Daniel 9
Christian Standard Bible
Daniel’s Prayer
9 In the first year of Darius,(A) the son of Ahasuerus, a Mede by birth, who was made king over the Chaldean kingdom— 2 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) 3 So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.(C)
4 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)— 5 we have sinned,(H) done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled,(I) and turned away from your commands and ordinances.(J) 6 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.
7 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. 8 Lord, public shame(M) belongs to us, our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, because we have sinned against you.(N) 9 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
- 9:11 Lit The curse and the oath
- 9:12 Lit against rulers who ruled us
- 9:18 Lit Stretch out your ear
- 9:23 by God added for clarity
- 9:25 Or until an anointed one, a prince
- 9:26 MT; Theod, some mss read The city and the sanctuary will be destroyed when the ruler comes.
- 9:26 Lit Its, or His
- 9:26 Or end of a
- 9:27 Or will enforce a covenant
- 9:27 LXX; MT reads of abominations
- 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
Daniel 9
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Daniel’s Prayer for the People
9 In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus, by birth a Mede, who became king over the realm of the Chaldeans,(A) 2 I,[a] Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah, must be fulfilled for the devastation of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.(B)
3 Then I turned to the Lord God to seek an answer by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.(C) 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying,
“Ah, Lord, great and awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love with those who love you[b] and keep your[c] commandments,(D) 5 we have sinned and done wrong, acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and ordinances.(E) 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
7 “Righteousness is on your side, O Lord, but open shame, as at this day, falls on us, the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them because of the treachery that they have committed against you.(F) 8 Open shame, O Lord, falls on us, our kings, our princes, and our ancestors because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, but we have rebelled against him(G) 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by following his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
11 “All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. So the curse and the oath written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out upon us because we have sinned against you.(H) 12 He has confirmed his words that he spoke against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us a calamity so great that what has been done against Jerusalem has never before been done under the whole heaven.(I) 13 Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us. We did not entreat the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and reflecting on his[d] fidelity.(J) 14 So the Lord kept watch over this calamity until he brought it upon us. Indeed, the Lord our God is right in all that he has done, for we have disobeyed his voice.(K)
15 “And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and made your name renowned even to this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly.(L) 16 O Lord, in view of all your righteous acts, let your anger and wrath, we pray, turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; because of our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people have become a disgrace among all our neighbors.(M) 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his supplication, and for your own sake, Lord,[e] let your face shine upon your desolated sanctuary.(N) 18 Incline your ear, O my God, and hear. Open your eyes and look at our desolation and the city that bears your name. We do not present our supplication before you on the ground of our righteousness but on the ground of your great mercies.(O) 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, listen and act and do not delay! For your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people bear your name!”(P)
The Seventy Weeks
20 While I was speaking and was praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God on behalf of the holy mountain of my God,(Q) 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen before in a vision, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice.(R) 22 He came[f] and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come out to give you wisdom and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your supplications a word went out, and I have come to declare it, for you are greatly beloved. So consider the word and understand the vision:(S)
24 “Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city: to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.[g](T) 25 Know therefore and understand: from the time that the word went out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the time of an anointed prince, there shall be seven weeks, and for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with streets and moat, but in a troubled time.(U) 26 After the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing, and the troops of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its[h] end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.(V) 27 He shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall make sacrifice and offering cease, and in their place[i] shall be a desolating sacrilege until the decreed end is poured out upon the desolator.”(W)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.