Book of Common Prayer

¹⁷ These men are like wells with no water in them. They are like fog that is blown away by a strong wind. A very dark place has been kept to put them in.

¹⁸ They say big and foolish things. They fool people who have just left those who live in wrong ways. They fool them by making them want to do wrong things with their bodies.

¹⁹ They promise them that they will be free. But they themselves are slaves of death. A man is a slave of anything that rules over him.

²⁰ They left the wrong ways of the world because they knew our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Then when they went back to the wrong ways again, they were ruled by them. Then they will have more trouble than they had at first.

²¹ It would have been better for them if they had never known the right way! Because they knew the right way, it was very wrong for them to turn from the holy law God gave them.

²² They show that this saying is true, `The dog goes back to eat what his own stomach threw up!' and, `A pig that is washed rolls in the mud again!'

² John was in prison. He heard what Christ was doing. So he sent two of his disciples to him.

³ He asked, `Are you the one who will come? Or shall we wait for another person?'

⁴ Jesus answered them, `Go and tell John what you hear and see.

⁵ Blind people see. Lame people walk. People with leprosy are healed. People who could not hear, can hear. Dead people are made alive. Poor people hear the good news.

⁶ Anyone who is not troubled in his heart about me, will be happy.'

⁷ When John's disciples went away, Jesus began to talk to people about John. He said, `What did you go out into the wilderness to see? Did you go out to see a tall grass moved by the wind?

⁸ What did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? People who wear fine clothes live in kings' houses.

⁹ Why did you go out? To see a prophet of God? Yes, I tell you, and he is much more than a prophet.

¹⁰ He is the man the holy writings tell about. "See, I send my messenger ahead of you. He will make the way ready for you."

¹¹ `I tell you the truth. No one has ever been born who is greater than John the Baptizer. And yet the smallest one in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

¹² From the time of John until now, people try hard to break into the kingdom of heaven. And strong people take hold of it.

¹³ All the prophets and the books of the law gave God's word until John came.

¹⁴ If you will believe it, this man is the Elijah who would come.

¹⁵ Everyone who has ears, listen.