Note that Good News Translation sees no need to repeat the address, O Lord, found in the original and reflected in Revised Standard Version. Naturalness in the translation will have to determine how frequently such forms are repeated.
According to all thy righteous acts: righteous acts is literally “righteousnesses,” the same term as in verse 7. The basis of the plea for mercy is the faithful actions of the past. Daniel is reminded of the way in which God previously intervened in favor of his people, and he requests that he be moved by the same sentiments once again. Some other renderings are “saving deeds” (New English Bible) or “vindicating deeds” (Anchor Bible). See comments on “righteousness” in verse 7.
Thy anger and thy wrath: the two words in Hebrew mean virtually the same thing, and they reinforce each other. It is quite possible in many languages to translate them by a single noun, or a noun modified by an adjective, as in “violent anger,” “fierce anger” (Anchor Bible), or “wrathful fury” (New Jerusalem Bible).
Thy holy hill: this refers to Mount Zion, the hill on which the Temple was constructed in Jerusalem, and by extension it refers to the city itself. It is therefore in apposition with thy city Jerusalem, which comes just before it in the text. The term for hill or “mountain” is often associated with deities in ancient Israel and among neighboring peoples. If in the translator’s culture hills are bound with other themes that are different and contradictory, translators are advised to speak here of a “holy place” or “the place where you (God) manifest yourself.”
A byword: in the traditional English versions the term byword translates several different Hebrew words (see Deut 28.37; Job 17.6; 30.9; Psa 44.14). The term used here comes from a verbal root meaning “reproach” and indicates something or someone that is mocked or made fun of by others. Some modern renderings are “mockery” (New Jerusalem Bible), “reproach” (New American Bible and An American Translation), “derision” (Moffatt), “objects of scorn” (New Jerusalem Bible and New International Version).
A possible reformulation of the whole verse is:
• O Lord, in the past you demonstrated your faithfulness to Israel, so now please stop being angry with the city of Jerusalem. It belongs to you, and it is on the hill where sacrifice is made. All the other tribes (or people) who live around us despise your city and your people because of the sins of our ancestors and because of our sins also.
Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René & Ellington, John. A Handbook on Daniel. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .