[Propertalk] READINGS for the NINTH SUNDAY after PENTECOST

[Charles Wohlers]

The following are the readings for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, August 
2, (Proper 13, ECUSA; Proper 18, 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: 26 - 12: 13a   (RCL)

2Sam 11:26 (NRSV) When the wife of Uri'ah heard that her husband was dead, 
she made lamentation for him. 27 When the mourning was over, David sent and 
brought her to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son.
But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD, 12:1 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 
Uri'ah the Hit'tite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, 
and have killed him with the sword of the Am'monites. 10 Now therefore the 
sword shall never depart from your house, for you have despised me, and have 
taken the wife of Uri'ah the Hit'tite 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."


Exodus 16: 2 - 4, 9 - 15   (alt. for RCL)
Exodus 16: 2 - 4, 12 - 15   (Roman Catholic)

Exod 16:2 (NRSV) The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against 
Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, "If only 
we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the 
fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this 
wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."
4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "I am going to rain bread from heaven for 
you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In 
that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.

9 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to the whole congregation of the 
Israelites, "Draw near to the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.'" 10 
And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked 
toward the wilderness, and the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. 11 
The LORD spoke to Moses and said, 12 "I have heard the complaining of the 
Israelites; say to them, "At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning 
you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD 
your God.'"
13 In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning 
there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew lifted, 
there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine 
as frost on the ground. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to one 
another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to 
them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.


2 Samuel 12: 15b - 24   (Can. BAS)

2Sam 12:15 (NRSV) The LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, 
and it became very ill. 16 David therefore pleaded with God for the child; 
David fasted, and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 The elders of 
his house stood beside him, urging him to rise from the ground; but he would 
not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 On the seventh day the child died. 
And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead; 
for they said, "While the child was still alive, we spoke to him, and he did 
not listen to us; how then can we tell him the child is dead? He may do 
himself some harm." 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering 
together, he perceived that the child was dead; and David said to his 
servants, "Is the child dead?" They said, "He is dead."
20 Then David rose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed 
his clothes. He went into the house of the LORD, and worshiped; he then went 
to his own house; and when he asked, they set food before him and he ate. 21 
Then his servants said to him, "What is this thing that you have done? You 
fasted and wept for the child while it was alive; but when the child died, 
you rose and ate food." 22 He said, "While the child was still alive, I 
fasted and wept; for I said, "Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me, and 
the child may live.' 23 But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring 
him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me."
24 {Solomon Is Born} Then David consoled his wife Bathsheba, and went to 
her, and lay with her; and she bore a son, and he named him Solomon. The 
LORD loved him[.]


PSALM 51: 1 - 12   (RCL)

Psal 51:1 (NRSV) Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgment.
5 Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6 You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.

Note: Verse numbering in your Psalter may be different from the above.


Psalm 78: 3 - 4, 23 - 25, 54   (Roman Catholic)
Psalm 78: 23 - 29   (alt. for RCL)

Psal 78:3 (NRSV) [T]hings that we have heard and known,
that our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children;
we will tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.

23 Yet he commanded the skies above,
and opened the doors of heaven;
24 he rained down on them manna to eat,
and gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Mortals ate of the bread of angels;
he sent them food in abundance.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
and by his power he led out the south wind;
27 he rained flesh upon them like dust,
winged birds like the sand of the seas;
28 he let them fall within their camp,
all around their dwellings.
29 And they ate and were well filled,
for he gave them what they craved.

54 And he brought them to his holy hill,
to the mountain that his right hand had won.


Psalm 34: 11 - 22   (Can. BAS)

11   Come, children, and listen to me; *
  I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12   Who among you loves life *
  and desires long life to enjoy prosperity?

13   Keep your tongue from evil-speaking *
  and your lips from lying words.

14   Turn from evil and do good; *
  seek peace and pursue it.

15   The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, *
  and his ears are open to their cry.

16   The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, *
  to root out the remembrance of them from the earth.

17   The righteous cry, and the Lord hears them *
  and delivers them from all their troubles.

18   The Lord is near to the brokenhearted *
  and will save those whose spirits are crushed.

19   Many are the troubles of the righteous, *
  but the Lord will deliver him out of them all.

20   He will keep safe all his bones; *
  not one of them shall be broken.

21   Evil shall slay the wicked, *
  and those who hate the righteous will be punished.

22   The Lord ransoms the life of his servants, *
  and none will be punished who trust in him.


NEW TESTAMENT:   Ephesians 4: 1 - 16   (RCL)
                                      Ephesians 4: 1 - 6   (Can. BAS)

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.
7 But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift. 
8 Therefore it is said,
"When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive;
he gave gifts to his people."
9 (When it says, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also 
descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is the same 
one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all 
things.) 11 The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some 
prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the 
saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 
until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the 
Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14 We 
must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind 
of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful 
scheming. 15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way 
into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined 
and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part 
is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in 
love.


Ephesians 4: 17, 20 - 24   (Roman Catholic)

Ephe 4:17 (NRSV) Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must no 
longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds.

 20 That is not the way you learned Christ! 21 For surely you have heard 
about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus. 22 You were taught 
to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by 
its lusts, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to 
clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of 
God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our 
neighbors, for we are members of one another.


GOSPEL:   John 6: 24 - 35   (all)

John 6:24 (NRSV) So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples 
were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Caper'naum 
looking for Jesus.
25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, 
"Rabbi, when did you come here?" 26 Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell 
you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate 
your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for 
the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. 
For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal." 28 Then they said to 
him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" 29 Jesus answered them, 
"This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." 30 So 
they said to him, "What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may 
see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate 
the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, "He gave them bread from 
heaven to eat.'" 32 Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was 
not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives 
you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes 
down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34 They said to him, "Sir, 
give us this bread always."
35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will 
never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.



Chad Wohlers
East Bridgewater, Mass.   USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu