Book of Common Prayer

He is glad of Gaius, that he walks in the truth. He exhorts them to be loving to the poor Christians in their persecution, and speaks of the unkind dealing of Diotrephes, and the good report of Demetrius.

¹ The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

² Beloved, I wish in all things that you prospered and fared well, even as your soul prospers. ³ I rejoiced greatly when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, how you walk in truth. ⁴ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

⁵ Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren, and for strangers, ⁶ who bear witness of your love before all the congregation. Which brethren, when you bring them forwards on their journey (as it befits God), you will do well, ⁷ because for his name’s sake they went forth, and took nothing from the Gentiles. ⁸ We therefore ought to receive such brethren, so that we also may be helpers of the truth.

⁹ I wrote to the congregation, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the pre-eminence among them, will not receive us. ¹⁰ And so if I come, I will declare the things he does, scoffing on us with malicious words. And he is not content with that. Not only does he himself not receive the brethren, he also forbids those who would, and thrusts them out of the congregation.

¹¹ Beloved, do not follow that which is evil, but that which is good. He who does well is of God, but he who does evil does not see God.

¹² Demetrius has a good report from all men, and from the truth. Yea and we ourselves also bear witness, and you know that our witness is true.

¹³ I have many things to write, but I do not wish to write with ink and pen to you. ¹⁴ For I trust I will shortly see you, and we shall speak mouth to mouth.

¹⁵ Peace be with you.

The friends send you greetings.
Greet the friends
by name.

²⁷ And after that, Jesus went out and saw a publican named Levi sitting at the receipt of custom, and said to him, Follow me. ²⁸ And he left all, rose up, and followed him. ²⁹ And that same Levi gave for Jesus a great feast at home in his own house. And there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat at food with him.

³⁰ And the scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do you eat and drink with publicans and sinners? ³¹ Jesus answered and said to them, The whole have no need for the physician, but the sick do. ³² I came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.

³³ Then they said to him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and pray, and the disciples of the Pharisees also, but yours eat and drink?

³⁴ And he said to them, Can you make the children of the wedding fast while the bridegroom is present with them? ³⁵ The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast, in those days.

³⁶ Then he spoke to them in a similitude: No one patches a piece of a new garment into an old vesture, because if he does, then he will have cut up the new, and the piece that was taken out of the new does not agree with the old. ³⁷ Also, no one pours new wine into old wineskins, because if he does, the new wine bursts the vessels and runs out, and the vessels are destroyed. ³⁸ But new wine must be poured into new vessels, and both are preserved. ³⁹ Also, no one who drinks old wine can straightaway abide the new, for he says the old is pleasanter.