Book of Common Prayer

¹⁷ But you, beloveds, remember the words that were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁸ how they told you that there would be beguilers in the last time, who would walk after their own ungodly lusts. ¹⁹ These are makers of fleshly sects, not having the Spirit. ²⁰ But you, dearly beloveds, build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ and keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. ²² And have compassion on some, separating them; ²³ and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; and hate the spotted vesture of the flesh.

²⁴ Now to him who is able to keep you so that you do not fall, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with joy – ²⁵ that is to say, to God our Saviour, who alone is wise – be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, now and forever. Amen.

Hereafter follows
the Apocalypse.

The preaching, baptism, and imprisonment of John. The baptism of Christ. A recital of the lineage of the fathers.

3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius the Emperor (Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch in Iturea and in the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene), ² when Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. ³ And he came into all the country about the Jordan River preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, ⁴ as it is written in the book of the sayings of Isaiah the prophet, which says: The voice of a crier in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make his paths straight! ⁵ Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low. And crooked things shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth. ⁶ And all flesh shall see the saviour sent by God.

⁷ Then he said to the people who came to be baptized by him, O offspring of vipers, who has taught you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bring forth the due fruits of repentance, and do not begin to say in yourselves, We have Abraham for our father. For I say to you, God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. ⁹ And now also is the axe laid to the root of the trees, so that every tree that does not bring forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire.