Book of Common Prayer

Give Unbiased Church Support And Respect To Elders Leading Well

¹⁷ Let the elders having led well be considered-worthy of double^[a] honor, especially^[b] the ones laboring in word^[c] and teaching. ¹⁸ For the Scripture says “You shall not muzzle a threshing ox” [Deut 25:4], and “The worker is worthy of his wages” [Lk 10:7]. ¹⁹ Do not be accepting an accusation against an elder unless on the basis of two or three witnesses. ²⁰ Be rebuking the ones sinning in the presence of all^[d], in order that the rest also may have fear. ²¹ I solemnly-charge you in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the chosen angels that you keep these things without pre-judgment, doing nothing according-to^[e] partiality^[f]. ²² Be laying hands^[g] on no one hastily, nor sharing^[h] in the sins belonging-to-others; be keeping yourself pure. (²³ No longer be-a-water-drinker, but be using a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent sicknesses). ²⁴ The sins of some^[i] people are clear-beforehand, going ahead-of them to judgment, but indeed for some they follow-after. ²⁵ Similarly also the good works are clear-beforehand, and the ones having it otherwise^[j] are not able to be hidden.

At The House of a Pharisee, Jesus Heals a Man With Dropsy On The Sabbath

14 And it came about at His going into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, that they were closely-watching Him. ² And behold— a certain man in front of Him was suffering-from-dropsy. ³ And having responded, Jesus spoke to the Law-experts and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath, or not?” ⁴ But the ones were quiet. And having taken-hold-of him, He healed him, and sent him away. ⁵ And He said to them, “Whose son or ox of yours will fall into a well, and he will not immediately pull him up on the day of the Sabbath?” ⁶ And they were not able to answer-back to these things.

Jesus Says To The Ones Invited, Humble Yourself. Wait On The One Who Invited You

⁷ And He was speaking a parable^[a] to the ones having been invited, fixing-His-attention-on^[b] how they were choosing the places-of-honor, saying to them— ⁸ “Whenever you are invited by someone to wedding-celebrations, do not lie down [to eat] in the place-of-honor lest a more distinguished one than you may have been invited by him, ⁹ and having come, the one having invited you and him will say to you, ‘Give your place to this one’, and then you will begin to hold the last place with shame. ¹⁰ But whenever you are invited, having gone, fall back [to eat] in the last place, so that when the one having invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’. Then there will be glory for you in the presence of all the ones reclining back with you [to eat]. ¹¹ Because everyone exalting himself will be humbled. And the one humbling himself will be exalted”.