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DANIEL IX-GABRIEL ANNOUNCETH THE MESSIAH

us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.

14 Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.

15 And now, O Lord our God, thou hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

16 O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.

17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.

18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.

19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do ; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.

20 ¶ And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;

21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.

23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall even in troublous times.

26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:1 and the people of the prince that shall come

'Revised Version: "And after the three score and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off. and shall have nothing."

'Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do you see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?"-Haggai, 2, 3.

WITH the enthusiasm inspired by Haggai, the

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new Temple rose rapidly. Yet it was not possible that these impoverished colonists should erect a structure equal in size and splendor to the former Temple of Solomon. Among the colonists were some few aged folk who had been children before the exile, and who remembered the earlier Temple. These could not forbear from weeping at the contrast; even the leaders, Zerubbabel and the high-priest, were discouraged.

Haggai came forward again, to hearten them. What mattered earthly gorgeousness, he cried, so long as they strove to please the Lord. Was not He able to amend their weaknesses? Was not all the wealth of all the nations in His hands? "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts.

"The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts."

Then Haggai assured them that the curse was lifted, that prosperity should be theirs, and God would make the house of Zerubbabel great beyond all earthly kings. Thus his brief book ends.