Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Chapter 7
David’s Concern for the Ark.[a] 1 When King David was settled in his palace and the Lord had granted him rest from all his enemies surrounding him, 2 he said to the prophet Nathan: “Here I am, dwelling in a house of cedar, while the Ark of God dwells in a tent.” 3 Nathan replied to the king: “Do not hesitate to do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.”
4 However, that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: 5 “Go and tell my servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord: “Are you determined to build a house for me to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelled in a house from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt to this very day. I have been moving from place to place while living in a tent and a tabernacle. 7 In all of my travels everywhere among the Israelites, did I ever ask any of the judges whom I had appointed to shepherd my people Israel why they had never built me a house of cedar?” ’ ”
The Lord’s Promises.8 “Now then, this is what you are to say to my servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “I was the one who took you from the pastures and your work of caring for the sheep to be the ruler of my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all of your enemies who dared to challenge you. Moreover, I intend to make your name as famous as the names of the greatest men on the earth.
10 “ ‘ “I also shall provide a place for my people Israel, and there I will plant them so that they may dwell there and never again be disturbed. Nor will the wicked afflict them anymore, as was the case formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. I will grant you rest from all of your enemies.
“ ‘ “Moreover, I, the Lord, promise that I will establish a royal house for you. 12 [b]And when it is time for you to be with your ancestors, I will designate as your heir one of your sons to succeed you, and I shall establish his kingdom forever. 13 It is he who will build a house in honor of my name, and I shall ensure that his royal throne will stand firm forever.
14 “ ‘ “I shall be a father to him, and he will be my son. If he does wrong, I shall punish him as any father would do and not fail to inflict chastisements upon him.
20 [a]On one occasion you spoke in a vision[b]
and said to your faithful servants:
“I have appointed as leader one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
21 I have found David, my servant,
and with my holy oil I have anointed him.
22 “My hand will sustain him;
my arm will make him strong.
23 No enemy will overcome him;
no one who is wicked will oppress him.
24 “I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
25 My faithfulness and my kindness will be with him;
through my name his horn will be exalted.
26 “I will stretch his hand as far as the sea
and his right hand as far as the rivers.[c]
27 He will cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock of my salvation.’
28 [d]“I will designate him as my firstborn,
the highest of all earthly kings.
29 Forever I will maintain my kindness for him,
and my covenant with him will never end.
30 I will establish his dynasty forever
and his throne as long as the heavens.
31 [e]“If his descendants forsake my law
and refuse to conform to my decrees,
32 if they break my statutes
and do not keep my precepts,
33 I will punish their disobedience with the rod
and their iniquity with scourges.
34 “But I will not deprive him of my kindness
or fail to observe my faithfulness.[f]
35 [g]I will not violate my covenant
or alter the promise I have spoken.
36 “By my holiness I have sworn once and for all:
never will I break faith with David.
37 His dynasty will last forever,
and his throne will endure before me like the sun.
11 Jews and Gentiles Reconciled in the Church.[a] Therefore, do not forget that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcised by those who refer to themselves as the circumcised because of a physical rite. 12 Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, excluded from the community of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants[b] of promise. You were in the world without hope and without God.
13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace,
who has made the two into one,
by breaking down the barrier of hostility.
In his flesh
15 he has abolished the Law
with its commandments and ordinances,
so that he might create in himself
a single new person[c] out of the two,
thereby making peace,
16 and that he might reconcile both groups
to God in one body
through the cross,
thereby putting that enmity to death.
17 Therefore, Jesus came
and proclaimed peace
to you who were far away
and peace to those who were near.
18 For through him
we both have access to the Father
in the one Spirit.
19 As a result, you are no longer strangers and foreigners. Rather, you are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 Through him the entire structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you are also being built together into a dwelling place for God in the Spirit.
30 The Return of the Twelve. The apostles[a] returned to Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away with me, by yourselves, to a deserted place and rest for a while.” For people continued to come and go in great numbers, and they had no time even to eat.
32 And so they went off by themselves in a boat to a deserted place. 33 Now many people saw them departing and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 As Jesus went ashore and beheld the vast crowd, he had compassion on them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
53 Jesus Heals the Sick at Gennesaret.[a] After they had completed the crossing, they landed at Gennesaret and moored the boat. 54 When they disembarked, the people recognized Jesus immediately. 55 They rushed throughout the entire countryside, and began to bring the sick to him on pallets wherever they heard he was. 56 Everywhere he went, whether to village or town or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak. And all who touched it were completely healed.
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