Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Prayer for Mercy

A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; ^Cperhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover].

¹³ In the second month a very large crowd came together in Jerusalem to ·celebrate [keep; observe] the ·Feast [Festival] of Unleavened Bread. ¹⁴ The people removed the altars and incense altars [^Cto pagan gods] in Jerusalem and threw them into the Kidron Valley.

¹⁵ They ·killed [slaughtered] the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed [^Cbecause others are doing what they should be doing], so they ·made themselves holy [consecrated/purified/sanctified themselves] and brought burnt offerings into the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord. ¹⁶ They took their ·regular places [stations; posts] in the ·Temple [^Lhouse] as the ·Teachings [law] of Moses, the man of God, ·commanded [prescribed]. The Levites gave the blood [^Cfrom the sacrifices] to the priests, who sprinkled it [^Con the altar]. ¹⁷ Since many people in the crowd had not ·made themselves holy [consecrated/purified/sanctified themselves], the Levites ·killed [slaughtered] the Passover lambs for everyone who was ·not clean [defiled; ritually unclean]. The Levites ·made each lamb holy [consecrated/purified/sanctified them] for the Lord. Although many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not ·purified [consecrated; sanctified; cleansed] themselves, they ate the Passover even though it was ·against the law [^Lwithout what is written]. So Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “Lord, you are good. You are the Lord, the God of our ·ancestors [fathers]. Please ·forgive [pardon] all those who ·try to obey you [^Lset their heart on seeking God] even if they did not ·make themselves clean [purify themselves] as the rules of the ·Temple [sanctuary] command.” ²⁰ The Lord listened to Hezekiah’s prayer, and he healed the people. ²¹ The Israelites in Jerusalem ·celebrated [kept; observed] the ·Feast [Festival] of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy. The Levites and priests praised the Lord every day with loud ·music [instruments]. ²² Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites who showed ·they understood well how to do [or good skill in] their service for the Lord. The people ate the feast for seven days, ·offered [sacrificed] ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [Lev. 3:1], and ·praised [gave thanks to] the Lord, the God of their ·ancestors [fathers].

²³ Then all the people agreed to stay seven more days, so they celebrated with joy for seven more days. ²⁴ Hezekiah king of Judah gave one thousand ·bulls [oxen] and seven thousand sheep to the ·people [assembly]. The ·officers [officials] gave one thousand ·bulls [oxen] and ten thousand sheep to the ·people [assembly]. Many priests ·made themselves holy [consecrated/purified/sanctified themselves]. ²⁵ All the ·people [assembly] of Judah, the priests, the Levites, those who came from Israel, the ·foreigners [sojourners; wanderers; resident aliens] from Israel, and the ·foreigners [sojourners; wanderers; resident aliens] living in Judah ·were very happy [rejoiced]. ²⁶ There was much joy in Jerusalem, because there had not been a celebration like this since the time of Solomon son of David and king of Israel. ²⁷ The priests and Levites stood up and blessed the people, and God heard them ·because their prayer reached [from] heaven, his holy home.

Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man^(A)

2 A few days later, when Jesus came back to Capernaum, the news spread that he was at home. ² Many people gathered together so that there was no room in the house, not even ·outside [near; in front of] the door. And Jesus was ·teaching them God’s message [^Lspeaking the word to them]. ³ Four people came, carrying a paralyzed man. ⁴ Since they could not get to Jesus because of the crowd, they dug a hole in the roof right above where he was speaking. [^CPalestinian roofs were generally flat and made of thatch and dried mud.] When they got through, they lowered the ·mat [cot] with the paralyzed man on it. ⁵ When Jesus saw the faith of these people, he said to the paralyzed man, “·Young man [Child; Son], your sins are forgiven.”

⁶ Some of the ·teachers of the law [scribes] were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷ “Why does this man ·say things like that [speak this way]? He is ·speaking as if he were God [^Lblaspheming]. ·Only God can forgive sins.” [^L“Who can forgive sins but God alone?”; cf. Is. 43:25].

⁸ Jesus knew immediately [in his spirit] what these teachers of the law were thinking. So he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things [^Lin your hearts]? ⁹ Which is easier: to tell this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to tell him, ‘Stand up. Take your ·mat [cot] and walk’? ¹⁰ But ·I will prove to you [^Lso that you may know] that the Son of Man [^Ca title for the Messiah; Dan. 7:13–14] has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ¹¹ “I tell you, stand up, take your ·mat [cot], and go home.” ¹² Immediately the paralyzed man stood up, took his ·mat [cot], and walked out while everyone was watching him.

The people were [all] amazed and praised God. They said, “We have never seen anything like this!”