Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 30

A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the Temple. [A Psalm] of David.

¹ I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me.

² O Lord my God, I cried to You and You have healed me.

³ O Lord, You have brought my life up from Sheol (the place of the dead); You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit (the grave).

⁴ Sing to the Lord, O you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.

⁵ For His anger is but for a moment, but His favor is for a lifetime or in His favor is life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.^(A)

⁶ As for me, in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.

⁷ By Your favor, O Lord, You have established me as a strong mountain; You hid Your face, and I was troubled.

⁸ I cried to You, O Lord, and to the Lord I made supplication.

⁹ What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit (the grave)? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth and faithfulness to men?

¹⁰ Hear, O Lord, have mercy and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!

¹¹ You have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,

¹² To the end that my tongue and my heart and everything glorious within me may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

²⁵ But in all Israel there was none so much to be praised for his beauty as Absalom; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

²⁶ And when he cut the hair of his head, he weighed it—for at each year’s end he cut it, because its weight was a burden to him—and it weighed 200 shekels by the king’s weight.

²⁷ There were born to Absalom three sons and one daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a beautiful woman.

²⁸ Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem and did not see the king’s face.

²⁹ So Absalom sent for Joab to send him to the king, but he would not come to him; even when he sent again the second time, he would not come.

³⁰ Therefore Absalom said to his servants, See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire. So Absalom’s servants set the field afire.

³¹ Then Joab arose and went to Absalom at his house and said to him, Why have your servants set my field on fire?

³² Absalom answered Joab, I sent to you, saying, Come here, that I may send you to the king to ask, Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still. Now therefore [Joab], let me see the king, and if there is iniquity and guilt in me, let him kill me.

³³ So Joab came to the king and told him. And when David had called for Absalom, he came to him and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king; and [David] kissed Absalom.

² And behold, they brought to Him a man paralyzed and prostrated by illness, lying on a sleeping pad; and when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralyzed man, Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven and the ^[a]penalty remitted.

³ And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, This man blasphemes [He claims the rights and prerogatives of God]!

⁴ But Jesus, knowing (^[b]seeing) their thoughts, said, Why do you think evil and harbor ^[c]malice in your hearts?

⁵ For which is easier: to say, Your sins are forgiven and the ^[d]penalty remitted, or to say, Get up and walk?

⁶ But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins and ^[e]remit the penalty, He then said to the paralyzed man, Get up! Pick up your sleeping pad and go to your own house.

⁷ And he got up and went away to his own house.

⁸ When the crowds saw it, they were struck with fear and awe; and they ^[f]recognized God and praised and thanked Him, Who had given such power and authority to men.