Daniel’s Prayer

In the first year of Darius,(A) the son of Ahasuerus, a Mede by birth, who was ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans: In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet that the number of years for the desolation of Jerusalem would be 70.(B) So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.(C)

I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

Ah, Lord—the great and awe-inspiring God(D) who keeps His gracious covenant(E) with those who love Him(F) and keep His commands(G) we have sinned,(H) done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled,(I) and turned away from Your commands and ordinances.(J) We have not listened to Your servants the prophets,(K) who spoke in Your name to our kings, leaders, fathers, and all the people of the land.

Lord, righteousness belongs to You,(L) but this day public shame belongs to us: the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel—those who are near and those who are far, in all the countries where You have dispersed them because of the disloyalty they have shown toward You. Lord, public shame(M) belongs to us, our kings, our leaders, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.(N) Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against Him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by following His instructions that He set before us through His servants(O) the prophets.

11 All Israel has broken Your law and turned away,(P) refusing to obey You. The promised curse[a] written in the law of Moses,(Q) the servant of God, has been poured out on us because we have sinned against Him. 12 He has carried out His words(R) that He spoke against us and against our rulers[b](S) by bringing on us so great a disaster that nothing like what has been done to Jerusalem has ever been done(T) under all of heaven. 13 Just as it is written in the law of Moses,(U) all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not appeased(V) the Lord our God by turning from our iniquities and paying attention to Your truth.(W) 14 So the Lord kept the disaster in mind and brought it on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all He has done. But we have not obeyed Him.

15 Now, Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand(X) and made Your name renowned(Y) as it is this day, we have sinned, we have acted wickedly. 16 Lord, in keeping with all Your righteous acts, may Your anger and wrath(Z) turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain;(AA) for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become an object of ridicule to all those around us.

17 Therefore, our God, hear the prayer and the petitions of Your servant. Show Your favor(AB) to Your desolate sanctuary(AC) for the Lord’s sake. 18 Listen,[c] my God, and hear. Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city called by Your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before You based on our righteous acts, but based on Your abundant compassion. 19 Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for Your own sake, do not delay,(AD) because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.

The 70 Weeks of Years

20 While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel,(AE) and presenting my petition before Yahweh my God concerning the holy mountain of my God— 21 while I was praying, Gabriel,(AF) the man I had seen in the first vision,(AG) came to me in my extreme weariness, about the time of the evening offering.(AH) 22 He gave me this explanation: “Daniel, I’ve come now to give you understanding.(AI) 23 At the beginning of your petitions an answer went out, and I have come to give it, for you are treasured by God.(AJ) So consider the message and understand the vision:(AK)

24 Seventy weeks[d] are decreed(AL)
about your people and your holy city—
to bring the rebellion to an end,
to put a stop to sin,
to wipe away iniquity,
to bring in everlasting righteousness,(AM)
to seal up vision and prophecy,
and to anoint the most holy place.
25 Know and understand this:
From the issuing of the decree
to restore and rebuild Jerusalem(AN)
until Messiah(AO) the Prince[e]
will be seven weeks and 62 weeks.[f]
It will be rebuilt with a plaza and a moat,
but in difficult times.
26 After those 62 weeks[g]
the Messiah will be cut off(AP)
and will have nothing.
The people of the coming prince
will destroy the city(AQ) and the sanctuary.
The[h] end will come with a flood,(AR)
and until the end there will be[i] war;
desolations are decreed.
27 He will make a firm covenant[j]
with many for one week,[k]
but in the middle of the week
he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering.
And the abomination of desolation(AS)
will be on a wing(AT) of the temple[l][m]
until the decreed destruction(AU)
is poured out on the desolator.”

Footnotes

  1. Daniel 9:11 Lit The curse and the oath
  2. Daniel 9:12 Lit against rulers who ruled us
  3. Daniel 9:18 Lit Stretch out Your ear
  4. Daniel 9:24 = 490 years
  5. Daniel 9:25 Or until an anointed one, a prince
  6. Daniel 9:25 = 49 years and 434 years
  7. Daniel 9:26 = 434 years
  8. Daniel 9:26 Lit Its, or His
  9. Daniel 9:26 Or end of a
  10. Daniel 9:27 Or will enforce a covenant
  11. Daniel 9:27 = 7 years
  12. Daniel 9:27 LXX; MT reads of abominations
  13. Daniel 9:27 Or And the desolator will be on the wing of abominations, or And the desolator will come on the wings of monsters (or of horror); Hb obscure

Daniel’s Prayer of Supplication

In the first year of (A)Darius the son of Ahasuerus, from the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, discerned in the books the (B)number of the years concerning which the word of [a]Yahweh came to (C)Jeremiah the prophet for the fulfillment of the laying waste of Jerusalem, namely, (D)seventy years. So I gave my face to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to Yahweh my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the (E)great and awesome God, who (F)keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, (G)we have sinned and committed iniquity and acted wickedly and (H)rebelled, even (I)turning aside from Your commandments and judgments. Moreover, we have not (J)listened to Your slaves the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and all the people of the land.

(K)To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us [b](L)open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in (M)all the countries to which You have banished them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. O Yahweh, to us belongs [c]open shame, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong (N)compassion and forgiveness, [d]for we have (O)rebelled against Him; 10 nor have we listened to the voice of Yahweh our God, to walk in His [e]laws which He (P)put before us through His slaves the prophets. 11 Indeed (Q)all Israel has trespassed against Your law, even turning aside, not listening to Your voice; so the (R)curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the [f]law of Moses the [g]servant of God, for we have sinned against Him. 12 Thus He has (S)established His words which He had spoken against us and against our (T)judges who judged us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has (U)not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the [h](V)law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have (W)not [i]entreated the favor of Yahweh our God by (X)turning from our iniquity and acting wisely in Your truth. 14 Therefore Yahweh has (Y)watched over the calamity and brought it on us; for Yahweh our God is (Z)righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not listened to His voice.

15 “So now, O Lord our God, who have (AA)brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand and have (AB)made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned; we have acted wickedly. 16 O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteousness, let now Your (AC)anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your (AD)holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a (AE)reproach to all those around us. 17 So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your slave and to his supplications, and for [j]Your sake, O Lord, (AF)let Your face shine on Your (AG)desolate sanctuary. 18 O my God, (AH)incline Your ear and listen! Open Your eyes and (AI)see our desolations and the city which is (AJ)called by Your name; for we are not [k](AK)presenting our supplications before You on account of any righteousness of our own, but on account of Your abundant compassion. 19 O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, give heed and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, (AL)do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

Gabriel Brings Understanding

20 Now while I was (AM)speaking and praying, and (AN)confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and [l]presenting my supplication before Yahweh my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21 and while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man (AO)Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision [m]previously, [n]touched me [o]in my extreme weariness about the time of the (AP)evening offering. 22 Then he made me understand and spoke with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with (AQ)understanding. 23 At the (AR)beginning of your supplications the word was issued, so I have come to tell you, for you are [p](AS)highly esteemed; so understand the message and gain (AT)understanding in what has appeared.

Seventy Weeks and the Messiah

24 “Seventy [q](AU)weeks have been determined for your people and for your holy city, to [r]finish the transgression, to [s]make an end of sin, to (AV)make atonement for iniquity, to bring in (AW)everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and [t]prophecy, and to anoint the Holy of Holies. 25 So you are to know and have insight that from the going out of a [u](AX)word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until [v](AY)Messiah the (AZ)Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be restored and rebuilt, with [w]plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the [x]Messiah will be (BA)cut off and have [y]nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will (BB)destroy the city and the sanctuary. And [z]its end will come with a (BC)flood; even to the end [aa]there will be war; desolations are decreed. 27 And he will make a [ab]firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will make sacrifice and grain offering cease; and on the wing of [ac](BD)abominations will come one who [ad]makes desolate, even until a (BE)complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who [ae]makes desolate.”

Footnotes

  1. Daniel 9:2 The personal covenant name of God, a form of I AM WHO I AM, cf. Ex 3:14-15
  2. Daniel 9:7 Lit the shame of face
  3. Daniel 9:8 Lit the shame of face
  4. Daniel 9:9 Or though
  5. Daniel 9:10 Or instructions, cf. 9:11
  6. Daniel 9:11 Or instruction, cf. 9:10
  7. Daniel 9:11 Or slave, cf. 9:10; see Foreword, “The Terminology of Slave”
  8. Daniel 9:13 Or instruction, cf. 9:10-11
  9. Daniel 9:13 Lit softened the face of
  10. Daniel 9:17 Lit the sake of the Lord
  11. Daniel 9:18 Lit causing to fall
  12. Daniel 9:20 Lit causing to fall
  13. Daniel 9:21 Lit at the beginning
  14. Daniel 9:21 Or touching; lit was reaching
  15. Daniel 9:21 Lit wearied with weariness
  16. Daniel 9:23 Or precious; lit desirable
  17. Daniel 9:24 Or units of seven, so in ch
  18. Daniel 9:24 Or restrain
  19. Daniel 9:24 Or seal up sins
  20. Daniel 9:24 Lit prophet
  21. Daniel 9:25 Or decree
  22. Daniel 9:25 Or an anointed one
  23. Daniel 9:25 Or streets
  24. Daniel 9:26 Or anointed one
  25. Daniel 9:26 Or no one
  26. Daniel 9:26 Or his
  27. Daniel 9:26 Or war will be decreed for desolations
  28. Daniel 9:27 Or covenant prevail
  29. Daniel 9:27 Or detestable things
  30. Daniel 9:27 Or causes horror
  31. Daniel 9:27 Or causes horror