Book of Common Prayer

The Majesty of God

Praise for God’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 People Confess Sin

10 Ezra was praying and confessing. He was crying and throwing himself down in front of the Temple. A large group of Israelite men, women and children gathered around him. They were also crying loudly. ² Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel the Elamite spoke to Ezra. Shecaniah said, “We have been unfaithful to our God. We have been marrying women from the peoples around us. But even so, there is still hope for Israel. ³ Now let us make an agreement before our God. We will send away all these women and their children. This is your advice. It is also the advice of those who respect the commands of our God. Let it be done to obey his Teachings. ⁴ Get up, Ezra. You are in charge. But we will support you. So have courage and do it.”

⁵ So Ezra got up. He made these people make a promise: the priests, the Levites and all the people of Israel. They promised to do what was suggested. ⁶ Then Ezra left the Temple. He went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While Ezra was there, he did not eat or drink. He was still sad about the unfaithfulness of the captives who had returned.

⁷ Then an order was sent everywhere in Judah and Jerusalem. All the captives who had returned had to meet together in Jerusalem. ⁸ Whoever did not come to Jerusalem within three days would lose his property. And he would no longer be a member of the community of the returned captives. That was the decision of the officers and elders.

⁹ So within three days all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered in Jerusalem. It was the twentieth day of the ninth month. All the people were sitting in the open place in front of the Temple. They were upset because of the meeting and because it was raining. ¹⁰ Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful. You have married non-Jewish women. You have made Israel more guilty. ¹¹ Now, confess it to the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Do the Lord’s will. Separate yourselves from the people living around you and from your non-Jewish wives.”

¹² Then the whole group answered Ezra. They shouted, “Ezra, you’re right! We must do what you say. ¹³ But there are many people here. It’s the rainy season. We can’t stand outside. Also, this problem can’t be solved in a day or two. We have sinned badly. ¹⁴ Let our officers make a decision for the whole group. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a non-Jewish woman meet with the elders and judges of each town. Let them meet at a planned time. Then the hot anger of our God will turn away from us.” ¹⁵ Only these men were against the plan: Jonathan son of Asahel, Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite.

¹⁶ So the returned captives did what was suggested. Ezra the priest chose men who were leaders of the family groups. He named one from each family division. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to study each case. ¹⁷ By the first day of the first month, they had finished. They had dealt with all the men who had married non-Jewish women.

¹⁰ The governor made a sign for Paul to speak. So Paul said, “Governor Felix, I know that you have been a judge over this nation for a long time. So I am happy to defend myself before you. ¹¹ I went to worship in Jerusalem only 12 days ago. You can learn for yourself that this is true. ¹² Those who are accusing me did not find me arguing with anyone in the Temple. I was not stirring up the people. And I was not making trouble in the Temple or in the synagogues or in the city. ¹³ They cannot prove the things they are saying against me now. ¹⁴ But I will tell you this: I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way of Jesus. The Jews say that the Way of Jesus is not the right way. But I believe everything that is taught in the law of Moses and that is written in the books of the Prophets. ¹⁵ I have the same hope in God that they have—the hope that all people, good and bad, will be raised from death. ¹⁶ This is why I always try to do what I believe is right before God and men.

¹⁷ “I was away from Jerusalem for several years. I went back there to bring money to my people and to offer sacrifices. ¹⁸ I was doing this when they found me in the Temple. I had finished the cleansing ceremony. I had not made any trouble; no people were gathering around me. ¹⁹ But some Jews from Asia were there. They should be here, standing before you. If I have really done anything wrong, they are the ones who should accuse me. ²⁰ Or ask these Jews here if they found any wrong in me when I stood before the Jewish council in Jerusalem. ²¹ But I did say one thing when I stood before them: ‘You are judging me today because I believe that people will rise from death!’”

You Will Be Rewarded

¹² Then Jesus said to the man who had invited him, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite only your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. At another time they will invite you to eat with them. Then you will have your reward. ¹³ Instead, when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. ¹⁴ Then you will be blessed, because they cannot pay you back. They have nothing. But you will be rewarded when the good people rise from death.”

A Story About a Big Banquet

¹⁵ One of the men sitting at the table with Jesus heard these things. The man said to Jesus, “The people who will eat a meal in God’s kingdom are blessed.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to him, “A man gave a big banquet and invited many people. ¹⁷ When it was time to eat, the man sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come! Everything is ready!’

¹⁸ “But all the guests said they could not come. Each man made an excuse. The first one said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go look at it. Please excuse me.’ ¹⁹ Another man said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen; I must go and try them. Please excuse me.’ ²⁰ A third man said, ‘I just got married; I can’t come.’ ²¹ So the servant returned. He told his master what had happened. Then the master became angry and said, ‘Go at once into the streets and alleys of the town. Bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ ²² Later the servant said to him, ‘Master, I did what you told me to do, but we still have places for more people.’ ²³ The master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes. Tell the people there to come. I want my house to be full! ²⁴ None of those men that I invited first will ever eat with me!’”