12 Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And (A)how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and (B)be treated with contempt?

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The Sin-Bearing Messiah

53 Who (A)has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no [a]form or [b]comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no [c]beauty that we should desire Him.
(B)He is despised and [d]rejected by men,
A Man of [e]sorrows and (C)acquainted with [f]grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and (D)we did not esteem Him.

Surely (E)He has borne our [g]griefs
And carried our [h]sorrows;
Yet we [i]esteemed Him stricken,
[j]Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was (F)wounded[k] for our transgressions,
He was [l]bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His (G)stripes[m] we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord [n]has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet (H)He opened not His mouth;
(I)He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
He was (J)taken from [o]prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For (K)He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
(L)And [p]they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any (M)deceit in His mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to [q]bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul (N)an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
11 [r]He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge (O)My righteous (P)Servant shall (Q)justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
12 (R)Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
(S)And He shall divide the [s]spoil with the strong,
Because He (T)poured out His soul unto death,
And He was (U)numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And (V)made intercession for the transgressors.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 53:2 Stately form
  2. Isaiah 53:2 splendor
  3. Isaiah 53:2 Lit. appearance
  4. Isaiah 53:3 Or forsaken
  5. Isaiah 53:3 Lit. pains
  6. Isaiah 53:3 Lit. sickness
  7. Isaiah 53:4 Lit. sicknesses
  8. Isaiah 53:4 Lit. pains
  9. Isaiah 53:4 reckoned
  10. Isaiah 53:4 Struck down
  11. Isaiah 53:5 Or pierced through
  12. Isaiah 53:5 crushed
  13. Isaiah 53:5 Blows that cut in
  14. Isaiah 53:6 Lit. has caused to land on Him
  15. Isaiah 53:8 confinement
  16. Isaiah 53:9 Lit. he or He
  17. Isaiah 53:10 crush
  18. Isaiah 53:11 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; DSS, LXX From the labor of His soul He shall see light
  19. Isaiah 53:12 plunder

(A)I gave My back to those who struck Me,
And (B)My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard;
I did not hide My face from shame and (C)spitting.

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11 (A)Then Herod, with his [a]men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 23:11 troops

14 Just as many were astonished at you,
So His (A)visage[a] was marred more than any man,
And His form more than the sons of men;

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 52:14 appearance

Thus says the Lord,
The Redeemer of Israel, [a]their Holy One,
(A)To Him [b]whom man despises,
To Him whom the nation abhors,
To the Servant of rulers:
(B)“Kings shall see and arise,
Princes also shall worship,
Because of the Lord who is faithful,
The Holy One of Israel;
And He has chosen You.”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 49:7 Lit. his or its
  2. Isaiah 49:7 Lit. who is despised of soul

16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 (A)He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

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The Shepherd Savior

“Awake, O sword, against (A)My Shepherd,
Against the Man (B)who is My Companion,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
(C)“Strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep will be scattered;
Then I will turn My hand against (D)the little ones.

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(A)The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
(B)“Prepare the way of the Lord;
(C)Make straight [a]in the desert
A highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
(D)The crooked places shall be made [b]straight
And the rough places smooth;
The (E)glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 40:3 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX omits in the desert
  2. Isaiah 40:4 Or a plain

The Suffering, Praise, and Posterity of the Messiah

To the Chief Musician. Set to [a]“The Deer of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David.

22 My (A)God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Why are You so far from helping Me,
And from the words of My groaning?
O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;
And in the night season, and am not silent.

But You are holy,
Enthroned in the (B)praises of Israel.
Our fathers trusted in You;
They trusted, and You delivered them.
They cried to You, and were delivered;
(C)They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.

But I am (D)a worm, and no man;
(E)A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
(F)All those who see Me ridicule Me;
They [b]shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
“He(G) [c]trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him;
(H)Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

(I)But You are He who took Me out of the womb;
You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.
10 I was cast upon You from birth.
From My mother’s womb
(J)You have been My God.
11 Be not far from Me,
For trouble is near;
For there is none to help.

12 (K)Many bulls have surrounded Me;
Strong bulls of (L)Bashan have encircled Me.
13 (M)They [d]gape at Me with their mouths,
Like a raging and roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water,
(N)And all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted [e]within Me.
15 (O)My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And (P)My tongue clings to My jaws;
You have brought Me to the dust of death.

16 For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
(Q)They[f] pierced My hands and My feet;
17 I can count all My bones.
(R)They look and stare at Me.
18 (S)They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.

19 But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me;
O My Strength, hasten to help Me!
20 Deliver Me from the sword,
(T)My[g] precious life from the power of the dog.
21 (U)Save Me from the lion’s mouth
And from the horns of the wild oxen!

(V)You have answered Me.

22 (W)I will declare Your name to (X)My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
23 (Y)You who fear the Lord, praise Him!
All you [h]descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from Him;
But (Z)when He cried to Him, He heard.

25 (AA)My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;
(AB)I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.
26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.
Let your heart live forever!

27 All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the families of the [i]nations
Shall worship before [j]You.
28 (AC)For the kingdom is the Lord’s,
And He rules over the nations.

29 (AD)All the prosperous of the earth
Shall eat and worship;
(AE)All those who go down to [k]the dust
Shall bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep himself alive.

30 A posterity shall serve Him.
It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,
31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born,
That He has done this.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 22:1 Heb. Aijeleth Hashahar
  2. Psalm 22:7 Show contempt with their mouth
  3. Psalm 22:8 LXX, Syr., Vg. hoped; Tg. praised
  4. Psalm 22:13 Lit. have opened their mouths at Me
  5. Psalm 22:14 Lit. in the midst of My bowels
  6. Psalm 22:16 So with some Heb. mss., LXX, Syr., Vg.; MT Like a lion instead of They pierced
  7. Psalm 22:20 Lit. My only one
  8. Psalm 22:23 Lit. seed
  9. Psalm 22:27 Gentiles
  10. Psalm 22:27 So with MT, LXX, Tg.; Arab., Syr., Vg. Him
  11. Psalm 22:29 Death

(A)And when John had heard (B)in prison about the works of Christ, he [a]sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You (C)the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: (D)The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and (E)the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not (F)offended because of Me.”

(G)As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? (H)A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, (I)and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he of whom it is written:

(J)‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.’

11 “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 (K)And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 (L)For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to receive it, he is (M)Elijah who is to come. 15 (N)He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

16 (O)“But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, 17 and saying:

‘We played the flute for you,
And you did not dance;
We mourned to you,
And you did not [b]lament.’

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 11:2 NU sent by his
  2. Matthew 11:17 Lit. beat your breast

John the Baptist Prepares the Way(A)

In those days (B)John the Baptist came preaching (C)in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for (D)the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

(E)“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
(F)‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’ ”

Now (G)John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was (H)locusts and (I)wild honey. (J)Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him (K)and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, (L)“Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from (M)the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, (N)‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. (O)Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 (P)I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. (Q)He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit [a]and fire. 12 (R)His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will (S)burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 3:11 M omits and fire

And (A)he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and (B)strike the earth with (C)a curse.”

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An Urgent Plea for Help in Trouble

To the Chief Musician. Set to [a]“The Lilies.” A Psalm of David.

69 Save me, O God!
For (A)the waters have come up to my [b]neck.
(B)I sink in deep mire,
Where there is no standing;
I have come into deep waters,
Where the floods overflow me.
(C)I am weary with my crying;
My throat is dry;
(D)My eyes fail while I wait for my God.

Those who (E)hate me without a cause
Are more than the hairs of my head;
They are mighty who would destroy me,
Being my enemies wrongfully;
Though I have stolen nothing,
I still must restore it.

O God, You know my foolishness;
And my sins are not hidden from You.
Let not those who [c]wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me;
Let not those who seek You be [d]confounded because of me, O God of Israel.
Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Shame has covered my face.
(F)I have become a stranger to my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s children;
(G)Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,
(H)And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
10 When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting,
That became my reproach.
11 I also [e]made sackcloth my garment;
I became a byword to them.
12 Those who [f]sit in the gate speak against me,
And I am the song of the (I)drunkards.

13 But as for me, my prayer is to You,
O Lord, in the acceptable time;
O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,
Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.
14 Deliver me out of the mire,
And let me not sink;
Let me be delivered from those who hate me,
And out of the deep waters.
15 Let not the floodwater overflow me,
Nor let the deep swallow me up;
And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.

16 Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good;
Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.
17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in trouble;
Hear me speedily.
18 Draw near to my soul, and redeem it;
Deliver me because of my enemies.

19 You know (J)my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;
My adversaries are all before You.
20 Reproach has broken my heart,
And I am full of [g]heaviness;
(K)I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none;
And for (L)comforters, but I found none.
21 They also gave me gall for my food,
(M)And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

22 (N)Let their table become a snare before them,
And their well-being a trap.
23 (O)Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see;
And make their loins shake continually.
24 (P)Pour out Your indignation upon them,
And let Your wrathful anger take hold of them.
25 (Q)Let their dwelling place be desolate;
Let no one live in their tents.
26 For they persecute the ones (R)You have struck,
And talk of the grief of those You have wounded.
27 (S)Add iniquity to their iniquity,
(T)And let them not come into Your righteousness.
28 Let them (U)be blotted out of the book of the living,
(V)And not be written with the righteous.

29 But I am poor and sorrowful;
Let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high.
30 (W)I will praise the name of God with a song,
And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
31 (X)This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bull,
Which has horns and hooves.
32 (Y)The humble shall see this and be glad;
And you who seek God, (Z)your hearts shall live.
33 For the Lord hears the poor,
And does not despise (AA)His prisoners.

34 (AB)Let heaven and earth praise Him,
The seas (AC)and everything that moves in them.
35 (AD)For God will save Zion
And build the cities of Judah,
That they may dwell there and possess it.
36 Also, (AE)the [h]descendants of His servants shall inherit it,
And those who love His name shall dwell in it.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 69:1 Heb. Shoshannim
  2. Psalm 69:1 Lit. soul
  3. Psalm 69:6 Wait in faith
  4. Psalm 69:6 dishonored
  5. Psalm 69:11 Symbolic of sorrow
  6. Psalm 69:12 Sit as judges
  7. Psalm 69:20 Lit. sickness
  8. Psalm 69:36 Lit. seed

(A)but [a]made Himself of no reputation, taking the form (B)of a bondservant, and (C)coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and (D)became (E)obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

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Footnotes

  1. Philippians 2:7 emptied Himself of His privileges

27 John answered and said, (A)“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, (B)‘I am not the Christ,’ but, (C)‘I have been sent before Him.’ 29 (D)He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but (E)the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30 (F)He must increase, but I must decrease.

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John’s Witness: The True Light

There was a (A)man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a (B)witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might (C)believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that (D)Light. (E)That[a] was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and (F)the world did not know Him. 11 (G)He came to His [b]own, and His [c]own did not receive Him. 12 But (H)as many as received Him, to them He gave the [d]right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 (I)who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

The Word Becomes Flesh

14 (J)And the Word (K)became (L)flesh and dwelt among us, and (M)we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, (N)full of grace and truth.

15 (O)John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, (P)‘He who comes after me [e]is preferred before me, (Q)for He was before me.’ ”

16 [f]And of His (R)fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For (S)the law was given through Moses, but (T)grace and (U)truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 (V)No one has seen God at any time. (W)The only begotten [g]Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

A Voice in the Wilderness(X)

19 Now this is (Y)the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

20 (Z)He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you (AA)the Prophet?”

And he answered, “No.”

22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”

23 He said: (AB)“I am

(AC)‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’

as the prophet Isaiah said.”

24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

26 John answered them, saying, (AD)“I baptize with water, (AE)but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 (AF)It is He who, coming after me, [h]is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”

28 These things were done (AG)in [i]Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The Lamb of God(AH)

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! (AI)The Lamb of God (AJ)who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who [j]is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, (AK)therefore I came baptizing with water.”

32 (AL)And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, (AM)this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the (AN)Son of God.”

The First Disciples

35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, (AO)“Behold the Lamb of God!”

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Footnotes

  1. John 1:9 Or That was the true Light which, coming into the world, gives light to every man.
  2. John 1:11 His own things or domain
  3. John 1:11 His own people
  4. John 1:12 authority
  5. John 1:15 ranks higher than I
  6. John 1:16 NU For
  7. John 1:18 NU God
  8. John 1:27 ranks higher than I
  9. John 1:28 NU, M Bethany
  10. John 1:30 ranks higher than I

39 (A)Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, [a]“If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 23:39 NU Are You not the Christ? Save

[a]while (A)Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to (B)John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. (C)And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance (D)for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

(E)“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough ways smooth;
And (F)all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 3:2 NU, M in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas

76 “And you, child, will be called the (A)prophet of the Highest;
For (B)you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

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As it is written in [a]the Prophets:

(A)“Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.”
“The(B) voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’ ”

(C)John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance [b]for the remission of sins. (D)Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

Now John was (E)clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, (F)“There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. (G)I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you (H)with the Holy Spirit.”

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 1:2 NU Isaiah the prophet
  2. Mark 1:4 Or because of forgiveness

24 The Son of Man indeed goes just (A)as it is written of Him, but (B)woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! (C)It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”

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Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection(A)

21 From that time Jesus began (B)to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

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13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the (A)potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter.

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24 “Seventy [a]weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
[b]To make an end of sins,
(A)To make reconciliation for iniquity,
(B)To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
(C)And to anoint [c]the Most Holy.

25 “Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until (D)Messiah (E)the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The [d]street shall be built again, and the [e]wall,
Even in troublesome times.

26 “And after the sixty-two weeks
(F)Messiah shall [f]be cut off, (G)but not for Himself;
And (H)the people of the prince who is to come
(I)Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.

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Footnotes

  1. Daniel 9:24 Lit. sevens, and so throughout the chapter
  2. Daniel 9:24 So with Qr., LXX, Syr., Vg.; Kt., Theodotion To seal up
  3. Daniel 9:24 The Most Holy Place
  4. Daniel 9:25 Or open square
  5. Daniel 9:25 Or moat
  6. Daniel 9:26 Suffer the death penalty

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