Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Waiting for the Redemption of the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

¹³ Now many people, a very great assembly, gathered at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of ^(A)Unleavened Bread in the second month. ¹⁴ They arose and took away the ^(B)altars that were in Jerusalem, and they took away all the incense altars and cast them into the Brook ^(C)Kidron. ¹⁵ Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites ^[a]were ^(D)ashamed, and ^[b]sanctified themselves, and brought the burnt offerings to the house of the Lord. ¹⁶ They stood in their ^(E)place ^[c]according to their custom, according to the Law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood received from the hand of the Levites. ¹⁷ For there were many in the assembly who had not ^[d]sanctified themselves; ^(F)therefore the Levites had charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to the Lord. ¹⁸ For a multitude of the people, ^(G)many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, ^(H)yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord provide atonement for everyone ¹⁹ who ^(I)prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.” ²⁰ And the Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.

²¹ So the children of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept ^(J)the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing to the Lord, accompanied by loud instruments. ²² And Hezekiah gave encouragement to all the Levites ^(K)who taught the good knowledge of the Lord; and they ate throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings and ^(L)making confession to the Lord God of their fathers.

²³ Then the whole assembly agreed to keep the feast ^(M)another seven days, and they kept it another seven days with gladness. ²⁴ For Hezekiah king of Judah ^(N)gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the leaders gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and a great number of priests ^(O)sanctified^[e] themselves. ²⁵ The whole assembly of Judah rejoiced, also the priests and Levites, all the assembly that came from Israel, the sojourners ^(P)who came from the land of Israel, and those who dwelt in Judah. ²⁶ So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of ^(Q)Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. ²⁷ Then the priests, the Levites, arose and ^(R)blessed the people, and their voice was heard; and their prayer came up to ^(S)His holy dwelling place, to heaven.

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic^(A)

2 And again ^(B)He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. ^2 [a]Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. ³ Then they came to Him, bringing a ^(C)paralytic who was carried by four men. ⁴ And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

⁶ And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ⁷ “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? ^(D)Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

⁸ But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? ^9 (E)Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? ¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of Man has ^[b]power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, ¹¹ “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” ¹² Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and ^(F)glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”