Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁵ And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.

⁶ So the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim,

⁷ where the people of Israel were slain before the slaves of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men.

⁸ For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the land, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

⁹ ¶ And Absalom met the slaves of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away.

¹⁵ And ten young men that bore Joab’s armour surrounded and smote Absalom and slew him.

³¹ And, behold, Cushi came; and Cushi said, Tidings, my lord the king, for the LORD has vindicated thee today of all those that rose up against thee.

³² And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom at peace? And Cushi answered, Let the enemies of my lord the king and all that rise against thee for evil, be as that young man.

³³ Then the king was much moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept; and as he went, he said this: O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! I would rather have died instead of thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!

A Song of degrees.

¹ ¶ Out of the depths I cry unto thee, O LORD.

² Lord, hear my voice; let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.

³ If thou, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall endure?

⁴ Therefore there is forgiveness close to thee, that thou may be feared.

⁵ ¶ I have waited for the LORD, my soul has waited, and for his word I have waited.

⁶ My soul has waited for the Lord more than those that watch for the morning: I say, more than those that watch for the morning.

⁷ Let Israel wait for the LORD; for with the LORD there is mercy and plenteous redemption close to him.

⁸ And he shall ransom Israel from all his sins.

²⁵ Therefore, leaving the lie, speak every man truth with his neighbour, for we are members one of another.

²⁶ Be ye angry and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath,

²⁷ neither give place to the devil.

²⁸ Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labour, working with his hands that which is good, that he may have to give to him that is in need.

²⁹ Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good for edification, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with which ye are sealed for the day of redemption.

³¹ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be taken away from you, with all malice,

³² and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God has forgiven you in Christ.

5 ¶ Be ye therefore imitators of God, as dear children

² and walk in charity even as the Christ also has loved us and has given himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.

³⁵ And Jesus said unto them, I AM the bread of life; he that comes to me shall never hunger, and he that believes in me shall never thirst.

⁴¹ The Jews then murmured of him because he said, I AM the bread which descended from the heaven.

⁴² And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he says, I descended from heaven?

⁴³ Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless the Father who has sent me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day.

⁴⁵ It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every man therefore that has heard from the Father and has learned comes unto me.

⁴⁶ Not that anyone has seen the Father, except he who is of God, he has seen the Father.

⁴⁷ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believes in me has eternal life.

⁴⁸ I AM the bread of life.

⁴⁹ Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and are dead.

⁵⁰ This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that anyone may eat of it and not die.

⁵¹ I AM the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, they shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.