Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Hope in the Lord’s Forgiving Love.

A Song of Ascents.

Passover Reinstituted

¹³ Now many people were gathered at Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread ^(A)in the second month, a very large assembly. ¹⁴ They arose and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem; they also ^(B)removed all the incense altars and ^(C)cast them into the brook Kidron. ¹⁵ Then ^(D)they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth of the second month. And ^(E)the priests and Levites were ashamed of themselves, and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of the Lord. ^16 (F)They stood at their stations after their custom, according to the law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood which they received from the hand of the Levites. ¹⁷ For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves; therefore, ^(G)the Levites were over the slaughter of the Passover lambs for everyone who was unclean, in order to consecrate them to the Lord. ¹⁸ For a multitude of the people, ^(H)even many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, ^(I)yet they ate the Passover ^(J)otherwise than ^[a]prescribed. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon ^19 (K)everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.” ²⁰ So the Lord heard Hezekiah and ^(L)healed the people. ²¹ The sons of Israel present in Jerusalem ^(M)celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy, and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day after day with loud instruments to the Lord. ²² Then Hezekiah ^(N)spoke ^[b]encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good insight in the things of the Lord. So they ate for the appointed seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and ^(O)giving thanks to the Lord God of their fathers.

²³ Then the whole assembly ^(P)decided to celebrate the feast another seven days, so they celebrated the seven days with joy. ²⁴ For ^(Q)Hezekiah king of Judah had contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep, and the princes had contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep; and ^(R)a large number of priests consecrated themselves. ²⁵ All the assembly of Judah rejoiced, with the priests and the Levites and ^(S)all the assembly that came from Israel, both the sojourners who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah. ²⁶ So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem ^(T)since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. ²⁷ Then ^(U)the Levitical priests arose and ^(V)blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to ^(W)His holy dwelling place, to heaven.

The Paralytic Healed

2 When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. ² And ^(A)many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. ^3 (B)And they *came, bringing to Him a ^(C)paralytic, carried by four men. ⁴ Being unable to ^[a]get to Him because of the crowd, they ^(D)removed the roof ^[b]above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the ^(E)paralytic was lying. ⁵ And Jesus seeing their faith *said to the paralytic, “^[c]Son, ^(F)your sins are forgiven.” ⁶ But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ⁷ “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; ^(G)who can forgive sins ^[d]but God alone?” ⁸ Immediately Jesus, aware ^[e]in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, *said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? ⁹ Which is easier, to say to the ^(H)paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? ¹⁰ But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He *said to the paralytic, ¹¹ “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” ¹² And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and ^(I)were glorifying God, saying, “^(J)We have never seen anything like this.”