Psalm 63^[a]

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

Psalm 98

A psalm.

Psalm 103

Of David.

¹⁵ On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times.^{(A) 16} The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!^{(B) 17} The city and all that is in it are to be devoted^[a](C) to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute^(D) and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid^(E) the spies we sent. ¹⁸ But keep away from the devoted things,^(F) so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction^(G) and bring trouble^(H) on it. ¹⁹ All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron^(I) are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”

²⁰ When the trumpets sounded,^(J) the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout,^(K) the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.^{(L) 21} They devoted^(M) the city to the Lord and destroyed^(N) with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

²² Joshua said to the two men^(O) who had spied out^(P) the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.^(Q)” ²³ So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her.^(R) They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

²⁴ Then they burned the whole city^(S) and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron^(T) into the treasury of the Lord’s house.^{(U) 25} But Joshua spared^(V) Rahab the prostitute,^(W) with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho^(X)—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

²⁶ At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath:^(Y) “Cursed^(Z) before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:

²⁷ So the Lord was with Joshua,^(AB) and his fame spread^(AC) throughout the land.

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

³⁰ The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews.^(A) So the next day he released him^(B) and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin^(C) to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.

23 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin^(D) and said, “My brothers,^(E) I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience^(F) to this day.” ² At this the high priest Ananias^(G) ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.^{(H) 3} Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall!^(I) You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”^(J)

⁴ Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”

⁵ Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’^[a]”^(K)

⁶ Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees^(L) and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers,^(M) I am a Pharisee,^(N) descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.”^{(O) 7} When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection,^(P) and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)

⁹ There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees^(Q) stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,”^(R) they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”^{(S) 10} The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.^(T)

¹¹ The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage!^(U) As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”^(V)

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man^(A)

2 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ² They gathered in such large numbers^(B) that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³ Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man,^(C) carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”^(D)

⁶ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷ “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”^(E)

⁸ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? ⁹ Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰ But I want you to know that the Son of Man^(F) has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, ¹¹ “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God,^(G) saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”^(H)