Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 63

Praise God Who Satisfies

A psalm of David. When he was in the Wilderness of Judah.^(A)

Psalm 98

Praise the King

A psalm.

Psalm 103

The Forgiving God

Of David.

¹⁵ Early on the seventh day, they started at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same way. That was the only day they marched around the city seven times. ¹⁶ After the seventh time, the priests blew the rams’ horns, and Joshua said to the troops, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city. ¹⁷ But the city and everything in it are set apart to the Lord for destruction.^(A) Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone with her in the house will live,^(B) because she hid the messengers we sent. ¹⁸ But keep yourselves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for destruction. If you^[a] take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and make trouble for it. ¹⁹ For all the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, are dedicated to the Lord and must go into the Lord’s treasury.”^(C)

²⁰ So the troops shouted, and the rams’ horns sounded. When they heard the blast of the ram’s horn, the troops gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed.^(D) The troops advanced into the city, each man straight ahead, and they captured the city. ²¹ They completely destroyed^(E) everything in the city with the sword—every man and woman, both young and old, and every ox, sheep, and donkey.

Rahab and Her Family Spared

²² Joshua said to the two men who had scouted the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out of there, and all who are with her, just as you swore to her.”^{(F) 23} So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab and her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.

²⁴ They burned the city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. ²⁵ However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she still lives in Israel^(G) today.^(H)

²⁶ At that time Joshua imposed this curse:

²⁷ And the Lord was with Joshua,^(K) and his fame spread throughout the land.

Paul before the Sanhedrin

³⁰ The next day, since he wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him^[a] and instructed the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to convene.^(A) He brought Paul down and placed him before them.

23 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience^(B) to this day.” ² The high priest Ananias ordered those who were standing next to him to strike him on the mouth.^{(C) 3} Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! You are sitting there judging me according to the law, and yet in violation of the law are you ordering me to be struck?” ^(D)

⁴ Those standing nearby said, “Do you dare revile God’s high priest?”

⁵ “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest,” replied Paul. “For it is written, You must not speak evil of a ruler of your people.”^{[b](E) 6} When Paul realized that one part of them were Sadducees and the other part were Pharisees, he cried out in the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees.^(F) I am being judged because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead!” ^{(G) 7} When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection,^(H) and neither angel nor spirit, but the Pharisees affirm them all.

⁹ The shouting grew loud, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’^(I) party got up and argued vehemently, “We find nothing evil in this man.^(J) What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” ^[c](K)

¹⁰ When the dispute became violent, the commander feared that Paul might be torn apart by them and ordered the troops to go down, take him away from them, and bring him into the barracks.^{(L) 11} The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Have courage! For as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so it is necessary for you to testify in Rome.”^(M)

The Son of Man Forgives and Heals

2 When^(A) he entered Capernaum^(B) again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. ² So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word^(C) to them. ³ They came to him bringing a paralytic,^(D) carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they were not able to bring him to^[a] Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. ⁵ Seeing their faith,^(E) Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins^(F) are forgiven.”^(G)

⁶ But some of the scribes^(H) were sitting there, questioning^(I) in their hearts: ⁷ “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming!^(J) Who can forgive^(K) sins^(L) but God alone?” ^(M)

⁸ Right away^(N) Jesus perceived in his spirit^(O) that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? ⁹ Which is easier:^(P) to say to the paralytic,^(Q) ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’?^{(R) 10} But so that you may know that the Son of Man^(S) has authority^(T) on earth to forgive sins”^(U)—he told the paralytic— ¹¹ “I tell you: get up,^(V) take your mat, and go home.”

¹² Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded^(W) and gave glory^(X) to God,^(Y) saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” ^(Z)