Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

David, Bathsheba, and Uriah

11 It happened in the spring of the year, at the ^(A)time when kings go out to battle, that ^(B)David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged ^(C)Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

² Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed ^(D)and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he ^(E)saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. ³ So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not ^[a]Bathsheba, the daughter of ^[b]Eliam, the wife ^(F)of Uriah the ^(G)Hittite?” ⁴ Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and ^(H)he lay with her, for she was ^(I)cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. ⁵ And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.”

⁶ Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷ When Uriah had come to him, David asked how Joab was doing, and how the people were doing, and how the war prospered. ⁸ And David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and ^(J)wash your feet.” So Uriah departed from the king’s house, and a gift of food from the king followed him. ⁹ But Uriah slept at the ^(K)door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. ¹⁰ So when they told David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?”

¹¹ And Uriah said to David, ^(L)“The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and ^(M)my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”

¹² Then David said to Uriah, “Wait here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. ¹³ Now when David called him, he ate and drank before him; and he made him ^(N)drunk. And at evening he went out to lie on his bed ^(O)with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

¹⁴ In the morning it happened that David ^(P)wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. ¹⁵ And he wrote in the letter, saying, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the ^[c]hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may ^(Q)be struck down and die.”

Folly of the Godless, and God’s Final Triumph^(A)

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

Appreciation of the Mystery

¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees to the ^(A)Father ^[a]of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, ¹⁶ that He would grant you, ^(B)according to the riches of His glory, ^(C)to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in ^(D)the inner man, ^17 (E)that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, ^(F)being rooted and grounded in love, ^18 (G)may be able to comprehend with all the saints ^(H)what is the width and length and depth and height— ¹⁹ to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled ^(I)with all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now ^(J)to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly ^(K)above all that we ask or think, ^(L)according to the power that works in us, ^21 (M)to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Feeding the Five Thousand^(A)

6 After ^(B)these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of ^(C)Tiberias. ² Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were ^(D)diseased.^{[a] 3} And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.

^4 (E)Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. ^5 (F)Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to ^(G)Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” ⁶ But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

⁷ Philip answered Him, ^(H)“Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”

⁸ One of His disciples, ^(I)Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ⁹ “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, ^(J)but what are they among so many?”

¹⁰ Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. ¹¹ And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them ^[b]to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. ¹² So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” ¹³ Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. ¹⁴ Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly ^(K)the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

Jesus Walks on the Sea^(L)

¹⁵ Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him ^(M)king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

^16 (N)Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷ got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. ¹⁸ Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. ¹⁹ So when they had rowed about ^[c]three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were ^(O)afraid. ²⁰ But He said to them, ^(P)“It is I; do not be afraid.” ²¹ Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.