[Propertalk] READINGS for the EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY after PENTECOST

[Charles Wohlers]

The following are the readings for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Sept. 30 (Proper 21, ECUSA; Proper 26, 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:   Esther 7: 1 - 6, 9 -10, 9: 20 - 22   (RCL)

Esth 7:1 (NRSV) So the king and Ha'man went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2 On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, "What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled." 3 Then Queen Esther answered, "If I have won your favor, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me--that is my petition--and the lives of my people--that is my request. 4 For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; but no enemy can compensate for this damage to the king." 5 Then King Ahasue'rus said to Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he, who has presumed to do this?" 6 Esther said, "A foe and enemy, this wicked Ha'man!" Then Ha'man was terrified before the king and the queen. 

9 Then Harbo'na, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, "Look, the very gallows that Ha'man has prepared for Mor'decai, whose word saved the king, stands at Ha'man's house, fifty cubits high." And the king said, "Hang him on that." 10 So they hanged Ha'man on the gallows that he had prepared for Mor'decai. Then the anger of the king abated. 

9:20 Mor'decai recorded these things, and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasue'rus, both near and far, 21 enjoining them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month A'dar and also the fifteenth day of the same month, year by year, 22 as the days on which the Jews gained relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor. 


Numbers 11: 4 - 6, 10 - 16, 24 - 29   (alt. for RCL)
Numbers 11: 25 - 29   (Roman Catholic)

Numb 11:4 (NRSV) The rabble among them had a strong craving; and the Israelites also wept again, and said, "If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; 6 but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at." 

10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, all at the entrances of their tents. Then the LORD became very angry, and Moses was displeased. 11 So Moses said to the LORD, "Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? 12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them, that you should say to me, "Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a sucking child,' to the land that you promised on oath to their ancestors? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, "Give us meat to eat!' 14 I am not able to carry all this people alone, for they are too heavy for me. 15 If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once--if I have found favor in your sight--and do not let me see my misery." 
16 So the LORD said to Moses, "Gather for me seventy of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them take their place there with you. 17 I will come down and talk with you there; and I will take some of the spirit that is on you and put it on them; and they shall bear the burden of the people along with you so that you will not bear it all by yourself. 

24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. 25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again. 
26 Two men remained in the camp, one named El'dad, and the other named Me'dad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, "El'dad and Me'dad are prophesying in the camp." 28 And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, "My lord Moses, stop them!" 29 But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit on them!" 


PSALM 124   (RCL)

Psal 124:1 (NRSV) If it had not been the LORD who was on our side 
--let Israel now say-- 
2 if it had not been the LORD who was on our side, 
when our enemies attacked us, 
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive, 
when their anger was kindled against us; 
4 then the flood would have swept us away, 
the torrent would have gone over us; 
5 then over us would have gone 
the raging waters. 
6 Blessed be the LORD, 
who has not given us 
as prey to their teeth. 
7 We have escaped like a bird 
from the snare of the fowlers; 
the snare is broken, 
and we have escaped. 
8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, 
who made heaven and earth. 


124   Nisi quia Dominus   (ECUSA BCP)
 
1   If the Lord had not been on our side, *
  let Israel now say;
 
2   If the Lord had not been on our side, *
  when enemies rose up against us;
 
3   Then would they have swallowed us up alive *
  in their fierce anger toward us;
 
4   Then would the waters have overwhelmed us *
 and the torrent gone over us;
 
5   Then would the raging waters *
  have gone right over us.
 
6   Blessed be the Lord! *
  he has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.
 
7   We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; *
  the snare is broken, and we have escaped.
 
8   Our help is in the Name of the Lord, *
  the maker of heaven and earth.


Psalm 19: 8, 10, 12 - 14   (Roman Catholic)
Psalm 19: 7 - 14   (alt. for RCL)

Psal 19 (NRSV) 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, 
reviving the soul; 
the decrees of the LORD are sure, 
making wise the simple; 
8 the precepts of the LORD are right, 
rejoicing the heart; 
the commandment of the LORD is clear, 
enlightening the eyes; 
9 the fear of the LORD is pure, 
enduring forever; 
the ordinances of the LORD are true 
and righteous altogether. 
10 More to be desired are they than gold, 
even much fine gold; 
sweeter also than honey, 
and drippings of the honeycomb. 
11 Moreover by them is your servant warned; 
in keeping them there is great reward. 
12 But who can detect their errors? 
Clear me from hidden faults. 
13 Keep back your servant also from the insolent; 
do not let them have dominion over me. 
Then I shall be blameless, 
and innocent of great transgression. 
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart 
be acceptable to you, 
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. 


19   Caeli enarrant  (ECUSA BCP)
 
7   The law of the Lord is perfect
  and revives the soul; *
 the testimony of the Lord is sure
  and gives wisdom to the innocent.
 
8   The statutes of the Lord are just
  and rejoice the heart; *
 the commandment of the Lord is clear
  and gives light to the eyes.
 
9   The fear of the Lord is clean
  and endures for ever; *
 the judgments of the Lord are true
  and righteous altogether.
 
10  More to be desired are they than gold,
  more than much fine gold, *
 sweeter far than honey,
  than honey in the comb.
 
11  By them also is your servant enlightened, *
 and in keeping them there is great reward.
 
12  Who can tell how often he offends? *
 cleanse me from my secret faults.
 
13  Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
let them not get dominion over me; *
 then shall I be whole and sound,
 and innocent of a great offense.
 
14  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
  heart be acceptable in your sight, *
 O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.


NEW TESTAMENT:   James 5: 13 - 20   (RCL)

Jame 5:13 (NRSV) Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 14 Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. 17 Eli'jah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest. 
19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, 20 you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. 


James 5: 1 - 6   (Roman Catholic)

Jame 5 (NRSV)  1 Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you. 2 Your riches have rotted, and your clothes are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you, and it will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days. 4 Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, who does not resist you. 


GOSPEL:  Mark 9: 38 - 50   (RCL)
                    Mark 9: 38 - 43, 45, 47 - 48   (Roman Catholic)

Mark 9:38 (NRSV) John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." 39 But Jesus said, "Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 Whoever is not against us is for us. 41 For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. 
42 "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, 48 where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. 
49 "For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another." 

Note that the NRSV and most other modern translations omit vs. 44 & 46.



Chad Wohlers
Woodbury, Vermont    USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu
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