Book of Common Prayer
Praise to Yahweh for His Work on Behalf of Israel
105 Give thanks to Yahweh; proclaim his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him; sing praises concerning him;
tell of all his wonderful works.
3 Boast about his holy name.
Let the heart of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.
4 Make supplication to Yahweh and his might;
seek his face continually.
5 Remember his wonders that he has done,
his signs and the judgments of his mouth,
6 O offspring of Abraham his servant,
you descendants[a] of Jacob, his chosen ones.
7 He is Yahweh our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He remembers his covenant forever,
the word that he commanded
for a thousand generations,
9 that he made with Abraham,
and by his oath swore to Isaac.
10 He then confirmed it to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the allotment that is your[b] inheritance.”
12 When they were few in number[c]—
a trifle—and were sojourners in it,
13 and they wandered about among the nations,[d]
from one kingdom to another people,
14 he allowed no one to oppress them,
and he rebuked kings on account of them,
15 “Do not touch my anointed ones,
nor harm my prophets.”
16 Then he called for a famine upon the land;
he broke every supply[e] of bread.
17 He sent a man on ahead of them;
Joseph was sold as a slave.
18 They clamped[f] his feet in fetters.[g]
His neck[h] went into irons.[i]
19 Until the time his word came about,
the word of Yahweh tested[j] him.
20 The king sent and he freed him;
the ruler of the peoples sent and let him loose.
21 He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions,
22 to obligate[k] his officials as he saw fit[l]
and teach his elders wisdom.
23 Then Israel came to Egypt,
and Jacob was a sojourner in the land of Ham.
24 And he[m] made his people very fruitful.
He also made them[n] stronger than their[o] enemies.
25 He turned their heart to hate his people,
to deal deceitfully against his servants.
26 He sent his servant Moses,
together with Aaron whom he had chosen.
27 They set before them the words concerning his signs
and portents in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness and made it dark,
and they did not rebel against his words.
29 He turned their waters into blood
and it killed their fish.
30 Their land swarmed with frogs,
even in the chambers of their kings.
31 He spoke, and there came flies
and gnats throughout all their territory.[p]
32 He gave hail for their rains
and the fire of lightning in their land.
33 And he struck their vines and fig trees,
and shattered the trees of their territory.
34 He spoke and there came locusts
and young locusts without number.
35 And they ate up all the vegetation in their land,
and they ate up the fruit of their ground.
36 And he struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the first of all their virility.
37 Then he brought them out with silver and gold,
and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
because the fear of them[q] had fallen upon them.
39 He spread out a cloud for a covering,
and fire to give light at night.
40 They[r] asked, and he brought quail,
and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
41 He opened the rock and waters flowed;
they coursed[s] through the dry places like a river.
42 For he remembered his holy promise;[t]
he remembered Abraham his servant.
43 And so he brought out his people with joy,
his chosen ones with rejoicing.
44 And he gave to them the lands of the nations,
and they inherited the labor of the peoples,
45 so that they might observe his statutes,
and keep his laws.
Praise Yah.[u]
Daniel’s Integrity and His Entrapment by His Enemies
6 It pleased Darius,[a] and he set up one hundred and twenty satraps over the kingdom, that they were throughout the whole kingdom,[b] 2 and over them were three administrators, of whom Daniel was one, so that these satraps were giving account to them, and the king would not be suffering loss. 3 Then Daniel began distinguishing himself[c] above the administrators and the satraps because[d] an exceptional spirit was in him, and so the king planned to appoint him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the other administrators and satraps began to seek[e] to find a pretext against Daniel in connection with the kingdom,[f] but they were not able to find any pretext and corruption[g] because[h] he was trustworthy, and no[i] negligence or corruption[j] could be found in him.[k] 5 Then these men said,[l] “We will not find any pretext[m] against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”
6 So the administrators and the satraps conspired with respect to[n] the king and so they said to him, “Darius, O king, live forever![o] 7 All of the administrators of the kingdom, and the prefects, the satraps, the counselors and the governors took counsel and have agreed to establish an edict of the king and to enforce a decree that whoever[p] will seek a prayer from any god or human except from you for up to thirty days will be thrown into the lion pit.[q] 8 Now, O king, establish the edict and you must sign the document so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians which cannot be revoked.”
9 So[r] the king, Darius, signed the writing and the interdict.[s] 10 Now when[t] Daniel realized that the document was signed, he went to his house (now he had windows in his upper room that were open[u] toward Jerusalem), and three times daily[v] he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave praise before his God, just as[w] he had been doing previously.[x] 11 Then these men came as a group and they found Daniel praying and pleading for mercy before his God. 12 Then they approached and spoke with the king[y] concerning the edict of the king, “Did you not sign an edict[z] that any person who would seek anything from any God or human within thirty days except from you, O king, would be thrown into the lion pit?”[aa] The king answered and said, “The matter as you have just stated is certain according to the law of the Medes and Persians which cannot be revoked.”
God’s Miraculous Deliverance of Daniel Again
13 Then they responded[ab] and said before the king, “Daniel, who is from the exiles[ac] of Judah,[ad] is not paying any attention[ae] to you, O king, or to the decree that you have signed, and three times daily[af] he says his prayer.” 14 Then the king, when[ag] he heard that report,[ah] he was extremely distressed over it; and concerning Daniel[ai] he was determined[aj] to rescue him. And until the setting of the sun he was making every effort to deliver him. 15 Then these men came as a group to the king and said,[ak] “Recall, O king, that with respect to the law of[al] the Medes and Persians that any[am] decree or edict that the king establishes cannot be changed.”
Greeting
1 The elder, to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth—and not I alone, but also all those who know the truth— 2 because of the truth that resides in us and will be with us forever[a]. 3 Grace, mercy, peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Son of the Father in truth and love.
4 I was very glad[b] because I found some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us[c].
Watch Out for False Teachers
5 And now I ask you, lady (not as if I were writing a new commandment to you, but one that we have had from the beginning), that we should love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess Jesus Christ[d] coming in the flesh. This person is the deceiver and the antichrist! 8 Watch yourselves that you do not lose what we have worked for, but receive a full reward.
9 Everyone who goes too far and does not remain in the teaching of Christ does not have God. The one who remains in the teaching—this person has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house and do not speak a greeting to him, 11 because the one who speaks a greeting to him shares in his evil deeds.
Conclusion and Final Greeting
12 Although[e] I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so by means of paper and ink, but I hope to be with you and to speak face to face[f], so that your[g] joy may be complete. 13 The children of your elect sister greet you.
A Leper Cleansed
12 And it happened that while he was in one of the towns, there was[a] a man covered with leprosy.[b] And when he[c] saw Jesus, he fell down on his face and[d] begged him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you are able to make me clean.” 13 And extending his[e] hand he touched him, saying, “I am willing; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy went away from him. 14 And he ordered him, “Tell no one, but go and[f] show yourself to the priest and bring the offering[g] for your cleansing just as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them. 15 But the report about him spread even more, and large crowds were gathering to hear him[h] and to be healed of their illnesses. 16 But he himself was withdrawing in the wilderness and praying.
A Paralytic Healed
17 And it happened that on one of the days as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there who had come[i] from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was there in order for him to heal. 18 And behold, men came carrying on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and place him[j][k] before him. 19 And when they[l] did not find a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and[m] let him down through the roof tiles with the stretcher into the midst of them, in front of Jesus. 20 And when he[n] saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who is able to forgive sins except God alone?” 22 But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answered and[o] said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’ 24 But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” he said to the one who was paralyzed, “I say to you, ‘Get up and pick up your stretcher and[p] go to your home.’” 25 And immediately he stood up before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and[q] went away to his home, glorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they began to glorify[r] God. And they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen wonderful things today!”
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