Book of Common Prayer

¹¹ Then I saw heaven open, and I saw a white horse! The One who rode him is called `One who can be Trusted' and `The True One'. He punishes and makes war in the right way.

¹² His eyes were like a flame of fire. On his head were many crowns. He had a name written on him, but no man knew what it was but he himself.

¹³ He wore clothes that had been dipped in blood. His name is `The Word of God'.

¹⁴ The armies of heaven followed him on white horses and they were dressed in fine linen, shining and clean.

¹⁵ A long knife or sword comes from his mouth. With it he will punish and control the people of the nations. He will rule them with an iron stick. He is like the winepress that presses the water out of the fruit. It is the place where God, who has all power, shows his great anger.

¹⁶ A name is written on his clothes and on his leg: it is King of kings, and Lord of lords.

¹⁷ I saw an angel standing in the sun. He called in a loud voice to all the birds that fly across the sky. He said, `Come, gather for God's big feast.

¹⁸ Come to eat the bodies of kings, the bodies of captains, the bodies of strong men, the bodies of horses and those who ride them, the bodies of all free men and of slaves, those who are great and those who are not great.'

¹⁹ I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies. They were gathered to fight against the One riding the horse and his army.

²⁰ Then the beast was caught and the prophet who is not true was caught. The prophet had done big works for the beast to see. By the things which he did, he had fooled the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped its idol. The beast and the prophet were thrown alive into the big fire which burns with dust that chokes people.

²¹ Their armies were killed by the man riding the horse. He killed them with the sword that came out of his mouth. All the birds ate all they wanted of their dead bodies.

15 The tax collectors and bad people all came close to Jesus to hear him.

² The Pharisees and scribes did not like it. And they said to each other, `This man is glad to have bad people come. He eats with them.'

³ So Jesus told them this story.

⁴ He said, `Which one of you will not do this? A man has a hundred sheep. He loses one of them. He leaves the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and he goes to look for the one that is lost. He looks until he finds it.

⁵ And when he has found it, he is very glad. He carries it on his back.

⁶ When he comes home, he calls his friends and neighbours to come. He says, "Be glad with me! I have found my lost sheep."

⁷ `I tell you, the angels in heaven will be glad like that when one bad person stops doing wrong things. The angels will be more glad about that one person than about ninety-nine good people who do not need to change their ways.'

⁸ `What woman will not do this? She has ten pieces of silver money. If she loses one of them, she lights a lamp and sweeps the house. She looks for the money until she finds it.

⁹ When she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbours to come. She says, "Be glad with me! I have found the piece of money I lost."

¹⁰ I tell you, the angels of God will be glad like that when one bad person stops doing wrong things.'