Book of Common Prayer

2 That is why we must listen very carefully to the things we have heard. We must never forget them.

² What the angels said proved to be true. Every one who broke the law, and who did not obey it, was punished as he should be punished.

³ If that is so, then we will not get away without being punished. We will be punished if we forget or throw away this wonderful way to be saved. It was the Lord who first told people how to be saved. Then those who heard him told us the true way.

⁴ God also proved that it was the true way. He gave signs. He did things that surprised people. He did many things by his power. He gave the gifts of the Holy Spirit to people just as he wanted to.

⁵ God did not put the next world under angels for them to rule over. That is the world we are talking about.

⁶ In one place the holy writings say, `What is man and why do you think about him? What is the Son of a Man and why do you care about him?

⁷ You made him lower than angels for a little while. But then you made him very great and high.

⁸ You put everything under him for him to rule over.' When God gave him the right to rule over everything, nothing was left out which he did not have the right to rule. But we do not yet see him ruling over everything.

⁹ But we do see Jesus! For a short time he was lower than the angels. Because he died, we see him made great and high. He did this so that he could die for every person. God is so good!

¹⁰ Everything was made for God and by God. It seemed good to him that Jesus' life should be made complete, by going through the hard things that happened to him. This was because Jesus leads many people to heaven as God's children. And he is the one who saves them.

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.'

²¹ So they asked him, `Well then, are you Elijah?' He answered, `No, I am not.' They asked, `Are you the Prophet?' He answered, `No.'

²² Then those priests said, `Who are you? We want to give an answer to the people who sent us. What do you say about yourself?'

²³ John said, `I am a voice calling in the desert, "Make the road straight for the Lord." This is what was said by Isaiah, the prophet of God long ago.'

²⁴ It was the Pharisees who had sent these people to John.

²⁵ So they asked him, `If you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, why then are you baptizing?'

²⁶ John answered, `I baptize people in water. But there is a man standing among you whom you do not know.

²⁷ He is the one coming after me who is greater than I am. I am not even good enough to untie his shoe strings.'

²⁸ The place where John was baptizing was Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River.