Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A song; a psalm by Korah’s descendants; for the choir director; according to mahalath leannoth; [a] a maskil by Heman the Ezrahite.
88 O Lord God, my savior,
I cry out to you during the day and at night.
2 Let my prayer come into your presence.
Turn your ear to hear my cries.
3 My soul is filled with troubles,
and my life comes closer to the grave.
4 I am numbered with those who go into the pit.
I am like a man without any strength—
5 abandoned with the dead,
like those who have been killed and lie in graves,
like those whom you no longer remember,
who are cut off from your power.
6 You have put me in the bottom of the pit—in deep, dark places.
7 Your rage lies heavily on me.
You make all your waves pound on me. Selah
8 You have taken my friends far away from me.
You made me disgusting to them.
I’m shut in, and I can’t get out.
9 My eyes grow weak because of my suffering.
All day long I call out to you, O Lord.
I stretch out my hands to you ⌞in prayer⌟.
10 Will you perform miracles for those who are dead?
Will the spirits of the dead rise and give thanks to you? Selah
11 Will anyone tell about your mercy in Sheol
or about your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Will anyone know about your miracles in that dark place
or about your righteousness in the place where forgotten people live?
13 I cry out to you for help, O Lord,
and in the morning my prayer will come into your presence.
14 Why do you reject my soul, O Lord?
Why do you hide your face from me?
15 Ever since I was young, I have been suffering and near death.
I have endured your terrors, and now I am in despair.
16 Your burning anger has swept over me.
Your terrors have destroyed me.
17 They swirl around me all day long like water.
They surround me on all sides.
18 You have taken my loved ones and friends far away from me.
Darkness is my only friend!
Hezekiah’s Illness(A)
20 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was about to die. The prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, came to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Give final instructions to your household, because you’re about to die. You won’t get well.”
2 Hezekiah turned to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Please, Lord, remember how I’ve lived faithfully and sincerely in your presence. I’ve done what you consider right.” And he cried bitterly.
4 Isaiah hadn’t gone as far as the middle courtyard when the Lord spoke his word to him: 5 “Go back and say to Hezekiah, leader of my people, ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I’ve heard your prayer. I’ve seen your tears. Now I’m going to heal you. The day after tomorrow you will go to the Lord’s temple. 6 I’ll give you 15 more years to live. I’ll rescue you and defend this city from the control of the king of Assyria for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’ ”
7 Then Isaiah said, “Get a fig cake, and put it on the boil so that the king will get well.”
8 Hezekiah asked Isaiah, “What is the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I’ll go to the Lord’s temple the day after tomorrow?”
9 Isaiah said, “This is your sign from the Lord that he will do what he promises. Do you want the shadow to go forward ten steps or come back ten steps?”
10 Hezekiah replied, “It’s easy for the shadow to extend ten ⌞more⌟ steps forward. No, let it come back ten steps.”
11 Then the prophet Isaiah called on the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow that had gone down on Ahaz’s stairway go back up ten steps.
Jesus Cures a Demon-Possessed Boy(A)
14 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them. Some experts in Moses’ Teachings were arguing with them. 15 All the people were very surprised to see Jesus and ran to welcome him.
16 Jesus asked the experts in Moses’ Teachings, “What are you arguing about with them?”
17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son. He is possessed by a spirit that won’t let him talk. 18 Whenever the spirit brings on a seizure, it throws him to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes exhausted. I asked your disciples to force the spirit out, but they didn’t have the power to do it.”
19 Jesus said to them, “You unbelieving generation! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me!”
20 They brought the boy to him. As soon as the spirit saw Jesus, it threw the boy into convulsions. He fell on the ground, rolled around, and foamed at the mouth.
21 Jesus asked his father, “How long has he been like this?”
The father replied, “He has been this way since he was a child. 22 The demon has often thrown him into fire or into water to destroy him. If it’s possible for you, put yourself in our place, and help us!”
23 Jesus said to him, “As far as possibilities go, everything is possible for the person who believes.”
24 The child’s father cried out at once, “I believe! Help my lack of faith.”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he gave an order to the evil spirit. He said, “You spirit that won’t let him talk, I command you to come out of him and never enter him again.”
26 The evil spirit screamed, shook the child violently, and came out. The boy looked as if he were dead, and everyone said, “He’s dead!”
27 Jesus took his hand and helped him to stand up.
28 When Jesus went into a house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we force the spirit out of the boy?”
29 He told them, “This kind of spirit can be forced out only by prayer.” [a]
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