Book of Common Prayer

¹⁷ `Then it was almost time for God to do what he had promised to Abraham. The family of Jacob had become very large in Egypt.

¹⁸ Then a new king who did not know Joseph ruled over Egypt.

¹⁹ This king was not kind to our fathers but he gave them a hard time. They had to put their babies outside to die.

²⁰ `Moses was born during that time. He was a very fine baby. For three months he was raised in his own father's home.

²¹ When he was put outside to die, Pharaoh's daughter took him. She raised him as her own son.

²² Moses was taught all the things the Egyptians knew. He knew how to talk and could do great things.

²³ `When he was forty years old he decided to visit his own family, the people of Israel.

²⁴ There he saw one of them being hurt by an Egyptian. So he helped him. He fought for him and knocked down the Egyptian.

²⁵ He thought his people would know that God wanted him to make them free. But they did not understand.

²⁶ The next day he saw two of his own people fighting and he wanted to make peace. "You are brothers," he said. "Why are you fighting?"

²⁷ But the one who was fighting his neighbour pushed Moses away. He said, "Who made you our ruler and our judge?

²⁸ Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?"

²⁹ When Moses heard these words, he left Egypt at once. He lived as a stranger in the country of Midian. While he was there, two sons were born to him.

⁴³ Jesus himself said, `No prophet is honoured by the people in his own country.'

⁴⁴ When he came to Galilee, the people of that country were glad to see him. They had seen all the things he did when he was at the feast in Jerusalem. They had been at the feast also.

⁴⁵ So Jesus came back to the town of Cana in Galilee. That was the place where he had changed water into wine. One of the king's officers was there. His son was sick in the town of Capernaum.

⁴⁶ He heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, and he went to Jesus and said, `I beg you, come and heal my son. He is dying.'

⁴⁷ Jesus said to him, `If you do not see some signs and big works, then you will not believe.'

⁴⁸ The officer said, `Sir, I beg you. Come right away before my son dies.'

⁴⁹ Jesus said, `Go home. Your son will not die.' The man believed what Jesus said and went home.

⁵⁰ On the way, his servants met him. They said, `Your son is living.'

⁵¹ He asked, `What time did he begin to get well?' They said, `Yesterday at one hour after midday the fever left him.'

⁵² The father knew that was the time when Jesus said to him `Your son will not die.' So he and all his family believed in Jesus.

⁵³ This was the second big work that Jesus did after he came back from Judea to Galilee.