Daily Bible Readings February 1 Third Friday of Ordinary Time

February 1 2008 Friday 3rd Week Ordinary Time

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/020108.shtml – Note. The Official Liturgical readings may not match the current NAB you may have.

2 Samuel 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17
Douay-Rheims Challoner Text

1 And it came to pass at the return of the year, at the time when kings go forth to war, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel, and they spoiled the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabba: but David remained in Jerusalem.
2 In the mean time it happened that David arose from his bed after noon, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: And he saw from the roof of his house a woman washing herself, over against him: and the woman was very beautiful.
3 And the king sent, and inquired who the woman was. And it was told him, that she was Bethsabee the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Urias the Hethite.
4 And David sent messengers, and took her, and she came in to him, and he slept with her
5 And she returned to her house having conceived. And she sent and told David, and said: I have conceived.
6 And David sent to Joab, saying: Send me Urias the Hethite. And Joab sent Urias to David.
7 And Urias came to David. And David asked how Joab did, and the people, and how the war was carried on.
8 And David said to Urias: Go into thy house, and wash thy feet. And Urias went out from the king’s house, and there went out after him a mess of meat from the king.
9 But Urias slept before the gate of the king’s house, with the other servants of his lord, and went not down to his own house.
10 And it was told David by some that said: Urias went not to his house.
13 And David called him to eat and to drink before him, and he made him drunk: and he went out in the evening, and slept on his couch with the servants of his lord, and went not down into his house.
14 And when the morning was come, David wrote a letter to Joab: and sent it by the hand of Urias,
15 Writing in the letter: Set ye Urias in the front of the battle, where the fight is strongest: and leave ye him, that he may be wounded and die.
16 Wherefore as Joab was besieging the city, he put Urias in the place where he knew the bravest men were.
17 And the men coming out of the city, fought against Joab, and there fell some of the people of the servants of David, and Urias the Hethite was killed also.

The Gospel According to Saint Mark 4:26-34
Haydock New Testament

26 And He said:

So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the earth, 27 And should sleep, and rise, night and day, and the seed should spring, and grow up whilst he knoweth not. 28 For the earth of itself bringeth forth fruit, first the blade, then the ear, afterwards the full corn in the ear: 29 And when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

30 And he said: To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? or to what parable shall we compare it? 31 It is as a grain of mustard-seed, which when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that are in the earth: 32 And when it is sown, it growth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches, so that the birds of the air may dwell under the shadow thereof.

33 And with many such parables he spoke to them the word, according as they were able to hear. 34 And without parable he did not speak unto them: but apart, he explained all things to his disciples.

Haydock Commentary 2 Samuel 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17

• Ver. 1. Year. Heb. “at the end of the year,” (Chal. Syr.) which may be explained either of the year after the preceding engagement, or at the end of the civil year, in the autumnal equinox, (C.) or of the sacred year, which begins in the spring, (H.) when kings more commonly go to battle, about the month of March. M.—In hot countries they make a campaign also in autumn.—Ammon. They had not been sufficiently chastised, as they had saved themselves within their strong cities. They had added to their other crimes, that of stirring up the Syrians against David. C.—Rabba, the capital of Ammon, which Polybius calls “Rabatamana.” See C. v. 8. H.
• Ver. 2. Noon. He had been reposing, according to custom. C. iv. 7. C.—But the devil was not idle. He was meditating a temptation and crime, which involved a great part of the remainder of David’s life in misery. H.—He had reigned 18 years, and lived 48, almost without blame. Salien, A. 2998.—His house, as the Heb. explains it. The Vulgate might insinuate that the woman was upon “the roof of her house.” But she was probably in her garden, as the Jews have their baths in the open air. They are frequently obliged to purify themselves. C.—The house must have been very near David’s palace. Salien.
• Ver. 3. Eliam. By a transportation of letters, he is called Ammiel, in 1 Par. iii. 5. Both words signify “my people is God’s.” This son of Achitophel (C. xxiii. 34,) was one of David’s valiant men, as well as Urias, who is styled the Hethite, being born at Eth; (S. Jer. Salien) or on account of his extraction, or because he or his ancestors (H.) had performed some great exploit against that nation; as Germanicus, Africanus, &c. received those titles among the Romans, for conquering the Germans, &c. C.—Eth was a place near Hebron. Adric. 128. M.—The name of Bethsabee is also different in Paral.; the last b in Heb. being changed into v. Both-shua, both-al-i-ãm; instead of Both-shobã, both-ãm-i-al. H. Kennic.—The grandfather of Bethsabee is supposed to have revolted against David, to revenge the wrong done to her. T. A. Lapide. “Let the weak tremble at the fall of the strong.” S. Aug. in Ps. 1.
• Ver. 4. The Following refers to parts excluded from today’s reading. – Purified. Lit. “sanctified.” Heb. and Sept. “for she was,” &c. H.—Hoc ideo additum ne miraremur illicò eam concepisse. Grot. Arist. Anim. Vii. 20.—Women were obliged to bathe after such auctions.
• Ver. 8. Feet. As they did not wear stocking, this practice was very common after a journey. David thus insinuated that Urias might take his rest, and go to his wife, that so he might suppose that the child was his own, and the crime of Bethsabee might be concealed. C.—King, as a mark of honour, but in reality that he might be more excited to indulge his pleasures. Abulensis. M.
• Ver. 9. House, in the court, for the guards. See Athen. v. 2. &c.
• Ver. 13. Couch. It seems he was one of the guards. Josephus says he was Joab’s armour-bearer, (Ant. vii. 7.) and one of David’s heroes. C. xxiii. 39.
• Ver. 14. Morning of the fourth day, as Urias staid three nights at Jerusalem. It is not clear that he was intoxicated the last of them. On that night David permitted him to act as he should think proper; and finding that he obstinately persisted in the resolution of not going to sleep with his wife, he had recourse to the last and most barbarous expedient of making way for his own marriage with the woman, as he saw this was the only method left for him to save her honour. The utmost expedition was requisite, as many days must have elapsed before she perceived her situation; (H.) and if many more should pass over, it would be manifest to the world that she had been guilty of adultery, and must either be stoned, or, if David spared her, he must bear the blame. Salien.—Urias. The fable of Bellerophon being sent by Prœtus to Jobates, king of Syria, with a letter, desiring the king to put the bearer to death, seems to have been copied from this history. Their letters have become proverbial. Chry. “Aha Bellerophontem jam tuus me fecit filius, Egoment tabellas detuli ut vincirer.—Plaut. Bacchide.”
• Ver. 15. Die. We no longer behold the genius of that David who would not hurt his persecutor. What a change does a shameful passion introduce in the whole conduct of a man! And how does one false step conduct from one abyss to another! Proprium humani ingenii est odisse quem lœseris. Tacit.—David could no longer bear the sight of a man whom he had injured so grievously. C.
• Ver. 17. Also. Hence David prays with reason; Deliver me from blood (sanguinibus) of many slain. He was answerable for all. Cajetan.  

Haydock Commentary Mark 4:26-34

• Ver. 26. So it is with him who announces the gospel of the kingdom of God, as with the sower. For whether he sleep or rise, the seed will grow up while he knoweth not; and the well prepared soil will, by the blessing of God, be productive: so the Word of God shed abroad in the heart of man, will increase and fructify independently of all the preacher’s solicitude, till he who had received it, being arrived at the measure of the age and fulness of Christ, shall be withdrawn by God from this world, and be called to himself. V.
• Ver. 29. When the fruit is brought forth: lit. when the fruit hath produced. By the fruit is here meant the seed; i.e. when the seed by degrees hath produced the blade, then the ear, and lastly the corn, which is become ripe. Wi.—This is a secondary sense of the text, when the fruit hath come to maturity, and by no means a forced interpretation.
• Ver. 33. This seems to contradict what was said. v. 12, that seeing they may not see, &c.; but we must observe, that parables have more explanations than one, some more easy, whilst others are more difficult to be understood. In parables, the multitude understood the more literal interpretation, whilst Christ explains the more abstruse and hidden sense to his apostles. Hence there is no contradiction in these texts. Nic. de Lyra.