Daniel 9:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice.

NIV: The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.

NASB: So the Lord has kept the disaster in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.

CSB: So the Lord kept the disaster in mind and brought it on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all he has done. But we have not obeyed him.

NLT: Therefore, the Lord has brought upon us the disaster he prepared. The Lord our God was right to do all of these things, for we did not obey him.

KJV: Therefore 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.

NKJV: Therefore the Lord has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice.

Israel's experiences at the hands of Assyria (2 Kings 17:1–8) and Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:5–7) were horrific. Daniel's entire life was impacted by God's wrath on the Jewish people (Daniel 1:1–7). Yet Daniel doesn't accuse the Lord of being unfair or unjust. Instead, he acknowledges that Israel's own sin and disobedience brought about their destruction. God had warned the nation (Deuteronomy 28:15–24, 48–50; 29:25). The nation refused to listen. Daniel prays (Daniel 9:3–4) for the promised restoration of his people (Jeremiah 29:10–14), yet his prayer includes corporate confession their sin (Daniel 9:5–13).

The Hebrew word translated as "kept ready" is yisqōd, which suggests watching, waiting, and awareness. The same root word, shaqad, is included in Jeremiah 1:12 to picture the Lord "watching over" His promises to fulfill them. God faithfully watched over His words in Deuteronomy 28; He uprooted His disobedient people from their homeland. Just as surely as He fulfilled His word about punishments, He would fulfill His word about blessings for obedience. He promised: "Behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid" (Jeremiah 30:10).

God also promised to end the captivity after seventy years (Jeremiah 29:10). That would have been encouraging to Daniel: at the time he wrote these words, he had been captive for around sixty-five or sixty-six years. The fall of Babylon and the words of Jeremiah would have been a source of hope (Daniel 9:1–2)

Daniel 9:1–19 records a prayer of confession on behalf of God's rebellious people; Daniel includes himself by using terms such as "us" and "we." After the fall of Babylon, Daniel sees evidence in the writings of Jeremiah that Israel's exile may be nearing an end. He prays for forgiveness and restoration, referring to God as righteous, merciful, and forgiving. This prayer leads to an appearance from the angel Gabriel. Gabriel will deliver a prophetic message about Israel's future.

Darius became king when Babylon fell to Medo-Persia. Daniel compared this to writings from Jeremiah, and realized the exile of Israel was almost over. As he prayed for God's intervention, the angel Gabriel arrived to provide further explanation. Gabriel's prophecy ties the arrival of an "anointed one," or "Messiah," or "Christ," to a moment in history followed by a set interval of time. This prediction includes dire moments for Israel and Jerusalem.

This chapter forms part of the prophetic section of Daniel's writing. After confessing the sins of both Israel and his own life, Daniel received a visit from the angel Gabriel. Gabriel revealed a message about Israel's then-future. This includes reference to the arrival of Christ and information about the still-future end times. Chapter 10 begins the last of Daniel's prophetic messages.

The book of Daniel contains famous Old Testament stories and prophecies. Daniel was taken from the Israelite people and made an advisor for a conquering empire. He demonstrates faithfulness and wisdom during many years serving in this role. Though Daniel does not deliver a public message, Jesus refers to him as a "prophet" (Matthew 24:15). The first portion of the book mostly describes Daniel's interpretations of dreams and other events. The second portion looks ahead to the end times. Daniel is classified in English Bibles as a "major" prophet, meaning the book is relatively long and the content has broad implications. The book of Revelation echoes and expands on many of the same themes.