Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 118

Psalm 145

A Psalm of Praise. Of David.

Hezekiah’s Life Extended^(A)

20 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was near death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.”

² Then he turned his face toward the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, ³ “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with an undivided heart and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

⁴ Now before Isaiah had come out of the middle courtyard, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ⁵ “Turn back and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people: Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. ⁶ I will add to your days fifteen years, and I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for My own sake and for the sake of David My servant.”

⁷ Then Isaiah said, “Take a cake of figs.” So they took it and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

⁸ Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I should go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?”

⁹ Isaiah said, “This is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that He has spoken: Should the shadow walk forward ten steps or go back ten steps?”

¹⁰ And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to stretch ten steps, so let it go back ten steps.”

¹¹ Isaiah the prophet called to the Lord, and He made the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz.

Envoys From Babylon^(B)

¹² At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been ill. ¹³ Hezekiah welcomed them and showed them all the treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine oil, all the armory, and all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

¹⁴ Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say? From where did they come to you?”

Hezekiah said, “They came from a distant land, from Babylon.”

¹⁵ He said, “What have they seen in your house?”

Hezekiah said, “They have seen everything in my house. There is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”

¹⁶ Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁷ The days are coming when everything that is in your house and that your fathers have stored up until this day will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. ¹⁸ Some of your sons who go out from you, who will be born to you, will be taken away. They will be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

¹⁹ Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” And he said, “Why not, if there is peace and security in my days?”

The Death of Hezekiah

²⁰ The rest of the deeds of Hezekiah, all his power, how he made a pool and a conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ²¹ Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

James Killed and Peter Imprisoned

12 About that time King Herod extended his hands to harm certain ones from the church. ² He killed James the brother of John with the sword. ³ Seeing that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to arrest Peter also. This happened during the Days of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ When he had seized him, he put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him before the people after the Passover.

⁵ So Peter was kept in prison. But the church prayed to God without ceasing for him.

Peter Delivered From Prison

⁶ The very night when Herod would have brought him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. And the guards before the door were securing the prison. ⁷ And suddenly an angel of the Lord approached him, and a light shone in the prison. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Rise up, quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands.

⁸ Then the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put your sandals on.” And he did so. Then he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” ⁹ He went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ When they had passed the first and the second guards, they came to the iron gate leading to the city, which opened to them by itself. And they went out and went forward one street. And immediately the angel left him.

¹¹ When Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I certainly know that the Lord has sent His angel and delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

¹² Realizing this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. ¹³ As Peter knocked at the door of the porch, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, from joy she did not open the door, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the door.

¹⁵ They said to her, “You are insane.” But she insisted that it was really so. So they said, “It is his angel.”

¹⁶ But Peter continued knocking. And when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. ¹⁷ Motioning to them with his hand to be quiet, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Go, tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.

The Raising of the Widow’s Son

¹¹ The following day He went into a city called Nain, and many of His disciples and a large crowd went with Him. ¹² When He came near the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

¹⁴ Then He came and touched the coffin, and those who carried it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” ¹⁵ He who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He gave him to his mother.

¹⁶ Fear came on everyone. And they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us!” and “God has visited His people!” ¹⁷ This rumor of Him went throughout all Judea and the surrounding region.