Daniel’s Prayer for the People

9 Darius the son of Ahasuerus, who was born a Mede, was made king over the nation of the Babylonians. ² In the first year of his rule, I, Daniel, understood the books which were given by the Lord through Jeremiah that Jerusalem would lie waste for seventy years. ³ So I turned to the Lord God in prayer and did not eat. I dressed in cloth made from hair, and threw ashes on myself. ⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and told him the sins of my people, saying, “O Lord, you are great and we fear You. You keep Your agreement and show loving-kindness to those who love You and keep Your Laws.

⁵ “But we have sinned. We have done wrong and have acted in sin. We have turned against You and against Your Laws. ⁶ We have not listened to Your servants who spoke for You, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our leaders, our fathers, and all the people of the land. ⁷ You are right and good, O Lord. But we are all covered with shame, all the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and all Israel. The people both near and far away in all the countries where You have driven us are covered with shame because they have not been faithful to You. ⁸ We, our kings, our leaders and our fathers are all covered with shame, O Lord, because we have sinned against You. ⁹ O Lord our God, You are kind and forgiving, even when we would not obey You. ¹⁰ We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by following the Laws He gave us through His servants who spoke for Him. ¹¹ All Israel has sinned against Your Law and turned away, not obeying Your voice. So the curses and punishments have been poured out on us, which were written about in the Law of God’s servant Moses. For we have sinned against Him. ¹² He has done what He said He would do against us and our leaders, and has brought much trouble upon us. For under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. ¹³ All this trouble has come upon us just as it is written in the Law of Moses. Yet we have not looked for the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sin and following Your truth. ¹⁴ So the Lord brought trouble upon us. For the Lord our God is right and good in all He does, but we have not obeyed His voice.

¹⁵ “O Lord our God, You have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a powerful hand. And You have made a name for Yourself that is known to this day. Now we have sinned. We have done sinful things. ¹⁶ O Lord, because You are right and good in what You do, do not be angry any longer with Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain. For because of our sins and the sins of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have been put to shame by everyone around us. ¹⁷ So now, our God, listen to Your servant’s prayer and what he is asking. And for Your good, O Lord, look with favor upon the House of God which now lies waste. ¹⁸ O my God, turn Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our trouble and the city that is called by Your name. We are not asking this of You because we are right or good, but because of Your great loving-pity. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! For Your own good, O my God, do not wait, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

Daniel Tells about the Future

²⁰ I was speaking and praying, and telling the Lord my sin and the sin of my people Israel. I was asking the Lord my God to show favor to His holy mountain. ²¹ And while I was still praying, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen before in the dream, flew to me in a hurry at about the time when the evening gift is given in worship. ²² He talked to me and told me things, saying, “O Daniel, I have now come to give you wisdom and understanding. ²³ As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you. For you are loved very much. So listen to what I say and understand the special dream.

²⁴ “Seventy weeks are given for your people and your holy city to finish the wrong-doing and put an end to sin. By the end of this time, you must pay for your sins and follow what is right and good forever. You must finish what was shown in the special dream and what has been spoken in My name, and set apart the most holy place. ²⁵ Know and understand that seven weeks and sixty-two weeks will pass from the time the people are told to build Jerusalem again until the Chosen One comes. It will be built again, with streets and with a ditch of water around it. But that will be a troubled time. ²⁶ After the sixty-two weeks, the Chosen One will be killed and have nothing. And the people of the ruler who is to come will destroy the city and the holy place. The end will come like a flood. Even to the end there will be war. For the Lord has said that much will be destroyed. ²⁷ That ruler will make a strong agreement with many for one week. But when half that time is past, he will put a stop to burnt gifts and grain gifts. And a very sinful man-made god will be put there. It will stay there until the one who put it there is destroyed.”