Daniel 9:2–23

²in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy^u years. ³So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting,^v and in sackcloth and ashes.^w

⁴I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:^x

“Lord, the great and awesome God,^y who keeps his covenant of love^z with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁵we have sinned^a and done wrong.^b We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away^c from your commands and laws.^{d 6}We have not listened^e to your servants the prophets,^f who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors,^g and to all the people of the land.

⁷“Lord, you are righteous,^h but this day we are covered with shameⁱ—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered^j us because of our unfaithfulness^k to you.^{l 8}We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you.^{m 9}The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving,ⁿ even though we have rebelled against him;^{o 10}we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets.^{p 11}All Israel has transgressed^q your law^r and turned away, refusing to obey you.

“Therefore the curses^s and sworn judgments^t written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned^u against you. ¹²You have fulfilled^v the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster.^w Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like^x what has been done to Jerusalem.^{y 13}Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord^z our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.^{a 14}The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster^b on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does;^c yet we have not obeyed him.^d

¹⁵“Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand^e and who made for yourself a name^f that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. ¹⁶Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts,^g turn away^h your anger and your wrathⁱ from Jerusalem,^j your city, your holy hill.^k Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn^l to all those around us.

¹⁷“Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor^m on your desolate sanctuary. ¹⁸Give ear,ⁿ our God, and hear;^o open your eyes and see^p the desolation of the city that bears your Name.^q We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.^{r 19}Lord, listen! Lord, forgive!^s Lord, hear and act! For your sake,^t my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”

The Seventy “Sevens”

²⁰While I was speaking and praying, confessing^u my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill^v—²¹while I was still in prayer, Gabriel,^w the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.^{x 22}He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.^{y 23}As soon as you began to pray,^z a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed.^a Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:^b