Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David.

¹ ¶ I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.

² O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

³ O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; thou gavest me life from my descent into the grave.

⁴ Let his merciful ones sing unto the LORD, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

⁵ For his anger endures but a moment; in his will is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

⁶ ¶ And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.

⁷ LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong; thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.

⁸ I will cry unto thee, O GOD; and unto the Lord will I make supplication.

⁹ What profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall it declare thy truth?

¹⁰ Hear, O LORD and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.

¹¹ Thou hast turned my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness;

¹² to the end that I may sing glory unto thee and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

13 ¶ And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron, saying,

² When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it is in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy, then he shall be brought unto Aaron, the priest, or unto one of his sons, the priests,

³ and the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh, and if the hair in the plague is turned white and the plague looks deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy; and the priest shall recognize him and pronounce him unclean.

⁴ If the bright spot is white in the skin of his flesh and looks to be not deeper than the skin and the hair thereof is not turned white; then the priest shall shut up the one that has the plague seven days;

⁵ and the priest shall look on him the seventh day and see if the plague in his sight is stayed and the plague is not spread in the skin, then the priest shall shut him up seven days the second time.

⁶ After this the priest shall look on him again the seventh day and see if the plague has darkened and that the plague is not spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is but a scab, and he shall wash his clothes and be clean.

⁷ But if the scab spreads much abroad in the skin after he has been shown unto the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen of the priest again;

⁸ and if the priest recognizes that the scab has spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is leprosy.

⁹ When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest;

¹⁰ and the priest shall see him; and if the rising looks white in the skin and it has turned the hair white and there is quick raw flesh in the rising,

¹¹ it is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean and shall not shut him up, for he is unclean.

¹² But if the leprosy breaks out abroad in the skin and the leprosy covers all the skin of him that has the plague from his head even to his feet wherever the priest looks,

¹³ then the priest shall consider; and if the leprosy has covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce the one that has the plague clean; it is all turned white; he is clean.

¹⁴ But the day that raw flesh appears in him, he shall be unclean.

¹⁵ And the priest shall see the raw flesh and pronounce him to be unclean, for the raw flesh is unclean: it is leprosy.

¹⁶ But when the raw flesh turns again and is changed unto white, he shall come unto the priest;

¹⁷ and the priest shall see him; and if the plague is turned white; then the priest shall pronounce the one that has the plague clean, and he shall be clean.

⁷ If ye endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father does not chasten?

⁸ But if ye are without chastisement, of which all the sons are partakers, then ye are bastards, and not sons.

⁹ Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh who corrected us, and we gave them reverence; is it not much better to be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and we shall live?

¹⁰ For they verily for a few days chastened us as it seemed good unto them, but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

¹¹ It is true that no chastening at present seems to be cause for joy, but rather for grief; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto those who are exercised by it.

¹² Therefore, lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,

¹³ and make straight steps unto your feet, so that which is lame will not turn out of the way, but let it rather be healed.