Daniel 9:4–19

⁴I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

Ah, Lord—the great and awe-inspiring God^p who keeps his gracious covenant^q with those who love him^r and keep his commands^s—⁵we have sinned,^t done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled,^u and turned away from your commands and ordinances.^{v 6}We have not listened to your servants the prophets,^w who spoke in your name to our kings, leaders, ancestors, and all the people of the land.

⁷Lord, righteousness belongs to you,^x 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. ⁸Lord, public shame^y belongs to us, our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, because we have sinned against you.^{z 9}Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against him ¹⁰and have not obeyed the Lord our God by following his instructions that he set before us through his servants^aa the prophets.

¹¹All Israel has broken your law and turned away,^ab refusing to obey you. The promised curse^A written in the law of Moses,^ac the servant of God, has been poured out on us because we have sinned against him. ¹²He has carried out his words^ad that he spoke against us and against our rulers^Bae by bringing on us a disaster that is so great that nothing like what has been done to Jerusalem has ever been done^af under all of heaven. ¹³Just as it is written in the law of Moses,^ag all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of^a the Lord our God by turning from our iniquities and paying attention to your truth.^{b 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.

¹⁵Now, Lord our God—who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand^c and made your name renowned^d as it is this day—we have sinned, we have acted wickedly. ¹⁶Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, may your anger and wrath^e turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain;^f 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.

¹⁷Therefore, our God, hear the prayer and the petitions of your servant. Make your face shine^g on your desolate sanctuary^h for the Lord’s sake. ¹⁸Listen 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. ¹⁹Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for your own sake, do not delay,ⁱ because your city and your people bear your name.