Book of Common Prayer

¹³ Moreover, who is it that will harm you if you follow that which is good? ¹⁴ Notwithstanding, happy are you if you suffer for righteousness’ sake. Yea, and fear not, though men seem terrible to you, neither be troubled, ¹⁵ but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. 

Be ready always to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you – and that with meekness and fear, ¹⁶ having a good conscience, so that when they backbite you as evildoers, they may be ashamed, seeing they have falsely accused your good living in Christ.

¹⁷ It is better (if the will of God be so) that you suffer for well-doing, than for evil-doing. ¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, in order to bring us to God; and was killed as concerning the flesh, but was quickened to life in the Spirit. ¹⁹ In which Spirit he also went and preached to the spirits who were in prison, ²⁰ who were in time past disobedient, when the longsuffering of God abode exceeding patiently in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, wherein few, that is to say, eight souls, were saved by water. ²¹ This signifies the baptism that now saves us – not the removal of soil from the flesh, but in that a good conscience consents to God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who is on the right hand of God, and has gone into heaven, angels, power, and might subdued to him.

He exhorts people to cease from sin, to spend no more time in vice, to be sober, to be fit and ready to pray, to love each other, and to be patient in trouble – and to beware that no one suffer as an evil-doer, but only as Christian; and not to be ashamed.

4 Inasmuch as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind. For he who suffers in the flesh, ceases from sin, ² that he henceforward should live as much time as remains in the flesh, not after the lusts or desires of men, but after the will of God. ³ For it is enough for us that we have spent the time that is past of our life after the will of the Gentiles, walking in wantonness, lusts, drunkenness; in eating, drinking, and in abominable idolatry.

⁴ And it seems to them a strange thing that you run not also with them to the same excess of disorder, and therefore they speak evil of you. ⁵ But they will give accounts to him who is ready to judge the quick and the dead. ⁶ For to this purpose was the gospel preached to the dead: that they should be judged like other men in the flesh, but should live before God in the spirit.

¹⁷ And Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and took the twelve disciples apart along the way and said to them, ¹⁸ Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, ¹⁹ and will deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked, to be scourged, and to be crucified; and the third day he will rise again.

²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s children came to him with her sons, doing reverence to him and desiring a certain thing of him. ²¹ He said to her, What would you like? She answered him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on your right hand and the other on your left hand, in your kingdom.

²² Jesus answered and said, You know not what you ask. Are you able to drink of the cup that I must drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I must be baptized with?

They answered to him, That we are.

²³ And he said to them, You shall drink of my cup, and shall be baptized with the baptism that I will be baptized with. But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give, but is for those for whom it is prepared by my Father.

²⁴ And when the ten heard about this, they were indignant at the two brethren. ²⁵ But Jesus called them to him and said, You know that the lords of the Gentiles have dominion over them, and those who are great exercise power over them. ²⁶ It shall not be this way among you, but whosoever would be great among you, let him minister to you, ²⁷ and whoever would be chief, let him be your servant – ²⁸ even as the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life for the redemption of many.