Book of Common Prayer

The consolation of God in trouble. The love of Paul toward the Corinthians, and his reason for not going to them earlier.

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and brother Timothy.

To the congregation of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia. ² Grace be with you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercy and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, insomuch that we are able to comfort others who are troubled, in whatsoever tribulation it may be, with the same comfort that we ourselves are comforted with by God. ⁵ For as the afflictions of Christ are plentiful in us, so also is our consolation plentiful by Christ.

⁶ Whether we are troubled regarding your consolation and salvation, which salvation shows her power in that you suffer the same afflictions that we also suffer, or whether we are comforted regarding your consolation and salvation, ⁷ yet our hope is steadfast for you, inasmuch as we know that as you have your part in afflictions, so shall you be partakers of consolation.

¹² And on the morrow, when they had left Bethany, he hungered. ¹³ And afar off he spotted a fig tree in leaf, and went to see whether he might find anything on it. But when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for the time of figs was not yet. ¹⁴ And Jesus spoke and said to it, Never may man eat fruit from you hereafter while the world stands. And his disciples heard it.

¹⁵ And they came to Jerusalem. And Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out the sellers and buyers in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the stools of those who sold doves, ¹⁶ and would not suffer anyone to carry a vessel through the temple. ¹⁷ And he taught, saying to them, Is it not written: My house shall be called the house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves! ¹⁸ And the scribes and high priests heard this, and sought how to destroy him. For they feared him, because all the people marvelled at his doctrine.

¹⁹ And when evening came, he went out of the city. ²⁰ And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. ²¹ And Peter remembered and said to him, Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered away.

²² And Jesus answered and said to them, Have confidence in God. ²³ Truly I say to you that whoever says to this mountain, Take yourself away and cast yourself into the sea, and who does not waver in his heart, but believes that those things which he says will come to pass – whatever he says will be done for him. ²⁴ Therefore I say to you, whatever you ask when you pray, believe that you will have it, and it will be done for you. ²⁵ And when you stand and pray, forgive, if you have anything against any person, so that your Father who is in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.