Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 32
The Joy of Forgiveness
Of David. A Maskil.
1 How joyful is the one
whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered!(A)
2 How joyful is a person whom
the Lord does not charge with iniquity(B)
and in whose spirit is no deceit!(C)
3 When I kept silent, my bones became brittle
from my groaning all day long.(D)
4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me;(E)
my strength was drained[a]
as in the summer’s heat.(F)Selah
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you(G)
and did not conceal my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.(H)Selah
6 Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to you immediately.[b](I)
When great floodwaters come,
they will not reach him.(J)
7 You are my hiding place;(K)
you protect me from trouble.(L)
You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance.Selah
28 Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well,” and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. He continued, “Blessed be the Lord your God! He delivered up the men who rebelled against my lord the king.”
29 The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”
Ahimaaz replied, “When Joab sent the king’s servant and your servant, I saw a big disturbance, but I don’t know what it was.”
30 The king said, “Move aside and stand here.” So he stood to one side.
31 Just then the Cushite came and said, “May my lord the king hear the good news: The Lord has vindicated you today by freeing you from all who rise against you!”
32 The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”
The Cushite replied, “I wish that the enemies of my lord the king, along with all who rise up against you with evil intent, would become like that young man.”(A)
33 The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber above the city gate and wept. As he walked, he cried, “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!” (B)
David’s Kingdom Restored
19 It was reported to Joab, “The king is weeping. He’s mourning over Absalom.” 2 That day’s victory was turned into mourning for all the troops because on that day the troops heard, “The king is grieving over his son.” 3 So they returned to the city quietly that day like troops come in when they are humiliated after fleeing in battle. 4 But the king covered his face(C) and cried loudly, “My son Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son!”
5 Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have shamed all your soldiers—those who saved your life as well as your sons, your wives, and your concubines— 6 by loving your enemies and hating those who love you! Today you have made it clear that the commanders and soldiers mean nothing to you. In fact, today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead, it would be fine with you![a]
7 “Now get up! Go out and encourage[b] your soldiers, for I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a man will remain with you tonight.(D) This will be worse for you than all the trouble that has come to you from your youth until now!”
8 So the king got up and sat in the city gate,(E) and all the people were told, “Look, the king is sitting in the city gate.” Then they all came into the king’s presence.
Meanwhile, each Israelite had fled to his tent.(F)
The Son of Man Forgives and Heals
17 On one of those days while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law(A) were sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and also from Jerusalem. And the Lord’s power to heal was in him.(B) 18 Just then some men came,(C) carrying on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed. They tried to bring him in and set him down before him. 19 Since they could not find a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the roof tiles into the middle of the crowd before Jesus.
20 Seeing their faith he said, “Friend,[a] your sins are forgiven.”
21 Then the scribes and the Pharisees(D) began to think to themselves, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (E)
22 But perceiving their thoughts, Jesus replied to them, “Why are you thinking this in your hearts?[b] 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralyzed man, “I tell you: Get up, take your stretcher, and go home.”
25 Immediately he got up before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.(F) 26 Then everyone was astounded, and they were giving glory to God. And they were filled with awe(G) and said, “We have seen incredible things today.”
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