DAN 9:18 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) My god, turn your ear and listen. Open your eyes and see our terrible state here in exile, and the state of the city that is called by your name. We aren’t asking all this because we’re good enough to deserve it, but because of your extensive mercy.

9:18 OSHB variant note: פקח/ה: (x-qere) ’פְּקַ֣ח’: lemma_6491 morph_HVqv2ms id_27wcG פְּקַ֣ח

Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative, blue:Elohim.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT 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 are not presenting our supplications before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.

UST My God, listen to my prayer. Look at us and see our troubles, and see that this city that belongs to you has been ruined. We are praying to you because you are merciful, not because we have done what is right.

BSB Incline Your ear, O my God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your name For we are not presenting our petitions before You because of our righteous acts, but because of Your great compassion.

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE My God, turn your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by your name; for we do not present our petitions before you for our righteousness, but for your great mercies’ sake.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Listen attentively, my God, and hear! Open your eyes and look on our desolated ruins and the city called by your name. For it is not because of our own righteous deeds that we are praying to you, but because your compassion is abundant.

LSV Incline, O my God, Your ear, and hear, open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city on which Your Name is called; for not for our righteous acts are we causing our supplications to fall before You, but for Your mercies that [are] many.

FBV Please listen carefully and open your eyes and see the terrible state we are in, and the city that bears your name. We're not making these requests to you for this because of our goodness, but because of your great mercy.

T4T My God, listen to my prayer. Look at us and see our troubles, and see that this city that belongs to you [MTY] has been ruined/destroyed. We are praying to you because you are merciful, not because we have done what is right/good.

LEB Incline your ear, my God, and listen; open your eyes and look at our desolation and the city that is called by your name, for we are not presenting our pleas for mercy _⌊before you_⌋[fn] because of our righteousness, but rather because of your great compassion.

9:18 Literally “to the face of you”

BBE O my God, let your ear be turned and give hearing; let your eyes be open and see how we have been made waste and the town which is named by your name: for we are not offering our prayers before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercies.

Moff O Lord! Bend thine ear and listen, O my God; open thine eyes to the sight of our desolation and of the city that belongs to thyself. For we do not offer our supplications before thee, relying on our own goodness but on thy great compassion.

JPS O my God, incline Thine ear, and hear; open Thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city upon which Thy name is called; for we do not present our supplications before Thee because of our righteousness, but because of Thy great compassions.

ASV O 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’ sake.

DRA Incline, O my God, thy ear, and hear: open thy eyes, and see our desolation, and the city upon which thy name is called: for it is not for our justifications that we present our prayers before thy face, but for the multitude of thy tender mercies.

YLT 'Incline, O my God, Thine ear, and hear, open Thine eyes and see our desolations, and the city on which Thy name is called; for not for our righteous acts are we causing our supplications to fall before Thee, but for Thy mercies that [are] many.

Drby Incline thine ear, O my [fn]God, and hear; open thine eyes and behold our desolations, and the city that is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee because of our righteousnesses, but because of thy manifold mercies.

9.18 Elohim

RV O 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.
(Oh my God, incline thine/your ear, and hear; open thine/your eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy/your name: for we do not present our supplications before thee/you for our righteousnesss, but for thy/your great mercies. )

SLT Incline, O my God, thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and see our desolations, and the city which thy name was called upon it: for not for our justice do we cause our supplications to fall before thee, but for thy many compassions.

Wbstr O my God, incline thy ear, and hear; open thy 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.

KJB-1769 O 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.[fn][fn]
(Oh my God, incline thine/your ear, and hear; open thine/your eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy/your name: for we do not present our supplications before thee/you for our righteousnesss, but for thy/your great mercies. )

9.18 which…: Heb. whereupon thy name is called

9.18 present: Heb. cause to fall

KJB-1611 [fn][fn]O my God, encline thine eare and heare: open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, & 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.
(Oh my God, incline thine/your ear and hear: open thine/your eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city, which is called by thy/your name: for we do not present our supplications before thee/you for our righteousnesss, but for thy/your great mercies.)

9:18 Heb. wherupon thy Name is called.

9:18 Heb. cause to fall.

Bshps O my God, encline thyne eare & hearken, open thyne eyes, beholde howe we be desolated, yea and the citie also which is called after thy name: for we do not present our prayers before thee in our owne righteousnes, but in thy great mercies.
(Oh my God, incline thine/your ear and hearken, open thine/your eyes, behold how we be desolated, yea and the city also which is called after thy/your name: for we do not present our prayers before thee/you in our own righteousness, but in thy/your great mercies.)

Gnva O my God, encline thine eare and heare: open thine eyes, and beholde our desolations, and the citie whereupon thy Name is called: for we doe not present our supplications before thee for our owne righteousnes, but for thy great tender mercies.
(Oh my God, incline thine/your ear and hear: open thine/your eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city whereupon thy/your Name is called: for we do not present our supplications before thee/you for our own righteousness, but for thy/your great tender mercies. )

Cvdl O my God, enclyne thine eare, and herken (at the leest for thine owne sake) open thine eyes: beholde how we be desolated, yee and the cite also, which is called after thy name: For we do not cast oure prayers before the in oure owne rightuousnesse, no: but only in thy greate mercies.
(Oh my God, incline thine/your ear, and hearken (at the least for thine/your own sake) open thine/your eyes: behold how we be desolated, ye/you_all and the cite also, which is called after thy/your name: For we do not cast our prayers before the in our own righteousness, no: but only in thy/your great mercies.)

Wycl My God, for thi silf boowe doun thin eere, and here; opene thin iyen, and se oure desolacioun, and the citee, on which thi name is clepid to help. For not in oure iustifiyngis we setten forth mekeli preiers bifor thi face, but in thi many merciful doyngis.
(My God, for thyself/yourself boowe down thin ear, and here; open thin eyes, and see our desolation, and the city, on which thy/your name is called to help. For not in our justifiyngis we setting forth mekeli prayers before thy/your face, but in thy/your many merciful doings.)

Luth Neige deine Ohren, mein GOtt, und höre, tue deine Augen auf und siehe, wie wir verstört sind, und die Stadt, die nach deinem Namen genannt ist! Denn wir liegen vor dir mit unserm Gebet, nicht auf unsere Gerechtigkeit, sondern auf deine große Barmherzigkeit.
(Lean your ears, my God, and listen, do/act your eyes on/in/to and see/look, as/like we/us verstört are, and the city, the after your name(s) named is! Because we/us lie/lay before/in_front_of you/to_you(sg) with ours prayer, not on/in/to our justice, rather on/in/to your large compassion.)

ClVg Inclina, Deus meus, aurem tuam, et audi: aperi oculos tuos, et vide desolationem nostram, et civitatem super quam invocatum est nomen tuum: neque enim in justificationibus nostris prosternimus preces ante faciem tuam, sed in miserationibus tuis multis.
(Lean, God mine, ear your(sg), and listen: aperi the_eyes yours, and see desolateon ours, and the_city over how invocatum it_is name your(sg): nor because in/into/on justificationibus ours prosternimus prayers before face your(sg), but in/into/on had_sentionibus yours many. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 9:1–27: Daniel asked God to help Jerusalem and received a message from Gabriel concerning seventy weeks

The vision recorded in this chapter occurred during the first year of the reign of Darius (538 B.C.). Thirteen years had therefore passed since Daniel received the vision described in chapter 8. Daniel was now more than eighty years old.

Daniel had read in the book of Jeremiah that God’s people would remain in exile and serve the king of Babylon for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11). During that time the city of Jerusalem would remain in ruins. However, God had promised to bring his people back to the land of Judah after the seventy years were over (Jeremiah 29:10). Now Daniel realized that the seventy-year period was almost at an end. He prayed for his people and for Jerusalem. In response, God sent the angel Gabriel to reveal what would happen in the future.

Paragraph 9:17–19

Daniel begged God to help Jerusalem. He recognized that the people of Israel did not deserve God’s help, but he asked for forgiveness on the ground of God’s own nature and mercy.

9:18a

Incline Your ear, O my God, and hear;

Listen to us, O God our God!
Our God, please pay attention to what we are saying/asking!

Incline Your ear, O my God, and hear: The two requests Incline Your ear and hear have the same meaning. The repetition is for emphasis. In some languages it may be natural to combine them into one, perhaps supplying an object, as the GNT has done:

Listen to us, O God (GNT)

9:18b

open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your name.

Look at us! See how the city that is called by your name has been ruined.
Look at the ruins of our city, the city that belongs to you!

open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your name: The Hebrew more literally says “Open your eyes and look at our desolation and the city that bears your name” (NRSV). The two phrases “our desolation” and the city that bears Your name together refer to the desolation of the city of Jerusalem. The BSB has therefore combined the two phrases into one, the desolation of the city that bears Your name. Other ways to translate this include:

Look down and see the ruins of the city that bears your Name.

Look and see how the city that bears your Name lies desolate/ruined!

open Your eyes and see: The two expressions open Your eyes and see together are a request to God to pay attention to the suffering of Jerusalem. Daniel knew that God could already see the city, but he wanted him to pay attention to it. In some languages it may be natural to use only one verb. For example:

please look at

please consider

the desolation of the city: This phrase refers to the ruins of the city of Jerusalem. In some languages it may be natural to translate it using a verb form. For example:

the city that has been ruined

the city that our enemies have devastated

that bears Your name: The Hebrew phrase that the BSB translates as that bears Your name is literally “over which your name is called.” This implies that God is the owner of Jerusalem. See also the note on 2 Samuel 12:28d-e.

9:18c

For we are not presenting our petitions before You because of our righteous acts,

It is not because we^(excl) are righteous that we make this request.
It is not because of any merit of our own that we ask this.

For we are not presenting our petitions before You because of our righteous acts: Daniel did not expect God to listen to his prayer because the people of Israel were righteous. As he had just confessed, they were not. So their good deeds or good lives were not the reason why he hoped that God would listen to his requests. Other ways to translate this include:

For it is not because of our own righteous deeds that we are praying to you (NET)

We do not present our supplication before you on the ground of our righteousness (NRSV)

9:18d

but because of Your great compassion.

It is because of your great mercy.
We ask it because you are merciful.

but because of Your great compassion: This is a short way of saying “but we make these requests of you because of your great compassion.” Daniel implied that he hoped that God would answer his requests because God was compassionate. Other ways to translate this include:

but because your compassion is abundant (NET)

but on the ground of your great mercies (NRSV)

General Comment on 9:18c-d

In some languages it may be natural to reverse the order of 9:18d and c, putting the positive before the negative. For example:

It is because you are very merciful that we ask this, not because we are righteous

We ask this because you are compassionate. We do not ask it because we are righteous.

9:18c-d

(reordered) It is because you are very merciful that we ask these things. It is not because we think that we are good.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

הַטֵּ֨ה & אָזְנְ⁠ךָ֮

incline & ear_of,your

To incline … your ear is an idiom that means to listen. Alternate translation: “please listen”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

הַטֵּ֨ה & אָזְנְ⁠ךָ֮ וּֽ⁠שֲׁמָע֒

incline & ear_of,your and,listen

These two phrases means the same thing and emphasize Daniel’s desire for God to listen to his prayer. Alternate translation: “please listen”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

פקח⁠ה עֵינֶ֗י⁠ךָ

פקח,ה eyes_of,your

To open your eyes is an idiom that means to see. Alternate translation: “notice us” or “pay attention”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

פקח⁠ה עֵינֶ֗י⁠ךָ וּ⁠רְאֵה֙

פקח,ה eyes_of,your and,see

These two phrases means the same thing and emphasize Daniel’s desire for God to pay attention to his prayer. Alternate translation: “notice us” or “pay attention”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

נִקְרָ֥א שִׁמְ⁠ךָ֖

called name_of,your

Here name represents ownership. Alternate translation: “is your city” or “belongs to you”

Parallel DAN 9:18