Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
David Plans to Build the Temple(A)
7 After the king had settled down in his palace and the Lord had given him respite from all of his surrounding enemies, 2 he[a] told the prophet Nathan, “Look now, I’m living in a cedar palace, but the Ark of God resides behind[b] a tent[c] curtain.”
3 Nathan replied to the king, “Go do everything you have in mind,[d] because the Lord is with you.”
4 But later that same night, this message came to Nathan from the Lord:
5 “Go tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“‘“Are you going to build a house[e] for me to inhabit? 6 After all, I haven’t lived in a house since the day I brought up the Israelis from Egypt until now. Instead, I’ve moved around in a tent that served as my[f] dwelling place. 7 Wherever I moved among the Israelis, did I ever ask even one tribal leader[g] of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, ‘Why haven’t you built me a cedar house?’
8 “‘“Now therefore this is what you are to tell my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: “I took you from the pasture myself—from tending sheep—to become Commander-in-Chief[h] over my people, that is, over Israel.
9 “‘“Furthermore, I have remained with you everywhere you have gone, annihilating all your enemies right in front of you. I will make a great reputation[i] for you, like the reputation[j] of great ones who have lived on[k] earth. 10 I will establish a homeland[l] for my people—for Israel—planting them so they may live in a secure location where they will never be disturbed anymore. Wicked people[m] will no longer afflict them, as happened in the past 11 when I had commanded judges to administer[n] my people Israel. I’ll also grant you relief from all your enemies.”’
“‘The Lord also announces to you: “The Lord will himself build a house[o] for you. 12 When your life[p] is complete and you go to join[q] your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring[r] after you, who will come forth from your body,[s] and I will fortify his kingdom. 13 He will build a Temple dedicated to my Name, and I will make the throne of his kingdom last forever. 14 I will be a father to him, and he will be to me a son who, when he commits iniquity, I will discipline with the rod wielded by armies[t] and with wounds inflicted by human beings.[u]
20 I have found my servant David;
I have anointed him with my sacred oil,
21 with whom my power[a] will be firmly established;
for my arm will strengthen him.
22 No enemy will deceive him;
no wicked person[b] will afflict him.
23 I will crush his enemies before him
and strike those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and gracious love will be with him,
and in my name his power[c] will be exalted.
25 I will place his hand[d] over the sea,
and his right hand[e] over the rivers.
26 He will announce to me
‘You are my father,
my God, and the rock of my salvation.’
27 “Indeed, I myself made him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 I will show[f] my gracious love toward him forever,
since my covenant is securely established with him.
29 I will establish his dynasty[g] forever,
and his throne as long as heaven endures.[h]
30 “But if his sons abandon my laws and
do not follow my ordinances,
31 if they profane my statutes;
and do not keep my commands,
32 then I will punish their disobedience with a rod
and their iniquity with lashes.
33 But I will not cut off[i] my gracious love from him,
and I will not stop being faithful.
34 I will not dishonor my covenant,
because I will not change what I have spoken.[j]
35 I have sworn by my holiness once for all:
I will not lie to David.
36 His dynasty[k] will last forever
and his throne will be like the sun before me.
37 It will be established forever like the moon,
a faithful witness in the sky.”
All Believers are One in the Messiah
11 So then, remember that at one time you gentiles by birth[a] were called “the uncircumcised” by those who called themselves “the circumcised.” They underwent physical circumcision done by human hands. 12 At that time you were without the Messiah,[b] excluded from citizenship in Israel,[c] and strangers to the covenants of promise. You had no hope and were in the world without God. 13 But now, in union with the Messiah[d] Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.[e]
14 For it is he who is our peace. Through his mortality[f] he made both groups one by tearing down the wall of hostility that divided them.[g] 15 He rendered the Law inoperative, along with its commandments and regulations, thus creating in himself one new humanity from the two, thereby making peace, 16 and reconciling both groups to God in one body through the cross, on which he eliminated the hostility. 17 He came and proclaimed peace for you who were far away and for you who were near. 18 For through him, both of us[h] have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 That is why you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, the Messiah[i] Jesus himself being the cornerstone.[j] 21 In union with him the whole building is joined together and rises into a holy sanctuary for the Lord. 22 You, too, are being built in him, along with the others, into a place for God’s Spirit to dwell.
Jesus Feeds More than Five Thousand People(A)
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him everything they had done and taught. 31 He told them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest for a while,” because so many people were coming and going[a] that they didn’t even have time to eat. 32 So they went away in a boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33 But when many people saw them leave and recognized them, they hurried on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 When he got out of the boat,[b] he saw a large crowd. He had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.
Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret(A)
53 When they had crossed over, they came ashore at Gennesaret and anchored the boat. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus.[a] 55 They ran all over the countryside and began carrying the sick on their mats to any place where they heard he was. 56 Wherever he went, whether into villages, towns, or farms, people[b] would place their sick in the marketplaces and beg him to let them touch even the tassel of his garment, and everyone who touched it was healed.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.