Daniel 9:3-10:12

English Standard Version

³ Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by ^(A)prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. ⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and ^(B)made confession, saying, ^(C)“O Lord, the ^(D)great and awesome God, who ^(E)keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ^5 (F)we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly ^(G)and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. ^6 (H)We have not listened to ^(I)your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to ^(J)our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. ⁷ To you, ^(K)O 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, ^(L)those who are near and ^(M)those who are far away, in ^(N)all the lands to which you have driven them, because of ^(O)the 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 ^(P)we have sinned against you. ^9 (Q)To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him ^10 (R)and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by ^(S)his servants the prophets. ^11 (T)All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, ^(U)refusing to obey your voice. ^(V)And the curse and oath ^(W)that are written in the Law of ^(X)Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because ^(Y)we have sinned against him. ¹² He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against ^(Z)our rulers who ruled us,^[a] by ^(AA)bringing upon us a great calamity. ^(AB)For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. ^13 (AC)As 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, ^(AD)turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. ^14 (AE)Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, ^(AF)for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and ^(AG)we have not obeyed his voice. ¹⁵ And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt ^(AH)with a mighty hand, and ^(AI)have made a name for yourself, as at this day, ^(AJ)we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

¹⁶ “O Lord, ^(AK)according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, ^(AL)your holy hill, ^(AM)because for our sins, and for ^(AN)the iniquities of our fathers, ^(AO)Jerusalem and your people have become ^(AP)a 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,^{[b] (AQ)}make your face to shine upon ^(AR)your sanctuary, which is desolate. ^18 (AS)O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see ^(AT)our desolations, and ^(AU)the 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. ^(AV)Delay not, ^(AW)for your own sake, O my God, because ^(AX)your city and ^(AY)your people are called by your name.”

Gabriel Brings an Answer

^20 (AZ)While 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 ^(BA)the holy hill of my God, ²¹ while I was speaking in prayer, the man ^(BB)Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, ^(BC)came to me in swift flight at ^(BD)the time of the evening sacrifice. ^22 (BE)He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you ^(BF)insight and understanding. ^23 (BG)At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, ^(BH)and I have come to tell it to you, for ^(BI)you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word ^(BJ)and understand the vision.

The Seventy Weeks

^24 (BK)“Seventy weeks^[c] are decreed about your people and ^(BL)your holy city, to finish ^(BM)the transgression, to put an end to sin, ^(BN)and to atone for iniquity, ^(BO)to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and ^(BP)to anoint a most holy place.^{[d] 25 (BQ)}Know therefore and understand that ^(BR)from the going out of the word to restore and ^(BS)build Jerusalem to the coming of an ^(BT)anointed one, a ^(BU)prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again^[e] with squares and moat, ^(BV)but in a troubled time. ²⁶ And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall ^(BW)be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come ^(BX)shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. ^(BY)Its^[f] end shall come with a flood, ^(BZ)and to the end there shall be war. ^(CA)Desolations are decreed. ²⁷ And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week,^[g] and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. ^(CB)And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until ^(CC)the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

Daniel's Terrifying Vision of a Man

10 ^(CD)In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, ^(CE)who was named Belteshazzar. And ^(CF)the word was true, and it was a great conflict.^[h] And ^(CG)he understood the word and ^(CH)had understanding of the vision.

² In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for ^(CI)three weeks. ³ I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I ^(CJ)anoint myself at all, for ^(CK)the full three weeks. ⁴ On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing ^(CL)on the bank of the great river (^(CM)that is, the Tigris) ^5 (CN)I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, ^(CO)a man clothed in linen, ^(CP)with a belt of fine ^(CQ)gold from Uphaz around his waist. ⁶ His body was like ^(CR)beryl, his face ^(CS)like the appearance of lightning, ^(CT)his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and ^(CU)legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and ^(CV)the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. ^7 (CW)And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. ⁸ So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and ^(CX)no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed,^{[i] (CY)}and I retained no strength. ⁹ Then I heard the sound of his words, ^(CZ)and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep ^(DA)with my face to the ground.

¹⁰ And behold, ^(DB)a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. ¹¹ And he said to me, “O Daniel, ^(DC)man greatly loved, ^(DD)understand the words that I speak to you, and ^(DE)stand upright, for ^(DF)now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. ¹² Then he said to me, ^(DG)“Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you ^(DH)set your heart to understand and ^(DI)humbled yourself before your God, ^(DJ)your words have been heard, ^(DK)and I have come because of your words.