Book of Common Prayer
The battle of faith
18 I am giving you this command, Timothy my child, in accordance with the prophecies which were made about you before, so that, as they said, you may fight the glorious battle, 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected conscience, and their faith has been shipwrecked. 20 I include Hymenaeus and Alexander in that category. Indeed, I have handed them over to the satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.
The first rule: prayer for the world
2 So, then, this is my very first command: God’s people should make petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings on behalf of all people— 2 on behalf of kings, and all who hold high office, so that we may lead a tranquil and peaceful life, in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good; it is acceptable with God our savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to know the truth. 5 For, you see,
There is one God,
and also one mediator between God and humans,
Messiah Jesus, himself a human being.
6 He gave himself as a ransom for all,
and this was testified when the time was right.
7 This is why I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I’m speaking the truth, I’m not lying!), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Women must be allowed to be learners
8 So this is what I want: the men should pray in every place, lifting up holy hands, with no anger or disputing.
Jesus heals a crippled woman on the sabbath
10 One sabbath, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues. 11 There was a woman there who had had a spirit of weakness for eighteen years. She was bent double, and couldn’t stand fully upright. 12 Jesus saw her and called to her.
13 “Woman,” he said, laying his hands on her, “you are freed from your affliction.” And at once she stood upright, and praised God.
14 The synagogue president was angry that Jesus had healed on the sabbath.
“Look here,” he said to the crowd, “there are six days for people to work! Come on one of those days and be healed, not on the sabbath day!”
15 “You bunch of hypocrites!” replied Jesus. “You would all be quite happy to untie an ox or a donkey from its stall on the sabbath day and lead it out for a drink! 16 And isn’t it right that this daughter of Abraham, tied up by the satan for these eighteen years, should be untied from her chains on the sabbath day?”
17 At that, all the people who had been opposing him were ashamed. The whole crowd was overjoyed at all the splendid things he was doing.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.