Book of Common Prayer

2 So stop all the wrong things you do. Stop all the ways you cheat people. Stop fooling people. Stop being jealous. Stop saying wrong things about people.

² Babies who have just been born want milk very much. In the same way, you should want God's word. That is like good milk. It will make you grow up so that you will then be fully saved.

³ You should want God's word if you have already tasted and know that the Lord is good.

⁴ Come to the Lord Jesus. He is like a living stone. People did not want to use it. But God chose it. It was worth very much to him.

⁵ You also are like living stones. You are being built into a temple, a holy place for God. You are to be holy priests there. You are to give sacrifices to God from your heart. God will accept them because of Jesus Christ.

⁶ The holy writings say, `Listen, I am placing a stone in Zion. It is the main stone of the house. I have chosen it and it is worth very much. Anyone who believes in him will not be ashamed.'

⁷ He is worth very much to you who believe in him. But some people do not believe in him. To them he is, `the stone that the men who were building would not use. But now it is the chief stone at the corner.'

⁸ And to them he is also, `a stone on which people will hit their feet, and a rock that will make them fall down.' They hit their feet on it, because they do not obey the word. It was planned that this would happen to them!

⁹ But you are a chosen people. You are priests to your king. You are a holy nation. You are God's very own people. All this is so that you will tell how good he is. He called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

¹⁰ At one time you were not God's people. But now you are God's people. At one time you did not know God's kindness. Now you do.

15 I am the real fruit tree. My Father is the One who takes care of the tree.

² He takes away from me every branch that does not bear fruit. And he cleans every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit.

³ What I said to you has made you clean already.

⁴ But you must be in me and I will be in you. The branch cannot bear fruit by itself. It must be joined to the tree. And you cannot do any good thing if you are not joined to me.

⁵ I am the fruit tree and you are the branches. I will be in the person who is in me. That person will have a fruitful life. But you can do nothing without me.

⁶ If any person is not in me, he is cut off like a branch and dies. People gather the dry branches and throw them into the fire to be burned.

⁷ If you are in me and obey me, you may ask me for anything you want and I will give it to you.

⁸ If you do much good and become my disciples, you will make my Father's name great.

⁹ `I have loved you just as my Father has loved you. So let me love you always.

¹⁰ If you obey me, I will love you always. That is what I have done. I have obeyed my Father. And he will love me always.

¹¹ `I have told you these things so that you may be glad in the same way I am glad. Then you will be very glad always.