Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

David Wants to Build a Temple

7 After King David moved into his new house the Lord gave him some relief from all of his enemies around him. ² King David said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living in a fancy house made of cedar wood, but God’s Holy Box is still kept in a tent!”

³ Nathan said to King David, “Do whatever you want to do. The Lord will be with you.”

⁴ But that night, the Lord’s word came to Nathan:

⁵ “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build a house for me to live in. ⁶ I did not live in a house at the time I took the Israelites out of Egypt. No, I traveled around in a tent. I used the tent for my home. ⁷ I never told any of the tribes of Israel to build me a fancy house made from cedar wood.’

⁸ “You must say this to my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord All-Powerful says: I chose you while you were out in the pasture following the sheep. I took you from that job and made you the leader of my people, the Israelites. ⁹ I have been with you every place you went. I have defeated your enemies for you. I will make you one of the most famous people on earth. ^10-11 And I chose a place for my people, the Israelites. I planted the Israelites. I gave them their own place to live so that they will not have to move from place to place anymore. In the past, I sent judges to lead my people, but evil people gave them many troubles. That will not happen now. I am giving you peace from all of your enemies. I promise that I will make your family a family of kings.^[a]

¹² “‘When your life is finished, you will die and be buried with your ancestors. But then I will make one of your own children become the king. ¹³ He will build a house for my name, and I will make his kingdom strong forever. ¹⁴ I will be his father, and he will be my son.^[b] When he sins, I will use other people to punish him. They will be my whips.

One in Christ

¹¹ You were not born as Jews. You are the people the Jews call “uncircumcised.^[a]” Those Jews who call you “uncircumcised” call themselves “circumcised.” (Their circumcision is only something they themselves do to their bodies.) ¹² Remember that in the past you were without Christ. You were not citizens of Israel, and you did not know about the agreements^[b] with the promises that God made to his people. You had no hope, and you did not know God. ¹³ Yes, at one time you were far away from God, but now in Christ Jesus, you are brought near to him. You are brought near to God through the blood sacrifice of Christ.

¹⁴ Christ is the reason we are now at peace. He made us Jews and you who are not Jews one people. We were separated by a wall of hate that stood between us, but Christ broke down that wall. By giving his own body, ¹⁵ Christ ended the law with its many commands and rules. His purpose was to make the two groups become one in him. By doing this he would make peace. ¹⁶ Through the cross Christ ended the hate between the two groups. And after they became one body, he wanted to bring them both back to God. He did this with his death on the cross. ¹⁷ Christ came and brought the message of peace to you non-Jews who were far away from God. And he brought that message of peace to those who were near to God. ¹⁸ Yes, through Christ we all have the right to come to the Father in one Spirit.

¹⁹ So now you non-Jewish people are not visitors or strangers, but you are citizens together with God’s holy people. You belong to God’s family. ²⁰ You believers are like a building that God owns. That building was built on the foundation that the apostles and prophets prepared. Christ Jesus himself is the most important stone^[c] in that building. ²¹ The whole building is joined together in Christ, and he makes it grow and become a holy temple^[d] in the Lord. ²² And in Christ you are being built together with his other people. You are being made into a place where God lives through the Spirit.

Jesus Feeds More Than 5000^(A)

³⁰ The apostles Jesus had sent out came back to him. They gathered around him and told him about all they had done and taught. ³¹ Jesus and his followers were in a very busy place. There were so many people that he and his followers did not even have time to eat. He said to them, “Come with me. We will go to a quiet place to be alone. There we will get some rest.”

³² So Jesus and his followers went away alone. They went in a boat to a place where no one lived. ³³ But many people saw them leave and knew who they were. So people from every town ran to the place where they were going and got there before Jesus. ³⁴ As Jesus stepped out of the boat, he saw a large crowd waiting. He felt sorry for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd to care for them. So he taught the people many things.

Jesus Heals Many Sick People^(A)

⁵³ Jesus and his followers went across the lake and came to shore at Gennesaret. They tied the boat there. ⁵⁴ When they were out of the boat, the people there saw Jesus. They knew who he was, ⁵⁵ so they ran to tell others throughout that area. They brought sick people on mats to every place Jesus went. ⁵⁶ Jesus went into towns, cities, and farms around that area. And every place he went, the people brought sick people to the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch any part of his coat. And all those who touched him were healed.