Book of Common Prayer

1 I am Paul. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus. God and Christ Jesus told me to be an apostle. God is our Saviour, and Christ is the one who gives us hope.

² Timothy, you are my true son because you believe the way I do. I ask God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord to show you love and kindness, and give you peace.

³ When I went to the country of Macedonia, I asked you to stay in the city of Ephesus. I wanted you to tell some of the teachers not to teach wrong things.

⁴ Tell them not to use stories that are not true, and long histories of names. These things often make people quarrel. These things do not make people believe and follow God's way.

⁵ Here is what teachers should aim at. God's people should love each other with a love which comes from a clean heart, a clear mind, and true faith.

⁶ Some teachers have not tried to do these things and so they talk about things that do no good.

⁷ They want to teach the law. But they do not understand what they say. And they do not know what they are trying to prove.

⁸ We know that the law is good when anyone uses it in the right way.

⁹ He must understand that the law was not made for the man who lives right. It was made for those who do not want any laws over them, and for those who will not obey. It was made for those who do not respect God, and those who are bad people. It was made for those who do not respect anything that is holy or belongs to God. It was made for those who beat their fathers or mothers, and for those who kill people.

¹⁰ It was made for those who use sex in the wrong way and for men who have sex with other men. It was made for those who steal people, for those who tell lies, for those who make a promise that is not true, and for any other thing that is not right.

¹¹ The wonderful good news of God teaches what is right. Praise him! And he has trusted me to tell this good news.

¹² I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who gave me power to tell the good news. I thank him because he believed he could trust me, and he chose me for this work.

¹³ There was a time when I did not respect him. I troubled his people. I said wrong things about him. But he was very kind to me, because I did not know what I was doing and I did not believe in him.

¹⁴ Our Lord showed me much love and kindness. I believed in him and had the love which comes from Christ Jesus.

¹⁵ These are true words and everyone should believe them. `Christ Jesus came into the world to save bad people.' And I am the worst of all.

¹⁶ Jesus Christ wanted to show that he is very, very patient. And so he was kind to me who was the worst. He did this so that others would believe in him and live for ever.

¹⁷ Give honour and praise for ever and ever to the one who is King for ever. He will never die. He cannot be seen. He is the only God. Yes, he is!

²² Then the people brought a man to Jesus. The man had a bad spirit in him. He was blind and could not talk. Jesus healed him. Then the man could talk and see.

²³ All the people were surprised. They said, `Is he David's son?'

²⁴ The Pharisees heard about it. They said, `This man drives out bad spirits by the help of Beelzebub, the chief of bad spirits.'

²⁵ Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said to them, `If one part of any country fights against the other part of the country, that country is broken down. If one part of any city or family fights against the other part of it, it cannot stand.

²⁶ If Satan drives out Satan, he fights against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

²⁷ If I drive out bad spirits by Beelzebub, how do your own people drive them out? Let them judge you.

²⁸ But if I drive out bad spirits by God's Spirit, then God's kingdom is here with you now.

²⁹ `If anyone wants to go into a strong man's house and steal his things, he must first tie the strong man. Then he can steal his things.

³⁰ `Anyone who is not with me, is against me. Anyone who does not work with me is working against me.

³¹ `That is why I tell you this. All wrong things that people do or say, will be forgiven. But people who say wrong things against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.

³² Anyone who says anything against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But anyone who says anything against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. He will not be forgiven in this world or in the next world.'