Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
16 But God says to the wicked:
“What right do you have to recite My statutes
and to take My covenant on your lips?(A)
17 You hate instruction
and turn your back on My words.[a](B)
18 When you see a thief,
you make friends with him,
and you associate with adulterers.(C)
19 You unleash your mouth for evil
and harness your tongue for deceit.(D)
20 You sit, maligning your brother,
slandering your mother’s son.(E)
21 You have done these things, and I kept silent;
you thought I was just like you.(F)
But I will rebuke you
and lay out the case before you.[b](G)
Amnon Rapes Tamar
13 Some time passed. David’s son Absalom(A) had a beautiful sister named Tamar,(B) and David’s son Amnon(C) was infatuated with her. 2 Amnon was frustrated to the point of making himself sick over his sister Tamar because she was a virgin, but it seemed impossible to do anything to her. 3 Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, a son of David’s brother Shimeah.(D) Jonadab was a very shrewd man, 4 and he asked Amnon, “Why are you, the king’s son, so miserable every morning? Won’t you tell me?”
Amnon replied, “I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”
5 Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend you’re sick. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare food in my presence so I can watch and eat from her hand.’”
6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my presence so I can eat from her hand.”
7 David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Please go to your brother Amnon’s house and prepare a meal for him.”
8 Then Tamar went to his house while Amnon was lying down. She took dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his presence, and baked them. 9 She brought the pan and set it down in front of him, but he refused to eat. Amnon said, “Everyone leave me!” And everyone left him. 10 “Bring the meal to the bedroom,” Amnon told Tamar, “so I can eat from your hand.” Tamar took the cakes she had made and went to her brother Amnon’s bedroom. 11 When she brought them to him to eat, he grabbed her and said,[a] “Come sleep with me, my sister!”
12 “Don’t, my brother!” she cried. “Don’t humiliate me, for such a thing should never be done in Israel.(E) Don’t do this horrible thing! 13 Where could I ever go with my disgrace? And you—you would be like one of the immoral men in Israel! Please, speak to the king, for he won’t keep me from you.” 14 But he refused to listen to her, and because he was stronger than she was, he raped her.
15 After this, Amnon hated Tamar with such intensity that the hatred he hated her with was greater than the love he had loved her with. “Get out of here!” he said.
16 “No,” she cried,[b] “sending me away is much worse than the great wrong you’ve already done to me!” But he refused to listen to her. 17 Instead, he called to the servant who waited on him: “Throw this woman out and bolt the door behind her!” 18 Amnon’s servant threw her out and bolted the door behind her. Now Tamar was wearing a long-sleeved[c] garment, because this is what the king’s virgin daughters wore. 19 Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long-sleeved garment she was wearing. She put her hand on her head(F) and went away crying out.
27 Now you are the body of Christ,(A) and individual members of it. 28 And God has placed these in the church:(B)
first apostles, second prophets,
third teachers,(C) next miracles,(D)
then gifts of healing,(E) helping,
managing, various kinds of languages.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets?
Are all teachers? Do all do miracles?
30 Do all have gifts of healing?
Do all speak in other languages?
Do all interpret?(F)
31 But desire(G) the greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way.
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