Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

5 Unto the end, for her that obtaineth the inheritance. A psalm of David.

² Give ear, O Lord, to my words, understand my cry.

³ Hearken to the voice of my prayer, O my King and my God.

⁴ For to thee will I pray: O Lord, in the morning thou shalt hear my voice.

⁵ In the morning I will stand before thee, and will see: because thou art not a God that willest iniquity.

⁶ Neither shall the wicked dwell near thee: nor shall the unjust abide before thy eyes.

⁷ Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity: Thou wilt destroy all that speak a lie. The bloody and the deceitful man the Lord will abhor.

⁸ But as for me in the multitude of thy mercy, I will come into thy house; I will worship towards thy holy temple, in thy fear.

³⁵ Then a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his companion in the word of the Lord: Strike me. But he would not strike.

³⁶ Then he said to him: Because thou wouldst not hearken to the word of the Lord, behold then shalt depart from me, and a lion shall slay thee. And when he was gone a little from him, a lion found him, and slew him.

³⁷ Then he found another man, and said to him: Strike me. And he struck him, and wounded him.

³⁸ So the prophet went, and met the king in the way, and disguised himself by sprinkling dust on his face and his eyes.

³⁹ And as the king passed by, he cried to the king, and said: Thy servant went out to fight hand to hand: and when a certain man was run away, one brought him to me, and said: Keep this man: and if he shall slip away, thy life shall be for his life, or thou shalt pay a talent of silver.

⁴⁰ And whilst I in a hurry turned this way and that, on a sudden he was not to be seen. And the king of Israel said to him: This is thy judgment, which thyself hast decreed.

⁴¹ But he forthwith wiped off the dust from his face, and the king of Israel knew him, that he was one of the prophets.

⁴² And he said to him: Thus saith the Lord: Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man worthy of death, thy life shall be for his life, and thy people for his people.

⁴³ And the king of Israel returned to his house, slighting to hear, and raging came into Samaria.

¹⁷ And it came to pass on a certain day, as he sat teaching, that there were also Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, that were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was to heal them.

¹⁸ And behold, men brought in a bed a man, who had the palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.

¹⁹ And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in, because of the multitude, they went up upon the roof, and let him down through the tiles with his bed into the midst before Jesus.

²⁰ Whose faith when he saw, he said: Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

²¹ And the scribes and Pharisees began to think, saying: Who is this who speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?

²² And when Jesus knew their thoughts, answering, he said to them: What is it you think in your hearts?

²³ Which is easier to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Arise and walk?

²⁴ But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say to thee, Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house.

²⁵ And immediately rising up before them, he took up the bed on which he lay; and he went away to his own house, glorifying God.

²⁶ And all were astonished; and they glorified God. And they were filled with fear, saying: We have seen wonderful things to day.