The Story of David - the death of Absalom, 1552-54, Cecchino del Salviati, fresco at Sala dell'Udienza Invernale, Palazzo Ricci-Sacchetti, Rome

Prime Timers

The Prime Timers were a Bible study group at St. Martin's for eight years. One of the goals of our founder, Jackie Rose, was to have a weekly web page for the group and all the pages are still online here. The group disbanded but the readings below follow the Revised Common Lectionary as adapted for use in Episcopal worship.

Lectionary readings

The Readings for Sunday, August 11 -- Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost: Track 1: 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33; Psalm 130 Track 2: 1 Kings 19:4-8; Psalm 34:1-8 for both: Ephesians 4:25-5:2 and John 6:35, 41-51. The text is from the Bible Study Tools - New Revised Standard Version.

Track 1

2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33

⁵ The king, David, ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom." And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders concerning Absalom. ⁶ So the army went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. ⁷ The men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. ⁸ The battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword. ⁹ Absalom happened to meet the servants of David.

Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. His head caught fast in the oak, and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.

¹⁵ And ten young men, Joab's armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him, and killed him.

³¹ Then the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, "Good tidings for my lord the king! For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you." ³² The king said to the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" The Cushite answered, "May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like that young man."

³³ The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!"

Psalm 130

¹ Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
     ² Lord, hear my voice!
     Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!

³ If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
      Lord, who could stand?

⁴ But there is forgiveness with you,
     so that you may be revered.

⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
     and in his word I hope;

⁶ my soul waits for the Lord
     more than those who watch for the morning,
     more than those who watch for the morning.

⁷ O Israel, hope in the Lord!
     For with the Lord there is steadfast love,

and with him is great power to redeem.
     ⁸ It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

Track 2

1 Kings 19:4-8

⁴ But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." ⁵ Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, "Get up and eat." ⁶ He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. ⁷ The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you." ⁸ He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.

Psalm 34:1-8

¹ I will bless the Lord at all times;
     his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

² My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and be glad.

³ O magnify the Lord with me,
     and let us exalt his name together.

⁴ I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
     and delivered me from all my fears.

⁵ Look to him, and be radiant;
     so your faces shall never be ashamed.

⁶ This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
     and was saved from every trouble.

⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
     and delivers them.

8 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
     happy are those who take refuge in him.

for both

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

²⁵ So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. ²⁶ Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷ and do not make room for the devil. ²⁸ Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. ²⁹ Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. ³¹ Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, ³² and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. ^5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, ² and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

John 6:35, 41-51

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.

⁴¹ Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." ⁴² They were saying, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, "I have come down from heaven'?" ⁴³ Jesus answered them, "Do not complain among yourselves. ⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the prophets, "And they shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. ⁴⁶ Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

Thanks to Bible Study Tools for today's text.