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In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who had become king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans,
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in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to the prophet Jeremiah, would be fulfilled over the ruins of Jerusalem: seventy years.
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Then I set my face toward the Lord God, to seek Him by prayer and supplication, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
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So I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed my sin, saying: “Ah, Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love You and keep Your commandments!
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We have sinned and done wrong; we have acted wickedly and rebelled; we have turned aside from Your commandments and Your ordinances,
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and we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our leaders, our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
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O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us belongs shame, as it is this day—to us, the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those near and those far away, in all the lands where You have driven them because of the treachery they committed against You.
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O LORD, to us, our kings, our leaders, and our fathers belongs shame, because we have sinned against You.
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To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him,
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and have not listened to the voice of the LORD our God, to walk according to the law He set before us through His prophets, His servants.
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All Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, refusing to listen to Your voice. Therefore the curse and the oath written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against Him.
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And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our rulers, by bringing upon us a great calamity, such as has never been done under all heaven, as has been done in Jerusalem.
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As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquities and giving attention to Your truth.
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Therefore the LORD has kept watch over the calamity and brought it upon us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all His works that He has done, but we have not listened to His voice.
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Therefore, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and made Your name renowned, as it is this day, we have sinned; we have done wickedly.
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O Lord, according to Your mercies, let Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Jerusalem, Your city, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and because of the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all who are around us.
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Now therefore, hear, O our God, the prayer of Your servant and his supplications, and cause Your face to shine upon Your sanctuary, which is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.
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O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city that is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You on the basis of our righteousness, but on the basis of Your abundant compassion.
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O Lord, hear! Yes, O Lord, forgive! O Lord, give heed and act without delay, for Your own sake, my God, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name!”
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While I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God,
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while I was speaking in prayer, Gabriel, the one whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me swiftly at the time of the evening offering.
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Then he instructed me and spoke with me: “Daniel, now I have come to give you understanding.
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At the beginning of your supplications a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. So consider the word and give attention to the vision!
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Seventy times seven periods have been decreed for your people and for your holy city, to put an end to wickedness, to finish sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the most holy.
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Know therefore and understand: from the time the word goes out, namely that Jerusalem shall be restored and rebuilt, until the coming of an anointed one, a ruler, there shall be seven times seven periods; and for sixty-two times seven periods the city shall be rebuilt, with plaza and moat, but in troubled times.
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After the sixty-two times seven periods, an anointed one shall be cut off, though there is nothing wrong in him. Then the people of a ruler who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, but the ruler himself will meet his end in the flood; and until the end there shall be war and desolations, as has been determined.
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The king will make the covenant heavy for many for one seven. In the middle of the seven he will put an end to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.”
🙏📜⏳ Summary of Daniel 9 – Prayer of Repentance & Prophecy of 70 Weeks
Daniel 9 consists of two main parts:
- A strong and humble national prayer of repentance from Daniel.
- An important prophecy about the 70 weeks, which becomes the basis for dating the coming of the Messiah and the final fulfillment of the end times.
Daniel becomes an example in responding to the Word — not with argument, but with prayer and repentance. God answers with revelation about the future of redemption and judgment.
📌 1. Finding Jeremiah’s Prophecy (verses 1–2)
“I, Daniel, gave attention in the books…”
- In the first year of Darius’s reign, Daniel read the prophecy of Jeremiah that the exile would last 70 years (Jer. 25:11-12)
- He realized the time was nearly complete — but he was not passive, rather he prayed, asking for its fulfillment
🎯 When we know God’s promise, we must not stand idle — we must pray that it be fulfilled.
📌 2. National Prayer of Repentance (verses 3–19)
“I set my face toward the Lord God…”
- Daniel:
Confesses the sins of his nation, the kings, the prophets, and all the people
Does not blame foreign nations, but acknowledges internal wrongdoing
Appeals on the basis of God’s love and mercy, not because they deserve it
Remembers God’s covenant and His great deeds
“O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive!… Do not delay, for Your own name’s sake!” – verse 19
🎯 True prayer does not blame circumstances, but confesses sin and asks for God’s mercy.
📌 3. A Direct Answer from Heaven (verses 20–23)
“While I was still speaking and praying…”
- As Daniel was praying, the angel Gabriel came to bring the answer:
Daniel is called “greatly beloved”
God reveals a great plan concerning the future
🎯 The Lord quickly responds to sincere, repentant prayer that is in accordance with His will.
📌 4. The Prophecy of 70 Weeks (verses 24–27)
“Seventy times seven periods have been decreed…”
This prophecy is very important prophetically.
70 weeks = 490 prophetic years (1 week = 7 years). Its purpose is:
- To finish transgression and sin
- To bring in everlasting righteousness
- To anoint the most holy place
📌 The stages of the 70 weeks:
| Part | Duration | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 7 weeks | 49 years | Rebuilding Jerusalem (from the decree of King Artaxerxes) |
| 62 weeks | 434 years | Until the coming of the Messiah (Jesus) |
| 70th week | 7 years | End-time period: the covenant is confirmed, then betrayed, the sanctuary defiled |
“After the 62 weeks, an anointed one will be put to death, though he had done no wrong…”
→ A prophecy of Jesus’ death!
“In the middle of the week, he will put an end to sacrifice and offering…”
→ The Antichrist will break the covenant and defile the temple of God (a prophecy parallel to Dan. 7 & 8)
🎯 These 70 weeks point directly to Jesus as the Messiah, and also to the coming of the Antichrist before the end times.
📖 Main Teaching
- God’s word should move the heart to pray and repent
- The Lord responds with love to those who are humble
- God has set the timeline of redemption history — all is under His control
- The prophecy of the 70 weeks shows that Jesus is the promised Messiah
- The end times will be marked by betrayal, blasphemy, and judgment
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“All that is written about Me in the books of Moses, the prophets… must be fulfilled.”
→ Including Daniel’s prophecy about the death of the Messiah.
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son…”
→ Jesus came exactly according to the prophecy of the 69 weeks!
“…now He has appeared once to put away sin…”
→ Fulfilled in the death of the Messiah in the middle of the seventieth week.
“The abomination of desolation standing in the holy place…”
→ Jesus cites Daniel as an end-times prophecy.
🎯 Daniel 9 unites a personal longing for forgiveness with a prophetic vision of the Redeemer. This shows that history and the future center on Christ.
🕊️ “We have sinned and done wickedly…” – Daniel 9:5
🕊️ “O Lord, not because of our merits, but because of Your great steadfast love…” – Daniel 9:18
🕊️ “An anointed one shall be put to death…” – Daniel 9:26
🕊️ “Seventy times seven weeks have been decreed…” – Daniel 9:24
