Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

30 Unto the end, a psalm for David, in an ecstasy.

² In thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in thy justice.

³ Bow down thy ear to me: make haste to deliver me. Be thou unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.

⁴ For thou art my strength and my refuge; and for thy name's sake thou wilt lead me, and nourish me.

⁵ Thou wilt bring me out of this snare, which they have hidden for me: for thou art my protector.

⁶ Into thy hands I commend my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.

⁷ Thou hast hated them that regard vanities, to no purpose. But I have hoped in the Lord:

⁸ I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy. For thou hast regarded my humility, thou hast saved my soul out of distresses.

⁹ And thou hast not shut me up in the hands of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a spacious place.

¹⁰ Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted: my eye is troubled with wrath, my soul, and my belly:

¹¹ For my life is wasted with grief: and my years in sighs. My strength is weakened through poverty and my bones are disturbed.

¹² I am become a reproach among all my enemies, and very much to my neighbours; and a fear to my acquaintance. They that saw me without fled from me.

¹³ I am forgotten as one dead from the heart. I am become as a vessel that is destroyed.

¹⁴ For I have heard the blame of many that dwell round about. While they assembled together against me, they consulted to take away my life.

¹⁵ But I have put my trust in thee, O Lord: I said: Thou art my God.

¹⁶ My lots are in thy hands. Deliver me out of the hands of my enemies; and from them that persecute me.

¹⁷ Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; save me in thy mercy.

¹⁸ Let me not be confounded, O Lord, for I have called upon thee. Let the wicked be ashamed, and be brought down to hell.

¹⁹ Let deceitful lips be made dumb. Which speak iniquity against the just, with pride and abuse.

²⁰ O how great is the multitude of thy sweetness, O Lord, which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee! Which thou hast wrought for them that hope in thee, in the sight of the sons of men.

²¹ Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy face, from the disturbance of men. Thou shalt protect them in thy tabernacle from the contradiction of tongues.

²² Blessed be the Lord, for he hath shewn his wonderful mercy to me in a fortified city.

²³ But I said in the excess of my mind: I am cast away from before thy eyes. Therefore thou hast heard the voice of my prayer, when I cried to thee.

²⁴ O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord will require truth, and will repay them abundantly that act proudly.

²⁵ Do ye manfully, and let your heart be strengthened, all ye that hope in the Lord.

²⁵ But in all Israel there was not a man so comely, and so exceedingly beautiful as Absalom: from the sole of the foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

²⁶ And when he polled his hair (now he was polled once a year, because his hair was burdensome to him) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred sicles, according to the common weight.

²⁷ And there were born to Absalom three sons: and one daughter, whose, name was Thamar, and she was very beautiful.

²⁸ And Absalom dwelt two years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face.

²⁹ He sent therefore to Joab, to send him to the king: but he would not come to him. And when he had sent the second time, and he would not come to him,

³⁰ He said to his servants: You know the field of Joab near my field, that hath a crop of barley: go now and set it on fire. So the servants of Absalom set the corn on fire. And Joab's servants coming with their garments rent, said: The servants of Absalom have set part of the field on fire.

³¹ Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom to his house, and said: Why have thy servants set my corn on fire?

³² And Absalom answered Joab: I sent to thee beseeching thee to come to me, that I might send thee to the king, to say to him: Wherefore am I come from Gessur? it had been better for me to be there: I beseech thee therefore that I may see the face of the king: and if he be mindful of my iniquity, let him kill me.

³³ So Joab going in to the king, told him all: and Absalom was called for, and he went in to the king: and prostrated himself on the ground before him: and the king kissed Absalom.

² And behold they brought to him one sick of the palsy lying in a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the man sick of the palsy: Be of good heart, son, thy sins are forgiven thee.

³ And behold some of the scribes said within themselves: He blasphemeth.

⁴ And Jesus seeing their thoughts, said: Why do you think evil in your hearts?

⁵ Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee: or to say, Arise, and walk?

⁶ But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then said he to the man sick of palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house.

⁷ And he arose, and went into his house.

⁸ And the multitude seeing it, feared, and glorified God that gave such power to men.