Daniel 9
Daniels Prayer for the People
1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.4 And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments,5 we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments.6 Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land.7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this dayto the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.8 O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him.10 We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets.11 Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, 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 disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.14 Therefore the Lord has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice.15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this daywe have sinned, we have done wickedly!16 O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us.17 Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lords sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate.18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies.19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.
The Seventy-Weeks Prophecy
20 Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God,21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached 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 skill to understand.23 At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:24 Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.25 Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.26 And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.
Daniel 9
Daniel Prays for His People
1 In the first year of Dariuss son of Ahasuerus,s who was of Median descent and who had beens appointed king over the Babyloniant empire –2 in the first year of his reigns I, Daniel, came to understand from the sacred bookst that, according to the word of the Lords disclosed to the prophet Jeremiah, the years for the fulfilling of the desolation of Jerusalems were seventy in number.3 So I turned my attentiont to the Lord Godt to implore him by prayer and requests, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.s
4 I prayed to the Lord my God, confessing in this way:
“O Lord,t great and awesome God who is faithful to his covenantt with those who love him and keep his commandments,5 we have sinned! We have done what is wrong and wicked; we have rebelled by turning away from your commandments and standards.
6 We have not paid attention to your servants the prophets, who spoke by your authorityt to our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors,t and to all the inhabitantst of the land as well.
7 “You are righteous,t O Lord, but we are humiliated this dayt – the peoplet of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far away in all the countries in which you have scattered them, because they have behaved unfaithfully toward you.8 O Lord, we have been humiliatedt – our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors – because we have sinned against you.9 Yet the Lord our God is compassionate and forgiving,t even though we have rebelled against him.
10 We have not obeyedt the Lord our God by living according tot his lawss that he set before us through his servants the prophets.
11 “All Israel has brokent your law and turned away by not obeying you.t Therefore you have poured out on us the judgment solemnly threatenedt in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against you.t12 He has carried out his threatst against us and our rulerst who were overt us by bringing great calamity on us – what has happened to Jerusalem has never been equaled under all heaven!13 Just as it is written in the law of Moses, so all this calamity has come on us. Still we have not tried to pacifyt the Lord our God by turning back from our sin and by seeking wisdomt from your reliable moral standards.t
14 The Lord was mindful of the calamity, and he brought it on us. For the Lord our God is justt in all he has done,t and we have not obeyed him.t
15 “Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with great powert and made a name for yourself that is remembered to this day – we have sinned and behaved wickedly.
16 O Lord, according to all your justice,t please turn your raging angert away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. For due to our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people are mocked by all our neighbors.
17 “So now, our God, acceptt the prayer and requests of your servant, and show favor tot your devastated sanctuary for your own sake.t18 Listen attentively,t my God, and hear! Open your eyes and look on our desolated ruinst and the city called by your name.t For it is not because of our own righteous deeds that we are praying to you,t but because your compassion is abundant.
19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, pay attention, and act! Don’t delay, for your own sake, O my God! For your city and your people are called by your name.”t
Gabriel Gives to Daniel a Prophecy of Seventy Weeks
20 While I was still speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my request before the Lord my God concerning his holy mountaint –21 yes, while I was still praying,t the man Gabriel, whom I had seen previouslyt in a vision, was approaching me in my state of extreme weariness,t around the time of the evening offering.22 He spoke with me, instructing me as follows:t “Daniel, I have now come to impart understanding to you.
23 At the beginning of your requests a message went out, and I have come to convey it to you, for you are of great value in God’s sight.t Therefore consider the message and understand the vision:t
24 “Seventy weekst have been determined
concerning your people and your holy city
to put an end tos rebellion,
to bring sins to completion,t
to atone for iniquity,
to bring in perpetualt righteousness,
to seal ups the prophetic vision,t
and to anoint a most holy place.t
25 So know and understand:
From the issuing of the commandt to restore and rebuild
Jerusalems until an anointed one, a prince arrives,t
there will be a period of seven weeksts and sixty-two weeks.
It will again be built,t with plaza and moat,
but in distressful times.
26 Now after the sixty-two weeks,
an anointed one will be cut off and have nothing.s
As for the city and the sanctuary,
the people of the coming prince will destroys them.
But his end will come speedilyt like a flood.s
Until the end of the war that has been decreed
there will be destruction.
27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one week.t
But in the middle of that week
he will bring sacrifices and offerings to a halt.
On the wingt of abominations will comet one who destroys,
until the decreed end is poured out on the one who destroys.”