Book of Common Prayer

He writes to a certain lady, rejoices that her children walk in the truth, exhorts them unto love, warns them to beware of such deceivers as deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, and prays them to continue in the doctrine of Christ, and to have nothing to do with those who do not bring this teaching.

¹ The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth – and not only I, but also all who know the truth, ² for the sake of the truth that dwells in us and shall be in us forever.

³ With you be grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

⁴ I rejoiced greatly that I found some of your children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. ⁵ And now I beseech you, dear lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that same which we had from the beginning: that we should love one another. ⁶ And this is the love: that we should walk according to his commandments.

For this is the commandment, as you heard from the beginning: walk in him. ⁷ For many deceivers have entered into the world, who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an Antichrist. ⁸ Look to yourselves, that we lose not that which we have wrought, but that we may have a full reward. ⁹ Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who endures in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.

¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house, neither bid him Godspeed. ¹¹ For he who bids him Godspeed is partaker of his evil deeds.

¹² I had many things to write to you. Nevertheless, I would rather not write with paper and ink, but I trust to come to you and speak with you mouth to mouth, so that our joy may be full.

¹³ The sons of your elect sister
greet you.
Amen.

¹² And it happened, as he was in a certain town, behold, there was a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and besought him, saying, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. ¹³ And Jesus stretched forth his hand and touched him, saying, I will; be clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. ¹⁴ And Jesus told him not to tell anyone, but to go and show himself to the priest, and to make an offering for his cleansing, as Moses had commanded, for a witness to them. ¹⁵ But word of him went abroad all the more, and crowds of people came together to hear him and to be healed by him of their infirmities.

¹⁶ And he kept himself apart in the remote places, and gave himself to prayer.

¹⁷ And it happened on a certain day that he was teaching, and there sat the Pharisees and doctors of the law, who had come out of all the towns of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was to heal the people. ¹⁸ And behold, some men brought a man lying in his bed, who was taken with paralysis, and were trying to find a way to bring him in and to lay him before Jesus. ¹⁹ And when they could not find a way to bring him in, because of the press of people, they went up on the top of the house and let him down through the tiling, bed and all, in the midst before Jesus. ²⁰ When he saw their faith, he said to him, Man, your sins are forgiven you. ²¹ And the scribes and the Pharisees began to think, saying, What fellow is this, who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins, but God only?

²² When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered and said to them, What are you thinking in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier to say: Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Rise and walk?  ²⁴ But so that you may know that the Son of man has power to forgive sins on earth – He said to the paralytic, I say to you, arise; take up your bed and go home to your house.

²⁵ And immediately he rose up before them, took up the bed he laid on, and departed to his own house, praising God.

²⁶ And they were all amazed, and they lauded God and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things today.