25. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify _himself_ in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; --the Roman Empire had no kings and therefore its rulers were spoken of as Princes. It was a favorite term for a king to designate himself as "King of Kings." The same thought could be expressed as regards the Romans, by the words "Prince of Princes"-- but he shall be broken without hand. --Antiochus died from intemperance. 26. And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told _is_ true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it _shall be_ for many days. 27. And I Daniel fainted, and was sick _certain_ days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood _it_. CHAPTER IX. [HEBREW.] [Sidenote: B.C. 538-7.] 1. In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; --by Cyrus. 2. In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. --"For thus saith the Lord, that after 70 years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place." Jeremiah XXIX. 10. 3. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 4. And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; 5. We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: 6. Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7. O Lord, righteousness _belongeth_ unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, _that are_ near, and _that are_ far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. 8. O Lord, to us _belongeth_ confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. 9. To the Lord our God _belong_ mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; 10. Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.