O Lord, Be Gracious to Me

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

Daniel's Prayer for His People

9 ^(A)In the first year of ^(B)Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a ^(C)Mede, who was made king over the realm of the ^(D)Chaldeans— ² in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to ^(E)the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

³ Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by ^(F)prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. ⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and ^(G)made confession, saying, ^(H)“O Lord, the ^(I)great and awesome God, who ^(J)keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ^5 (K)we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly ^(L)and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. ^6 (M)We have not listened to ^(N)your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to ^(O)our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. ⁷ To you, ^(P)O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, ^(Q)those who are near and ^(R)those who are far away, in ^(S)all the lands to which you have driven them, because of ^(T)the treachery that they have committed against you. ⁸ To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because ^(U)we have sinned against you. ^9 (V)To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him ^10 (W)and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by ^(X)his servants the prophets. ^11 (Y)All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, ^(Z)refusing to obey your voice. ^(AA)And the curse and oath ^(AB)that are written in the Law of ^(AC)Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because ^(AD)we have sinned against him. ¹² He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against ^(AE)our rulers who ruled us,^[a] by ^(AF)bringing upon us a great calamity. ^(AG)For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. ^13 (AH)As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, ^(AI)turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. ^14 (AJ)Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, ^(AK)for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and ^(AL)we have not obeyed his voice. ¹⁵ And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt ^(AM)with a mighty hand, and ^(AN)have made a name for yourself, as at this day, ^(AO)we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

¹⁶ “O Lord, ^(AP)according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, ^(AQ)your holy hill, ^(AR)because for our sins, and for ^(AS)the iniquities of our fathers, ^(AT)Jerusalem and your people have become ^(AU)a byword among all who are around us. ¹⁷ Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,^{[b] (AV)}make your face to shine upon ^(AW)your sanctuary, which is desolate. ^18 (AX)O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see ^(AY)our desolations, and ^(AZ)the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. ^(BA)Delay not, ^(BB)for your own sake, O my God, because ^(BC)your city and ^(BD)your people are called by your name.”

Gabriel Brings an Answer

^20 (BE)While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for ^(BF)the holy hill of my God, ²¹ while I was speaking in prayer, the man ^(BG)Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, ^(BH)came to me in swift flight at ^(BI)the time of the evening sacrifice. ^22 (BJ)He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you ^(BK)insight and understanding. ^23 (BL)At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, ^(BM)and I have come to tell it to you, for ^(BN)you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word ^(BO)and understand the vision.

The Seventy Weeks

^24 (BP)“Seventy weeks^[c] are decreed about your people and ^(BQ)your holy city, to finish ^(BR)the transgression, to put an end to sin, ^(BS)and to atone for iniquity, ^(BT)to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and ^(BU)to anoint a most holy place.^{[d] 25 (BV)}Know therefore and understand that ^(BW)from the going out of the word to restore and ^(BX)build Jerusalem to the coming of an ^(BY)anointed one, a ^(BZ)prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again^[e] with squares and moat, ^(CA)but in a troubled time. ²⁶ And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall ^(CB)be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come ^(CC)shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. ^(CD)Its^[f] end shall come with a flood, ^(CE)and to the end there shall be war. ^(CF)Desolations are decreed. ²⁷ And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week,^[g] and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. ^(CG)And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until ^(CH)the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet

13 Now ^(A)before ^(B)the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that ^(C)his hour had come ^(D)to depart out of this world to the Father, ^(E)having loved ^(F)his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. ² During supper, when ^(G)the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, ³ Jesus, knowing ^(H)that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that ^(I)he had come from God and ^(J)was going back to God, ⁴ rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, ^(K)tied it around his waist. ⁵ Then he ^(L)poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. ⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” ^7 (M)Jesus answered him, “What I am doing ^(N)you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” ^8 (O)Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, ^(P)“If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” ⁹ Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, ^(Q)except for his feet,^[a] but is completely clean. And ^(R)you^[b] are clean, ^(S)but not every one of you.” ^11 (T)For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

¹² When he had washed their feet and ^(U)put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, ^(V)“Do you understand what I have done to you? ^13 (W)You call me ^(X)Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. ¹⁴ If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, ^(Y)you also ought to wash one another's feet. ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, ^(Z)that you also should do just as I have done to you. ¹⁶ Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(AA)a servant^[c] is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ If you know these things, ^(AB)blessed are you if you do them. ^18 (AC)I am not speaking of all of you; I know ^(AD)whom I have chosen. But ^(AE)the Scripture will be fulfilled,^{[d] (AF)}‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ ^19 (AG)I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. ²⁰ Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(AH)whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”