Daniel’s Prayer

In the first year of Darius,(A) the son of Ahasuerus, a Mede by birth, who was made king over the Chaldean kingdom— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah that the number of years for the desolation of Jerusalem would be seventy.(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, ancestors, 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 banished them because of the disloyalty they have shown toward you. Lord, public shame(M) belongs to us, our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, 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 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 a disaster that is so great 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 sought the favor of(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 strong 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 ancestors, 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. Make your face shine(AB) on your desolate sanctuary(AC) for the Lord’s sake. 18 Listen closely,[c] my God, and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations and the city that bears 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 bear your name.

The Seventy 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 the Lord 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) reached 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.[d](AJ) So consider the message and understand the vision:(AK)

24 Seventy weeks are decreed(AL)
about your people and your holy city—
to bring the rebellion to an end,
to put a stop to sin,
to atone for 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 an Anointed One,(AO) the ruler,[e]
will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.
It will be rebuilt with a plaza and a moat,
but in difficult times.
26 After those sixty-two weeks
the Anointed One will be cut off(AP)
and will have nothing.
The people of the coming ruler
will destroy the city(AQ) and the sanctuary.[f]
The[g] end will come with a flood,(AR)
and until the end there will be[h] war;
desolations are decreed.
27 He will make a firm covenant[i]
with many for one week,
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[j][k]
until the decreed destruction(AU)
is poured out on the desolator.”

Footnotes

  1. 9:11 Lit The curse and the oath
  2. 9:12 Lit against rulers who ruled us
  3. 9:18 Lit Stretch out your ear
  4. 9:23 by God added for clarity
  5. 9:25 Or until an anointed one, a prince
  6. 9:26 MT; Theod, some mss read The city and the sanctuary will be destroyed when the ruler comes.
  7. 9:26 Lit Its, or His
  8. 9:26 Or end of a
  9. 9:27 Or will enforce a covenant
  10. 9:27 LXX; MT reads of abominations
  11. 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

In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes; who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;

In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood by the books of Jeremiah, the Prophet, the number of the years in which the LORD said He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

And I turned my face to the Lord God, and sought by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made my confession, saying, “Oh Lord God, Who are great and fearful, and keep Covenant and mercy toward those who love You, and toward those who keep Your Commandments,

“we have sinned and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly. Yea, we have rebelled, and have departed from your Precepts, and from your Judgments.

“For we would not obey your servants, the Prophets; who spoke in your name to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

“O Lord, righteousness belongs to you; and to us, open shame, as appears this day to every man of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; yea, to all Israel, both near and far off, through all the country where you have driven them because of the offenses they have committed against you.

“O Lord, to us belongs open shame – to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers - because we have sinned against You.

“Yet compassion and forgiveness is in the Lord our God, even though we have rebelled against him.

10 “For we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God; to walk in his laws, which he has laid before us, by the ministry of his servants, the Prophets.

11 “Yea, all Israel has transgressed your Law, and has turned back, and has not heard your voice. Therefore, the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.

12 “And he has confirmed his words which he spoke against us, and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great plague. For under the whole heaven has there not been such as has been brought upon Jerusalem.

13 “All this plague has come upon us, as it is written in the Law of Moses. Yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand your truth.

14 “Therefore, the LORD has made ready the plague, and brought it upon us. For the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he does. For we would not hear his voice.

15 “And now, O Lord our God, who has brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand - and has gotten yourself renown, as appears this day - we have sinned. We have done wickedly.

16 “O Lord, according to all your righteousness, I beg you, let your anger and your wrath be turned away from your city, Jerusalem, your holy Mountain. Because of our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people are a reproach to all that are around us.

17 “Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of your servant, and his supplications. And for the Lord’s sake, cause your face to shine upon your Sanctuary, which lies in ruins.

18 “O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city whereupon your Name is called. For we do not present our supplications before you for our own righteousness, but for your great tender mercies.

19 “O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, consider, and do it! Do not delay, for your own sake, O my God. For your Name is called upon your city, and your people.”

20 And while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin, and the sin of my people Israel, and presented my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy Mountain of my God;

21 Yea, while I was speaking in prayer, the man, Gabriel, whom I had seen before in the vision, came flying, and touched me about the time of the evening offering.

22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you knowledge and understanding.

23 “At the beginning of your supplications, the commandment came forth. And I have come to show you, for you are greatly beloved. Therefore, understand the matter and consider the vision.

24 “Seventy weeks are determined upon your people, and upon your holy city; to finish the wickedness, and to seal up the sins, and to reconcile the iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

25 “Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to build and restore the people, and to build Jerusalem to Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. And the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in a troublesome time.

26 “And after sixty-two weeks, Messiah shall be killed, and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince that shall come, shall destroy the city and the Sanctuary. And the end thereof shall be with a flood. And until the end of the battle, it shall be destroyed by desolations.

27 “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week. And in the midst of the week, he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. And on the wing of the abominations, shall he make it desolate; even until the consummation determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”