Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

130 A Song of the Ascents. From depths I have called Thee, Jehovah.

² Lord, hearken to my voice, Thine ears are attentive to the voice of my supplications.

³ If iniquities Thou dost observe, O Lord, who doth stand?

⁴ But with Thee [is] forgiveness, that Thou mayest be feared.

⁵ I hoped [for] Jehovah -- hoped hath my soul, And for His word I have waited.

⁶ My soul [is] for the Lord, More than those watching for morning, Watching for morning!

⁷ Israel doth wait on Jehovah, For with Jehovah [is] kindness, And abundant with Him [is] redemption.

⁸ And He doth redeem Israel from all his iniquities!

¹³ and much people are gathered to Jerusalem, to make the feast of unleavened things in the second month -- a mighty assembly for multitude.

¹⁴ And they arise and turn aside the altars that [are] in Jerusalem, and all the perfume altars they have turned aside, and cast [them] to the brook Kidron;

¹⁵ and they slaughter the passover-offering on the fourteenth of the second month, and the priests and the Levites have been ashamed, and sanctify themselves, and bring in burnt-offerings to the house of Jehovah.

¹⁶ And they stand on their station according to their ordinance; according to the law of Moses the man of God the priests are sprinkling the blood out of the hand of the Levites,

¹⁷ for many [are] in the assembly who have not sanctified themselves, and the Levites [are] over the slaughtering of the passover-offerings for every one not clean, to sanctify [him] to Jehovah:

¹⁸ for a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, have not been cleansed, but have eaten the passover otherwise than it is written; but Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, `Jehovah, who [is] good, doth receive atonement for every one

¹⁹ who hath prepared his heart to seek God -- Jehovah, God of his fathers -- yet not according to the cleansing of the sanctuary;'

²⁰ and Jehovah hearkeneth unto Hezekiah, and healeth the people.

²¹ And the sons of Israel, those found in Jerusalem, make the feast of unleavened things seven days with great joy; and giving praise to Jehovah day by day are the Levites and the priests, with instruments of praise before Jehovah.

²² And Hezekiah speaketh unto the heart of all the Levites, those giving good understanding concerning Jehovah, and they eat the appointed thing seven days; sacrificing sacrifices of peace-offerings, and making confession to Jehovah, God of their fathers.

²³ And all the assembly take counsel to keep other seven days, and they keep seven days [with] joy;

²⁴ for Hezekiah king of Judah hath presented to the assembly a thousand bullocks, and seven thousand sheep; and the heads have presented to the assembly bullocks a thousand, and sheep ten thousand; and priests sanctify themselves in abundance.

²⁵ And all the assembly of Judah rejoice, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the assembly, those coming in from Israel, and the sojourners, those coming in from the land of Israel, and those dwelling in Judah,

²⁶ and there is great joy in Jerusalem; for from the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there is not like this in Jerusalem,

²⁷ and the priests, the Levites, rise and bless the people, and their voice is heard, and their prayer cometh in to His holy habitation, to the heavens.

2 And again he entered into Capernaum, after [some] days, and it was heard that he is in the house,

² and immediately many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door, and he was speaking to them the word.

³ And they come unto him, bringing a paralytic, borne by four,

⁴ and not being able to come near to him because of the multitude, they uncovered the roof where he was, and, having broken [it] up, they let down the couch on which the paralytic was lying,

⁵ and Jesus having seen their faith, saith to the paralytic, `Child, thy sins have been forgiven thee.'

⁶ And there were certain of the scribes there sitting, and reasoning in their hearts,

⁷ `Why doth this one thus speak evil words? who is able to forgive sins except one -- God?'

⁸ And immediately Jesus, having known in his spirit that they thus reason in themselves, said to them, `Why these things reason ye in your hearts?

⁹ which is easier, to say to the paralytic, The sins have been forgiven to thee? or to say, Rise, and take up thy couch, and walk?

¹⁰ `And, that ye may know that the Son of Man hath authority on the earth to forgive sins -- (he saith to the paralytic) --

¹¹ I say to thee, Rise, and take up thy couch, and go away to thy house;'

¹² and he rose immediately, and having taken up the couch, he went forth before all, so that all were astonished, and do glorify God, saying -- `Never thus did we see.'