Daniel 9:1-19

Daniel's Prayer for His People

1 In the first year of 1Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans -
2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to 2Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, 3seventy years.
3 So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.
4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, "Alas, O Lord, the 4great and awesome God, who 5keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,
5 6we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and 7rebelled, even 8turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.
6 "Moreover, we have not 9listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.
7 "10Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us 11open shame, as it is this day -to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in 12all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You.
8 "Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.
9 "To the Lord our God belong 13compassion and forgiveness, for we have 14rebelled against Him;
10 nor have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His teachings which He 15set before us through His servants the prophets.
11 "Indeed 16all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the 17curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him.
12 "Thus He has 18confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our 19rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has 20not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem.
13 "As it is written in the 21law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have 22not sought the favor * of the LORD our God by 23turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth.
14 "Therefore the LORD has 24kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the LORD our God is 25righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.
15 "And now, O Lord our God, who have 26brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have 27made a name for Yourself, as it is this day -we have sinned, we have been wicked.
16 "O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your 28anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your 29holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a 30reproach to all those around us.
17 "So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, 31let Your face shine on Your 32desolate sanctuary.
18 "O my God, 33incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and 34see our desolations and the city which is 35called by Your name; for we are not 36presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion.
19 "O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, 37do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name."

Images for Daniel 9:1-19

Daniel 9:1-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DANIEL 9

This chapter contains a prayer of Daniel, and the answer to it. The time, occasion, and manner of his prayer, or circumstances of it, are observed, Da 9:1-3, the parts of it, an address unto God, under various suitable epithets and characters, Da 9:4 confession of sin, of his own, of the inhabitants of the land, kings, princes, and people, which are largely dwelt upon and exaggerated, Da 9:5-15 and petitions for mercy, Da 9:16-19, then the answer follows; the time when it was ordered and given, and the person by whom it was sent, are expressed, Da 9:20-23 who delivered to him the vision of the seventy weeks to be considered by him; in which both the work of the Messiah, and the time of his coming, are clearly pointed out, Da 9:24-27.

Cross References 37

  • 1. Daniel 5:31; Daniel 11:1
  • 2. 2 Chronicles 36:21; Ezra 1:1; Jeremiah 25:11, 12; Jeremiah 29:10; Zechariah 7:5
  • 3. 2 Chronicles 36:21; Ezra 1:1; Jeremiah 25:11, 12; Jeremiah 29:10; Zechariah 7:5
  • 4. Deuteronomy 7:21; Nehemiah 9:32
  • 5. Deuteronomy 7:9
  • 6. 1 Kings 8:48; Nehemiah 9:33; Psalms 106:6; Isaiah 64:5-7; Jeremiah 14:7
  • 7. Lamentations 1:18, 20
  • 8. Psalms 119:176; Isaiah 53:6; Daniel 9:11
  • 9. 2 Chronicles 36:16; Jeremiah 44:4, 5
  • 10. Jeremiah 23:6; Jeremiah 33:16; Daniel 9:18
  • 11. Psalms 44:15; Jeremiah 2:26, 27; Jeremiah 3:25
  • 12. Deuteronomy 4:27
  • 13. Nehemiah 9:17; Psalms 130:4
  • 14. Psalms 106:43; Jeremiah 14:7; Daniel 9:5, 6
  • 15. 2 Kings 17:13-15; 2 Kings 18:12
  • 16. Isaiah 1:3, 4; Jeremiah 8:5-10
  • 17. Deuteronomy 27:15-26
  • 18. Isaiah 44:26; Jeremiah 44:2-6; Lamentations 2:17; Zechariah 1:6
  • 19. Job 12:17; Psalms 82:2-7; Psalms 148:11
  • 20. Lamentations 1:12; Lamentations 2:13; Ezekiel 5:9
  • 21. Leviticus 26:14-45; Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Daniel 9:11
  • 22. Job 36:13; Isaiah 9:13; Jeremiah 2:30; Jeremiah 5:3
  • 23. Jeremiah 31:18
  • 24. Jeremiah 31:28; Jeremiah 44:27
  • 25. Psalms 51:14; Daniel 9:7
  • 26. Deuteronomy 5:15
  • 27. Nehemiah 9:10; Jeremiah 32:20
  • 28. Jeremiah 32:31, 32
  • 29. Psalms 87:1-3; Daniel 9:20; Joel 3:17; Zechariah 8:3
  • 30. Ezekiel 5:14
  • 31. Numbers 6:24-26; Ps 80:3, 7, 19
  • 32. Lamentations 5:18
  • 33. Isaiah 37:17
  • 34. Psalms 80:14
  • 35. Jeremiah 7:10-12
  • 36. Jeremiah 36:7
  • 37. Psalms 44:23; Psalms 74:10, 11

Footnotes 13

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California.  All rights reserved.