Book of Common Prayer

¹² Then all the people stopped talking. They listened to what Paul and Barnabas had to say. They told them about all the signs and wonderful things that God had helped them to do among the people who were not Jews.

¹³ When they had finished talking, James said, `Men and brothers, listen to me.

¹⁴ Simeon has told us how God came the first time to the people who are not Jews. God chose some of them to belong to him and be his people.

¹⁵ This is what the prophets of God said long ago.

¹⁶ They said, "After this, I will come back and build up again the house of David which has fallen down. I will take the broken pieces and build a house again.

¹⁷ Then all the other people will find God, even those who are not Jews but who belong to me. So says the Lord, who is doing all these things."

¹⁸ `He told us these things long ago.

¹⁹ So now, this is what I think. We should not trouble those who are not Jews but who have turned to God.

²⁰ We should write them a letter and tell them what they must not do. They must not eat food that has been given to idols. They must not have sex with someone who is not their husband or wife. They must not eat the meat of animals that are killed by choking. They must not taste blood.

²¹ Since the times of long ago there have been men who told about Moses in every city. They read his laws in the meeting places every Sabbath day.'

³⁰ Jesus was not in the town yet. He was at the same place where Martha had met him.

³¹ The Jews who were in the house to comfort Mary saw her get up quickly and go out. They went after her. They said, `She is going to the grave to cry.'

³² Mary reached the place where Jesus was. When she saw him, she kneeled down before him and said, `Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.'

³³ Jesus saw her crying. He saw the Jews who came with her crying also. Then his heart was troubled very much.

³⁴ `Where have you buried him?' he said. `Come, Lord, and see,' they said.

³⁵ Then Jesus cried.

³⁶ `Look,' the Jews said. `He truly loved him very much!'

³⁷ Then some of them said, `This man made the blind see. Could he not have saved Lazarus from dying?'

³⁸ Jesus' heart was troubled very much again. Then he came to the grave. It was a hole in the side of a large rock. A stone covered the hole.

³⁹ Jesus said, `Take the stone away.' Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, `Lord, he will smell bad by this time. He has been dead four days already.'

⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, `Did I not tell you that if you believed God you would see that he is great?'

⁴¹ So they pushed the stone away from the grave. Jesus looked up and said, `Father, I thank you because you have heard me.

⁴² I know that you always hear me. But I have said this so that the people who are standing here might believe that you have sent me.'

⁴³ When he had said this, he shouted, `Lazarus, come out!'

⁴⁴ Out came the dead man! The cloth that they had buried him in was tied around his hands and feet. Another small cloth was tied around his face. Jesus said to the people, `Take off the cloths and free him!'