Old Testament: 2 Kings 5:1-14

¹Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. ²Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. ³She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” ⁴So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. ⁵And the king of Aram said, “Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. ⁶He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” ⁷When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”⁸But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.”

⁹So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” ¹¹But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! ¹²Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. ¹³But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” ¹⁴So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.

Psalm: Psalm 30

¹ I will exalt you, O Lord,
   because you have lifted me up *
        and have not let my enemies triumph over me.
² O Lord my God, I cried out to you, *
        and you restored me to health.
³ You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead; *
        you restored my life as I was going down to the grave.
⁴ Sing to the Lord, you servants of his; *
        give thanks for the remembrance of his holiness.
⁵ For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye, *
        his favor for a lifetime.
⁶ Weeping may spend the night, *
        but joy comes in the morning.
⁷ While I felt secure, I said,
  “I shall never be disturbed. *
        You, Lord, with your favor, made me as strong as
                           the mountains.”
⁸ Then you hid your face, *
        and I was filled with fear.
⁹ I cried to you, O Lord; *
        I pleaded with the Lord, saying,
¹⁰ “What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit? *
        will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?
¹¹ Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; *
        O Lord, be my helper.”
¹² You have turned my wailing into dancing; *
        you have put off my sack-cloth and clothed me with joy.
¹³ Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; *
        O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever.

Old Testament: Isaiah 66:10-14

¹⁰Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her— ¹¹that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious bosom. ¹²For thus says the Lord: I will extend prosperity to her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm, and dandled on her knees. ¹³As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. ¹⁴You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bodies shall flourish like the grass; and it shall be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants, and his indignation is against his enemies.

Psalm: Psalm 66:1-8

¹ Be joyful in God, all you lands; *
        sing the glory of his Name;
        sing the glory of his praise.
² Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! *
        because of your great strength your enemies
                                cringe before you.
³ All the earth bows down before you, *
        sings to you, sings out your Name.”
⁴ Come now and see the works of God, *
        how wonderful he is in his doing toward all people.
⁵ He turned the sea into dry land,
  so that they went through the water on foot, *
        and there we rejoiced in him.
⁶ In his might he rules for ever;
  his eyes keep watch over the nations; *
        let no rebel rise up against him.
⁷ Bless our God, you peoples; *
        make the voice of his praise to be heard;
⁸ Who holds our souls in life, *
        and will not allow our feet to slip.