey lay my begging before my Papa concerning di holy hill of my Papa, ²¹while I still dey pray, Gabriel, di man wey I bin see for di vision before, come reach me, e dey fly fast fast, around di time of di evening offering. ^a a v21 Dem dey do di evening offering around three o'clock for afternoon.

²²E give me understanding, e dey talk with me say, “Daniel, na now I come out to give you insight and understanding. ²³As you start to beg, word come comot, and I come to tell you, because dem love you well well. So make you weigh di word and understand di vision:

²⁴“Seventy weeks dem don set apart for your people and your holy city: to end wrongdoing, to finish sin, to pay for guilt, to bring correct-and-holy way wey no dey end, to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint di place wey holy pass. ^b b v24 “Seventy weeks” na from one Hebrew word wey mean seventy times seven—wey fit be 490 years altogether.

²⁵So make you know and understand: from di time wey di command comot to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until di Anointed One—Jesus, di Prince—go come, e go be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. Dem go rebuild am with streets and moat, but for time of trouble. ²⁶And after di sixty-two weeks, dem go cut off di Anointed One—Jesus—and e no go get anything. Di people of di prince wey go come go destroy di city and di holy place. Im end go come like flood, and till di end war go dey; dem don decree desolation. ²⁷E go confirm Covenant with plenty people for one week; for di middle of di week e go stop sacrifice and offering. For one wing of di temple e go put abomination wey dey cause desolation, until di end wey dem decree pour on top di one wey dey cause di desolation.”