Read & explore together
Daniel's Prayer and the Seventy Weeks
Daniel 9 combines a humble prayer with a difficult prophetic message. Daniel reads Jeremiah’s words about seventy years, confesses Israel’s sin, pleads for mercy on Jerusalem, and then receives God’s answer through Gabriel.
Understanding the passage
Read these words in context
The passage is set in the first year of Darius. Daniel says he understood from the books, especially Yahweh’s word to Jeremiah, that Jerusalem’s desolations would last seventy years. That leads him to seek God with prayer and confession, and while he is still praying Gabriel comes with understanding.
Daniel 9:1–27Main takeaway
Daniel 9 shows Daniel responding to God’s word with confession and mercy-seeking prayer, and it records God’s answer through Gabriel about a decreed future for Daniel’s people and holy city.
Explore the prayer
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01Daniel reads and seeks GodDaniel says he understood from the books, from Yahweh’s word to Jeremiah, that the desolations of Jerusalem concerned seventy years.
Explanation
Daniel says he understood from the books, from Yahweh’s word to Jeremiah, that the desolations of Jerusalem concerned seventy years. His response is prayer, petitions, fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. The passage begins with understanding from God’s word leading into humble seeking before God.
02Daniel confesses the people’s sinDaniel addresses God as great, covenant-keeping, and full of loving kindness. Then he repeatedly says “we” have sinned, acted wickedly, rebelled, and failed to listen to the prophets.
Explanation
Daniel addresses God as great, covenant-keeping, and full of loving kindness. Then he repeatedly says “we” have sinned, acted wickedly, rebelled, and failed to listen to the prophets. He says righteousness belongs to the Lord, while confusion of face belongs to the people because they sinned against him.
03He admits God is righteous in the disasterDaniel says Israel transgressed God’s law, so the curse written in the law of Moses came upon them.
Explanation
Daniel says Israel transgressed God’s law, so the curse written in the law of Moses came upon them. He says God confirmed his words against Jerusalem and remained righteous in all his works. The prayer does not excuse the people. It admits guilt and recognises God’s justice in what happened.
04Daniel appeals for mercy on JerusalemBefore asking for mercy, Daniel appeals to God as the one who brought his people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and made a name for himself.
Explanation
Before asking for mercy, Daniel appeals to God as the one who brought his people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and made a name for himself. Then he asks that God’s anger turn from Jerusalem and the sanctuary. He says the plea is not based on their righteousness, but on God’s great mercies and God’s name.
05While Daniel is still praying, Gabriel answersDaniel says that while he was still speaking, praying, confessing his own sin and the sin of his people, and presenting his supplication for God’s holy mountain, Gabriel came to give wisdom and understanding.
Explanation
Daniel says that while he was still speaking, praying, confessing his own sin and the sin of his people, and presenting his supplication for God’s holy mountain, Gabriel came to give wisdom and understanding. Gabriel speaks of seventy weeks decreed for Daniel’s people and holy city, including sin, reconciliation, righteousness, rebuilding, desolations, and a firm covenant.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01What does Daniel do after understanding the seventy years spoken through Jeremiah?
Look at how Daniel moves from reading and understanding to prayer, petitions, fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
02How does Daniel describe both God and the people in his confession?
Notice the contrast between God’s righteousness, mercies, forgiveness, and covenant love, and the people’s sin, rebellion, and confusion of face.
03What reasons does Daniel give when asking God to hear and act for Jerusalem?
Trace his appeal to God’s past act in bringing the people out of Egypt, to God’s righteousness and mercies, and to the fact that the city and people are called by God’s name.
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
Daniel 9:1–27
1In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the offspring of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—
2in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years about which Yahweh’s word came to Jeremiah the prophet for the accomplishing of the desolations of Jerusalem, even seventy years.
3I set my face to the Lord God, to seek by prayer and petitions, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.
4I prayed to Yahweh my God, and made confession, and said, “Oh, Lord, the great and dreadful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with those who love him and keep his commandments,
5we have sinned, and have dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even turning aside from your precepts and from your ordinances.
6We haven’t listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7“Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but to us confusion of face, as it is today; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, who are near and who are far off, through all the countries where you have driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against you.
8Lord, to us belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.
9To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him.
10We haven’t obeyed Yahweh our God’s voice, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
11Yes, all Israel have transgressed your law, turning aside, and not obeying your voice. “Therefore the curse and the oath written in the law of Moses the servant of God has been poured out on us, for we have sinned against him.
12He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing on us a great evil; for under the whole sky, such has not been done as has been done to Jerusalem.
13As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil has come on us. Yet we have not entreated the favor of Yahweh our God, that we should turn from our iniquities and have discernment in your truth.
14Therefore Yahweh has watched over the evil, and brought it on us; for Yahweh our God is righteous in all his works which he does, and we have not obeyed his voice.
15“Now, Lord our God, who has brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have gotten yourself renown, as it is today, we have sinned. We have done wickedly.
16Lord, according to all your righteousness, please let your anger and your wrath be turned away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a reproach to all who are around us.
17“Now therefore, our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his petitions, and cause your face to shine on your sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.
18My God, turn your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by your name; for we do not present our petitions before you for our righteousness, but for your great mercies’ sake.
19Lord, hear. Lord, forgive. Lord, listen and do. Don’t defer, for your own sake, my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”
20While I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before Yahweh my God for the holy mountain of my God—
21yes, while I was speaking in prayer—the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening offering.
22He instructed me and talked with me, and said, “Daniel, I have now come to give you wisdom and understanding.
23At the beginning of your petitions the commandment went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved. Therefore consider the matter and understand the vision.
24“Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to finish disobedience, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.
25“Know therefore and discern that from the going out of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem to the Anointed One, the prince, will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be built again, with street and moat, even in troubled times.
26After the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One will be cut off, and will have nothing. The people of the prince who come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end will be with a flood, and war will be even to the end. Desolations are determined.
27He will make a firm covenant with many for one week. In the middle of the week he will cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. On the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate; and even to the decreed full end, wrath will be poured out on the desolate.”
Source passages
Source: Daniel 9 ↗Translation and source notes
Greek-source version: Daniel (Greek) 9:1–27