Daniel 9:1-19

Daniel’s Prayer for His People

1 aIn the first year of bDarius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a cMede, who was made king over the realm of the dChaldeans 2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to ethe 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 fprayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4I prayed to the Lord my God and gmade confession, saying, hO Lord, the igreat and awesome God, who jkeeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 kwe have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly land rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 mWe have not listened to nyour servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to oour kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7To you, pO 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, qthose who are near and rthose who are far away, in sall the lands to which you have driven them, because of tthe 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 uwe have sinned against you. 9 vTo the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 wand have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by xhis servants the prophets. 11 yAll Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, zrefusing to obey your voice. aaAnd the curse and oath abthat are written in the Law of acMoses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because adwe have sinned against him. 12He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against aeour rulers who ruled us,
Or  our judges who judged us
by agbringing upon us a great calamity. ahFor under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem.
13 aiAs 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, ajturning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 akTherefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, alfor the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and amwe have not obeyed his voice. 15And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt anwith a mighty hand, and aohave made a name for yourself, as at this day, apwe have sinned, we have done wickedly.

16“O Lord, aqaccording to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, aryour holy hill, asbecause for our sins, and for atthe iniquities of our fathers, auJerusalem and your people have become ava byword among all who are around us. 17Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,
Hebrew  for the Lord’s sake
axmake your face to shine upon ayyour sanctuary, which is desolate.
18 azO my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see baour desolations, and bbthe 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. 19O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. bcDelay not, bdfor your own sake, O my God, because beyour city and bfyour people are called by your name.”

Copyright information for ESV