Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

David and Bathsheba

11 It was spring. It was the time when kings go off to war. So David sent Joab out with the king’s special troops and the whole army of Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites. They marched to the city of Rabbah. They surrounded it and got ready to attack it. But David remained in Jerusalem.

² One evening David got up from his bed. He walked around on the roof of his palace. From the roof he saw a woman taking a bath. She was very beautiful. ³ David sent a messenger to find out who she was. The messenger returned and said, “She is Bathsheba. She’s the daughter of Eliam. She’s the wife of Uriah. He’s a Hittite.” ⁴ Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him. And he slept with her. Then she went back home. All of that took place after she had already made herself “clean” from her monthly period. ⁵ Later, Bathsheba found out she was pregnant. She sent a message to David. She said, “I’m pregnant.”

⁶ So David sent a message to Joab. David said, “Send me Uriah, the Hittite.” Joab sent him to David. ⁷ Uriah came to David. David asked him how Joab and the soldiers were doing. He also asked him how the war was going. ⁸ David said to Uriah, “Go home and enjoy some time with your wife.” So Uriah left the palace. Then the king sent him a gift. ⁹ But Uriah didn’t go home. Instead, he slept at the entrance to the palace. He stayed there with all his master’s servants.

¹⁰ David was told, “Uriah didn’t go home.” So he sent for Uriah. David said to him, “You have been away for a long time. Why didn’t you go home?”

¹¹ Uriah said to David, “The ark and the army of Israel and Judah are out there in tents. My commander Joab and your special troops are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink? How could I go there and sleep with my wife? I could never do a thing like that. And that’s just as sure as you are alive!”

¹² Then David said to him, “Stay here one more day. Tomorrow I’ll send you back to the battle.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. ¹³ David invited Uriah to eat and drink with him. David got him drunk. But Uriah still didn’t go home. In the evening he went out and slept on his mat. He stayed there among his master’s servants.

¹⁴ The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab. He sent it along with Uriah. ¹⁵ In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front. That’s where the fighting is the heaviest. Then pull your men back from him. When you do, the Ammonites will strike him down and kill him.”

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Paul Prays for the Ephesians

¹⁴ I bow in prayer to the Father because of my work among you. ¹⁵ From the Father every family in heaven and on earth gets its name. ¹⁶ I pray that he will use his glorious riches to make you strong. May his Holy Spirit give you his power deep down inside you. ¹⁷ Then Christ will live in your hearts because you believe in him. And I pray that your love will have deep roots. I pray that it will have a strong foundation. ¹⁸ May you have power together with all the Lord’s holy people to understand Christ’s love. May you know how wide and long and high and deep it is. ¹⁹ And may you know his love, even though it can’t be known completely. Then you will be filled with everything God has for you.

²⁰ God is able to do far more than we could ever ask for or imagine. He does everything by his power that is working in us. ²¹ Give him glory in the church and in Christ Jesus. Give him glory through all time and for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. It is also called the Sea of Tiberias. ² A large crowd of people followed him. They had seen the signs he had done by healing sick people. ³ Then Jesus went up on a mountainside. There he sat down with his disciples. ⁴ The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

⁵ Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him. So he said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶ He asked this only to test Philip. He already knew what he was going to do.

⁷ Philip answered him, “Suppose we were able to buy enough bread for each person to have just a bite. That would take more than half a year’s pay!”

⁸ Another of his disciples spoke up. It was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He said, ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small loaves of barley bread. He also has two small fish. But how far will that go in such a large crowd?”

¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down. About 5,000 men were there. ¹¹ Then Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks. He handed out the bread to those who were seated. He gave them as much as they wanted. And he did the same with the fish.

¹² When all of them had enough to eat, Jesus spoke to his disciples. “Gather the leftover pieces,” he said. “Don’t waste anything.” ¹³ So they gathered what was left over from the five barley loaves. They filled 12 baskets with the pieces left by those who had eaten.

¹⁴ The people saw the sign that Jesus did. Then they began to say, “This must be the Prophet who is supposed to come into the world.” ¹⁵ But Jesus knew that they planned to come and force him to be their king. So he went away again to a mountain by himself.

Jesus Walks on the Water

¹⁶ When evening came, Jesus’ disciples went down to the Sea of Galilee. ¹⁷ There they got into a boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. By now it was dark. Jesus had not yet joined them. ¹⁸ A strong wind was blowing, and the water became rough. ¹⁹ They rowed about three or four miles. Then they saw Jesus coming toward the boat. He was walking on the water. They were frightened. ²⁰ But he said to them, “It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ²¹ Then they agreed to take him into the boat. Right away the boat reached the shore where they were heading.