Book of Common Prayer

¹¹ One day Peter came to the city of Antioch. Then I had to tell him face to face that he had done wrong. He really was wrong!

¹² Here is what happened. Peter ate with those who were not Jews. Then some men came whom James had sent. When they came he stopped eating with those who were not Jews. He was afraid of what the Jews might think.

¹³ All the other Jewish Christians did the same as Peter did. They acted as if it was not right to eat with those who were not Jews. Even Barnabas did the same.

¹⁴ But I saw they were not doing right. They were not obeying the true teaching of the good news. So I said to Peter in front of them all, `You are a Jew. But you live the way people do who are not Jews. How then can you force those who are not Jews to live the way the Jews do?'

¹⁵ We ourselves were born Jews. We are not of those who still follow wrong ways, those who are not Jews.

¹⁶ Yet we know that God does not call a man good because he tries to obey the law of the Jews. But we know that God puts a man right because he believes in Jesus Christ. So we also believed in Jesus Christ. And we are put right with God because we believe in Christ and not because we obey the law. No person will ever be called good by God just because he tries to obey the law of the Jews.

¹⁷ We came to Christ to be put right with God. That showed us how much we had been bad men. Was it Christ who made us bad men? No, surely not!

¹⁸ If I build up again what I once broke down, I do wrong.

¹⁹ Through the law I died. Now the law has no power over me so that I may live for God.

²⁰ I died when Christ died on a cross. I do not live now, but Christ lives in me. Now while I still live in my body, I live by believing in the Son of God. He loved me and gave himself for me.

²¹ So I do not make the love of God useless. But if a person can be made good by the law, then Christ died for nothing.

¹³ They drove bad spirits out of many people. They also put oil on many sick people and healed them.

¹⁴ King Herod heard about these things. People were talking about Jesus everywhere. Herod said, `John the Baptizer is risen from death. That is why he is able to do such great works.'

¹⁵ Other people said, `It is Elijah.' Others said, `He is a prophet like the prophets of God who lived long ago.'

¹⁶ Herod heard what other people said, so he said, `I cut off John's head. He is alive again.'

¹⁷ Herod had sent his people to catch John. They tied him and put him in prison to please Herodias. Herod had married her, but she was his brother Philip's wife.

¹⁸ John had told Herod, `It is wrong for you to have your brother's wife.'

²⁰ So Herodias hated John. She wanted to kill him. But she could not because Herod liked John. He knew that John did what was right and was a good man. So he kept John safe. When he heard John speak he was troubled in his heart, and yet he was glad to hear him.

²¹ rod made a feast on his birthday. He called all his rulers and the captains and the leaders of Galilee to come to the feast.

²² The daughter of Herodias came in and danced for them. This pleased Herod and the people at the feast. Then the king said to the girl, `Ask me for anything you want and I will give it to you.'

²³ He made a promise which he would not break. He said, `Anything that you ask me for I will give you, even if you ask me for half of my kingdom.'

²⁴ The girl went to her mother and said, `What shall I ask for?' Her mother said, `Ask for the head of John the Baptizer.'

²⁵ The girl came quickly to the king and said, `I want you to give me the head of John the Baptizer on a plate. Give it to me right away.'

²⁶ The king was very sorry. But he had made a promise and all the people at the feast had heard him promise. He wanted to do what he promised her.

²⁷ Right away he sent one of the soldiers who was standing on guard. He told him to bring John's head. The soldier went to the prison and cut off John's head.

²⁸ He brought the head on a plate and gave it to the girl. She gave it to her mother.

²⁹ When John's disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and buried it.