Daniel 9:3-21

English Standard Version

³Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by ^(A)prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. ⁴I prayed to the Lord my God and ^(B)made confession, saying, ^(C)“O Lord, the ^(D)great and awesome God, who ^(E)keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁵^(F)we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly ^(G)and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. ⁶^(H)We have not listened to ^(I)your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to ^(J)our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. ⁷To you, ^(K)O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, ^(L)those who are near and ^(M)those who are far away, in ^(N)all the lands to which you have driven them, because of ^(O)the treachery that they have committed against you. ⁸To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because ^(P)we have sinned against you. ⁹^(Q)To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him ¹⁰^(R)and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by ^(S)his servants the prophets. ¹¹^(T)All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, ^(U)refusing to obey your voice. ^(V)And the curse and oath ^(W)that are written in the Law of ^(X)Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because ^(Y)we have sinned against him. ¹²He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against ^(Z)our rulers who ruled us,^[a] by ^(AA)bringing upon us a great calamity. ^(AB)For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. ¹³^(AC)As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, ^(AD)turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. ¹⁴^(AE)Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, ^(AF)for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and ^(AG)we have not obeyed his voice. ¹⁵And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt ^(AH)with a mighty hand, and ^(AI)have made a name for yourself, as at this day, ^(AJ)we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

¹⁶“O Lord, ^(AK)according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, ^(AL)your holy hill, ^(AM)because for our sins, and for ^(AN)the iniquities of our fathers, ^(AO)Jerusalem and your people have become ^(AP)a byword among all who are around us. ¹⁷Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,^[b] ^(AQ)make your face to shine upon ^(AR)your sanctuary, which is desolate. ¹⁸^(AS)O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see ^(AT)our desolations, and ^(AU)the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. ¹⁹O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. ^(AV)Delay not, ^(AW)for your own sake, O my God, because ^(AX)your city and ^(AY)your people are called by your name.”

Gabriel Brings an Answer

²⁰^(AZ)While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for ^(BA)the holy hill of my God, ²¹while I was speaking in prayer, the man ^(BB)Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, ^(BC)came to me in swift flight at ^(BD)the time of the evening sacrifice.