Book of Common Prayer

¹⁴ John was put in prison. Then Jesus went to Galilee. He told people the good news of God's kingdom.

¹⁵ `The time has come,' he said. `The kingdom of God is here. Stop your wrong ways, turn back to God and believe the good news.'

¹⁶ Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee. There he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a fishing net into the water. Their work was to catch fish.

¹⁷ Jesus said to them, `Come with me. The work I give you will be to catch people.'

¹⁸ Right away they left their nets and went with him.

¹⁹ Jesus went on from there and saw James and his brother John. Their father's name was Zebedee. They were in a boat mending their nets.

²⁰ Jesus called them. Right away they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the workmen and went with Jesus.

¹⁶ `I am sending you out amongst people. You will be like sheep amongst bad animals like wolves. So be wise like snakes, and harmless like doves.

¹⁷ But take care. Men will take you to their courts. They will beat you in their meeting houses.

¹⁸ They will bring you to rulers and kings for my sake. Then you will talk about me to them and to those who are not Jews.

¹⁹ When men take you to court, do not be troubled about what you will say. What you are to say will come to your mind at the right time.

²⁰ It is not you who speak. But it is the Spirit of your Father who is speaking through you.

²¹ A brother will take his brother to be killed. A father will take his child. The children will talk against their father and mother, and have them killed.

²² Everyone will hate you because you are true to me. But the person who keeps on being true to me until the end, will be saved.

²³ When they trouble you in one town, go to another. I tell you the truth. You will not go to all the towns in Israel before the Son of Man comes.

²⁴ `The one who learns is not better than his teacher. And the servant is not better than his master.

²⁵ The one who learns should want to be like his teacher. And the servant should want to be like his master. If they say the master belongs to the devil, they will say it all the more about those who work for him.'

²⁶ `So do not be afraid of people. Everything that is hidden will be seen. Everything that is hidden will be known.

²⁷ What I say to you in the dark, tell it in the light. What you hear in secret, shout to others from the tops of the houses.

²⁸ Do not fear people who can kill the body. They cannot kill the spirit. But fear the one who can destroy both spirit and body in hell.

²⁹ Are not two sparrows worth only a small amount of money? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father knowing about it.

³⁰ Even the number of hairs on your head is known.

³¹ So do not fear. You are worth more than many sparrows.'

³² `If anyone tells people that he knows me, I will also tell the Father in heaven that I know him.