Book of Common Prayer

1 Long ago, God talked to our fathers through the prophets. He talked many times and in many ways.

² In these last days, he talked to us through his Son. God chose him to be the one to whom he would give all things. God also made the world by this Son.

³ He shines as bright as God. He is just like God himself. He holds up the world by the power of his word. He made people clean from their wrong ways. Then he sat down beside God in heaven.

⁴ He is much greater than the angels because God has given him a much better name than theirs.

⁵ Did God ever say to any of the angels, `You are my Son, and I am your Father today'? Did God ever say to an angel, `I will be your Father and you will be my Son'?

⁶ When God brings his first-born Son into the world, he says, `All of God's angels must worship him.'

⁷ Here is what he says about the angels: `God makes his angels to be like the winds. He makes his helpers to be like flames of fire.'

⁸ But here is what God says about his Son: `O God, you will sit and rule for ever. You will rule in the right way.

⁹ You have loved what is good and you have hated what is wrong. That is why God has poured out happiness on you, more than on those who are with you.'

¹⁰ He also said, `Lord, you made the world in the beginning. The sky was made by your hands.

¹¹ These things will come to an end, but you will live on. They will all wear out like clothes.

¹² You will fold up the world and the sky as if they were a blanket. They will not stay as they are now. But you will always be as you are now. The years of your life will never end.'

1 The Word already was, way back before anything began to be. The Word and God were together. The Word was God.

² Before anything began to be, the Word was there with God.

³ God made everything by the Word. Nothing has been made without him.

⁴ Life was in the Word. That life was Light for people.

⁵ The Light shone where it was dark and the darkness did not stop the Light from shining.

⁶ God sent a man named John.

⁷ He came to talk about the Light, so that all people might believe in the Light by what he said.

¹⁹ The leaders of the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem. They asked John, `Who are you?' John told them.

²⁰ He did not hide the truth, but he told people plainly. He said, `I am not the Christ.'

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming to him. `Look,' said John. `See God's special Lamb! He takes away the wrong ways of the world.

³⁰ Here is the man I told you about. I said that the one who is coming after me is greater than I am, because he lived before I lived.

³¹ I myself did not know who he was. But I came and baptized people in water so that the people of Israel would know who he was.'

³² John also said, `I saw the Spirit coming from the sky. He came down on him like a dove. It stayed on him.

³³ I myself did not know who he was. But he who sent me to baptize people in water told me. He said, "You will see the Spirit coming from the sky on a man. That man will baptize people in the Holy Spirit."

³⁴ I saw the Spirit coming on him, and I have told you. This man is the Son of God.'