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Psalm 113

1  Alleluia.
      Give praise, you servants of the Lord, ♦︎
   O praise the name of the Lord.
2  Blessed be the name of the Lord, ♦︎
   from this time forth and for evermore.
3  From the rising of the sun to its setting ♦︎
   let the name of the Lord be praised.
4  The Lord is high above all nations ♦︎
   and his glory above the heavens.
5  Who is like the Lord our God,
      that has his throne so high, ♦︎
   yet humbles himself to behold
      the things of heaven and earth?
6  He raises the poor from the dust ♦︎
   and lifts the needy from the ashes,
7  To set them with princes, ♦︎
   with the princes of his people.
8  He gives the barren woman a place in the house ♦︎
   and makes her a joyful mother of children.
      Alleluia.

Psalm 114

1  When Israel came out of Egypt, ♦︎
   the house of Jacob from a people of a strange tongue,
2  Judah became his sanctuary, ♦︎
   Israel his dominion.
3  The sea saw that, and fled; ♦︎
   Jordan was driven back.
4  The mountains skipped like rams, ♦︎
   the little hills like young sheep.
5  What ailed you, O sea, that you fled? ♦︎
   O Jordan, that you were driven back?
6  You mountains, that you skipped like rams, ♦︎
   you little hills like young sheep?
7  Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, ♦︎
   at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8  Who turns the hard rock into a pool of water, ♦︎
   the flint-stone into a springing well.

The Plot against Daniel

6It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, stationed throughout the whole kingdom, ²and over them three presidents, including Daniel; to these the satraps gave account, so that the king might suffer no loss. ³Soon Daniel distinguished himself above all the other presidents and satraps because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king planned to appoint him over the whole kingdom. ⁴So the presidents and the satraps tried to find grounds for complaint against Daniel in connection with the kingdom. But they could find no grounds for complaint or any corruption, because he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption could be found in him. ⁵The men said, ‘We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.’

6 So the presidents and satraps conspired and came to the king and said to him, ‘O King Darius, live for ever! ⁷All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counsellors and the governors, are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an interdict, that whoever prays to anyone, divine or human, for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into a den of lions. ⁸Now, O king, establish the interdict and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.’ ⁹Therefore King Darius signed the document and interdict.

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

10 Although Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he continued to go to his house, which had windows in its upper room open towards Jerusalem, and to get down on his knees three times a day to pray to his God and praise him, just as he had done previously. ¹¹The conspirators came and found Daniel praying and seeking mercy before his God. ¹²Then they approached the king and said concerning the interdict, ‘O king! Did you not sign an interdict, that anyone who prays to anyone, divine or human, within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be thrown into a den of lions?’ The king answered, ‘The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.’ ¹³Then they responded to the king, ‘Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the interdict you have signed, but he is saying his prayers three times a day.’

14 When the king heard the charge, he was very much distressed. He was determined to save Daniel, and until the sun went down he made every effort to rescue him. ¹⁵Then the conspirators came to the king and said to him, ‘Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no interdict or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.’

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

12 Once, when he was in one of the cities, there was a man covered with leprosy.^* When he saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground and begged him, ‘Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.’ ¹³Then Jesus^* stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, ‘I do choose. Be made clean.’ Immediately the leprosy^* left him. ¹⁴And he ordered him to tell no one. ‘Go’, he said, ‘and show yourself to the priest, and, as Moses commanded, make an offering for your cleansing, for a testimony to them.’ ¹⁵But now more than ever the word about Jesus^* spread abroad; many crowds would gather to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. ¹⁶But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

17 One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting nearby (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal.^{* 18}Just then some men came, carrying a paralysed man on a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus;^{* 19}but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd^* in front of Jesus. ²⁰When he saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend,^* your sins are forgiven you.’ ²¹Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, ‘Who is this who is speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ ²²When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, ‘Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? ²³Which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven you”, or to say, “Stand up and walk”? ²⁴But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he said to the one who was paralysed—‘I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home.’ ²⁵Immediately he stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God. ²⁶Amazement seized all of them, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, ‘We have seen strange things today.’