Book of Common Prayer

The Majesty of the Lord.

A Call to Worship the Lord the Righteous Judge.

The Lord, a Provider and Deliverer.

A Psalm of David when he ^[a]feigned madness before ^[b]Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed.

The Shunammite Woman

⁸ Now there came a day when Elisha passed over to ^(A)Shunem, where there was a ^[a]prominent woman, and she persuaded him to eat ^[b]food. And so it was, as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat ^[c]food. ⁹ She said to her husband, “Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy ^(B)man of God passing by us continually. ¹⁰ Please, let us ^(C)make a little walled upper chamber and let us set a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; and it shall be, when he comes to us, that he can turn in there.”

^11 [d]One day he came there and turned in to the upper chamber and ^[e]rested. ¹² Then he said to ^(D)Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” And when he had called her, she stood before him. ¹³ He said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Behold, you have been ^[f]careful for us with all this ^[g]care; what can I do for you? Would you be spoken for to the king or to the captain of the army?’” And she ^[h]answered, “I live among my own people.” ¹⁴ So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi ^[i]answered, “Truly she has no son and her husband is old.” ¹⁵ He said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. ¹⁶ Then he said, “^(E)At this season ^[j]next year you will embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God, ^(F)do not lie to your maidservant.”

¹⁷ The woman conceived and bore a son at that season ^[k]the next year, as Elisha had said to her.

The Shunammite’s Son

¹⁸ When the child was grown, the day came that he went out to his father to the reapers. ¹⁹ He said to his father, “My head, my head.” And he said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” ²⁰ When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her ^[l]lap until noon, and then died. ²¹ She went up and ^(G)laid him on the bed of ^(H)the man of God, and shut the door behind him and went out. ²² Then she called to her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and return.” ²³ He said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither ^(I)new moon nor sabbath.” And she said, “It will be well.” ²⁴ Then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, “Drive and go forward; do not slow down ^[m]the pace for me unless I tell you.” ²⁵ So she went and came to the man of God to ^(J)Mount Carmel.

When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, ^[n]there is the Shunammite. ²⁶ Please run now to meet her and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’” And she ^[o]answered, “It is well.” ²⁷ When she came to the man of God ^(K)to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to push her away; but the man of God said, “Let her alone, for her soul is ^[p]troubled within her; and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.” ²⁸ Then she said, “Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, ‘^(L)Do not deceive me’?”

²⁹ Then he said to Gehazi, “^(M)Gird up your loins and ^(N)take my staff in your hand, and go your way; if you meet any man, do not ^(O)salute him, and if anyone salutes you, do not answer him; and ^(P)lay my staff on the lad’s face.” ³⁰ The mother of the lad said, “^(Q)As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” And he arose and followed her. ³¹ Then Gehazi passed on before them and laid the staff on the lad’s face, but there was no sound or ^[q]response. So he returned to meet him and told ^[r]him, “The lad ^(R)has not awakened.”

³² When Elisha came into the house, behold the lad was dead and laid on his bed. ³³ So he entered and ^(S)shut the door behind them both and prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ And ^(T)he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth and his eyes on his eyes and his hands on his hands, and he stretched himself on him; and the flesh of the child became warm. ³⁵ Then he returned and walked in the house once back and forth, and went up and ^(U)stretched himself on him; and the lad sneezed seven times and the lad opened his eyes. ³⁶ He called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, “Take up your son.” ³⁷ Then she went in and fell at his feet and bowed herself to the ground, and ^(V)she took up her son and went out.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple at ^(A)Damascus named ^(B)Ananias; and the Lord said to him in ^(C)a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹ And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from ^(D)Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, ¹² and he has seen ^[a]in a vision a man named Ananias come in and ^(E)lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, ^(F)how much harm he did to ^(G)Your ^[b]saints at Jerusalem; ¹⁴ and here he ^(H)has authority from the chief priests to bind all who ^(I)call on Your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for ^(J)he is a chosen ^[c]instrument of Mine, to bear My name before ^(K)the Gentiles and ^(L)kings and the sons of Israel; ¹⁶ for ^(M)I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” ¹⁷ So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after ^(N)laying his hands on him said, “^(O)Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be ^(P)filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; ¹⁹ and he took food and was strengthened.

Saul Begins to Preach Christ

Now ^(Q)for several days he was with ^(R)the disciples who were at Damascus, ²⁰ and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus ^(S)in the synagogues, ^[d]saying, “He is ^(T)the Son of God.” ²¹ All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem ^(U)destroyed those who ^(V)called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” ²² But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the ^[e]Christ.

²³ When ^(W)many days had elapsed, ^(X)the Jews plotted together to do away with him, ²⁴ but ^(Y)their plot became known to Saul. ^(Z)They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; ²⁵ but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

^26 (AA)When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; ^[f]but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But ^(AB)Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had ^(AC)seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how ^(AD)at Damascus he had ^(AE)spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ And he was with them, ^[g]moving about freely in Jerusalem, ^(AF)speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ And he was talking and arguing with the ^[h](AG)Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. ³⁰ But when ^(AH)the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to ^(AI)Caesarea and ^(AJ)sent him away to ^(AK)Tarsus.

³¹ So ^(AL)the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria ^[i]enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.

⁷ So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “^(A)You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and ^(B)do not begin to say ^[a]to yourselves, ‘^(C)We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. ⁹ Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so ^(D)every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰ And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “^(E)Then what shall we do?” ¹¹ And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to ^(F)share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” ¹² And some ^(G)tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” ¹³ And he said to them, “^[b]Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” ¹⁴ Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or ^(H)accuse anyone falsely, and ^(I)be content with your wages.”

¹⁵ Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were ^[c]wondering in their hearts about John, ^(J)as to whether he was ^[d]the Christ, ^16 (K)John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you ^[e]with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His ^(L)winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with ^(M)unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸ So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people.