Book of Common Prayer

Let All the Earth Praise the Lord

A Song About Rejoicing in God

A Psalm of Praise

Praise to the Loving God

Deliverance of Israel from Egypt

Thanksgiving to God

The Passover is Instituted

12 The Lord told Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, ² “This month will mark the beginning of months for you. It will be the first month of the year for you. ³ Tell the entire congregation of Israel, ‘On the tenth of this month they’re each to take a lamb for themselves, according to their ancestors’ households, one lamb for each household. ⁴ If a household is too small for a lamb, then it and its closest neighbor are to obtain one based on the number of individuals—dividing^[a] the lamb based on what each person can eat. ⁵ Your lamb is to be a year old male without blemish. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. ⁶ It is to remain under your care until the fourteenth day of this month, and then the entire assembly of the congregation of Israel is to slaughter it at twilight. ⁷ They’re to take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat the lamb.^{[b] 8} That very night they’re to eat the meat, roasted over the fire, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ⁹ Don’t eat any of it raw or boiled in water. Instead, roast it over the fire, with its head, legs, and internal organs. ¹⁰ Don’t leave any of it until morning, and whatever does remain of it until morning you are to burn in the fire.

¹¹ “‘This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it hurriedly—it’s the Lord’s Passover. ¹² I’ll pass through the land of Egypt that night and strike every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both people and animals. I’ll execute judgments on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. ¹³ The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are. I’ll see the blood and pass over you. There will be no plague to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

¹⁴ “‘This day is to be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a festival to the Lord. You are to celebrate it as a perpetual ordinance from generation to generation.

A Promise of Return to the Land

The Word and Creation

1 In the beginning, the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He existed in the beginning with God. ³ Through him all things were made, and apart from him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life brought light to humanity.^{[a] 5} And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.^[b]

John’s Witness to the Word

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe because of him. ⁸ John^[c] was not the light, but he came^[d] to testify about the light. ⁹ This^[e] was the true light that enlightens every person by his coming into the world.^{[f] 10} He was in the world, and the world was made through him. Yet the world did not recognize him.

Responses to the Word

¹¹ He came to his own creation,^[g] yet his own people did not receive him. ¹² However, to all who received him, those believing in his name, he gave authority to become God’s children, ¹³ who were born, not merely in a genetic sense,^[h] nor from lust,^[i] nor from man’s desire, but from the will of^[j] God.

The Word Becomes Human

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and lived^[k] among us. We gazed on his glory, the kind of glory that belongs to the Father’s uniquely existing Son,^[l] who is full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ John told the truth about him when he cried out, “This is the person about whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me ranks higher than me, because he existed before me.’” ¹⁶ We have all received one gracious gift after another from his abundance,^{[m] 17} because while the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus the Messiah.^{[n] 18} No one has ever seen God. The uniquely existing God,^[o] who is close to the Father’s side, has revealed him.

Jesus Meets Two Disciples^(A)

¹³ On the same day, two of Jesus’ followers^[a] were walking to a village called Emmaus, about 60 stadia^[b] from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ They were talking with each other about all these things that had taken place. ¹⁵ While they were discussing and analyzing what had happened,^[c] Jesus himself approached and began to walk with them, ¹⁶ but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.

¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you discussing with each other as you’re walking along?” They stood still and looked gloomy.

¹⁸ The one whose name was Cleopas answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn’t know what happened there in the past few days?”

¹⁹ He asked them, “What things?”

They answered him, “The events involving Jesus of Nazareth,^[d] who was a prophet, mighty in what he said and did before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our high priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and had him crucified. ²¹ But we kept hoping that he would be the one to redeem^[e] Israel. What is more, this is now the third day since these things occurred. ²² Even some of our women have startled us by what they told us.^[f] They were at the tomb early this morning ²³ and didn’t find his body there, so they came back and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who were saying that he was alive. ²⁴ Then some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said. However, they didn’t see him.”

²⁵ Then Jesus^[g] told them, “O, how foolish you are! How slow you are to believe everything the prophets said! ²⁶ The Messiah^[h] had to suffer these things and then enter his glory, didn’t he?” ²⁷ Then, beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them all the passages of Scripture about himself.

²⁸ As they came near the village where the two men^[i] were headed, Jesus^[j] acted as though he were going farther. ²⁹ But they strongly urged him, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the daylight is nearly gone.” So he went in to stay with them.

³⁰ While he was at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed it, broke it in pieces, and gave it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened, and they knew who he was. And he vanished from them.

³² Then they asked each other, “Our hearts kept burning within us^[k] as he was talking to us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us, didn’t they?”

³³ They got up right away, went back to Jerusalem, and found the eleven disciples^[l] and their companions all together. ³⁴ They kept saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵ Then the two men^[m] began to tell what had happened on the road and how they had recognized him when he broke the bread in pieces.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples^(A)

¹⁹ It was the evening of the first day of the week,^[a] and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders.^[b] Jesus came and stood among them. He told them, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side, and when they saw the Lord, the disciples were overjoyed. ²¹ Jesus told them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” ²² When he had said this, he breathed on them and told them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven. If you retain people’s sins, they are retained.”