As I read Daniel 9 the other day, the Lord put it on my heart to adapt it to the US, changing as little as possible.

Here is my adaptation of Daniel’s prayer (Daniel 9:4-19 ESV) for these United States:

O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.

We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of this nation, indeed to all Americans, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you.

To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our government, to our leaders, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.

To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him

and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

All of America has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Your Word have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him.

He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity.

As it is written in Your Word, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth.

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.

And now, O Lord our God, who brought us to this once blessed land by Your great mercy, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from this nation, this nation which once sought after You, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, we have become a byword among all who are around us

Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate.

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 do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.

O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Don’t delay, for your own sake, O my God, because  your people are called by your name.