The Seventy Weeks of Years

20 While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel,(A) and presenting my petition before the Lord my God concerning the holy mountain of my God— 21 while I was praying, Gabriel,(B) the man I had seen in the first vision,(C) reached me in my extreme weariness, about the time of the evening offering.(D) 22 He gave me this explanation: “Daniel, I’ve come now to give you understanding.(E) 23 At the beginning of your petitions an answer went out, and I have come to give it, for you are treasured by God.[a](F) So consider the message and understand the vision:(G)

24 Seventy weeks are decreed(H)
about your people and your holy city—
to bring the rebellion to an end,
to put a stop to sin,
to atone for iniquity,
to bring in everlasting righteousness,(I)
to seal up vision and prophecy,
and to anoint the most holy place.
25 Know and understand this:
From the issuing of the decree
to restore and rebuild Jerusalem(J)
until an Anointed One,(K) the ruler,[b]
will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.
It will be rebuilt with a plaza and a moat,
but in difficult times.
26 After those sixty-two weeks
the Anointed One will be cut off(L)
and will have nothing.
The people of the coming ruler
will destroy the city(M) and the sanctuary.[c]
The[d] end will come with a flood,(N)
and until the end there will be[e] war;
desolations are decreed.
27 He will make a firm covenant[f]
with many for one week,
but in the middle of the week
he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering.
And the abomination of desolation(O)
will be on a wing(P) of the temple[g][h]
until the decreed destruction(Q)
is poured out on the desolator.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 9:23 by God added for clarity
  2. 9:25 Or until an anointed one, a prince
  3. 9:26 MT; Theod, some mss read The city and the sanctuary will be destroyed when the ruler comes.
  4. 9:26 Lit Its, or His
  5. 9:26 Or end of a
  6. 9:27 Or will enforce a covenant
  7. 9:27 LXX; MT reads of abominations
  8. 9:27 Or And the desolator will be on the wing of abominations, or And the desolator will come on the wings of monsters (or of horror); Hb obscure

Gabriel’s Message about the Anointed One

20 I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people, pleading with the Lord my God for Jerusalem, his holy mountain. 21 As I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He explained to me, “Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding. 23 The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision.

24 “A period of seventy sets of seven[a] has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.[b] 25 Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven[c] will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One[d]—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses,[e] despite the perilous times.

26 “After this period of sixty-two sets of seven,[f] the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end. 27 The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven,[g] but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds,[h] he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration,[i] until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 9:24a Hebrew seventy sevens.
  2. 9:24b Or the Most Holy One.
  3. 9:25a Hebrew Seven sevens plus sixty-two sevens.
  4. 9:25b Or an anointed one; similarly in 9:26. Hebrew reads a messiah.
  5. 9:25c Or and a moat, or and trenches.
  6. 9:26 Hebrew After sixty-two sevens.
  7. 9:27a Hebrew for one seven.
  8. 9:27b Hebrew And on the wing; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  9. 9:27c Hebrew an abomination of desolation.