Book of Common Prayer

The Majesty of the Lord

Praise for the Lord’s Glory

Praise God Who Judges and Saves

David’s song from the time he acted crazy so Abimelech would send him away, and David did leave.

The Shunammite Woman

⁸ One day Elisha went to Shunem, where an important woman lived. She begged Elisha to stay and eat. So every time Elisha passed by, he stopped there to eat. ⁹ The woman said to her husband, “I know that this is a holy man of God who passes by our house all the time. ¹⁰ Let’s make a small room on the roof^[a] and put a bed in the room for him. We can put a table, a chair, and a lampstand there. Then when he comes by, he can stay there.”

¹¹ One day Elisha came to the woman’s house. After he went to his room and rested, ¹² he said to his servant Gehazi, “Call the Shunammite woman.”

When the servant had called her, she stood in front of him. ¹³ Elisha had told his servant, “Now say to her, ‘You have gone to all this trouble for us. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak to the king or the commander of the army for you?’”

She answered, “I live among my own people.”

¹⁴ Elisha said to Gehazi, “But what can we do for her?”

He answered, “She has no son, and her husband is old.”

¹⁵ Then Elisha said to Gehazi, “Call her.” When he called her, she stood in the doorway. ¹⁶ Then Elisha said, “About this time next year, you will hold a son in your arms.”

The woman said, “No, master, man of God, don’t lie to me, your servant!”

¹⁷ But the woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son at that time the next year, just as Elisha had told her.

¹⁸ The boy grew up and one day went out to his father, who was with the grain harvesters. ¹⁹ The boy said to his father, “My head! My head!”

The father said to his servant, “Take him to his mother!” ²⁰ The servant took him to his mother, and he lay on his mother’s lap until noon. Then he died. ²¹ So she took him up and laid him on Elisha’s bed. Then she shut the door and left.

²² She called to her husband, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys. Then I can go quickly to the man of God and return.”

²³ The husband said, “Why do you want to go to him today? It isn’t the New Moon or the Sabbath day.”

She said, “It will be all right.”

²⁴ Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead on. Don’t slow down for me unless I tell you.” ²⁵ So she went to Elisha, the man of God, at Mount Carmel.

When he saw her coming from far away, he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, there’s the Shunammite woman! ²⁶ Run to meet her and ask, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is the boy all right?’”

She answered, “Everything is all right.”

²⁷ Then she came to Elisha at the hill and grabbed his feet. Gehazi came near to pull her away, but Elisha said to him, “Leave her alone. She’s very upset, and the Lord has not told me about it. He has hidden it from me.”

²⁸ She said, “Master, did I ask you for a son? Didn’t I tell you not to lie to me?”

²⁹ Then Elisha said to Gehazi, “Get ready. Take my walking stick in your hand and go quickly. If you meet anyone, don’t say hello. If anyone greets you, don’t respond. Lay my walking stick on the boy’s face.”

³⁰ The boy’s mother said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I won’t leave you!” So Elisha got up and followed her.

³¹ Gehazi went on ahead and laid the walking stick on the boy’s face, but the boy did not talk or move. Then Gehazi went back to meet Elisha. “The boy has not awakened,” he said.

³² When Elisha came into the house, the boy was lying dead on his bed. ³³ Elisha entered the room and shut the door, so only he and the boy were in the room. Then he prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ He went to the bed and lay on the boy, putting his mouth on the boy’s mouth, his eyes on the boy’s eyes, and his hands on the boy’s hands. He stretched himself out on top of the boy. Soon the boy’s skin became warm. ³⁵ Elisha turned away and walked around the room. Then he went back and put himself on the boy again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.

³⁶ Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite!” So he did. When she came, Elisha said, “Pick up your son.” ³⁷ She came in and fell at Elisha’s feet, bowing facedown to the floor. Then she picked up her son and went out.

¹⁰ There was a follower of Jesus in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to Ananias in a vision, “Ananias!”

Ananias answered, “Here I am, Lord.”

¹¹ The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to Straight Street. Find the house of Judas,^[a] and ask for a man named Saul from the city of Tarsus. He is there now, praying. ¹² Saul has seen a vision in which a man named Ananias comes to him and lays his hands on him. Then he is able to see again.”

¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, many people have told me about this man and the terrible things he did to your holy people in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ Now he has come here to Damascus, and the leading priests have given him the power to arrest everyone who worships you.”

¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! I have chosen Saul for an important work. He must tell about me to those who are not Jews, to kings, and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

¹⁷ So Ananias went to the house of Judas. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus sent me. He is the one you saw on the road on your way here. He sent me so that you can see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately, something that looked like fish scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he was able to see again! Then Saul got up and was baptized. ¹⁹ After he ate some food, his strength returned.

Saul Preaches in Damascus

Saul stayed with the followers of Jesus in Damascus for a few days. ²⁰ Soon he began to preach about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “Jesus is the Son of God.”

²¹ All the people who heard him were amazed. They said, “This is the man who was in Jerusalem trying to destroy those who trust in this name! He came here to arrest the followers of Jesus and take them back to the leading priests.”

²² But Saul grew more powerful. His proofs that Jesus is the Christ were so strong that his own people in Damascus could not argue with him.

²³ After many days, they made plans to kill Saul. ²⁴ They were watching the city gates day and night, but Saul learned about their plan. ²⁵ One night some followers of Saul helped him leave the city by lowering him in a basket through an opening in the city wall.

Saul Preaches in Jerusalem

²⁶ When Saul went to Jerusalem, he tried to join the group of followers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he was really a follower. ²⁷ But Barnabas accepted Saul and took him to the apostles. Barnabas explained to them that Saul had seen the Lord on the road and the Lord had spoken to Saul. Then he told them how boldly Saul had preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus.

²⁸ And so Saul stayed with the followers, going everywhere in Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ He would often talk and argue with the Jewish people who spoke Greek, but they were trying to kill him. ³⁰ When the followers learned about this, they took Saul to Caesarea and from there sent him to Tarsus.

³¹ The church everywhere in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had a time of peace and became stronger. Respecting the Lord by the way they lived, and being encouraged by the Holy Spirit, the group of believers continued to grow.

⁷ To the crowds of people who came to be baptized by John, he said, “You are all snakes! Who warned you to run away from God’s coming punishment? ⁸ Do the things that show you really have changed your hearts and lives. Don’t begin to say to yourselves, ‘Abraham is our father.’ I tell you that God could make children for Abraham from these rocks. ⁹ The ax is now ready to cut down the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”^[a]

¹⁰ The people asked John, “Then what should we do?”

¹¹ John answered, “If you have two shirts, share with the person who does not have one. If you have food, share that also.”

¹² Even tax collectors came to John to be baptized. They said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”

¹³ John said to them, “Don’t take more taxes from people than you have been ordered to take.”

¹⁴ The soldiers asked John, “What about us? What should we do?”

John said to them, “Don’t force people to give you money, and don’t lie about them. Be satisfied with the pay you get.”

¹⁵ Since the people were hoping for the Christ to come, they wondered if John might be the one.

¹⁶ John answered everyone, “I baptize you with water, but there is one coming who is greater than I am. I am not good enough to untie his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ He will come ready to clean the grain, separating the good grain from the chaff. He will put the good part of the grain into his barn, but he will burn the chaff with a fire that cannot be put out.”^{[b] 18} And John continued to preach the Good News, saying many other things to encourage the people.