Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 30
You Brought Me Up From the Grave
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A psalm. A song for the dedication of the Temple. By David.
Praise for Answered Prayer
1 I will exalt you, O Lord,
because you lifted me up.
You did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried out to you,
and you healed me.
3 Lord, you snatched my life from the grave.
You kept me alive so I did not go down into the pit.
Join Me in Prayer
4 Make music to the Lord, you his favored ones,
and give thanks when you remember[a] his holiness,
5 for we spend a moment under his anger,
but we enjoy a lifetime in his favor.
In the evening, weeping comes to stay through the night,
but in the morning, there is rejoicing!
Wrestling in Prayer
6 But I—I said in my security,
“I will never be knocked down.”
7 Lord, in your favor you made strength
stand like a mountain for me.
Then you hid your face. I was terrified.
8 To you, O Lord, I call.
To the Lord I cry for mercy:
9 “What gain is there in shedding my blood,
in sending me down to destruction?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your truth?
10 Lord, hear and be merciful to me.
Lord, be a helper for me.”
A Happy Outcome
11 You turned my mourning into dancing.
You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 so that my whole being[b] may make music to you
and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I thank you forever.
Purification for People With a Skin Disease
14 The Lord spoke to Moses:
2 This is the law for the purification[a] of a person with an impure skin disease:
When it is reported to the priest, 3 the priest shall go outside the camp. The priest shall examine him. If the area infected by the skin disease has become healthy, 4 the priest shall command that two clean wild birds, some cedar wood, some scarlet yarn, and some hyssop be taken for the person who is being purified. 5 The priest shall command that one bird be slaughtered in an earthen pot over water from a flowing source.[b] 6 After taking the live bird, along with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn, and the hyssop, he shall dip them, along with the live bird, into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the water from a flowing source. 7 He shall sprinkle the blood seven times on the person who is being purified from the skin disease. When he has declared him clean, he shall release the live bird into the open country. 8 The person who is being purified shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe in water; then, he will be clean. After that he may enter the camp, but he must stay outside his tent for seven days.
9 On the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair. He shall shave his head, his chin, his eyebrows, and all the rest of his hair. He shall wash his clothes and bathe in water; then, he will be clean.
10 On the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, one yearling ewe without blemish, six quarts[c] of fine flour for a grain offering mixed with olive oil, and one cup[d] of olive oil. 11 The priest who performs the purification shall make the person who is being purified stand in front of the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, together with the other objects. 12 The priest shall take one of the male lambs, bring it forward as a restitution offering, together with the cup of olive oil, and wave it as a wave offering before the Lord. 13 The lamb shall be slaughtered in the sanctuary, at the place where the sin offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered, because the restitution offering is like the sin offering. It belongs to the priest. It is most holy.
14 The priest shall take some of the blood of the restitution offering and put it on the right ear lobe of the person who is being purified, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 15 The priest shall take some of the olive oil from the cup and pour it into the palm of the priest’s left hand. 16 Then the priest shall dip his right finger into some of the olive oil that is in his left palm and sprinkle some of the olive oil with his finger seven times before the Lord. 17 Then the priest shall put some of the olive oil that remains in his palm on the right ear lobe of the person who is being purified, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the restitution offering. 18 The priest shall put the rest of the olive oil that is in his palm on the head of the person who is being purified. Then the priest will make atonement for him before the Lord. 19 The priest shall present the sin offering to make atonement for the person being purified from his impurity.
After that, the burnt offering is to be slaughtered, 20 and the priest shall offer up the whole burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. In this way the priest shall make atonement for him so that he will be clean.
11 God was doing extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick; their illnesses left them and the evil spirits went out of them.
The Seven Sons of Sceva
13 Then some Jewish exorcists who went from place to place tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits. They said, “I command you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches to come out!” 14 It was the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I am acquainted with Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them, and exercised such complete domination over all of them that they fled from that house naked and wounded.
17 This became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. They were all overcome with fear, and they held the name of the Lord Jesus in high honor. 18 Also many of those who had become believers came forward, confessing and admitting their actions. 19 And a large number of those who had practiced magic arts[a] collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. They added up the cost of the books and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver.[b] 20 In this way the word of the Lord was growing and gaining strength.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.