Daniel's Prayer for His People

9 ^(A)In the first year of ^(B)Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a ^(C)Mede, who was made king over the realm of the ^(D)Chaldeans— ² in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to ^(E)the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

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

¹⁶ “O Lord, ^(AP)according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, ^(AQ)your holy hill, ^(AR)because for our sins, and for ^(AS)the iniquities of our fathers, ^(AT)Jerusalem and your people have become ^(AU)a byword among all who are around us. ¹⁷ Now 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] (AV)}make your face to shine upon ^(AW)your sanctuary, which is desolate. ^18 (AX)O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see ^(AY)our desolations, and ^(AZ)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. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. ^(BA)Delay not, ^(BB)for your own sake, O my God, because ^(BC)your city and ^(BD)your people are called by your name.”

Gabriel Brings an Answer

^20 (BE)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 ^(BF)the holy hill of my God, ²¹ while I was speaking in prayer, the man ^(BG)Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, ^(BH)came to me in swift flight at ^(BI)the time of the evening sacrifice. ^22 (BJ)He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you ^(BK)insight and understanding. ^23 (BL)At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, ^(BM)and I have come to tell it to you, for ^(BN)you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word ^(BO)and understand the vision.

The Seventy Weeks

^24 (BP)“Seventy weeks^[c] are decreed about your people and ^(BQ)your holy city, to finish ^(BR)the transgression, to put an end to sin, ^(BS)and to atone for iniquity, ^(BT)to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and ^(BU)to anoint a most holy place.^{[d] 25 (BV)}Know therefore and understand that ^(BW)from the going out of the word to restore and ^(BX)build Jerusalem to the coming of an ^(BY)anointed one, a ^(BZ)prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again^[e] with squares and moat, ^(CA)but in a troubled time. ²⁶ And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall ^(CB)be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come ^(CC)shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. ^(CD)Its^[f] end shall come with a flood, ^(CE)and to the end there shall be war. ^(CF)Desolations are decreed. ²⁷ And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week,^[g] and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. ^(CG)And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until ^(CH)the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

Daniel's Terrifying Vision of a Man

10 ^(CI)In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, ^(CJ)who was named Belteshazzar. And ^(CK)the word was true, and it was a great conflict.^[h] And ^(CL)he understood the word and ^(CM)had understanding of the vision.

² In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for ^(CN)three weeks. ³ I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I ^(CO)anoint myself at all, for ^(CP)the full three weeks. ⁴ On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing ^(CQ)on the bank of the great river (^(CR)that is, the Tigris) ^5 (CS)I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, ^(CT)a man clothed in linen, ^(CU)with a belt of fine ^(CV)gold from Uphaz around his waist. ⁶ His body was like ^(CW)beryl, his face ^(CX)like the appearance of lightning, ^(CY)his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and ^(CZ)legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and ^(DA)the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. ^7 (DB)And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. ⁸ So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and ^(DC)no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed,^{[i] (DD)}and I retained no strength. ⁹ Then I heard the sound of his words, ^(DE)and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep ^(DF)with my face to the ground.

¹⁰ And behold, ^(DG)a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. ¹¹ And he said to me, “O Daniel, ^(DH)man greatly loved, ^(DI)understand the words that I speak to you, and ^(DJ)stand upright, for ^(DK)now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. ¹² Then he said to me, ^(DL)“Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you ^(DM)set your heart to understand and ^(DN)humbled yourself before your God, ^(DO)your words have been heard, ^(DP)and I have come because of your words. ^13 (DQ)The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me ^(DR)twenty-one days, but ^(DS)Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, ^14 (DT)and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people ^(DU)in the latter days. For ^(DV)the vision is for days yet to come.”

¹⁵ When he had spoken to me according to these words, ^(DW)I turned my face toward the ground ^(DX)and was mute. ¹⁶ And behold, ^(DY)one in the likeness of the children of man ^(DZ)touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke. I said to him who stood before me, “O my lord, by reason of the vision pains have come upon me, and ^(EA)I retain no strength. ¹⁷ How can my lord's servant talk with my lord? For now no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.”

¹⁸ Again ^(EB)one having the appearance of a man ^(EC)touched me and strengthened me. ¹⁹ And he said, ^(ED)“O man greatly loved, ^(EE)fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” ²⁰ Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the ^(EF)prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of ^(EG)Greece will come. ²¹ But I will tell you ^(EH)what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except ^(EI)Michael, your prince.

Greeting

^1 (A)The elder to the elect lady and her children, ^(B)whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who ^(C)know ^(D)the truth, ^2 (E)because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:

^3 (F)Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.

Walking in Truth and Love

^4 (G)I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. ⁵ And now I ask you, dear lady—^(H)not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—^(I)that we love one another. ⁶ And ^(J)this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just ^(K)as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. ⁷ For ^(L)many deceivers ^(M)have gone out into the world, ^(N)those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. ⁸ Watch yourselves, ^(O)so that you may not lose what we^[a] have worked for, but ^(P)may win a full reward. ⁹ Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, ^(Q)does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching ^(R)has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, ^(S)do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, ¹¹ for whoever greets him ^(T)takes part in his wicked works.

Final Greetings

^12 (U)Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. ^(V)Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, ^(W)so that our joy may be complete.

¹³ The children of your elect sister greet you.