Book of Common Prayer

I Will Sing of the Steadfast Love of the Lord

A Maskil^[a] of ^(A)Ethan the Ezrahite.

30 When Rachel saw that ^(A)she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” ² Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, ^(B)who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” ³ Then she said, “Here is my servant ^(C)Bilhah; go in to her, so that she may give birth ^(D)on my behalf,^[a] that even I may have children^[b] through her.” ⁴ So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. ⁵ And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. ⁶ Then Rachel said, “God has ^(E)judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan.^{[c] 7} Rachel's servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. ⁸ Then Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings^[d] I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” So she called his name ^(F)Naphtali.^[e]

⁹ When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her servant Zilpah and ^(G)gave her to Jacob as a wife. ¹⁰ Then Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. ¹¹ And Leah said, ^(H)“Good fortune has come!” so she called his name ^(I)Gad.^{[f] 12} Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. ¹³ And Leah said, “Happy am I! For women ^(J)have called me happy.” So she called his name Asher.^[g]

¹⁴ In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found ^(K)mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son's mandrakes.” ¹⁵ But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also?” Rachel said, “Then he may lie with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes.” ¹⁶ When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have hired you with my son's mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night. ¹⁷ And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. ¹⁸ Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my servant to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.^[h]

¹⁹ And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son. ²⁰ Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name ^(L)Zebulun.^{[i] 21} Afterward she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.

²² Then God ^(M)remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and ^(N)opened her womb. ²³ She conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away ^(O)my reproach.” ²⁴ And she called his name Joseph,^[j] saying, ^(P)“May the Lord add to me another son!”

The Word of Life

1 ^(A)That which was ^(B)from the beginning, ^(C)which we have heard, ^(D)which we have seen with our eyes, ^(E)which we looked upon and ^(F)have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ^2 (G)the life ^(H)was made manifest, and we have seen it, and ^(I)testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, ^(J)which was with the Father and ^(K)was made manifest to us— ^3 (L)that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed ^(M)our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ And we are writing these things so ^(N)that our^[a] joy may be complete.

Walking in the Light

^5 (O)This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that ^(P)God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ^6 (Q)If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and ^(R)do not practice the truth. ⁷ But ^(S)if we walk in the light, ^(T)as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and ^(U)the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ^8 (V)If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and ^(W)the truth is not in us. ^9 (X)If we confess our sins, he is ^(Y)faithful and just to forgive us our sins and ^(Z)to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, ^(AA)we make him a liar, and ^(AB)his word is not in us.

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

9 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. ² And his disciples asked him, ^(A)“Rabbi, ^(B)who sinned, ^(C)this man or ^(D)his parents, that he was born blind?” ³ Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but ^(E)that the works of God might be displayed in him. ⁴ We must ^(F)work the works of him who sent me ^(G)while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵ As long as I am in the world, ^(H)I am the light of the world.” ⁶ Having said these things, ^(I)he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. ^(J)Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud ⁷ and said to him, “Go, wash in ^(K)the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and ^(L)came back seeing.

⁸ The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, ^(M)“Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” ⁹ Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” ¹⁰ So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” ¹¹ He answered, ^(N)“The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” ¹² They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

¹³ They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. ^14 (O)Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. ^15 (P)So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” ¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not ^(Q)from God, ^(R)for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, ^(S)“How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And ^(T)there was a division among them. ¹⁷ So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, ^(U)“He is a prophet.”