Daniel 9
King James Version (1769) · Tap a verse to see it in context
About this chapter
AI-assisted, sourcedReading Jeremiah, Daniel understands that God "would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem," and he prays with fasting, confessing, "We have sinned... O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive." While he is still praying, Gabriel comes "to give thee skill and understanding" and tells him that "seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city." The weeks are counted "unto the Messiah the Prince," and "after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself." Daniel 9:2Daniel 9:3Daniel 9:5Daniel 9:19Daniel 9:21Daniel 9:22Daniel 9:24Daniel 9:25Daniel 9:26
Who, where, when, and the key verses
Who
Daniel prays for himself, "my people Israel," the men of Judah and those in Jerusalem. Gabriel, "whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning," answers him. Daniel 9:7Daniel 9:20Daniel 9:21
Where
Daniel prays in the realm of the Chaldeans for Jerusalem, "thy city," and its desolate sanctuary. Daniel 9:1Daniel 9:16Daniel 9:17ChaldeaJerusalem
When
"In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes," when Daniel understood the seventy years Jeremiah foretold. Traditionally written by Daniel in the 500s BC. Many critical scholars date the book's final form to about 167-164 BC. Daniel 9:1Daniel 9:2Jeremiah 29:10Daniel overview
How it fits
Chapter 8 left Daniel "astonished at the vision, but none understood it"; here, while Daniel is praying, Gabriel comes "to give thee skill and understanding." Chapter 10 moves to "the third year of Cyrus king of Persia." Daniel 8:27Daniel 9:20Daniel 9:21Daniel 9:22Daniel 10:1
Key verses
- Verse 2
Daniel "understood by books" Jeremiah's word of "seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem." Jeremiah 29:10 promised that "after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you." Daniel 9:2Jeremiah 29:10Jeremiah 25:11
- Verse 18
Daniel, praying, says, "We do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies," and asks God to act "for thine own sake... for thy city and thy people are called by thy name." Daniel 9:4Daniel 9:18Daniel 9:19
- Verse 26
"After threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself." The chapter does not give dates for the weeks; Isaiah 53:8 also speaks of one "cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people." Daniel 9:25Daniel 9:26Isaiah 53:8
Takeaway
Read God's promises and pray them back to him, confessing sin honestly and asking only on the ground of his great mercies. Daniel 9:2Daniel 9:3Daniel 9:18
Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a separate AI reader. Updated 2026-10-29.
Daniel reads Jeremiah's seventy years
1In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; 2In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 3And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Daniel's prayer of confession
4And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; 5We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: 6Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7O LORD, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. 8O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. 9To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; 10Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him. 12And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. 13As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. 14Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice. 15And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 16O LORD, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. 17Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. 18O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. 19O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.
Gabriel comes
20And whiles 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; 21Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even 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 oblation. 22And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. 23At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.
Seventy weeks
24Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.