Book of Common Prayer

(By David.)

The Lord's Wonderful Love

The Stream Flowing from the Temple

47 ^(A) The man took me back to the temple, where I saw a stream flowing from under the entrance. It began in the south part of the temple, where it ran past the altar and continued east through the courtyard.

² We walked out of the temple area through the north gate and went around to the east gate. I saw the small stream of water flowing east from the south side of the gate.

³ The man walked east, then took out his measuring stick and measured 500 meters downstream. He told me to wade through the stream there, and the water came up to my ankles. ⁴ Then he measured another 500 meters downstream, and told me to wade through it there. The water came up to my knees. Another 500 meters downstream the water came up to my waist. ⁵ Another 500 meters downstream, the stream had become a river that could be crossed only by swimming. ⁶ The man said, “Ezekiel, son of man, pay attention to what you've seen.”

We walked to the riverbank, ⁷ where I saw dozens of trees on each side. ⁸ The man said:

This water flows eastward to the Jordan River valley and empties into the Dead Sea, where it turns the salt water into fresh water. ⁹ Wherever this water flows, there will be all kinds of animals and fish, because it will bring life and fresh water to the Dead Sea. ¹⁰ From En-Gedi to Eneglaim, people will fish in the sea and dry their nets along the coast. There will be as many kinds of fish in the Dead Sea as there are in the Mediterranean Sea. ¹¹ But the marshes along the shore will remain salty, so that people can use the salt from them.

^12 (B) Fruit trees will grow all along this river and produce fresh fruit every month. The leaves will never dry out, because they will always have water from the stream that flows from the temple, and they will be used for healing people.

1 Many people have tried to tell the story of what God has done among us. ² They wrote what we had been told by the ones who were there in the beginning and saw what happened. ³ So I made a careful study^[a] of everything and then decided to write and tell you exactly what took place. Honorable Theophilus, ⁴ I have done this to let you know the truth about what you have heard.

(A psalm and a song for the music leader. Use with stringed instruments.)

Tell the Nations To Praise God

Sing a New Song to the Lord

1 ^(A) Theophilus, I first wrote to you^[a] about all that Jesus did and taught from the very first ² until he was taken up to heaven. But before he was taken up, he gave orders to the apostles he had chosen with the help of the Holy Spirit.

³ For 40 days after Jesus had suffered and died, he proved in many ways that he had been raised from death. He appeared to his apostles and spoke to them about God's kingdom. ^4 (B) While he was still with them, he said:

Don't leave Jerusalem yet. Wait here for the Father to give you the Holy Spirit, just as I told you he has promised to do. ^5 (C) John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Is Taken to Heaven

⁶ While the apostles were still with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, are you now going to give Israel its own king again?”^[b]

⁷ Jesus said to them, “You don't need to know the time of those events that only the Father controls. ^8 (D) But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.”