Book of Common Prayer

¹⁴ God will bless the people who do what he says and keep themselves pure and clean. They can eat fruit from the tree that gives life. And they can go through the doors into the city.

¹⁵ Outside the city are the dirty people, and the witch-doctors, and those with wrong ways of using sex, those who kill people, those who worship idols, and all those who like lies and tell them.

¹⁶ `I, Jesus, have sent my angel to tell these things to you in the churches. I am the root and the branch of David. I am the bright star in the morning.'

¹⁷ The Spirit and the Lamb's wife say, `Come.' He who hears should say, `Come.' He who is thirsty should come. Anyone who wishes should drink the water that gives life. It costs no money.

¹⁸ I am talking to everyone who hears the words of God's message in this book. If any one adds anything to this book, God will add to him the troubles that are written in this book.

¹⁹ If any one takes away any of the words of God's message, God will take away from him his share of the tree which gives life and the holy city. This book tells about them.

²⁰ He who shows these things says, `Yes, I will come soon.' Amen, Lord Jesus, come!

²¹ May the love and mercy of the Lord Jesus bless you all. Amen.

²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked him, `Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother when he does wrong things to me? Should I forgive him seven times?'

²² Jesus answered him, `I say not seven times only, but seventy times seven.

²³ `In that way the kingdom of heaven is like this. A king was ready to finish his business with his servants.

²⁴ The first servant was brought in. He owed the king a very large sum of money.

²⁵ He could not pay it. So his master said, "Go sell him, his wife, his children, and everything he has, and pay me!"

²⁶ So the servant bowed down in front of him. He begged, "Sir, give me time. I will pay everything."

²⁷ His master was sorry for him and let him go. He did not make him pay the money.

²⁸ `That same servant went out and met another servant. This man owed him a much smaller sum of money. He caught him by the throat and said, Pay me what you owe me!"

²⁹ Then this servant bowed down in front of him. He begged, "Give me time. I will pay you."

³⁰ But he said, "No." He went and put the man in prison until he could pay what he owed him.

³¹ `The other servants saw what he did. They were very sad. They went and told their master everything that had been done.

³² Then his master called the first servant to him. He said, "You bad man! I let you go. I did not make you pay all you owed me, because you begged me to be kind to you.

³³ You should have been kind to the other servant, as I was kind to you."

³⁴ His master was very angry. He turned the servant over to the prison guards until he could pay all he owed him.

³⁵ `That is like what my Father in heaven will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.'