Book of Common Prayer

Patience and trust

⁷ So be patient, my brothers and sisters, for the appearing of the Lord. You know how the farmer waits for the valuable crop to come up from the ground. He is patient over it, waiting for it to receive the early rain and then the late rain. ⁸ In the same way, you must be patient, and make your hearts strong, because the appearing of the Lord is near at hand. ⁹ Don’t grumble against one another, my brothers and sisters, so that you may not be judged. Look—the judge is standing at the gates! ¹⁰ Consider the prophets, my brothers and sisters, who spoke in the name of the Lord. Take them as an example of longsuffering and patience. ¹¹ When people endure, we call them “blessed by God.” Well, you have heard of the endurance of Job; and you saw the Lord’s ultimate purpose. The Lord is deeply compassionate and kindly.

¹² Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear. Don’t swear by heaven; don’t swear by earth; don’t use any other oaths. Let your “Yes” be “Yes” and your “No” be “No.” That way, you will not fall under judgment.

¹⁹ My dear family, if someone in your company has wandered from the truth, and someone turns them back, ²⁰ know this: the one who turns back a sinner from wandering off into error will rescue that person’s life from death, and cover a multitude of sins.

The death of Jesus

³³ At midday there was darkness over all the land until three in the afternoon. ³⁴ At three o’clock Jesus shouted out in a powerful voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why did you abandon me?”

³⁵ When the bystanders heard it, some of them said, “He’s calling for Elijah!”

³⁶ One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a pole, and gave it him to drink.

“Well then,” he declared, “let’s see if Elijah will come and take him down.”

³⁷ But Jesus, with another loud shout, breathed his last.

³⁸ The Temple veil was torn in two, from top to bottom. ³⁹ When the centurion who was standing facing him saw that he died in this way, he said, “This fellow really was God’s son.”