Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God.
A Psalm of David. A [a]Maskil.
32 (A)How blessed is he whose wrongdoing is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed is a person whose guilt the Lord (B)does not take into account,
And in whose spirit there is (C)no deceit!
3 When (D)I kept silent about my sin, (E)my [b]body wasted away
Through my [c](F)groaning all day long.
4 For day and night (G)Your hand was heavy upon me;
My [d](H)vitality failed as with the dry heat of summer. Selah
5 I (I)acknowledged my sin to You,
And I (J)did not hide my guilt;
I said, “(K)I will confess my wrongdoings to the Lord”;
And You (L)forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [e](M)in a time when You may be found;
Certainly (N)in a flood of great waters, they will not reach him.
7 You are (O)my hiding place; You (P)keep me from trouble;
You surround me with [f](Q)songs of deliverance. Selah
8 I will (R)instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will advise you (S)with My eye upon you.
9 Do not be (T)like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.
10 The (U)sorrows of the wicked are many,
But (V)the one who trusts in the Lord, goodness will surround him.
11 Be (W)glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are (X)upright in heart.
28 Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, “[a]All is well.” And (A)he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. And he said, “(B)Blessed is the Lord your God, who has turned over the men who raised their hands against my lord the king.” 29 But the king said, “(C)Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant, and your servant, I saw a great commotion, but (D)I did not know what it was.” 30 Then the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.
31 Then behold, the Cushite arrived, and the Cushite said, “Let my lord the king receive good news, for (E)the Lord has [b]freed you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you.” 32 Then the king said to the Cushite, “(F)Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “(G)May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be like that young man!”
33 [c]Then the king trembled and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And this is what he said as he walked: “(H)My son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! (I)If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”
Joab Disapproves of David’s Mourning
19 [d]Then it was reported to Joab, “Behold, (J)the king is weeping and he mourns for Absalom.” 2 So the [e]victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people, because the people heard it said that day, “The king is in mourning over his son.” 3 And the people entered the city surreptitiously that day, just as people who are humiliated surreptitiously flee in battle. 4 And the king (K)covered his face and [f]cried out with a loud voice, “(L)My son Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son!” 5 Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “Today you have shamed [g]all your servants, who have saved your life today and the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives, and the lives of your concubines, 6 by loving those who hate you, and by hating those who love you. For you have revealed today that [h]commanders and servants are nothing to you; for I know today that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then it would be right [i]as far as you are concerned. 7 Now therefore arise, go out and speak [j]kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go out, (M)no man will stay the night with you, and this will be worse for you than all the misfortune that has [k]happened to you from your youth until now!”
David Restored as King
8 So the king got up and sat at the gate. When they told all the people, saying, “Behold, the king is (N)sitting at the gate,” then all the people came before the king.
Now (O)Israel had fled, each to his tent.
A Man Lowered through a Roof
17 [a]One day He was teaching, and (A)there were some Pharisees and (B)teachers of the Law sitting there who had (C)come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem; and (D)the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. 18 (E)And some men were carrying a man on a stretcher who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. 19 But when they did not find any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on (F)the roof and let him down (G)through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20 And seeing their faith, He said, “[b]Friend, (H)your sins are forgiven you.” 21 The scribes and the Pharisees (I)began thinking of the implications, saying, “(J)Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? (K)Who can forgive sins, except God alone?” 22 But Jesus, [c]aware of their thoughts, responded and said to them, “Why are you thinking this way in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He said to the (L)man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher, and go home.” 25 And immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home (M)glorifying God. 26 And [d]they were all struck with astonishment and began (N)glorifying God. They were also filled (O)with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today!”
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