Daniel 9

New International Version

Daniel’s Prayer

9 In the first year of Darius^(A) son of Xerxes^[a]^(B) (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian^[b] kingdom— ²in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy^(C) years. ³So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting,^(D) and in sackcloth and ashes.^(E)

⁴I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:^(F)

“Lord, the great and awesome God,^(G) who keeps his covenant of love^(H) with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁵we have sinned^(I) and done wrong.^(J) We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away^(K) from your commands and laws.^(L) ⁶We have not listened^(M) to your servants the prophets,^(N) who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors,^(O) and to all the people of the land.

⁷“Lord, you are righteous,^(P) but this day we are covered with shame^(Q)—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered^(R) us because of our unfaithfulness^(S) to you.^(T) ⁸We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you.^(U) ⁹The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving,^(V) even though we have rebelled against him;^(W) ¹⁰we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets.^(X) ¹¹All Israel has transgressed^(Y) your law^(Z) and turned away, refusing to obey you.

“Therefore the curses^(AA) and sworn judgments^(AB) written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned^(AC) against you. ¹²You have fulfilled^(AD) the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster.^(AE) Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like^(AF) what has been done to Jerusalem.^(AG) ¹³Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord^(AH) our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.^(AI) ¹⁴The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster^(AJ) on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does;^(AK) yet we have not obeyed him.^(AL)

¹⁵“Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand^(AM) and who made for yourself a name^(AN) that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. ¹⁶Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts,^(AO) turn away^(AP) your anger and your wrath^(AQ) from Jerusalem,^(AR) your city, your holy hill.^(AS) Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn^(AT) to all those around us.

¹⁷“Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor^(AU) on your desolate sanctuary. ¹⁸Give ear,^(AV) our God, and hear;^(AW) open your eyes and see^(AX) the desolation of the city that bears your Name.^(AY) We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.^(AZ) ¹⁹Lord, listen! Lord, forgive!^(BA) Lord, hear and act! For your sake,^(BB) my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”

The Seventy “Sevens”

²⁰While I was speaking and praying, confessing^(BC) my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill^(BD)— ²¹while I was still in prayer, Gabriel,^(BE) the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.^(BF) ²²He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.^(BG) ²³As soon as you began to pray,^(BH) a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed.^(BI) Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:^(BJ)

²⁴“Seventy ‘sevens’^[c] are decreed for your people and your holy city^(BK) to finish^[d] transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone^(BL) for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness,^(BM) to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.^[e]

²⁵“Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild^(BN) Jerusalem until the Anointed One,^[f]^(BO) the ruler,^(BP) comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.^(BQ) ²⁶After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death^(BR) and will have nothing.^[g] The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood:^(BS) War will continue until the end, and desolations^(BT) have been decreed.^(BU) ²⁷He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’^[h] In the middle of the ‘seven’^[i] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple^[j] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed^(BV) is poured out on him.^[k]”^[l]

Footnotes

Daniel 9:1 Hebrew Ahasuerus
Daniel 9:1 Or Chaldean
Daniel 9:24 Or ‘weeks’; also in verses 25 and 26
Daniel 9:24 Or restrain
Daniel 9:24 Or the most holy One
Daniel 9:25 Or an anointed one; also in verse 26
Daniel 9:26 Or death and will have no one; or death, but not for himself
Daniel 9:27 Or ‘week’
Daniel 9:27 Or ‘week’
Daniel 9:27 Septuagint and Theodotion; Hebrew wing
Daniel 9:27 Or it
Daniel 9:27 Or And one who causes desolation will come upon the wing of the abominable temple, until the end that is decreed is poured out on the desolated city

Psalm 102

New International Version

Psalm 102^[a]

A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.

¹Hear my prayer,^(A) Lord;
    let my cry for help^(B) come to you.
²Do not hide your face^(C) from me
    when I am in distress.
Turn your ear^(D) to me;
    when I call, answer me quickly.

³For my days vanish like smoke;^(E)
    my bones^(F) burn like glowing embers.
⁴My heart is blighted and withered like grass;^(G)
    I forget to eat my food.^(H)
⁵In my distress I groan aloud^(I)
    and am reduced to skin and bones.
⁶I am like a desert owl,^(J)
    like an owl among the ruins.
⁷I lie awake;^(K) I have become
    like a bird alone^(L) on a roof.
⁸All day long my enemies^(M) taunt me;^(N)
    those who rail against me use my name as a curse.^(O)
⁹For I eat ashes^(P) as my food
    and mingle my drink with tears^(Q)
¹⁰because of your great wrath,^(R)
    for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.
¹¹My days are like the evening shadow;^(S)
    I wither^(T) away like grass.

¹²But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever;^(U)
    your renown endures^(V) through all generations.^(W)
¹³You will arise^(X) and have compassion^(Y) on Zion,
    for it is time^(Z) to show favor^(AA) to her;
    the appointed time^(AB) has come.
¹⁴For her stones are dear to your servants;
    her very dust moves them to pity.
¹⁵The nations will fear^(AC) the name of the Lord,
    all the kings^(AD) of the earth will revere your glory.
¹⁶For the Lord will rebuild Zion^(AE)
    and appear in his glory.^(AF)
¹⁷He will respond to the prayer^(AG) of the destitute;
    he will not despise their plea.

¹⁸Let this be written^(AH) for a future generation,
    that a people not yet created^(AI) may praise the Lord:
¹⁹“The Lord looked down^(AJ) from his sanctuary on high,
    from heaven he viewed the earth,
²⁰to hear the groans of the prisoners^(AK)
    and release those condemned to death.”
²¹So the name of the Lord will be declared^(AL) in Zion
    and his praise^(AM) in Jerusalem
²²when the peoples and the kingdoms
    assemble to worship^(AN) the Lord.

²³In the course of my life^[b] he broke my strength;
    he cut short my days.^(AO)
²⁴So I said:
“Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days;
    your years go on^(AP) through all generations.
²⁵In the beginning^(AQ) you laid the foundations of the earth,
    and the heavens^(AR) are the work of your hands.^(AS)
²⁶They will perish,^(AT) but you remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
    and they will be discarded.
²⁷But you remain the same,^(AU)
    and your years will never end.^(AV)
²⁸The children of your servants^(AW) will live in your presence;
    their descendants^(AX) will be established before you.”