Daniel 9:1-7

1 In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of Medes, that was emperor on the realm of Chaldees, (In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, or of Xerxes, of Media/a Mede, who was the emperor over the kingdom of the Chaldeans,)

2 in the first year of his realm, I, Daniel, understood in books the number of years, of which number the word of the Lord was made to Jeremy, the prophet, that seventy years of (the) desolation of Jerusalem should be [ful]filled. (in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood by books the number of years, of which number the word of the Lord was made to the prophet Jeremiah, yea, the seventy years of the desolation of Jerusalem that would be fulfilled.)

3 And I setted my face to my Lord God, to pray and beseech in fastings, in sackcloth, and ashes. (And I set my face before the Lord my God, to pray and to beseech him, with fasting, in sackcloth, and ashes.)

4 And I prayed my Lord God, and I acknowledged, and said, I beseech, thou Lord God, great and fearedful, keeping covenant and mercy to them that love thee, and keep thy commandments. (And I prayed to the Lord my God, and I acknowledged, and said, I beseech thee, O Lord God, great and fearful, keeping covenant and giving mercy to those who love thee, and who obey thy commandments.)

5 We have sinned, we have done wickedness, we did unfaithfully, and went away, and bowed away from thy commandments and dooms. (We have sinned, we have done wickedness, we did unfaithfully, and rebelled, and turned away from thy commandments and thy judgements/and thy laws.)

6 We obeyed not to thy servants, (the) prophets, that spake in thy name to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, and to all the people of the land. (We did not obey thy servants, the prophets, who spoke in thy name to our kings, to our leaders, to our forefathers, and to all the people of the land.)

7 Lord, rightfulness is to thee, forsooth shame of face is to us, as (it) is today to a man of Judah, and to the dwellers of Jerusalem (and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem), and to all Israel, to these men that be nigh, and to these men that be afar in all lands, to which thou castedest them out for the wickednesses of them, in which, Lord, they sinned against thee.

Daniel 9:1-7 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.