Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Prayer for Protection, Guidance and Pardon.

A Psalm of David.

¹⁵ “And now, O Lord our God, who have ^(A)brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have ^(B)made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have been wicked. ¹⁶ O Lord, in accordance with all Your ^[a]righteous acts, let now Your ^(C)anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your ^(D)holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a ^(E)reproach to all those around us. ¹⁷ So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for ^[b]Your sake, O Lord, ^(F)let Your face shine on Your ^(G)desolate sanctuary. ¹⁸ O my God, ^(H)incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and ^(I)see our desolations and the city which is ^(J)called by Your name; for we are not ^[c](K)presenting our supplications before You on account of ^[d]any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, ^(L)do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

Gabriel Brings an Answer

²⁰ Now while I was ^(M)speaking and praying, and ^(N)confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and ^[e]presenting my supplication before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, ²¹ while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man ^(O)Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision ^[f]previously, ^[g]came to me ^[h]in my extreme weariness about the time of the ^(P)evening offering. ²² He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with ^(Q)understanding. ²³ At the ^(R)beginning of your supplications the ^[i]command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are ^[j](S)highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain ^(T)understanding of the vision.

Seventy Weeks and the Messiah

²⁴ “Seventy ^[k](U)weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to ^[l]finish the transgression, to ^[m]make an end of sin, to ^(V)make atonement for iniquity, to bring in ^(W)everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and ^[n]prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. ²⁵ So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a ^[o](X)decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until ^[p](Y)Messiah the ^(Z)Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with ^[q]plaza and moat, even in times of distress.

“Preach the Word”

4 ^(A)I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to ^(B)judge the living and the dead, and by His ^(C)appearing and His kingdom: ² preach ^(D)the word; be ready in season and out of season; ^(E)reprove, rebuke, exhort, with ^[a]great ^(F)patience and instruction. ³ For ^(G)the time will come when they will not endure ^(H)sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, ⁴ and ^(I)will turn away their ears from the truth and ^(J)will turn aside to myths. ⁵ But you, ^(K)be sober in all things, ^(L)endure hardship, do the work of an ^(M)evangelist, fulfill your ^(N)ministry.