Book of Common Prayer

He tells them how greatly he was moved with joy when Timothy told him of their faith and love.

3 Therefore, since we could bear it no longer, it pleased us to remain at Athens alone, ² and we sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our labour-fellow in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen you and to comfort you over your faith, ³ so that no one would be shaken in these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are even appointed to this. ⁴ For indeed, when I was with you, I warned that we would suffer tribulation, even as it came to pass and as you know. ⁵ For this reason, when I could no longer bear it, I sent to find out about your faith, lest perhaps the tempter had tempted you and our labour had been bestowed in vain.

⁶ But now lately Timothy has come from you to us, and told us about your faith and your love, and that you have good remembrance of us always, desiring to see us as we desire to see you. ⁷ Therefore, brethren, we had consolation in you, in all our adversity and need, through your faith. ⁸ For now we are alive, if you stand steadfast in the Lord. ⁹ For what thanks we can render to God for you, for all the joy that we have on your account before our God, ¹⁰ while we pray very much night and day that we might see you personally, and might make up that which is lacking in your faith.

¹¹ May God himself our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ guide our journey to you. ¹² And may the Lord prosper you, and make you flow over in love toward one another and toward all men, even as we do toward you, ¹³ to make your hearts constant and unblameable in holiness before God our Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

²⁷ Then there came to him certain of the Sadducees, who deny that there is any resurrection. ²⁸ And they asked him, saying, Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if any man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no issue, then his brother should take his wife and raise up seed for his brother. ²⁹ There were seven brethren, and the first took a wife, and died without children. ³⁰ And the second took the wife, but he died childless. ³¹ And the third took her, and so on likewise the rest of the seven, leaving no children behind them, and died. ³² Last of all, the woman died also. ³³ Now at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the brothers? For seven had her as wife.

³⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, The children of this world marry and are married, ³⁵ but those who will be made worthy to enjoy that world, and the resurrection from death, neither marry, nor are married, ³⁶ nor yet can die any more. For they are like the angels, and are the sons of God inasmuch as they are the children of the resurrection. ³⁷ And that the dead shall rise again, even Moses signified in his account of the bush when he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. ³⁸ For he is not the God of the dead, but of the living. For all live in him.

³⁹ Then certain of the Pharisees answered and said, Teacher, you have well said. ⁴⁰ And after that they dared not ask him any question at all.