Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A prayer of David.[a]
17 Lord, hear my prayer for justice.
I am calling loudly to you.
I am being honest in what I say,
so please listen to my prayer.
2 You will make the right decision,
because you can see the truth.
3 You were with me all night
and looked deep into my heart.
You questioned me and found that
I did not say or do anything wrong.
4 Unlike most people, I have obeyed your commands,
so I have never been like those who are cruel and evil.
5 I have followed your way.
My feet never left your path.
6 Every time I call to you, God, you answer me.
So listen to me now, and hear what I say.
7 Show your amazing kindness
and rescue those who depend on you.
Use your great power
and protect them from their enemies.
8 Protect me like the pupil[b] of your eye.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings.
9 Save me from the wicked people who are trying to destroy me.
Protect me from those who come to hurt me.
10 They think only of themselves
and brag about what they will do.
11 They have been following me,
and now they are all around me.
They watch me, waiting to throw me to the ground.
12 Like hungry lions, they want to kill and eat.
Like young lions, they hide, ready to attack.
13 Lord, get up[c] and face the enemy.
Make them surrender.
Use your sword and save me from these wicked people.
14 Use your power, Lord,
and remove them from this life.
But as for the people you treasure,
fill them with food.
Give them plenty for their children and their grandchildren.
15 I have done only what is right, so I will see your face.
And seeing you,[d] I will be fully satisfied.
27 After her time of sadness, David sent servants to bring her to his house. She became David’s wife and gave birth to a son for David. But the Lord did not like what David had done.
Nathan Speaks to David
12 The Lord sent Nathan to David. Nathan went to him and said, “There were two men in a city. One man was rich, but the other man was poor. 2 The rich man had lots of sheep and cattle. 3 But the poor man had nothing except one little female lamb that he bought. The poor man fed the lamb, and the lamb grew up with this poor man and his children. She ate from the poor man’s food and drank from his cup. The lamb slept on the poor man’s chest. The lamb was like a daughter to the poor man.
4 “Then a traveler stopped to visit the rich man. The rich man wanted to give food to the traveler, but he did not want to take any of his own sheep or cattle to feed the traveler. No, the rich man took the lamb from the poor man and cooked it for his visitor.”
5 David became very angry with the rich man. He said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who did this should die! 6 He must pay four times the price of the lamb because he did this terrible thing and because he had no mercy.”
Nathan Tells David About His Sin
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are that rich man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I chose[a] you to be the king of Israel. I saved you from Saul. 8 I let you take his family and his wives, and I made you king of Israel and Judah. As if that had not been enough, I would have given you more and more. 9 So why did you ignore my command? Why did you do what I say is wrong? You let the Ammonites kill Uriah the Hittite, and you took his wife. It is as if you yourself killed Uriah in war. 10 So your family will never have peace! When you took Uriah’s wife, you showed that you did not respect me.’
11 “This is what the Lord says: ‘I am bringing trouble against you. This trouble will come from your own family. I will take your wives from you and give them to someone who is very close to you. He will have sexual relations with your wives, and everyone will know it![b] 12 You had sexual relations with Bathsheba in secret, but I will punish you so that all the people of Israel can see it.’”[c]
13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Nathan said to David, “The Lord will forgive you, even for this sin. You will not die. 14 But you did things that made the Lord’s enemies lose their respect for him, so your new baby son will die.”
David and Bathsheba’s Baby Dies
15 Then Nathan went home. And the Lord caused the baby boy who was born to David and Uriah’s wife to become very sick.
Jesus’ Letter to the Church in Philadelphia
7 “Write this to the angel of the church in Philadelphia:
“Here is a message from the one who is holy and true, the one who holds the key of David. When he opens something, it cannot be closed. And when he closes something, it cannot be opened.
8 “I know what you do. I have put before you an open door that no one can close. I know you are weak, but you have followed my teaching. You were not afraid to speak my name. 9 Listen! There is a group[a] that belongs to Satan. They say they are Jews, but they are liars. They are not true Jews. I will make them come before you and bow at your feet. They will know that you are the people I have loved. 10 You followed my command to endure patiently. So I will keep you from the time of trouble that will come to the world—a time that will test everyone living on earth.
11 “I am coming soon. Hold on to the faith you have, so that no one can take away your crown. 12 Those who win the victory will be pillars in the temple of my God. I will make that happen for them. They will never again have to leave God’s temple. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God. That city is the new Jerusalem.[b] It is coming down out of heaven from my God. I will also write my new name on them. 13 Everyone who hears this should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International