Study Desk

In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, - who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans:

in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived by the writings, - the number of the years, as to which the word of Yahweh came unto Jeremiah the prophet, to fulfil the desolations of Jerusalem, seventy years.

So I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek him by prayer, and supplication, - with fasting, and sackcloth and ashes;

yea I prayed unto Yahweh my God, and made confession, - and said - I beseech thee, O Lord, the GOD great and to be revered, keeping the covenant and the lovingkindness, to them who love him, and to them who keep his commandments.

We have sinned and committed iniquity, and been guilty of lawlessness and been rebellious, - even departing from thy commandments, and from thy regulations;

and have not hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, who spake in thy name, unto our kings, our rulers, and our fathers, - and unto all the people of the land.

To thee, O Lord, belongeth righteousness, but, to us, the shame of faces, as at this day, - to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, the near and the far off, throughout all the lands whither thou hast driven them, in their treachery, wherewith they had been treacherous against thee.

O Yahweh, to us, belongeth the shame of faces, to our kings, to our rulers, and to our fathers, - in that we have sinned against thee.

To the Lord our God, belong compassions, and forgivenesses, - for we have rebelled against him;

and have not hearkened unto the voice of Yahweh our God, - to walk in his instructions which he set before us, through means of his servants the prophets;

yea, all Israel, have transgressed thy law, even going away, so as not to hearken unto thy voice, - therefore, were poured out upon us, the curse and the oath which had been written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we had sinned against him.

Thus hath he confirmed his words which he had spoken against us, and against our judges who had judged us, by bringing in upon us a great calamity, - as to which there had not been done, under all the heavens, as hath been done unto Jerusalem.

Even as written in the law of Moses, hath, all this calamity, come in upon us, - yet entreated we not the face of Yahweh our God, by turning away from our iniquities, and by getting intelligence in thy truth.

Therefore hath Yahweh, kept watch, for the calamity, and brought it in upon us, - for righteous is Yahweh our God concerning all his deeds which he hath done, seeing that we had not hearkened unto his voice.

Now, therefore, O Lord our God, who didst bring forth thy people out of the land of Egypt with a firm hand, and didst make for thyself a name, as at this day, - we have sinned, we have been guilty of lawlessness.

O Lord! according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thine indignation turn away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain, - for, by reason of our sins, and by reason of the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people, have become a reproach, to all who are round about us.

Now, therefore, hearken, O our God, unto the prayer of thy servant, and unto his supplications, and let thy face shine, upon thy sanctuary, that is desolate, - for the sake of thy servants, O Lord.

Incline, O my God, thine ear, and hearken, open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city on which hath been called thy name; for, not on the ground of our own righteousnesses, are we causing our supplications to fall down before thee, but on the ground of thine abounding compassions.

O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hearken and perform! Do not delay! For thine own sake, O my God, because, thine own name, hath been called, upon thy city, and upon thy people.