Book of Common Prayer

¹⁷ Obey your leaders and do what they tell you. They are watching over your souls. They must give a report. Obey them so they will be glad, and not sad, to give a report. If you make them sad, it is no help to you.

¹⁸ Talk to God about us. We know that what we do is right. We want to do what is right in every way.

¹⁹ Here is why I want very much that you talk to God about me. If you do, I will be free to come to you sooner.

²⁰ God gives peace. He brought back our Lord Jesus from death. Our Lord Jesus cares for God's people and he gave his blood for the agreement that stands for ever.

²¹ May God give you everything good so that you will do what he wants you to do. He will do in us, through Jesus Christ, what pleases him. Praise him for ever. May it be so!

²² Please, brothers, be patient with the words I have given to help you. I have written a short letter.

²³ I want you to know that our brother Timothy is free. If he comes here soon, I will come with him to see you.

²⁴ Greet all your leaders and all of God's people. Those who belong to the country of Italy send you greetings.

²⁵ May God's loving kindness be with you all. Amen! May it be so!

⁵³ Then every one of them went home.

8 Then Jesus went to the hill called the Mount of Olives.

² Early the next morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him. He sat down and taught them.

³ The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus. They had caught her having sex with a man who was not her husband. They made the woman stand in front of them.

⁴ They said, `Teacher, this woman has committed adultery. She was caught doing it.

⁵ The law of Moses tells us that the people who do that should be killed with stones. What do you say?'

⁶ They said this to see what Jesus would do, because they wanted to find something wrong with him. Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger.

⁷ They kept on asking him. He stood up and said to them, `The one among you who has never done any wrong thing may throw the first stone at her.'

⁸ And Jesus bent down again and wrote on the ground.

⁹ When the people heard what he said, they went out, one by one. The oldest one went out first. Jesus was left alone with the woman in front of him.

¹⁰ Jesus looked up and said to her, `Woman, where are the people? Has no one judged you?'

¹¹ She said, `No one, Sir.' Jesus said, `I also do not judge you. Go, and do no wrong thing again.'