Book of Common Prayer

God’s unchangeable promise

¹³ When God was making his promise to Abraham, you see, he had nobody else greater than himself by whom he could swear, and so he swore by himself, ¹⁴ with the words, “I will most surely bless you, and multiply you very greatly.” ¹⁵ And so in this way Abraham, after much patience, obtained the promise. ¹⁶ People regularly swear by someone greater than themselves, and in all their disputes the oath confirms the matter and brings it to closure. ¹⁷ So when God wanted to show all the more clearly to the heirs of the promise just how unchangeable his will was, he guaranteed it with an oath, ¹⁸ so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God should tell a lie, those of us who have come for refuge should have solid encouragement to take hold of the hope which lies before us. ¹⁹ We have this hope like an anchor, secure, solid, and penetrating into the inner place behind the curtain, ²⁰ where Jesus has gone in ahead of us and on our behalf, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Jesus sends out the seventy

10 After this the master commissioned seventy others, and sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he was intending to come.

² “There’s a great harvest out there,” he said to them, “but there aren’t many workers. So plead with the harvest-master to send out workers for the harvest.

³ “Off you go now. Remember, I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Take no money-bag, no pack, no sandals—and don’t stop to pass the time with anyone on the road. ⁵ Whenever you go into a house, first say, ‘Peace on this house.’ ⁶ If a child of peace lives there, your peace will rest on them; but if not, it will return to you.

⁷ “Stay in the same house, and eat and drink what they provide. The worker deserves to be paid, you see. Don’t go from house to house. ⁸ If you go into a town and they welcome you, eat what is provided, ⁹ heal the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘God’s kingdom has come close to you.’ ¹⁰ But if you go into a town and they don’t welcome you, go out into the streets of the town and say, ¹¹ ‘Here is the very dust of your town clinging to our feet—and we’re wiping it off in front of your eyes! ¹² But you should know this: God’s kingdom has come close to you!’ Let me tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.

¹³ “Woe betide you, Chorazin! Woe betide you, Bethsaida! If the powerful deeds done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴ But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you. ¹⁵ And you, Capernaum—you want to be lifted up to heaven, do you? No: you’ll be sent down to Hades!

¹⁶ “Anyone who hears you, hears me; anyone who rejects you, rejects me; and anyone who rejects me, rejects the one who sent me.”

The celebration of Jesus

¹⁷ The seventy came back exhilarated.

“Master,” they said, “even the demons obey us in your name!”