Daniel 9
Daniel’s Prayer for His People
aIn the first year of bDarius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a cMede, who was made king over the realm of the dChaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to athe 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 aprayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and amade confession, saying, b“O Lord, the bgreat and awesome God, who ckeeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 awe have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly band rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 aWe have not listened to byour servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to cour kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, aO 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, bthose who are near and bthose who are far away, in call the lands to which you have driven them, because of dthe 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 awe have sinned against you. 9 aTo the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 aand have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by bhis servants the prophets. 11 aAll Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, brefusing to obey your voice. cAnd the curse and oath dthat are written in the Law of eMoses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because fwe have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against aour rulers who ruled us, by bbringing upon us a great calamity. cFor under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 aAs 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, bturning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 aTherefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, bfor the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and cwe have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt awith a mighty hand, and bhave made a name for yourself, as at this day, cwe have sinned, we have done wickedly.
16 “O Lord, aaccording to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, byour holy hill, cbecause for our sins, and for dthe iniquities of our fathers, eJerusalem and your people have become fa 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, amake your face to shine upon byour sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 aO my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see bour desolations, and cthe 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. aDelay not, bfor your own sake, O my God, because cyour city and dyour people are called by your name.”
Gabriel Brings an Answer
20 aWhile 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 bthe holy hill of my God, 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man aGabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, bcame to me in swift flight at cthe time of the evening sacrifice. 22 aHe made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you binsight and understanding. 23 aAt the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, band I have come to tell it to you, for cyou are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word dand understand the vision.
The Seventy Weeks
24 a“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and byour holy city, to finish cthe transgression, to put an end to sin, dand to atone for iniquity, eto bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and fto anoint a most holy place. 25 aKnow therefore and understand that bfrom the going out of the word to restore and cbuild Jerusalem to the coming of an danointed one, a eprince, there shall be seven weeks. And for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, fbut in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall abe cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come bshall destroy the city and the sanctuary. cIts end shall come with a flood, dand to the end there shall be war. eDesolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. aAnd on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until bthe decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.