Thursday 10 August 2023 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Thursday 10 August 2023 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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2 Samuel 11:1-27

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David
sent Joab with his officers and all Israel with him; they ravaged the
Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

 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. David sent
someone to inquire about the woman. It was reported, ‘This is
Bathsheba daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.’ So
David sent messengers to fetch 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. The woman conceived; and she sent and told
David, ‘I am pregnant.’

 So David sent word to Joab, ‘Send me Uriah the Hittite.’ And
Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab
and the people fared, and how the war was going. Then David said to
Uriah, ‘Go down to your house, and wash your feet.’ Uriah went out
of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king.
But Uriah slept at the entrance of the king’s house with all the
servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. When they told
David, ‘Uriah did not go down to his house’, David said to Uriah,
‘You have just come from a journey. Why did you not go down to your
house?’ Uriah said to David, ‘The ark and Israel and Judah remain
in booths; and my lord Joab 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.’ Then David said to Uriah, ‘Remain here today
also, and tomorrow I will send you back.’ So Uriah remained in
Jerusalem that day. On the next day, 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.

 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand
of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, ‘Set Uriah in the forefront of the
hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, so that he may be
struck down and die.’ As Joab was besieging the city, he assigned
Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant warriors. The men
of the city came out and fought with Joab; and some of the servants of
David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite was killed as well.
Then Joab sent and told David all the news about the fighting; and he
instructed the messenger, ‘When you have finished telling the king
all the news about the fighting, then, if the king’s anger rises,
and if he says to you, “Why did you go so near the city to fight?
Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? Who killed
Abimelech son of Jerubbaal? Did not a woman throw an upper millstone
on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so
near the wall?” then you shall say, “Your servant Uriah the
Hittite is dead too.” ’

 So the messenger went, and came and told David all that Joab had
sent him to tell. The messenger said to David, ‘The men gained an
advantage over us, and came out against us in the field; but we drove
them back to the entrance of the gate. Then the archers shot at your
servants from the wall; some of the king’s servants are dead; and
your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’ David said to the
messenger, ‘Thus you shall say to Joab, “Do not let this matter
trouble you, for the sword devours now one and now another; press your
attack on the city, and overthrow it.” And encourage him.’

 When the wife of Uriah heard that her husband was dead, she made
lamentation for him. When the mourning was over, David sent and
brought her to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son.
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Acts 19:11-20

God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that when the
handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the
sick, their diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.
Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of the Lord
Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ‘I adjure you by the
Jesus whom Paul proclaims.’ Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named
Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit said to them in reply,
‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’ Then the man
with the evil spirit leapt on them, mastered them all, and so
overpowered them that they fled out of the house naked and wounded.
When this became known to all residents of Ephesus, both Jews and
Greeks, everyone was awestruck; and the name of the Lord Jesus was
praised. Also many of those who became believers confessed and
disclosed their practices. A number of those who practised magic
collected their books and burned them publicly; when the value of
these books was calculated, it was found to come to fifty thousand
silver coins. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
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Mark 9:2-13

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led
them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured
before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on
earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses,
who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is
good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one
for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say, for
they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the
cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to
him!’ Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them
any more, but only Jesus.

 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no
one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen
from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what
this rising from the dead could mean. Then they asked him, ‘Why do
the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’ He said to them,
‘Elijah is indeed coming first to restore all things. How then is it
written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings
and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and
they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written about him.’
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 83, 145

Psalm 83

O God, do not keep silence;
   do not hold your peace or be still, O God! 
Even now your enemies are in tumult;
   those who hate you have raised their heads. 
They lay crafty plans against your people;
   they consult together against those you protect. 
They say, ‘Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;
   let the name of Israel be remembered no more.’ 
They conspire with one accord;
   against you they make a covenant— 
the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
   Moab and the Hagrites, 
Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,
   Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; 
Assyria also has joined them;
   they are the strong arm of the children of Lot.
          Selah 

Do to them as you did to Midian,
   as to Sisera and Jabin at the Wadi Kishon, 
who were destroyed at En-dor,
   who became dung for the ground. 
Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
   all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, 
who said, ‘Let us take the pastures of God
   for our own possession.’ 

O my God, make them like whirling dust,
   like chaff before the wind. 
As fire consumes the forest,
   as the flame sets the mountains ablaze, 
so pursue them with your tempest
   and terrify them with your hurricane. 
Fill their faces with shame,
   so that they may seek your name, O Lord. 
Let them be put to shame and dismayed for ever;
   let them perish in disgrace. 
Let them know that you alone,
   whose name is the Lord,
   are the Most High over all the earth.

Psalm 145

I will extol you, my God and King,
   and bless your name for ever and ever. 
Every day I will bless you,
   and praise your name for ever and ever. 
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
   his greatness is unsearchable. 

One generation shall laud your works to another,
   and shall declare your mighty acts. 
On the glorious splendour of your majesty,
   and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. 
The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
   and I will declare your greatness. 
They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
   and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. 

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
   slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 
The Lord is good to all,
   and his compassion is over all that he has made. 

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
   and all your faithful shall bless you. 
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
   and tell of your power, 
to make known to all people your* mighty deeds,
   and the glorious splendour of your* kingdom. 
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.* 
The Lord upholds all who are falling,
   and raises up all who are bowed down. 
The eyes of all look to you,
   and you give them their food in due season. 
You open your hand,
   satisfying the desire of every living thing. 
The Lord is just in all his ways,
   and kind in all his doings. 
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
   to all who call on him in truth. 
He fulfils the desire of all who fear him;
   he also hears their cry, and saves them. 
The Lord watches over all who love him,
   but all the wicked he will destroy. 

My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
   and all flesh will bless his holy name for ever and ever.
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 85, 86

Psalm 85

Lord, you were favourable to your land;
   you restored the fortunes of Jacob. 
You forgave the iniquity of your people;
   you pardoned all their sin.
          Selah 
You withdrew all your wrath;
   you turned from your hot anger. 

Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
   and put away your indignation towards us. 
Will you be angry with us for ever?
   Will you prolong your anger to all generations? 
Will you not revive us again,
   so that your people may rejoice in you? 
Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
   and grant us your salvation. 

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
   for he will speak peace to his people,
   to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts. 
Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
   that his glory may dwell in our land. 

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
   righteousness and peace will kiss each other. 
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
   and righteousness will look down from the sky. 
The Lord will give what is good,
   and our land will yield its increase. 
Righteousness will go before him,
   and will make a path for his steps.

Psalm 86

Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
   for I am poor and needy. 
Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you;
   save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; be gracious to me, O Lord,
   for to you do I cry all day long. 
Gladden the soul of your servant,
   for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
   abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you. 
Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
   listen to my cry of supplication. 
In the day of my trouble I call on you,
   for you will answer me. 

There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
   nor are there any works like yours. 
All the nations you have made shall come
   and bow down before you, O Lord,
   and shall glorify your name. 
For you are great and do wondrous things;
   you alone are God. 
Teach me your way, O Lord,
   that I may walk in your truth;
   give me an undivided heart to revere your name. 
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
   and I will glorify your name for ever. 
For great is your steadfast love towards me;
   you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. 

O God, the insolent rise up against me;
   a band of ruffians seeks my life,
   and they do not set you before them. 
But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
   slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. 
Turn to me and be gracious to me;
   give your strength to your servant;
   save the child of your serving-maid. 
Show me a sign of your favour,
   so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame,
   because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
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