Book of Common Prayer

13 Then I stood on the sand by the sea. I saw a wild animal come up out of the sea. The beast had seven heads and ten horns. On its horns were ten big crowns. On its heads it had names that did not respect God.

² The beast I saw was like a leopard. It had feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion. The dragon gave it his own strength, his own throne, and great power.

³ One of its heads had a cut, bad enough to kill it. But the bad cut was healed. All the people on earth were much surprised and followed the beast.

⁴ They worshipped the dragon because he had given this power to the beast. And they worshipped the beast too. They said, `Who is like this beast? Who can fight against it?'

⁵ The beast was given a mouth that spoke proud words against God. It was given power to rule for forty-two months.

⁶ It opened its mouth to speak against God, to speak against his name and the place where he lives, and to speak against those who live in heaven.

⁷ It was also given power to fight against God's people and to win the fight against them. It was given power to rule over every tribe, nation, language, and country.

⁸ Everyone on earth will worship the beast, if they do not have their names in the book of life. The book of life belongs to the Lamb who was killed. That was God's plan since the world was made.

⁹ He who can hear should listen:

¹⁰ Anyone who puts people in prison will go to prison. Any one who kills others with a long knife or sword will be killed by a long knife or sword. This is why God's people are patient and keep on believing.

¹³ One of the people in the crowd said, `Teacher, tell my brother to divide with me the things my father left when he died.'

¹⁴ Jesus said, `Man, who made me a judge over you or gave me power to divide your things?'

¹⁵ Then he said to the people, `Take care. Do not be greedy in any way to get more and more things. Even if a man has much more than he needs, it cannot give him life.'

¹⁶ Then he told them a story. He said, `A rich man had a farm. The things that grew on it were many.

¹⁷ He said to himself, "What will I do? I have no place to keep all the food I have grown."

¹⁸ So he said, "This is what I will do. I will break down my storehouses and build bigger ones. I will keep in them all the food and everything I have.

¹⁹ Then I will say to myself, `Man, you have much in your storehouses for many years. Rest now. Eat, drink, and have a good time.' "

²⁰ But God said to him, "You are a fool! Tonight you will die. Then who will have all the things you have kept for yourself?"

²¹ So anyone who keeps things for himself is not rich in the way God wants him to be rich.'

²² Jesus said to his disciples, `So I tell you this. Do not be troubled about what you will eat to keep alive. Do not be troubled about clothes to wear on your body.

²³ Life itself is worth more than food, and the body is worth more than clothes.

²⁴ `Think of the birds. They do not plant, cut, or keep any food. Yet God feeds them. You are worth much more than the birds!

²⁵ `Can any of you live any longer by troubling yourself about these things?

²⁶ If you cannot do a small thing like that, why do you trouble yourself about the other things?

²⁷ `Think about the flowers. See how they grow. They do not work or make cloth. I tell you, King Solomon was a great man. But he was not dressed as fine as one of these flowers.

²⁸ God dresses the grass in the fields so it looks nice. It is in the field one day and the next day it is burned. If God dresses the grass like that, he cares much more that you have clothes to wear. You do not believe in God very much!

²⁹ `Do not keep asking, "What shall we eat?" and, "What shall we drink?" Do not be troubled about that.

³⁰ All the people who are not Jews work for these things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need them.

³¹ But work for God's kingdom. Then you will have all these things also.'