Psalm 61^[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David.

Psalm 62^[a]

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

The Seventy “Sevens”

²⁰ While I was speaking and praying, confessing^(A) my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill^(B)— ²¹ while I was still in prayer, Gabriel,^(C) the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.^{(D) 22} He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.^{(E) 23} As soon as you began to pray,^(F) a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed.^(G) Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:^(H)

²⁴ “Seventy ‘sevens’^[a] are decreed for your people and your holy city^(I) to finish^[b] transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone^(J) for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness,^(K) to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.^[c]

²⁵ “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild^(L) Jerusalem until the Anointed One,^[d](M) the ruler,^(N) comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.^{(O) 26} After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death^(P) and will have nothing.^[e] The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood:^(Q) War will continue until the end, and desolations^(R) have been decreed.^{(S) 27} He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’^[f] In the middle of the ‘seven’^[g] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple^[h] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed^(T) is poured out on him.^[i]”^[j]

The Woman and the Dragon

12 A great sign^(A) appeared in heaven:^(B) a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars^(C) on her head. ² She was pregnant and cried out in pain^(D) as she was about to give birth. ³ Then another sign appeared in heaven:^(E) an enormous red dragon^(F) with seven heads^(G) and ten horns^(H) and seven crowns^(I) on its heads. ⁴ Its tail swept a third^(J) of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.^(K) The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child^(L) the moment he was born. ⁵ She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”^[a](M) And her child was snatched up^(N) to God and to his throne. ⁶ The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.^(O)

⁷ Then war broke out in heaven. Michael^(P) and his angels fought against the dragon,^(Q) and the dragon and his angels^(R) fought back. ⁸ But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent^(S) called the devil,^(T) or Satan,^(U) who leads the whole world astray.^(V) He was hurled to the earth,^(W) and his angels with him.

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven^(X) say:

¹³ When the dragon^(AH) saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.^{(AI) 14} The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle,^(AJ) so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time,^(AK) out of the serpent’s reach. ¹⁵ Then from his mouth the serpent^(AL) spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. ¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. ¹⁷ Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war^(AM) against the rest of her offspring^(AN)—those who keep God’s commands^(AO) and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.^(AP)