Matthew 12:1-14

English Standard Version

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

12 At that time ^(A)Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and ^(B)they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. ²But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ^(C)“Look, your disciples are doing ^(D)what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” ³He said to them, ^(E)“Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: ⁴how he entered the house of God and ate ^(F)the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? ⁵Or have you not read ^(G)in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? ⁶I tell you, ^(H)something greater than the temple is here. ⁷And if you had known ^(I)what this means, ^(J)‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸For ^(K)the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand

⁹He went on from there and ^(L)entered their synagogue. ¹⁰And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, ^(M)“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—^(N)so that they might accuse him. ¹¹He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, ^(O)if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹²^(P)Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So ^(Q)it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” ¹³Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And ^(R)the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. ¹⁴But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

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Psalm 27

English Standard Version

The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation

Of David.

27 The Lord is my ^(A)light and my ^(B)salvation;
^(C)whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold^[a] of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

²When evildoers assail me
to ^(D)eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.

³^(E)Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet^[b] I will be confident.

⁴^(F)One thing have I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
that I may ^(G)dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze upon ^(H)the beauty of the Lord
    and to inquire^[c] in his temple.

⁵For he will ^(I)hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will ^(J)lift me high upon a rock.

⁶And now my ^(K)head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of ^(L)joy;
^(M)I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

⁷^(N)Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
    be gracious to me and answer me!
⁸You have said, ^(O)“Seek^[d] my face.”
My heart says to you,
    “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”^[e]
⁹    ^(P)Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
    O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
    ^(Q)O God of my salvation!
¹⁰For ^(R)my father and my mother have forsaken me,
    but the Lord will ^(S)take me in.

¹¹^(T)Teach me your way, O Lord,
    and lead me on ^(U)a level path
    because of my enemies.
¹²^(V)Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
    for ^(W)false witnesses have risen against me,
    and they ^(X)breathe out violence.

¹³I believe that I shall look^[f] upon ^(Y)the goodness of the Lord
    in ^(Z)the land of the living!
¹⁴^(AA)Wait for the Lord;
    ^(AB)be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!