Daniel 9:1-8

English Standard Version

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— ²in 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.

³Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by ^(F)prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. ⁴I 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. ⁷To 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. ⁸To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because ^(U)we have sinned against you.