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Psalm 38

1  Rebuke me not, O Lord, in your anger, ♦︎
   neither chasten me in your heavy displeasure.
2  For your arrows have stuck fast in me ♦︎
   and your hand presses hard upon me.
3  There is no health in my flesh
      because of your indignation; ♦︎
   there is no peace in my bones because of my sin.
4  For my iniquities have gone over my head; ♦︎
   their weight is a burden too heavy to bear.
5  My wounds stink and fester ♦︎
   because of my foolishness.
6  I am utterly bowed down and brought very low; ♦︎
   I go about mourning all the day long.
7  My loins are filled with searing pain; ♦︎
   there is no health in my flesh.
8  I am feeble and utterly crushed; ♦︎
   I roar aloud because of the disquiet of my heart.
9  O Lord, you know all my desires ♦︎
   and my sighing is not hidden from you.
10  My heart is pounding, my strength has failed me; ♦︎
   the light of my eyes is gone from me.
11  My friends and companions stand apart from my affliction; ♦︎
   my neighbours stand afar off.
12  Those who seek after my life lay snares for me; ♦︎
   and those who would harm me whisper evil
      and mutter slander all the day long.
13  But I am like one who is deaf and hears not, ♦︎
   like one that is dumb, who does not open his mouth.
14  I have become like one who does not hear ♦︎
   and from whose mouth comes no retort.
15  For in you, Lord, have I put my trust; ♦︎
   you will answer me, O Lord my God.
16  For I said, ‘Let them not triumph over me, ♦︎
   those who exult over me when my foot slips.’
17  Truly, I am on the verge of falling ♦︎
   and my pain is ever with me.
18  I will confess my iniquity ♦︎
   and be sorry for my sin.
19  Those that are my enemies without any cause are mighty, ♦︎
   and those who hate me wrongfully are many in number.
20  Those who repay evil for good are against me, ♦︎
   because the good is what I seek.
21  Forsake me not, O Lord; ♦︎
   be not far from me, O my God.
22  Make haste to help me, ♦︎
   O Lord of my salvation.

The Fall of Jerusalem

39In the ninth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, in the tenth month, King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it; ²in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city. ³When Jerusalem was taken,^* all the officials of the king of Babylon came and sat in the middle gate: Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim the Rabsaris, Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag, with all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon. ⁴When King Zedekiah of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went towards the Arabah. ⁵But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and when they had taken him, they brought him up to King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, at Riblah, in the land of Hamath; and he passed sentence on him. ⁶The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes; also the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. ⁷He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters to take him to Babylon. ⁸The Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the houses of the people, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. ⁹Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard exiled to Babylon the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had deserted to him, and the people who remained. ¹⁰Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.

Jeremiah, Set Free, Remembers Ebed-melech

11 King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon gave command concerning Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, saying, ¹²‘Take him, look after him well and do him no harm, but deal with him as he may ask you.’ ¹³So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, Nebushazban the Rabsaris, Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag, and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon sent ¹⁴and took Jeremiah from the court of the guard. They entrusted him to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan to be brought home. So he stayed with his own people.

15 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah while he was confined in the court of the guard: ¹⁶Go and say to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian:^* Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I am going to fulfil my words against this city for evil and not for good, and they shall be accomplished in your presence on that day. ¹⁷But I will save you on that day, says the Lord, and you shall not be handed over to those whom you dread. ¹⁸For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but you shall have your life as a prize of war, because you have trusted in me, says the Lord.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

2When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. ²So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. ³Then some people^* came, bringing to him a paralysed man, carried by four of them. ⁴And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. ⁵When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ ⁶Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ⁷‘Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ ⁸At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, ‘Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? ⁹Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “Stand up and take your mat and walk”? ¹⁰But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he said to the paralytic— ¹¹‘I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.’ ¹²And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!’