Book of Common Prayer

¹² Children, I am writing to you because God has forgiven the wrong things you have done. Your wrong ways have been forgiven because of what Christ did.

¹³ Fathers, I am writing to you because you know the One who has lived from the beginning. Young men, I am writing to you because you have won the victory over the devil. Children, I write to you because you know Father God.

¹⁴ Fathers, I write to you because you know him, the one who has lived from the beginning. Young men, I write to you because you are strong. You believe God's word. You have won the victory over the devil.

¹⁵ Do not love the world, or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, he does not love the Father.

¹⁶ Nothing in the world comes from the Father. I mean the wrong things people like to do with their bodies. I mean the things people see and want to have. I mean all the things people are proud of in this life. These things come from the world, not the Father.

¹⁷ And the world will go away and all the things in it that people like to do. But the person who does what God wants him to do will live for ever.

⁵ Jesus sent out these twelve. He said to them, `Do not go to the people who are not Jews. Do not go to any town of the Samaritan people.

⁶ But go to the people of Israel. They are like lost sheep.

⁷ As you go, tell people that the kingdom of heaven is here.

⁸ Heal sick people. Bring dead people to life. Heal people who have leprosy. Drive bad spirits out of people You got it free, so give it free to others

⁹ Do not take gold, silver, or brass money with you.

¹⁰ Do not take a bag with you, and do not take two shirts, shoes, or a walking stick. The one who does the work should be given his food.

¹¹ When you come to any city or town, ask who there is able to have you. Then live there until you leave the town.

¹² When you go into the house, greet the family with a blessing.

¹³ If the family is all right, let your blessing stay on it. If it is not all right, take your blessing away.

¹⁴ In some places people will not take you in, or listen to what you say. So when you leave that house or town, shake the dust off your feet.

¹⁵ I tell you the truth. On the day when people are judged, the people from that city will be punished harder than the people from the country of Sodom and Gomorrah.'