If integrated into the book of Daniel: 3.35

Do not withdraw thy mercy from us: Good News Translation has a much better choice of a verb here: “Do not withhold your mercy from us.” In the sorry state in which the exiles were living, it is more appropriate to have them asking God to show mercy, rather than to have them asking him to not take it away. So we may translate “Please keep on showing mercy to us.”

For the sake of Abraham … Isaac … and Israel …: God will have to show mercy by allowing the Jews to continue to exist, if he is to keep the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Good News Translation “Jacob”), which are recounted in the next verse. No matter how unworthy the present generation may be, for the sake of the ancient worthies Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God will have to show mercy. This is the logic behind Good News Translation with “Keep your promises to Abraham….”

For Abraham thy beloved … Isaac thy servant … Israel thy holy one, compare Isa 41.8:

But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, my friend.

Moore translates Abraham thy beloved as “Abraham your friend” in the light of the Isaiah passage. This is understandable, but perhaps unwarranted. The text only says “Abraham whom you loved.” The odd thing about this list is that Israel (Jacob) is called thy holy one. Elsewhere in Scripture the people of Israel are referred to as holy (for example, Deut 7.6), but nowhere is the man Israel (Jacob) called God’s holy one. Good News Translation takes liberty in interpreting this to mean “Jacob, the father of your holy people Israel.” This too is understandable but perhaps unwarranted; “Israel, your chosen one” is better. This is a unique passage, and it is probably wiser to let it remain so. Some translators may wish to substitute “Jacob” for “Israel” however.

Contemporary English Version has a helpful alternative model for this verse:

• You loved Abraham;
Isaac obeyed you,
and you chose Jacob.
For their sakes, don’t take
your mercy from us.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.