The following are the readings for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, August 4, (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. Note that the Canadian BAS lectionary does not include the RCL alternatives

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. 

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.

51   Miserere mei, Deus   (ECUSA BCP)
 
1  	Have mercy on me, O God, according to your
		loving-kindness; *
 	in your great compassion blot out my offenses.
 
2  	Wash me through and through from my wickedness *
 	and cleanse me from my sin.
 
3  	For I know my transgressions, *
 	and my sin is ever before me.
.
4  	Against you only have I sinned *
 	and done what is evil in your sight.
 
5  	And so you are justified when you speak *
 	and upright in your judgment.
 
6  	Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth, *
 	a sinner from my mother's womb.
 
7  	For behold, you look for truth deep within me, *
 	and will make me understand wisdom secretly.
 
8  	Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; *
 	wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.
 
9  	Make me hear of joy and gladness, *
 	that the body you have broken may rejoice.
 
10  	Hide your face from my sins *
 	and blot out all my iniquities.

11  	Create in me a clean heart, O God, *
 	and renew a right spirit within me.
 
12  	Cast me not away from your presence *
 	and take not your holy Spirit from me.
 
13  	Give me the joy of your saving help again *
 	and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.

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. 

78   (ECUSA BCP)
 
Part I   Attendite, popule
 
23  	So he commanded the clouds above *
 	and opened the doors of heaven.
 
24  	He rained down manna upon them to eat *
 	and gave them grain from heaven.
 
25  	So mortals ate the bread of angels; *
 	he provided for them food enough.

26   He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens *
 	and led out the south wind by his might.
 
27   He rained down flesh upon them like dust *
 	and winge!d birds like the sand of the sea.
 
28   He let it fall in the midst of their camp *
 	and round about their dwellings.
 
29   So they ate and were well filled, *
 	for he gave them what they craved.

NEW TESTAMENT:   Ephesians 4: 1 - 16   (RCL)

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.