[Propertalk] READINGS for the EIGHTH SUNDAY after PENTECOST

[Charles Wohlers]

The following are the readings for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, July 
26, (Proper 12, ECUSA; Proper 17, RCL & Roman Catholic) according to the 
Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic, Church of England, 
and Canadian (BAS) Lectionaries. All readings are taken from the New Revised 
Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Unless noted otherwise, the 
lectionaries of ECUSA, Canada and England are identical to the RCL this 
Sunday.



OLD TESTAMENT:  2 Samuel 11: 1 - 15   (RCL)

2Sam 11:1 (NRSV) In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to 
battle, David sent Jo'ab with his officers and all Israel with him; they 
ravaged the Am'monites, and besieged Rab'bah. But David remained at 
Jerusalem.
2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David rose from his couch and was 
walking about on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a 
woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful. 3 David sent someone to inquire 
about the woman. It was reported, "This is Bathshe'ba daughter of Eli'am, 
the wife of Uri'ah the Hit'tite." 4 So David sent messengers to get her, and 
she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she was purifying herself after 
her period.) Then she returned to her house. 5 The woman conceived; and she 
sent and told David, "I am pregnant."
6 So David sent word to Jo'ab, "Send me Uri'ah the Hit'tite." And Jo'ab sent 
Uri'ah to David. 7 When Uri'ah came to him, David asked how Jo'ab and the 
people fared, and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uri'ah, "Go 
down to your house, and wash your feet." Uri'ah went out of the king's 
house, and there followed him a present from the king. 9 But Uri'ah slept at 
the entrance of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did 
not go down to his house. 10 When they told David, "Uri'ah did not go down 
to his house," David said to Uri'ah, "You have just come from a journey. Why 
did you not go down to your house?" 11 Uri'ah said to David, "The ark and 
Israel and Judah remain in booths; and my lord Jo'ab and the servants of my 
lord are camping in the open field; shall I then go to my house, to eat and 
to drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I 
will not do such a thing." 12 Then David said to Uri'ah, "Remain here today 
also, and tomorrow I will send you back." So Uri'ah remained in Jerusalem 
that day. On the next day, 13 David invited him to eat and drink in his 
presence and made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his 
couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.
14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Jo'ab, and sent it by the hand of 
Uri'ah. 15 In the letter he wrote, "Set Uri'ah in the forefront of the 
hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, so that he may be struck down 
and die."


2 Samuel 12: 1 - 14   (Can. BAS)

2Sam 12:1 (NRSV) and the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said 
to him, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other 
poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds; 3 but the poor man had 
nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He brought it up, and 
it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his meager 
fare, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a 
daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was 
loath to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who 
had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb, and prepared that for the 
guest who had come to him." 5 Then David's anger was greatly kindled against 
the man. He said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this 
deserves to die; 6 he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this 
thing, and because he had no pity."
7 Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of 
Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from the hand of 
Saul; 8 I gave you your master's house, and your master's wives into your 
bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been 
too little, I would have added as much more. 9 Why have you despised the 
word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down 
Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, 
and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the 
sword shall never depart from your house, for you have despised me, and have 
taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. 11 Thus says the LORD: 
I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house; and I will 
take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he 
shall lie with your wives in the sight of this very sun. 12 For you did it 
secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun." 
13 David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan said to 
David, "Now the LORD has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 
Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the 
child that is born to you shall die."


2 Kings 4: 42 - 44   (Roman Catholic, alt. for RCL)

2Kin 4:42 (NRSV) A man came from Ba'al-shal'ishah, bringing food from the 
first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of 
grain in his sack. Eli'sha said, "Give it to the people and let them eat." 
43 But his servant said, "How can I set this before a hundred people?" So he 
repeated, "Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the LORD, 
"They shall eat and have some left.'" 44 He set it before them, they ate, 
and had some left, according to the word of the LORD.


PSALM 14   (RCL)

Psal 14:1 (NRSV) Fools say in their hearts, "There is no God."
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is no one who does good.
2 The LORD looks down from heaven on humankind
to see if there are any who are wise,
who seek after God.
3 They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse;
there is no one who does good,
no, not one.
4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and do not call upon the LORD?
5 There they shall be in great terror,
for God is with the company of the righteous.
6 You would confound the plans of the poor,
but the LORD is their refuge.
7 O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.


Psalm 145: 10 - 11, 15 - 18   (Roman Catholic)
Psalm 145: 10 - 18   (alt. for RCL)

Psal 145:10 (NRSV) All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
and all your faithful shall bless you.
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
and tell of your power,
12 to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The LORD is faithful in all his words,
and gracious in all his deeds.
14 The LORD upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand,
satisfying the desire of every living thing.
17 The LORD is just in all his ways,
and kind in all his doings.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.


Psalm 32   Beati quorum   (Can. BAS)

1   Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, *
  and whose sin is put away!

2   Happy are they to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, *
  and in whose spirit there is no guile!

3   While I held my tongue, my bones withered away, *
  because of my groaning all day long.

4   For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; *
  my moisture was dried up as in the heat of summer.

5   Then I acknowledged my sin to you, *
  and did not conceal my guilt.

6   I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord." *
  Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin.

7   Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you in
  time of trouble; *
  when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them.

8   You are my hiding-place;
you preserve me from trouble; *
  you surround me with shouts of deliverance.

9   "I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you
  should go; *
  I will guide you with my eye.

10   Do not be like horse or mule, which have no understanding; *
  who must be fitted with bit and bridle,
  or else they will not stay near you."

11   Great are the tribulations of the wicked; *
  but mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord.

12   Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the Lord; *
  shout for joy, all who are true of heart.


NEW TESTAMENT:   Ephesians 3: 14 - 21   (RCL)

Ephe 3:14 (NRSV) For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from 
whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. 16 I pray that, 
according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be 
strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, 17 and that 
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and 
grounded in love. 18 I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with 
all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and 
to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be 
filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish 
abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, 21 to him be glory in 
the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.


Ephesians 4: 1 - 6   (Roman Catholic)

Ephe 4:1 (NRSV) I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a 
life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all 
humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 
making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of 
peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the 
one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and 
Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.


GOSPEL:   John 6: 1 - 21  (RCL)
                    John 6: 1 - 15  (Roman Catholic, Can. BAS)

John 6:1 (NRSV) After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of 
Galilee, also called the Sea of Tibe'rias. 2 A large crowd kept following 
him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 3 Jesus went 
up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, 
the festival of the Jews, was near. 5 When he looked up and saw a large 
crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread 
for these people to eat?" 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew 
what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not 
buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." 8 One of his disciples, 
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 "There is a boy here who has 
five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?" 10 
Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass 
in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. 11 Then Jesus 
took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those 
who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 When they were 
satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so 
that nothing may be lost." 13 So they gathered them up, and from the 
fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they 
filled twelve baskets. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, 
they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the 
world."
15 When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to 
make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a 
boat, and started across the sea to Caper'naum. It was now dark, and Jesus 
had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was 
blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus 
walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 20 But 
he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." 21 Then they wanted to take 
him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which 
they were going.