Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

5 To the Overseer, `Concerning the Inheritances.' -- A Psalm of David. My sayings hear, O Jehovah, Consider my meditation.

² Be attentive to the voice of my cry, My king and my God, For unto Thee I pray habitually.

³ Jehovah, [at] morning Thou hearest my voice, [At] morning I set in array for Thee, And I look out.

⁴ For not a God desiring wickedness [art] Thou, Evil inhabiteth Thee not.

⁵ The boastful station not themselves before Thine eyes: Thou hast hated all working iniquity.

⁶ Thou destroyest those speaking lies, A man of blood and deceit Jehovah doth abominate.

⁷ And I, in the abundance of Thy kindness, I enter Thy house, I bow myself toward Thy holy temple in Thy fear.

⁸ O Jehovah, lead me in Thy righteousness, Because of those observing me, Make straight before me Thy way,

³⁵ And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour by the word of Jehovah, `Smite me, I pray thee;' and the man refuseth to smite him,

³⁶ and he saith to him, `Because that thou hast not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, lo, thou art going from me, and the lion hath smitten thee;' and he goeth from him, and the lion findeth him, and smiteth him.

³⁷ And he findeth another man, and saith, `Smite me, I pray thee;' and the man smiteth him, smiting and wounding,

³⁸ and the prophet goeth and standeth for the king on the way, and disguiseth himself with ashes on his eyes.

³⁹ And it cometh to pass -- the king is passing by -- that he hath cried unto the king, and saith, `Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle, and lo, a man hath turned aside and bringeth in unto me a man, and saith, Keep this man; if he be at all missing, then hath thy life been for his life, or a talent of silver thou dost weigh out;

⁴⁰ and it cometh to pass, thy servant is working hither and thither, and he is not!' and the king of Israel saith unto him, Right [is] thy judgment; thou hast determined [it].'

⁴¹ And he hasteth and turneth aside the ashes from off his eyes, and the king of Israel discerneth him, that he [is] of the prophets,

⁴² and he saith unto him, `Thus said Jehovah, Because thou hast sent away the man I devoted, out of [thy] hand, even thy life hath been for his life, and thy people for his people;'

⁴³ and the king of Israel goeth unto his house, sulky and wroth, and cometh in to Samaria.

¹⁷ And it came to pass, on one of the days, that he was teaching, and there were sitting by Pharisees and teachers of the Law, who were come out of every village of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was -- to heal them.

¹⁸ And lo, men bearing upon a couch a man, who hath been struck with palsy, and they were seeking to bring him in, and to place before him,

¹⁹ and not having found by what way they may bring him in because of the multitude, having gone up on the house-top, through the tiles they let him down, with the little couch, into the midst before Jesus,

²⁰ and he having seen their faith, said to him, `Man, thy sins have been forgiven thee.'

²¹ And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, `Who is this that doth speak evil words? who is able to forgive sins, except God only?'

²² And Jesus having known their reasonings, answering, said unto them, `What reason ye in your hearts?

²³ which is easier -- to say, Thy sins have been forgiven thee? or to say, Arise, and walk?

²⁴ `And that ye may know that the Son of Man hath authority upon the earth to forgive sins -- (he said to the one struck with palsy) -- I say to thee, Arise, and having taken up thy little couch, be going on to thy house.'

²⁵ And presently having risen before them, having taken up [that] on which he was lying, he went away to his house, glorifying God,

²⁶ and astonishment took all, and they were glorifying God, and were filled with fear, saying -- `We saw strange things to-day.'