Book of Common Prayer

⁹ I wrote to you in an epistle that you should not keep company with fornicators. ¹⁰ And I did not at all mean the fornicators of this world, or the covetous, or swindlers, or idolaters, because then you would need to go out of the world. ¹¹ But now I write to you not to keep company together with anyone called a brother who is a fornicator, or covetous, or a worshipper of images, or a railer, or a drunkard, or a swindler. With such a one, see that you do not eat. ¹² For what have I to do with judging those who are outside? Do you not judge those who are within? ¹³ Those who are without, God will judge. Put away from among you that evil person.

He rebukes them for going to law against each other before the heathen, and reproves uncleanness.

6 How dare one of you, having a problem with another, go to law under the unrighteous, and not rather under the saints? ² Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world will be judged by you, are you not good enough to judge small trifles? ³ Do you not know that we will judge the angels? How much more may we judge things that pertain to this life? ⁴ If you have trials of worldly matters, take those who are least esteemed in the congregation and make them judges. ⁵ This I say to your shame. Is there really no wise man among you? What, no one at all who can judge between brother and brother? ⁶ But one brother goes to law against another, and that under the unbelievers?

⁷ Now therefore there is utterly a failing among you, because you go to law one with another. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather suffer yourselves to be robbed? ⁸ Nay, you yourselves do wrong, and rob – and that the brethren.

The parable of the sower. Take heed to God’s word. Christ stills the tempest of the sea, which obeyed him.

4 And he began again to teach by the sea side. And there gathered together unto him crowds of people, so greatly that he entered into the boat and sat in it in the sea, and all the people were by the sea side on the shore. ² And he taught them many things in similitudes, and said to them in his lesson: ³ Hearken to! Behold, there went out a sower to sow. ⁴ And it happened as he sowed that some seed fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. ⁵ Some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth, and quickly sprang up because it did not have depth of earth; ⁶ but as soon as the sun was up, it caught heat, and because it did not have rooting, withered away. ⁷ And some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, so that it gave no fruit. ⁸ And some fell upon good ground, and yielded fruit that sprang up and grew, and brought forth: some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold. ⁹ And he said to them, He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

¹⁰ And when he was alone, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the similitude. ¹¹ And he said to them, To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to those who are outside, all things shall be done in similitudes, ¹² and when they see, they will see but not discern, and when they hear, they will hear and not understand, lest at any time they should turn; and their sins would be forgiven them.

¹³ And he said to them, Do you not understand this similitude? How then will you understand any other similitudes? ¹⁴ The sower sows the word. ¹⁵ And those who are by the wayside where the word is sown are those to whom, as soon as they have heard it, Satan comes immediately, and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. ¹⁶ And likewise, those who receive the seed on the stony ground are those who, when they have heard the word, at once receive it with gladness, ¹⁷ yet have no roots in themselves. And so they endure but a time, and once trouble and persecution arise for the word’s sake, they fall immediately. ¹⁸ And those who receive the seed among the thorns are such as hear the word, ¹⁹ but the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the hunger for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it is made unfruitful. ²⁰ And those who received the seed in good ground are those who hear the word and receive it, and bring forth fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, some a hundredfold.