Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 93^[a]

God Is a Mighty King

Psalm 96^[a]

God of the Universe

I

II

III

IV

Psalm 34^[a]

Thanksgiving to God Who Delivers the Just

¹ Of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech,^[b] who drove him out and he went away.

I

II

III

Elisha Raises the Shunammite’s Son. ⁸ One day Elisha came to Shunem, where there was a woman of influence, who pressed him to dine with her. Afterward, whenever he passed by, he would stop there to dine. ⁹ So she said to her husband, “I know that he is a holy man of God. Since he visits us often, ¹⁰ let us arrange a little room on the roof and furnish it for him with a bed, table, chair, and lamp, so that when he comes to us he can stay there.”^(A)

¹¹ One day Elisha arrived and stayed in the room overnight. ¹² Then he said to his servant Gehazi, “Call this Shunammite woman.” He did so, and when she stood before Elisha, ¹³ he told Gehazi, “Say to her, ‘You have troubled yourself greatly for us; what can we do for you? Can we say a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’” She replied, “I am living among my own people.”^{[a] 14} Later Elisha asked, “What can we do for her?” Gehazi answered, “She has no son, and her husband is old.” ¹⁵ Elisha said, “Call her.” He did so, and when she stood at the door, ¹⁶ Elisha promised, “This time next year you will be cradling a baby son.” She said, “My lord, you are a man of God; do not deceive your servant.”^{(B) 17} Yet the woman conceived, and by the same time the following year she had given birth to a son, as Elisha had promised; ¹⁸ and the child grew up healthy.^(C)

One day the boy went out to his father among the reapers. ¹⁹ He said to his father, “My head! My head!” And his father said to the servant, “Carry him to his mother.” ²⁰ The servant picked him up and carried him to his mother; he sat in her lap until noon, and then died. ²¹ She went upstairs and laid him on the bed of the man of God. Closing the door on him, she went out ²² and called to her husband, “Let me have one of the servants and a donkey. I must go quickly to the man of God, and I will be back.” ²³ He asked, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the new moon nor the sabbath.” But she said, “It is all right.” ²⁴ When the donkey was saddled, she said to her servant, “Lead on! Do not stop my donkey unless I tell you.” ²⁵ She kept going till she reached the man of God on Mount Carmel. When he saw her at a distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi: “There is the Shunammite! ²⁶ Hurry to meet her, and ask if everything is all right with her, with her husband, and with the boy.” “Everything is all right,” she replied. ²⁷ But when she reached the man of God on the mountain, she clasped his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the man of God said: “Let her alone, she is in bitter anguish; the Lord hid it from me and did not let me know.” ²⁸ She said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say, ‘Do not mislead me’?” ²⁹ He said to Gehazi, “Get ready for a journey. Take my staff with you and be off; if you meet anyone, give no greeting,^[b] and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff upon the boy.” ³⁰ But the boy’s mother cried out: “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not release you.” So he started back with her.

³¹ Meanwhile, Gehazi had gone on ahead and had laid the staff upon the boy, but there was no sound, no response. He returned to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened.” ³² When Elisha reached the house, he found the boy dead, lying on the bed. ³³ He went in, closed the door on them both, and prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ Then he lay upon the child on the bed, placing his mouth upon the child’s mouth, his eyes upon the eyes, and his hands upon the hands. As Elisha stretched himself over the child, the boy’s flesh became warm.^{(D) 35} He arose, paced up and down the room, and then once more stretched himself over him, and the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.^{(E) 36} Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite.” He called her, and she came to him, and Elisha said to her, “Take your son.” ³⁷ She came in and fell at his feet in homage; then she took her son and left.

Saul’s Baptism. ^10 (A)There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹ The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there praying,^{(B) 12} and [in a vision] he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay [his] hands on him, that he may regain his sight.” ¹³ But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones^[a] in Jerusalem.^{(C) 14} And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.”^{(D) 15} But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites,^{(E) 16} and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.” ¹⁷ So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹ and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.^[b]

Saul Preaches in Damascus. He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus, ²⁰ and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.^{[c] 21} All who heard him were astounded and said, “Is not this the man who in Jerusalem ravaged those who call upon this name, and came here expressly to take them back in chains to the chief priests?” ²² But Saul grew all the stronger and confounded [the] Jews who lived in Damascus, proving that this is the Messiah.

Saul Visits Jerusalem. ²³ After a long time had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, ^24 (F)but their plot became known to Saul. Now they were keeping watch on the gates day and night so as to kill him, ²⁵ but his disciples took him one night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.

^26 (G)When he arrived in Jerusalem^[d] he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. ²⁷ Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles, and he reported to them how on the way he had seen the Lord and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem, and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists,^[e] but they tried to kill him. ³⁰ And when the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him on his way to Tarsus.^(H)

The Church at Peace. ^31 [f]The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace. It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the holy Spirit it grew in numbers.

⁷ He said to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?^{(A) 8} Produce good fruits as evidence of your repentance; and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.^{(B) 9} Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”^(C)

¹⁰ And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” ¹¹ He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” ¹² Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”^{(D) 13} He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” ¹⁴ Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”

^15 (E)Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. ^16 [a]John answered them all, saying,^(F) “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fan^[b] is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”^{(G) 18} Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people.