Book of Common Prayer

The Eternal Reign of the Lord

A Song of Praise to God Coming in Judgment^(A)

The Happiness of Those Who Trust in God

A Psalm of David ^(A)when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.

Elisha Raises the Shunammite’s Son^(A)

⁸ Now it happened one day that Elisha went to ^(B)Shunem, where there was a ^[a]notable woman, and she ^[b]persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food. ⁹ And she said to her husband, “Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. ¹⁰ Please, let us make ^[c]a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.”

¹¹ And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in to the upper room and lay down there. ¹² Then he said to ^(C)Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite woman.” When he had called her, she stood before him. ¹³ And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’ ”

She answered, “I dwell among my own people.”

¹⁴ So he said, “What then is to be done for her?”

And Gehazi answered, “Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.”

¹⁵ So he said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. ¹⁶ Then he said, ^[d]“About this time next year you shall embrace a son.”

And she said, “No, my lord. Man of God, ^(D)do not lie to your maidservant!”

¹⁷ But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her.

¹⁸ And the child grew. Now it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers. ¹⁹ And he said to his father, “My head, my head!”

So he said to a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” ²⁰ When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. ²¹ And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out. ²² Then she called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back.”

²³ So he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the ^(E)New Moon nor the Sabbath.”

And she said, ^[e]“It is well.” ²⁴ Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, “Drive, and go forward; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” ²⁵ And so she departed, and went to the man of God ^(F)at Mount Carmel.

So it was, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, the Shunammite woman! ²⁶ Please run now to meet her, and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’ ”

And she answered, “It is well.” ²⁷ Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, she caught him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God said, “Let her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me, and has not told me.”

²⁸ So she said, “Did I ask a son of my lord? ^(G)Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me’?”

²⁹ Then he said to Gehazi, ^(H)“Get^[f] yourself ready, and take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. If you meet anyone, ^(I)do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him; but ^(J)lay my staff on the face of the child.”

³⁰ And the mother of the child said, ^(K)“As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not ^(L)leave you.” So he arose and followed her. ³¹ Now Gehazi went on ahead of them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, “The child has ^(M)not awakened.”

³² When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed. ³³ He ^(N)went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, ^(O)and prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and ^(P)he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. ³⁵ He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up ^(Q)and stretched himself out on him; then ^(R)the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. ³⁶ And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” ³⁷ So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she ^(S)picked up her son and went out.

Ananias Baptizes Saul

¹⁰ Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus ^(A)named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”

And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

¹¹ So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul ^(B)of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. ¹² And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”

¹³ Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, ^(C)how much ^[a]harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all ^(D)who call on Your name.”

¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for ^(E)he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before ^(F)Gentiles, ^(G)kings, and the ^(H)children^[b] of Israel. ¹⁶ For ^(I)I will show him how many things he must suffer for My ^(J)name’s sake.”

^17 (K)And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and ^(L)laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord ^[c]Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and ^(M)be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

¹⁹ So when he had received food, he was strengthened. ^(N)Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

Saul Preaches Christ

²⁰ Immediately he preached ^[d]the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

²¹ Then all who heard were amazed, and said, ^(O)“Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”

²² But Saul increased all the more in strength, ^(P)and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

Saul Escapes Death

²³ Now after many days were past, ^(Q)the Jews plotted to kill him. ^24 (R)But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. ²⁵ Then the disciples took him by night and ^(S)let him down through the wall in a large basket.

Saul at Jerusalem

²⁶ And ^(T)when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. ^27 (U)But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, ^(V)and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ So ^(W)he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. ²⁹ And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the ^(X)Hellenists,^{[e] (Y)}but they attempted to kill him. ³⁰ When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.

The Church Prospers

^31 (Z)Then the ^[f]churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were ^(AA)edified.^[g] And walking in the ^(AB)fear of the Lord and in the ^(AC)comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were ^(AD)multiplied.

John Preaches to the People^(A)

⁷ Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, ^(B)“Brood^[a] of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Therefore bear fruits ^(C)worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. ⁹ And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore ^(D)every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰ So the people asked him, saying, ^(E)“What shall we do then?”

¹¹ He answered and said to them, ^(F)“He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, ^(G)let him do likewise.”

¹² Then ^(H)tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”

¹³ And he said to them, ^(I)“Collect no more than what is appointed for you.”

¹⁴ Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?”

So he said to them, “Do not ^[b]intimidate anyone ^(J)or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”

¹⁵ Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, ¹⁶ John answered, saying to all, ^(K)“I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will ^(L)baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and ^(M)gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸ And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.