Book of Common Prayer

God Reigns

Give Glory to the Lord

By David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away. So David^[a] left.

Learning about God’s Deliverance

The People Gather with Ezra

10 Now while Ezra was praying and confessing in tears, having prostrated himself to the ground before the Temple of God, a very large crowd of Israelis—men, women, and children—gathered around him. Indeed, the people were crying bitterly.

² Jehiel’s son Shecaniah, one of Elam’s descendants, responded to Ezra: “We have sinned against our God by marrying foreign wives from the people of the land, but even now there is hope in Israel, despite this. ³ So let’s make a promise to our God by which we divorce^[a] all of these foreign^[b] wives—as well as those born to them—in accordance with the counsel of our Lord and of those who tremble at our God’s command. Furthermore, let it be done according to the Law. ⁴ So get up—it’s your responsibility! We’re with you. Be strong, and get to work.”^[c]

The People Agree to Dissolve Their Marriages

⁵ So Ezra got up and made the chief priests, the descendants of Levi, and all of Israel vow to carry out everything they promised. And so they agreed.^{[d] 6} Ezra arose in front of the Temple of God to visit the apartment of Eliashib’s son Jehohanan. While there, he neither ate nor drank because he was in mourning over the sins of those who had returned from exile. ⁷ Then they sent word throughout Judah and Jerusalem to everyone who had returned from the exile, to gather together in Jerusalem. ⁸ Whoever would not come within three days would forfeit his assets and be separated from the community of the returning exiles, just as the high officials and elders had advised.

⁹ Less than three days later, all of the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered together on the twentieth day^[e] of the ninth month. Everyone sat in the plaza of the Temple of God, trembling because of everything that was happening, and also because it was raining heavily. ¹⁰ Ezra the priest stood up and spoke to them, “You have sinned by marrying foreign wives, thereby increasing the transgressions of Israel. ¹¹ Now confess this to the Lord God of your ancestors, and separate yourselves from the people who live in the land and from foreign wives.”

¹² At this, the entire community responded with a loud cry, “We will do just as you’ve spoken! ¹³ However, many people are involved, and it’s raining heavily. Furthermore, this is not just a matter of a day or two of work, because many of us have sinned in this. ¹⁴ So let’s have our officials remain on behalf of the whole community. Then all who have married foreign wives are to come appear at specific times before^[f] the elders and judges of each city until the fierce anger of our God has been turned away from us in this matter.”

¹⁵ Only Asahel’s son Jonathan and Tikvah’s son Jahzeiah opposed this, and they were supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the descendant of Levi.

The People Carry Out Their Promise

¹⁶ So those who had returned from exile did this. Ezra the priest and leaders of certain ancestral groups listed by name devoted themselves to examine the situation on the first day of the tenth month. ¹⁷ By the first day of the first month they concluded their investigation of all of the men who had married foreign wives.

¹⁰ When the governor motioned for Paul to speak, he replied:

“Since I know that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I am pleased to present my defense. ¹¹ You can verify for yourself that I went up to worship in Jerusalem no more than twelve days ago. ¹² They never found me debating with anyone in the Temple or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or throughout the city, ¹³ and they cannot prove to you the charges they are now bringing against me. ¹⁴ However, I admit to you that in accordance with the Way, which they call a heresy,^[a] I worship the God of our ancestors and believe in everything written in the Law and the Prophets. ¹⁵ I have the same hope in God that they themselves cherish—that there is to be a resurrection of the righteous and the wicked. ¹⁶ Therefore, I always do my best to have a clear conscience before God and people. ¹⁷ After many years, I have come back to my people to bring gifts for the poor and to offer sacrifices. ¹⁸ They found me in the Temple doing these things just as I had completed the purification ceremony. No crowd or noisy mob was present. ¹⁹ But some Jews from Asia were there, and they should be here before you to accuse me if they have anything against me. ²⁰ Otherwise, these men themselves should tell what wrong they found when I stood before the Council^[b]— ²¹ unless it is for the one thing I shouted as I stood among them: ‘It is for the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’”

¹² Then he told the man who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, stop inviting only^[a] your friends, brothers, relatives, or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they may invite you in return and you would be repaid. ¹³ Instead, when you give a banquet, make it your habit to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. ¹⁴ Then you will be blessed because they can’t repay you. And you will be repaid when the righteous are resurrected.”

The Parable about a Banquet^(A)

¹⁵ Now one of those eating with him heard this and told him, “How blessed is the person who will eat^[b] in the kingdom of God!”

¹⁶ Jesus^[c] told him, “A man gave a large banquet and invited many people. ¹⁷ When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, ‘Come! Everything is now ready.’ ¹⁸ Every single one of them began asking to be excused. The first told him, ‘I bought a field, and I need to go out and inspect it. Please excuse me.’ ¹⁹ Another said, ‘I bought five pairs of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ ²⁰ Still another said, ‘I recently got married, so I can’t come.’

²¹ “So the servant went back and reported all this to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and told his servant, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring back the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ ²² The servant said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ ²³ Then the master told the servant, ‘Go out into the streets and the lanes and make the people come in, so that my house may be full. ²⁴ Because I tell all of you, none of those men who were invited will taste anything at my banquet.’”