Book of Common Prayer

¹² You already know something about us. I hope that you will come to know us fully. On the day when the Lord Jesus comes you will be proud of us. So too will we be proud of you.

¹³ Because I was sure of this, I wanted to visit you before. Then you would have had a double blessing.

¹⁴ I wanted to visit you and then go to Macedonia. I wanted to visit you again when I was on my way back from Macedonia. Then you would send me on my way to Judea.

¹⁵ That was what I wanted to do. Now then, did I act as if I did not know what I wanted? When I make my plans, do you think I make them like a man of this world? Do I say `Yes' when I mean to say `No'?

¹⁶ As surely as God is true, our message to you was not `Yes' and `No' at the same time.

¹⁷ Silvanus and Timothy and I told you about the Son of God, Jesus Christ. His word was not `Yes' and `No.' It was always `Yes.'

¹⁸ To the many promises God has made Christ can say `Yes'. He can make them all come true. So then, it is because of Christ that we can say, `Yes, it is so!' when we praise God.

¹⁹ It is God who makes us stand strong with you in Christ. God has chosen us and put his mark on us.

²⁰ He has put his Spirit in our hearts. This is the first part of what we are to receive, and it proves that we will receive all God has promised.

²¹ Let God take my life if what I say is not true. I did not go to Corinth because I did not want to make you sad.

²² We do not rule over what you believe. But we work with you to make you glad. You are strong already by believing as you do.

15 The tax collectors and bad people all came close to Jesus to hear him.

² The Pharisees and scribes did not like it. And they said to each other, `This man is glad to have bad people come. He eats with them.'

³ So Jesus told them this story.

⁴ He said, `Which one of you will not do this? A man has a hundred sheep. He loses one of them. He leaves the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and he goes to look for the one that is lost. He looks until he finds it.

⁵ And when he has found it, he is very glad. He carries it on his back.

⁶ When he comes home, he calls his friends and neighbours to come. He says, "Be glad with me! I have found my lost sheep."

⁷ `I tell you, the angels in heaven will be glad like that when one bad person stops doing wrong things. The angels will be more glad about that one person than about ninety-nine good people who do not need to change their ways.'

⁸ `What woman will not do this? She has ten pieces of silver money. If she loses one of them, she lights a lamp and sweeps the house. She looks for the money until she finds it.

⁹ When she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbours to come. She says, "Be glad with me! I have found the piece of money I lost."

¹⁰ I tell you, the angels of God will be glad like that when one bad person stops doing wrong things.'