Daniel 9:16-17

According to all thy righteousness let thine anger be turned away The word righteousness here, as in many other places of Scripture, is equivalent to mercy; (see the margin;) from thy holy mountain The place whereon thy temple stood. Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach Our conquerors and others, who know into what a miserable condition we are brought, mock at us, and say, See to what a state the people are reduced, who boasted themselves to be the chosen people of the Lord of heaven and earth! Now, therefore, cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary Return in mercy to us, and show that thou art reconciled to us, by repairing the desolations of thy sanctuary. For the Lord's sake That is, as some interpret the expression, for thine own sake; that is, do this that thou mayest do honour to thyself. Or rather, as most Christian interpreters understand the words, for the Lord Christ's sake; for the sake of the Messiah promised, who is Lord. The Hebrew word, here rendered Lord, is אדני, Adonai, the word used for the Messiah Psalms 110:1, where David calls him his Lord. It is for Christ's sake, and because of the atonement he has made for sin, that God causes his face to shine upon sinners, when they repent and turn to him. In all our prayers, therefore, that must be our plea; we must make mention of his righteousness, even his only. He himself has directed us to pray in his name.