Book of Common Prayer

¹⁷ The leaders of the church people who rule well should be given greater honour and reward. At least do this for those who work hard in speaking and teaching.

¹⁸ The holy writings say, `You may not tie the mouth of a cow when it is walking on the grain to beat it out.' And also, `The man who works should be paid for it.'

¹⁹ Do not listen to a complaint against a leader if what he has done has not been seen and proved by two or three people.

²⁰ Talk to those who live a wrong life and tell them to stop it. Talk to them in front of all the church members. Then the others will be afraid to do it.

²¹ I say this before God and Christ Jesus and the chosen angels of God. Do these things in an honest way. Do not treat one person better than another person.

²² Do not be in a hurry to place your hands on a man as a sign for him to be a leader. Do not take part in the wrong things another man does. Keep yourself clean.

²³ Do not drink water only. But drink a little wine to help your stomach because you are sick so often.

²⁴ The wrong things some men do can be seen clearly and show that they should be punished. But wrong things other people do are not seen until later.

²⁵ So also, the good things are seen clearly. Even when they are not seen at first, they will be seen later.

14 One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat at the house of a ruler. He was a ruler of the Pharisees. They were watching Jesus.

² man stood in front of him. He was sick. His body was filled with water.

³ Jesus asked the teachers of God's law and the Pharisees, `Is it right to heal a person on the Sabbath day or not?'

⁴ They did not answer. So he took the man and healed him. Then he sent him away.

⁵ Jesus said to them, `If your horse or cow falls into a hole, which one of you will not pull him out right away on the Sabbath day?'

⁶ They could not answer that.

⁷ Jesus told a story to the people who were asked to eat at the house. He saw that they chose to sit at the best places.

⁸ He said to them, `When you are called to a wedding, do not sit in the best place. It may be that a better man than you has been called.

⁹ Then the man who called you both will come and say to you, "Get up and let this man sit here." Then you will be ashamed. And you will go and sit down in the last place.

¹⁰ But when you are asked to go to a wedding, go and sit down in the last place. Then when the man who called you comes, he will say to you, "Friend, come to a better place." Then all the people who sit at the table will see how he respects you.

¹¹ `Everyone who puts himself up in a high place will be brought down to a low place. And everyone who puts himself down in a low place will be brought up to a high place.'