Passage
To thee, O Lord, justice: but to us confusion of face, as at this day to the men of Juda, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, to them that are near, and to them that are far off, in all the countries whither thou hast driven them, for their iniquities, by which they have sinned against thee.
Nearby Context
Daniel 9:5 We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly, and have revolted: and we have gone aside from thy commandments, and thy judgments.
Daniel 9:6 We have not hearkened to thy servants, the prophets, that have spoken in thy name to our kings, to our princes, to our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
Daniel 9:7 To thee, O Lord, justice: but to us confusion of face, as at this day to the men of Juda, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, to them that are near, and to them that are far off, in all the countries whither thou hast driven them, for their iniquities, by which they have sinned against thee.
Daniel 9:8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, that have sinned.
Daniel 9:9 But to thee, the Lord our God, mercy and forgiveness, for we have departed from thee:
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "iniquities", "thee", "lord", "justice", "confusion", "face", "juda", and "inhabitants". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "iniquities" and "thee", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 6's "We have not hearkened to thy servants..." into verse 8's "O Lord to us belongeth confusion of...", so "iniquities" and "thee" belong inside that flow. In Daniel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "iniquities" and "thee" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.