Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 87

A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A song.

¹ On the holy hills stands the city [of Jerusalem and the temple] God founded.

² The Lord loves the gates of Zion [through which the crowds of pilgrims enter from all nations] more than all the dwellings of Jacob (Israel).

³ Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah [pause, and calmly realize what that means]!

⁴ I will make mention of Rahab [the poetic name for Egypt] and Babylon as among those who know [the city of God]—behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia (Cush)—[saying], This man was born there.

⁵ Yes, of Zion it shall be said, This man and that man were born in her, for the Most High Himself will establish her.

⁶ The Lord shall count, when He registers the peoples, that this man was born there. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

⁷ The singers as well as the players on instruments shall say, All my springs (my sources of life and joy) are in you [city of our God].

¹⁸ For I know their works and their thoughts. And the time is coming when I will gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see My glory.

¹⁹ And I will set up a [miraculous] sign among them, and from them I will send survivors to the nations—to Tarshish, Pul (Put), and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the isles and coastlands afar off that have not heard of My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare and proclaim My glory among the nations.

²⁰ And they shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as an offering to the Lord—upon horses and in chariots and in litters and upon mules and upon camels—to My holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the children of Israel bring their cereal offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord.

²¹ And I will also take some of them for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.

²² For as the new ^[a]heavens and the new earth which I make shall remain before Me, says the Lord, so shall your offspring and your name remain.

²³ And it shall be that from one New Moon to another New Moon and from one Sabbath to another Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before Me, says the Lord.

8 When Jesus came down from the mountain, great throngs followed Him.

² And behold, a leper came up to Him and, prostrating himself, worshiped Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You are able to ^[a]cleanse me by curing me.

³ And He reached out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed ^[b]by being cured. And instantly his leprosy was cured and cleansed.

⁴ And Jesus said to him, See that you tell nothing about this to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, for a testimony [to your healing] and as an evidence to the people.^(A)

⁵ As Jesus went into Capernaum, a centurion came up to Him, begging Him,

⁶ And saying, Lord, my servant boy is lying at the house paralyzed and ^[c]distressed with intense pains.

⁷ And Jesus said to him, I will come and restore him.

⁸ But the centurion replied to Him, Lord, I am not worthy or fit to have You come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant boy will be cured.

⁹ For I also am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my slave, Do this, and he does it.

¹⁰ When Jesus heard him, He marveled and said to those who followed Him [^[d]who adhered steadfastly to Him, conforming to His example in living and, if need be, in dying also], I tell you truly, I have not found so much faith as this ^[e]with anyone, even in Israel.

¹¹ I tell you, many will come from east and west, and will sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,

¹² While the sons and heirs of the kingdom will be driven out into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.^(B)

¹³ Then to the centurion Jesus said, Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed. And the servant boy was restored to health at that very ^[f]moment.