Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 5[a]
Morning Prayer for Divine Help
1 For the director.[b] With flutes. A psalm of David.
2 Listen to my words, O Lord;
pay heed to my sighs.
3 Hear my cry for help,
my King and my God;
for to you I pray.
4 O Lord, at daybreak[c] you hear my voice;
at daybreak I bring my petition before you
and await your reply.
5 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil cannot remain in your presence.
6 The arrogant shrink before your gaze;
you hate all who do evil.
7 You destroy all who tell lies;
the Lord detests the violent and the deceitful.
8 But I will enter your house
because of your great kindness,[d]
and I will bow down in your holy temple,
filled with awe of you.
35 Ahab Is Condemned by a Prophet.[a] One of the sons of the prophets, inspired by the word of the Lord, said to his companion, “Please strike me,” but the man refused to strike him. 36 So he said to him, “You have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, so as soon as you leave me, you will be killed by a lion.” As soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed him.
37 The prophet found another man and said, “Please strike me.” So the man struck and wounded him. 38 The prophet left and waited for the king along the road, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.
39 As the king passed by, he cried out to the king, “Your servant went out into the heat of the battle. A man came over and brought a man to me saying, ‘Guard this man. If he escapes, then you will pay a life for a life, or else you will have to pay a talent of silver.’ 40 While your servant was busy here and there, he disappeared.” The king of Israel said to him, “That will be your judgment; you have decided it for yourself.” 41 He quickly removed the bandage from his face, and the king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets. 42 He then said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you have released from your hands a man whom I had designated for total destruction, your life will stand for his life, your people for his people.’ ” 43 The king of Israel, therefore, returned to his palace deeply troubled, and he arrived in Samaria.
17 Jesus Pardons and Heals a Paralyzed Man.[a] One day, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem. And he possessed the power of the Lord to heal.
18 Then some men appeared, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They tried to bring him in and set him down in front of Jesus. 19 However, finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up onto the roof and lowered him on the bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd surrounding Jesus.
20 On perceiving their faith, Jesus said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to ask each other, “Who is this man uttering blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22 Jesus discerned what they were thinking, and he said in reply, “Why do you entertain such thoughts in your hearts? 23 Which is easier—to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say: ‘Stand up and walk’? 24 But that you may come to realize that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralyzed man—“I say to you, stand up, and take your bed, and go to your home.” 25 Immediately, the man stood up before them, picked up his bed, and went home glorifying God. 26 They were all overcome with amazement, and they praised God as, awestruck, they said, “We have witnessed unbelievable things today.”
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