Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

30 I will extol Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.

² O Lord my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me.

³ O Lord, Thou hast brought up my soul from the grave; Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

⁴ Sing unto the Lord, O ye His saints, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness.

⁵ For His anger endureth but a moment, and in His favor is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

⁶ And in my prosperity I said, “I shall never be moved.”

⁷ Lord, by Thy favor Thou hast made my mountain to stand strong; when Thou didst hide Thy face, I was troubled.

⁸ I cried to Thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication:

⁹ “What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise Thee? Shall it declare Thy truth?

¹⁰ Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; Lord, be Thou my helper!”

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

¹² to the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto Thee for ever.

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

²⁶ And when he cut his hair (for it was at every year’s end that he cut it, because the hair was heavy on him; therefore he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels according to the king’s weight.

²⁷ And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a woman of a fair countenance.

²⁸ So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king’s face.

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

³⁰ Therefore he said unto his servants, “See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire.” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.

³¹ Then Joab arose and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, “Why have thy servants set my field on fire?”

³² And Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, ‘Come hither, that I may send thee to the king to say, “Why have I come from Geshur? It had been good for me to have been there still!”’ Now therefore let me see the king’s face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me.”

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

² And behold, they brought to Him a man sick with the palsy, lying on a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said unto the one sick with the palsy, “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”

³ And behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, “This man blasphemeth.”

⁴ And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why think ye evil in your hearts?

⁵ For which is easier: to say, ‘Thy sins be forgiven thee,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’?

⁶ But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins,”— (then said He to the one sick with palsy) “Arise, take up thy bed and go unto thine house.”

⁷ And he arose and departed to his house.

⁸ But when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power unto men.