Here’s a readers’ theatre setting of 2 Samuel 11:
26- 12: 35, the alternate Old Testament reading for Proper 6 C. It is set for
three voices.
Readers’
Theatre: 2 Samuel 11:26-12:35
One: When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband
was dead,
she mourned for him.
When the period of mourning was over,
David sent for her and brought her to the
palace,
and she became one of his wives.
Then she gave birth to a son.
But the Lord was displeased with
what David had done.
So the Lord sent Nathan the prophet
to David.
He told David this story:
Two: There were two men in a certain town.
One was rich, and one was poor.
The rich man owned a great many sheep and
cattle.
The poor man owned nothing but one little
lamb he had bought.
He raised that little lamb, and it grew up
with his children.
It ate from the man’s own plate and drank
from his cup.
He cuddled it in his arms like a baby
daughter.
One day a guest arrived at the home of the
rich man.
But instead of killing an animal from his own
flock or herd,
he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and
prepared it for his guest.
One: King David was furious.
Three: As surely as the Lord lives,
any man who would do such a thing deserves to
die!
He must repay four lambs to the poor man for
the one he stole
and for having no pity.
Two: You, David, are that man!
The Lord, the God of Israel, says:
I anointed you king of Israel and saved you
from the power of Saul.
I gave you your master’s house and his wives
and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
And if that had not been enough,
I would have given you much, much more.
Why, then, have you despised the word of
the Lord
and done this horrible deed?
For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite
with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen
his wife.
From this time on, your family will live by
the sword
because you have despised me by taking
Uriah’s wife to be your own.
Three: You are right! I have sinned against the Lord.
Two: Yes, but the Lord has forgiven
you,
and you won’t die for this sin.
Nevertheless,
because you have shown utter contempt for
the Lord by doing this,
your child will die.
One: After Nathan returned to his home,
the Lord sent a deadly illness to
the child of David and Uriah’s wife.
