Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹⁶ ¶ But unto the wicked God saith, What part hast thou to declare my statutes or that thou should take my covenant in thy mouth?

¹⁷ Seeing thou dost hate chastening and dost cast my words behind thee.

¹⁸ When thou didst see a thief, then thou didst consent with him and hast been partaker with adulterers.

¹⁹ Thou didst give thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frames deceit.

²⁰ Thou didst sit and speak against thy brother; thou didst slander thine own mother’s son.

²¹ These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou didst think that I was altogether such a one as thyself, but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes.

²² Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I take you away, and there be none to deliver.

²³ Whosoever sacrifices praise glorifies me; and to him that orders his ways aright I will show the salvation of God.

²⁰ And Absalom, her brother, said unto her, Has Amnon thy brother been with thee? But now remain silent, my sister; he is thy brother; do not regard this thing in thy heart. So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom’s house.

²¹ ¶ But when King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.

²² And Absalom spoke neither good nor bad unto his brother Amnon, for Absalom hated Amnon because he had forced his sister Tamar.

²³ And it came to pass after two full years that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baalhazor, which is beside Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons.

²⁴ And Absalom came to the king and said, Behold now, thy slave has sheepshearers; let the king, I beseech thee, and his slaves go with thy slave.

²⁵ And the king said to Absalom, No, my son, let us not all go lest we be burdensome unto thee. And he pressed him; however, he would not go but blessed him.

²⁶ Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said unto him, Why should he go with thee?

²⁷ But because Absalom pressed him, he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.

²⁸ Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon, then kill him. Fear not; have I not commanded you? Be courageous, and be valiant.

²⁹ And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and they all got upon their mules and fled.

³⁰ ¶ And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that the rumour came to David, saying, Absalom has slain all the king’s sons, and there is not one of them left.

³¹ Then the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the earth; and all his slaves stood by with their clothes rent.

³² And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, answered and said, Do not let my lord suppose that they have slain all the young men, the king’s sons, for only Amnon is dead, for by the mouth of Absalom this has been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar.

³³ Now, therefore, do not let my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king’s sons are dead, for only Amnon is dead.

³⁴ But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there came many people by the way of the side of the mountain behind him.

³⁵ And Jonadab said unto the king, Behold, the king’s sons come; as thy slave said, so it is.

³⁶ And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that, behold, the king’s sons came and lifted up their voice and wept. And the king also and all his slaves wept very sore.

8 ¶ In those days, as before, there was a great multitude, and they had nothing to eat; Jesus called his disciples unto him and said unto them,

² I have mercy on the multitude because they have now been with me three days and have nothing to eat;

³ And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way, for some of them came from afar.

⁴ And his disciples answered him, From where can anyone satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?

⁵ And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.

⁶ And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground; and taking the seven loaves and having given thanks, he broke them and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.

⁷ And they also had a few small fishes; and he blessed them and commanded to set them also before them.

⁸ So they ate and were filled; and they took up of the broken food that was left seven baskets.

⁹ And those that had eaten were about four thousand; and he dispatched them.

¹⁰ ¶ And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.