Book of Common Prayer

Praise to God for His Loyal Love

A Song of God’s Majesty and Love

A praise of David.^[a]

Hezekiah Loses Health and Regains It through Prayer

20 In those days Hezekiah became deathly ill,^[a] and Isaiah the son of Amoz the prophet came to him and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Command your house, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’” ² Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh, saying, ³ “O Yahweh, please remember how I went about before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and remember the good that I have done in your eyes.” Then Hezekiah wept bitterly.^{[b] 4} Isaiah had not gone out from the middle of the city when the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, ⁵ “Return; you must say to Hezekiah, the leader of my people, ‘Thus says Yahweh the God of David your ancestor,^[c] “I have heard your prayer and I have seen your tears. Look, I am about to heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the temple of Yahweh. ⁶ I will add to your days fifteen years, and from the hand of the king of Assyria I will deliver you and this city. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.”’” ⁷ Then Isaiah said, “Bring a lump of figs,” so they took and put it on the skin sores, and he lived.

⁸ Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What is the sign that Yahweh will heal me that I shall go up on the third day to the temple of Yahweh?” ⁹ Isaiah said, “This is the sign for you from Yahweh that Yahweh will do the thing that he has promised: Shall the shadow advance ten steps or shall it return ten steps?” ¹⁰ Hezekiah answered, “It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. No, but let the shadow return backwards ten steps.” ¹¹ Isaiah the prophet called to Yahweh, and he brought back the shadow on the steps where it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz, backwards ten steps.

Hezekiah Reveals Too Much to a Babylonian Envoy

¹² At that time, Berodak-Baladan the son of Baladan king of Babylon^[d] sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been ill. ¹³ Hezekiah heard about them and showed them all of the house of his treasure, both the silver and the gold, the spices, the good olive oil, the room of his weapons, and all that could be found in his treasuries. There was nothing that he did not show them in his palace and in all of his kingdom. ¹⁴ Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where have they come to you?” Hezekiah said, “From a far land; they have come from Babylon.” ¹⁵ Then he asked, “What did they see in your palace?” And Hezekiah said, “All that is in my palace they have seen; there is nothing that I did not show them in my treasuries.”

¹⁶ Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of Yahweh! ¹⁷ ‘Look, days are coming when all that is in your palace will be carried off; even all that your ancestors^[e] have stored up until this day, to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says Yahweh. ¹⁸ ‘Your sons who went out from you, whom you brought forth, will be taken, and they shall be eunuchs in the temple of the king of Babylon.’” ¹⁹ Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of Yahweh which you have spoken is good,” and he thought, “Is it not that peace and security shall be in my days?” ²⁰ Now the remainder of the acts of Hezekiah, all of his powerful deeds, and how he made the pool and the conduit and brought the water into the city, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah? ²¹ Then Hezekiah slept with his ancestors,^[f] and Manasseh his son became king in his place.

Herod Kills James and Imprisons Peter

12 Now at that time, Herod the king laid hands on some of those from the church to harm them.^{[a] 2} So he executed James the brother of John with a sword. ³ And when he^[b] saw that it was pleasing to the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (Now this was during the feast^[c] of Unleavened Bread.) ⁴ After he^[d] had arrested him,^[e] he also put him^[f] in prison, handing him^[g] over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him out for public trial^[h] after the Passover. ⁵ Thus Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer was fervently being made to God by the church for him.

Peter Rescued by an Angel

⁶ Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards before the door were watching the prison. ⁷ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood near him,^[i] and a light shone in the prison cell. And striking Peter’s side, he woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!”^[j] And his chains fell off of his^[k] hands. ⁸ And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and put on your sandals!” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me!” ⁹ And he went out and^[l] was following him.^[m] And he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but was thinking he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ And after they^[n] had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened for them by itself, and they went out and^[o] went forward along one narrow street, and at once the angel departed from him.

¹¹ And when^[p] Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know truly that the Lord has sent out his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and all that the Jewish people expected!”^{[q] 12} And when he^[r] realized this,^[s] he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John (who is also called Mark), where many people were gathered together and were praying. ¹³ And when^[t] he knocked at the door of the gateway, a female slave named^[u] Rhoda came up to answer. ¹⁴ And recognizing Peter’s voice, because of her^[v] joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and^[w] announced that Peter was standing at the gate. ¹⁵ But they said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting^[x] it was so. And they kept saying,^[y] “It is his angel!” ¹⁶ But Peter was continuing to knock, and when they^[z] opened the door^[aa] they saw him and were astonished. ¹⁷ But motioning to them with his^[ab] hand to be silent, he related to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James and to the brothers,” and he departed and^[ac] went to another place.

A Widow’s Son Raised

¹¹ And it happened that on the next day he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. ¹² And as he approached the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, his mother’s only son, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. ¹³ And when^[a] the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep!” ¹⁴ And he came up and^[b] touched the bier, and those who were carrying it^[c] stopped. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” ¹⁵ And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and he gave him to his mother. ¹⁶ And fear seized them all, and they began to glorify^[d] God, saying, “A great prophet has appeared among us!” and “God has visited to help his people!” ¹⁷ And this report about him went out in the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.