Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Chapter 11
David’s Sin. 1 At the turn of the year,[a] the time when kings go to war, David sent out Joab along with his officers and all Israel, and they laid waste the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. David himself remained in Jerusalem.(A) 2 One evening David rose from his bed and strolled about on the roof of the king’s house. From the roof he saw a woman bathing; she was very beautiful. 3 David sent people to inquire about the woman and was told, “She is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, and wife of Uriah the Hittite, Joab’s armor-bearer.”(B) 4 Then David sent messengers and took her. When she came to him, he took her to bed, at a time when she was just purified after her period; and she returned to her house.(C) 5 But the woman had become pregnant; she sent a message to inform David, “I am pregnant.”
6 So David sent a message to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 And when he came, David asked him how Joab was, how the army was, and how the war was going, and Uriah answered that all was well. 8 David then said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and bathe your feet.” Uriah left the king’s house, and a portion from the king’s table was sent after him. 9 But Uriah slept at the entrance of the king’s house with the other officers of his lord, and did not go down to his own house. 10 David was told, “Uriah has not gone down to his house.” So he said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why, then, did you not go down to your house?” 11 Uriah answered David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my lord Joab and my lord’s servants are encamped in the open field. Can I go home to eat and to drink and to sleep with my wife? As the Lord lives and as you live, I will do no such thing.”(D) 12 Then David said to Uriah, “Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day. On the following day, 13 David summoned him, and he ate and drank with David, who got him drunk. But in the evening he went out to sleep on his bed among his lord’s servants, and did not go down to his house. 14 The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab which he sent by Uriah. 15 This is what he wrote in the letter: “Place Uriah up front, where the fighting is fierce. Then pull back and leave him to be struck down dead.”
Psalm 14[a]
A Lament over Widespread Corruption
1 For the leader. Of David.
I
The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
Their deeds are loathsome and corrupt;
not one does what is good.(A)
2 The Lord looks down from heaven
upon the children of men,(B)
To see if even one is wise,
if even one seeks God.(C)
3 All have gone astray;
all alike are perverse.
Not one does what is good,
not even one.(D)
II
4 Will these evildoers never learn?
They devour my people as they devour bread;(E)
they do not call upon the Lord.(F)
5 They have good reason, then, to fear;
God is with the company of the just.
6 They would crush the hopes of the poor,
but the poor have the Lord as their refuge.
III
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self,(A) 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love,(B) 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth,(C) 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.(D)
20 Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us,(E) 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Chapter 6
Multiplication of the Loaves.[a] 1 (A)After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee [of Tiberias].[b] 2 A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish feast of Passover was near.(B) 5 [c]When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip,(C) “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” 6 [d]He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages[e] worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little [bit].”(D) 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves[f] and two fish; but what good are these for so many?”(E) 10 Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” Now there was a great deal of grass[g] in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.(F) 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.(G) 12 When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” 13 So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets[h] with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. 14 When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet,[i] the one who is to come into the world.”(H) 15 Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.(I)
Walking on the Water.[j] 16 (J)When it was evening, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea[k] and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid.(K) 20 But he said to them, “It is I.[l] Do not be afraid.” 21 They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.