Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

88 A Song, a Psalm, by sons of Korah, to the Overseer, `Concerning the Sickness of Afflictions.' -- An instruction, by Heman the Ezrahite. O Jehovah, God of my salvation, Daily I have cried, nightly before Thee,

² My prayer cometh in before Thee, Incline Thine ear to my loud cry,

³ For my soul hath been full of evils, And my life hath come to Sheol.

⁴ I have been reckoned with those going down [to] the pit, I have been as a man without strength.

⁵ Among the dead -- free, As pierced ones lying in the grave, Whom Thou hast not remembered any more, Yea, they by Thy hand have been cut off.

⁶ Thou hast put me in the lowest pit, In dark places, in depths.

⁷ Upon me hath Thy fury lain, And [with] all Thy breakers Thou hast afflicted. Selah.

⁸ Thou hast put mine acquaintance far from me, Thou hast made me an abomination to them, Shut up -- I go not forth.

⁹ Mine eye hath grieved because of affliction, I called Thee, O Jehovah, all the day, I have spread out unto Thee my hands.

¹⁰ To the dead dost Thou do wonders? Do Rephaim rise? do they thank Thee? Selah.

¹¹ Is Thy kindness recounted in the grave? Thy faithfulness in destruction?

¹² Are Thy wonders known in the darkness? And Thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

¹³ And I, unto Thee, O Jehovah, I have cried, And in the morning doth my prayer come before Thee.

¹⁴ Why, O Jehovah, castest Thou off my soul? Thou hidest Thy face from me.

¹⁵ I [am] afflicted, and expiring from youth, I have borne Thy terrors -- I pine away.

¹⁶ Over me hath Thy wrath passed, Thy terrors have cut me off,

¹⁷ They have surrounded me as waters all the day, They have gone round against me together,

¹⁸ Thou hast put far from me lover and friend, Mine acquaintance [is] the place of darkness!

20 In those days hath Hezekiah been sick unto death, and come unto him doth Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet, and saith unto him, `Thus said Jehovah: Give a charge to thy house, for thou art dying, and dost not live.'

² And he turneth round his face unto the wall, and prayeth unto Jehovah, saying,

³ `I pray Thee, O Jehovah, remember, I pray Thee, how I have walked habitually before Thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and that which [is] good in Thine eyes I have done;' and Hezekiah weepeth -- a great weeping.

⁴ And it cometh to pass -- Isaiah hath not gone out to the middle court -- that the word of Jehovah hath been unto him, saying,

⁵ `Turn back, and thou hast said unto Hezekiah, leader of My people: Thus said Jehovah, God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tear, lo, I give healing to thee, on the third day thou dost go up to the house of Jehovah;

⁶ and I have added to thy days fifteen years, and out of the hand of the king of Asshur I deliver thee and this city, and have covered over this city for Mine own sake, and for the sake of David My servant.'

⁷ And Isaiah saith, `Take ye a cake of figs;' and they take and lay [it] on the boil, and he reviveth.

⁸ And Hezekiah saith unto Isaiah, `What [is] the sign that Jehovah doth give healing to me, that I have gone up on the third day to the house of Jehovah?'

⁹ And Isaiah saith, `This [is] to thee the sign from Jehovah, that Jehovah doth the thing that He hath spoken -- The shadow hath gone on ten degrees, or it doth turn back ten degrees?'

¹⁰ And Hezekiah saith, `It hath been light for the shadow to incline ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow turn backward ten degrees.'

¹¹ And Isaiah the prophet calleth unto Jehovah, and He bringeth back the shadow by the degrees that it had gone down in the degrees of Ahaz -- backward ten degrees.

¹⁴ And having come unto the disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and scribes questioning with them,

¹⁵ and immediately, all the multitude having seen him, were amazed, and running near, were saluting him.

¹⁶ And he questioned the scribes, `What dispute ye with them?'

¹⁷ and one out of the multitude answering said, `Teacher, I brought my son unto thee, having a dumb spirit;

¹⁸ and wherever it doth seize him, it doth tear him, and he foameth, and gnasheth his teeth, and pineth away; and I spake to thy disciples that they may cast it out, and they were not able.'

¹⁹ And he answering him, said, `O generation unbelieving, till when shall I be with you? till when shall I suffer you? bring him unto me;'

²⁰ and they brought him unto him, and he having seen him, immediately the spirit tare him, and he, having fallen upon the earth, was wallowing -- foaming.

²¹ And he questioned his father, `How long time is it since this came to him?' and he said, `From childhood,

²² and many times also it cast him into fire, and into water, that it might destroy him; but if thou art able to do anything, help us, having compassion on us.'

²³ And Jesus said to him, `If thou art able to believe! all things are possible to the one that is believing;'

²⁴ and immediately the father of the child, having cried out, with tears said, `I believe, sir; be helping mine unbelief.'

²⁵ Jesus having seen that a multitude doth run together, rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, `Spirit -- dumb and deaf -- I charge thee, come forth out of him, and no more thou mayest enter into him;'

²⁶ and having cried, and rent him much, it came forth, and he became as dead, so that many said that he was dead,

²⁷ but Jesus, having taken him by the hand, lifted him up, and he arose.

²⁸ And he having come into the house, his disciples were questioning him by himself -- `Why were we not able to cast it forth?'

²⁹ And he said to them, `This kind is able to come forth with nothing except with prayer and fasting.'