Jer 31:18-20, Dan 9:4-20 | ESV | STEP | I have heard Ephraim grieving , You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined , like an untrained calf ; bring me back that I may be restored , for you are the Lord my God .

18 I have heard ^aEphraim grieving,
‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined,
like an untrained calf;
^bbring me back that I may be restored,
for you are the Lord my God.
19 For after ^cI had turned away, I relented,
and after I was instructed, ^dI struck my thigh;
^eI was ashamed, and I was confounded,
because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’
20 ^fIs Ephraim my dear son?
^gIs he my darling child?
For as often as I speak against him,
I do remember him still.
^hTherefore my heart ^{▼▼Hebrew bowels} yearns for him;
I will surely have mercy on him,

declares the Lord.

Daniel 9:4-20

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and ^jmade confession, saying, ^k“O Lord, the ^lgreat and awesome God, who ^mkeeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 ⁿwe have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly ^oand rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 ^pWe have not listened to ^qyour servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to ^rour kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, ^sO 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, ^tthose who are near and ^uthose who are far away, in ^vall the lands to which you have driven them, because of ^wthe 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 ^xwe have sinned against you. 9 ^yTo the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 ^zand have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by ^aahis servants the prophets. 11 ^abAll Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, ^acrefusing to obey your voice. ^adAnd the curse and oath ^aethat are written in the Law of ^afMoses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because ^agwe have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against ^ahour rulers who ruled us, ^{▼▼Or our judges who judged us} by ^ajbringing upon us a great calamity. ^akFor under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 ^alAs 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, ^amturning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 ^anTherefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, ^aofor the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and ^apwe have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt ^aqwith a mighty hand, and ^arhave made a name for yourself, as at this day, ^aswe have sinned, we have done wickedly.

16 “O Lord, ^ataccording to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, ^auyour holy hill, ^avbecause for our sins, and for ^awthe iniquities of our fathers, ^axJerusalem and your people have become ^aya 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, ^{▼▼Hebrew for the Lord’s sake} ^bamake your face to shine upon ^bbyour sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 ^bcO my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see ^bdour desolations, and ^bethe 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. ^bfDelay not, ^bgfor your own sake, O my God, because ^bhyour city and ^biyour people are called by your name.”

Gabriel Brings an Answer

20 ^bjWhile 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 ^bkthe holy hill of my God,