Daniel Prays for the People
1-2 Daniel wrote:
Some years later, Darius the Mede, who was the son of Xerxes, had become king of Babylonia. And during his first year as king, I found out from studying the writings of the prophets that the Lord had said to Jeremiah, “Jerusalem will lie in ruins for 70 years.” 3-4 Then, to show my sorrow, I went without eating and dressed in sackcloth and sat in ashes. I confessed my sins and earnestly prayed to the Lord my God:
Our Lord, you are a great and fearsome God, and you faithfully keep your agreement with those who love and obey you. 5 But we have sinned terribly by rebelling against you and rejecting your laws and teachings. 6 We have ignored the message your servants the prophets spoke to our kings, our leaders, our ancestors, and everyone else.
7 Everything you do is right, our Lord. But still we suffer public disgrace because we have been unfaithful and have sinned against you. This includes all of us, both far and near—the people of Judah, Jerusalem, and Israel, as well as those you dragged away to foreign lands, 8 and even our kings, our officials, and our ancestors. 9 Lord God, you are merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against you 10 and rejected your teachings that came to us from your servants the prophets.
11 Everyone in Israel has stubbornly refused to obey your laws, and so those curses written by your servant Moses have fallen upon us. 12 You warned us and our leaders that Jerusalem would suffer the worst disaster in human history, and you did exactly as you had threatened. 13 We have not escaped any of the terrible curses written by Moses, and yet we have refused to beg you for mercy and to remind ourselves of how faithful you have always been. 14 And when you finally punished us with this horrible disaster, that was also the right thing to do, because we deserved it so much.
15 Our Lord God, with your own mighty arm you rescued us from Egypt and made yourself famous to this very day, but we have sinned terribly. 16 In the past, you treated us with such kindness, that we now beg you to stop being so terribly angry with Jerusalem. After all, it is your chosen city built on your holy mountain, even though it has suffered public disgrace because of our sins and those of our ancestors.
17 I am your servant, Lord God, and I beg you to answer my prayers and bring honor to yourself by having pity on your temple that lies in ruins. 18 Please show mercy to your chosen city, not because we deserve it, but because of your great kindness. 19 Forgive us! Hurry and do something, not only for your city and your chosen people, but to bring honor to yourself.
The Seventy Weeks
Daniel wrote:
20 I was still confessing my sins and those of all Israel to the Lord my God, and I was praying for the good of his holy mountain, 21 when Gabriel suddenly came flying in at the time of the evening sacrifice. This was the same Gabriel I had seen in my vision, 22 and he explained:
Daniel, I am here to help you understand the vision. 23 God thinks highly of you, and at the very moment you started praying, I was sent to give you the answer. 24 God has decided that for 70 weeks, your people and your holy city must suffer as the price of their sins. Then evil will disappear, and justice will rule forever; the visions and words of the prophets will come true, and a most holy place will be dedicated.
25 You need to realize that from the command to rebuild Jerusalem until the coming of the Chosen Leader, it will be 7 weeks and another 62 weeks. Streets will be built in Jerusalem, and a trench will be dug around the city for protection, but these will be difficult times. 26 At the end of the 62 weeks, the Chosen Leader will be killed and left with nothing.
A foreign ruler and his army will sweep down like a mighty flood, leaving both the city and the temple in ruins, and war and destruction will continue until the end, just as God has decided. 27 For one week this foreigner will make a firm agreement with many people, and halfway through this week, he will end all sacrifices and offerings. Then the “Horrible Thing” that causes destruction will be put there. And it will stay there until the time God has decided to destroy this one who destroys.
Daniēls lūdz par savu tautu
1 Dārija, Ahasvēra dēla, no mēdiešu dzimtas, pirmajā valdīšanas gadā, kad viņš bija sācis valdīt kaldiešu valstī, 2 viņa valdīšanas pirmajā gadā es, Daniēls, sapratu no Rakstiem, kur Kunga vārds bija atklājies pravietim Jeremijam, – Jeruzālemei jāpaliek izpostītai septiņdesmit gadus. 3 Tad es pievērsos Kungam Dievam, lūgdams un piesaukdams, gavēdams, jozies maisu un pelnos.
4 Es lūdzu Kungu, savu Dievu, un sūdzēju grēkus: “Ak, Kungs, tu liels un bijājams Dievs, kas derību sargā! Žēlastība tam, kas tevi mīl un pilda tavus baušļus! 5 Mēs esam grēkojuši! Mēs esam netaisni! Mēs esam pārkāpēji! Mēs sacēlāmies un novērsāmies no taviem baušļiem un tavām tiesām! 6 Mēs neklausījām praviešus, tavus kalpus, kas runāja tavā vārdā uz mūsu ķēniņiem, uz mūsu augstmaņiem, uz mūsu tēviem, uz visiem ļaudīm! 7 Tev, Kungs, – taisnīgums! Bet mums – tik kauns! Redzi, kā ir šodien, Jūdas vīriem un Jeruzālemes iemītniekiem, un visam Israēlam, gan tuviem, gan tāliem, – pa visu zemi tu tos izsūtīji, jo tie tev neuzticīgi.
8 Ak, Kungs! Kauns mums – mūsu ķēniņiem, mūsu augstmaņiem, mūsu tēviem, ka pret tevi grēkojām! 9 Kungs, mūsu Dievs, ir žēlsirdīgs un piedod mums – pret viņu mēs sacēlāmies. 10 Mēs neklausījām Kunga, mūsu Dieva, balsi, nesekojām viņa mācībai, ko viņš mums deva ar saviem kalpiem praviešiem. 11 Viss Israēls nomaldījies no tavas bauslības un novērsies, ka vairs neklausa tevi! Pār mums nu izliets lāstu zvērests, kas rakstīts Dieva kalpa Mozus bauslībā – mēs esam grēkojuši pret tevi! 12 Viņš turējis vārdu, kas runāts pret mums un pret tiesnešiem, kas tiesāja mūs, – liels ļaunums nācis pār mums, kāda nav bijis nekur zem debess un nav bijis Jeruzālemē!
13 Kā rakstīts Mozus bauslībā – viss šis ļaunums nāca pār mums, bet mēs nelūdzām vēlību no Kunga, sava Dieva, lai atgrieztos no grēkiem un mācītos tavu patiesību! 14 Kungs bija gatavs uz ļaunu, viņš lika tam nākt pār mums! Kungs, mūsu Dievs, ir taisns it visos savos darbos, bet mēs viņa balsij neklausījām! 15 Tagad, Kungs, mūsu Dievs, kas savus ļaudis ar stipru roku izvedi no Ēģiptes zemes! Tu darīji sev vārdu līdz šai dienai! – Mēs esam grēkojuši, mēs esam ļauni!
16 Ak, Kungs, savas taisnības dēļ novērs savas dusmas un savu versmi no savas pilsētas Jeruzālemes, no sava svētā kalna! Jo mūsu grēku un mūsu tēvu noziegumu dēļ Jeruzāleme un tavi ļaudis nu ir par apsmieklu visiem, kas mīt mums visapkārt! 17 Nu, mūsu Dievs, uzklausi sava kalpa lūgšanu un viņa saucienus – uzlūko ar žēlastību savu svētvietu, kas izpostīta, ak, Kungs!
18 Ak, mans Dievs, pieliec ausi un dzirdi! Atver acis un redzi – izdeldēta mūsu pilsēta, kas saukta tavā vārdā! Ne sava taisnīguma dēļ mēs zemojamies – tev labvēlību lūdzam – jo liela tava žēlastība! 19 Kungs, uzklausi! Kungs, piedod! Kungs, dzirdi un dari! Tevis paša dēļ, mans Dievs, jo tavā vārdā saukta šī tava pilsēta un tauta!”
Septiņdesmit nedēļas
20 Kamēr es vēl runāju, lūdzu un sūdzēju savus grēkus un Israēla tautas grēkus, lūgdamies labvēlību no Kunga, sava Dieva, par svēto Dieva kalnu, 21 kamēr es lūgdamies runāju, tas vīrs Gabriels, kuru pirmo reizi biju redzējis parādībā, knaši lidot pielidoja pie manis. Tas bija vakara upura laiks. 22 Atsteidzies viņš teica: “Daniēl, es nu esmu ieradies, lai tu gūtu atziņu un saprašanu. 23 Tiklīdz tu sāki lūgt, tika dota atbilde, un es nācu, lai to pavēstītu, – jo tu esi tīkams. Tādēļ saproti šo vārdu un šo parādību.
24 Septiņdesmit reizes pa septiņi
ir nospriests tavai tautai un tavai svētajai pilsētai,
lai pārkāpums diltu,
lai grēks mitētos,
lai vainu izpirktu,
lai mūžīga taisnība sāktos,
lai parādības un pravietojumi mitētos
un iesvētītu svētumu svētumu.
25 Tādēļ zini un saproti:
vārds ir izteikts –
lai ceļ un atjauno Jeruzālemi!
Svaidītais valdnieks tur paliks
septiņus septiņniekus.
Tad sešdesmit divos septiņniekos
to uzcels un atjaunos –
gan ielas, gan laukumus,
bet tas būs spaidu laiks.
26 Pēc sešdesmit diviem septiņniekiem
svaidītais tiks nokauts par neko.
Pilsētu un svētnīcu izdeldēs
valdnieks un viņa ļaudis,
bet viņš ņems galu plūdos.
Un līdz beigām būs karš
un piespriestais posts.
27 Ar daudziem viņš noslēgs
stipru derību uz septiņiem.
Un uz pusi no septiņiem pārtrauks
kaujamo un labības dāvanu upuri,
un tempļa vienā daļā
būs postītājs un preteklības –
līdz beigām!
Kas piespriests, to izlies pār postītāju!””
