Daniel’s Prayer for His People

9 In the first year of ^(A)Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— ² in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to ^(B)Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, ^(C)seventy years. ³ So I ^[a]gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. ⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the ^(D)great and awesome God, who ^(E)keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, ^5 (F)we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and ^(G)rebelled, even ^(H)turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. ⁶ Moreover, we have not ^(I)listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.

⁷ “^(J)Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us ^[b](K)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 ^(L)all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. ^8 [c]Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. ⁹ To the Lord our God belong ^(M)compassion and forgiveness, ^[d]for we have ^(N)rebelled against Him; ¹⁰ nor have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His ^[e]teachings which He ^(O)set before us through His servants the prophets. ¹¹ Indeed ^(P)all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the ^(Q)curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him. ¹² Thus He has ^(R)confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our ^[f](S)rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has ^(T)not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. ¹³ As it is written in the ^(U)law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have ^(V)not ^[g]sought the favor of the Lord our God by ^(W)turning from our iniquity and ^[h]giving attention to Your truth. ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord has ^[i](X)kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is ^(Y)righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.

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

Gabriel Brings an Answer

²⁰ Now while I was ^(AL)speaking and praying, and ^(AM)confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and ^[n]presenting my supplication before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, ²¹ while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man ^(AN)Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision ^[o]previously, ^[p]came to me ^[q]in my extreme weariness about the time of the ^(AO)evening offering. ²² He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with ^(AP)understanding. ²³ At the ^(AQ)beginning of your supplications the ^[r]command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are ^[s](AR)highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain ^(AS)understanding of the vision.

Seventy Weeks and the Messiah

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

Godly Living

3 ^(A)Remind them ^(B)to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ^(C)ready for every good deed, ² to malign no one, ^(D)to be peaceable, ^(E)gentle, ^(F)showing every consideration for all men. ^3 (G)For we also once were foolish ourselves, ^(H)disobedient, ^(I)deceived, ^(J)enslaved to ^(K)various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in ^(L)malice and ^(M)envy, hateful, hating one another. ⁴ But when the ^(N)kindness of ^(O)God our Savior and His love for mankind ^(P)appeared, ^5 (Q)He saved us, ^(R)not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but ^(S)according to His mercy, by the ^(T)washing of regeneration and ^(U)renewing by the Holy Spirit, ^6 (V)whom He poured out upon us ^(W)richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that being justified by His grace we would be made ^(X)heirs ^[a]according to the hope of eternal life. ^8 (Y)This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I ^(Z)want you to speak confidently, so that those who have ^(AA)believed God will be careful to ^(AB)engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men. ⁹ But ^(AC)avoid ^(AD)foolish controversies and ^(AE)genealogies and strife and ^(AF)disputes about the Law, for they are ^(AG)unprofitable and worthless. ^10 (AH)Reject a ^(AI)factious man ^(AJ)after a first and second warning, ¹¹ knowing that such a man is ^(AK)perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.

Personal Concerns

¹² When I send Artemas or ^(AL)Tychicus to you, ^(AM)make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to ^(AN)spend the winter there. ¹³ Diligently help Zenas the ^(AO)lawyer and ^(AP)Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. ^14 (AQ)Our people must also learn to ^(AR)engage in good ^[b]deeds to meet ^(AS)pressing needs, so that they will not be ^(AT)unfruitful.

^15 (AU)All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us ^(AV)in the faith.

^(AW)Grace be with you all.