Daniel 9:1-7 ▼

1 IN the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, a descendant of the Medes who became king over the realm of the Chaldeans,

2 In the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the scriptures the number of the years, seeing that the word of the LORD came to pass which the prophet Jeremiah said, that seventy years would elapse before the desolations of Jerusalem would come to an end.

3 And I lifted up my face before the LORD God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting and with sackcloth and with ashes;

4 And I prayed before the LORD my God and made my confession and said, I beseech thee, O LORD, the great and revered God, who keepest the covenant and mercy to them that love him and to them that keep his commandments;

5 We have sinned and have committed iniquity and have done wickedly and have rebelled and have gone astray from thy commandments and thy judgments;

6 Neither have we listened to thy servants the prophets, who spoke in thy name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

7 O LORD, victory belongs to thee, but shame is ours, as at this day, to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to all Israel that are near and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their iniquity which they transgressed against thee.