Book of Common Prayer

¹⁸ Little children, it is the last time. And as you have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now there are many Antichrists come already. By this we know that it is the last time. ¹⁹ They went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. But this happened so that it might appear that they were not of us.

²⁰ And you have an anointing of the Holy Spirit, and you know all things. ²¹ I did not write to you as though you did not know the truth, but as knowing it, and as knowing also that no lie comes of truth. ²² Who is a liar, but he who denies that Jesus is Christ? He is the Antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son. ²³ Whoever denies the Son, the same does not have the Father.

²⁴ Let therefore abide in you that which you heard from the beginning. If that which you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will continue in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵ And the promise that he has promised us is eternal life.

²⁶ This I have written to you concerning those who deceive you.

²⁷ And the anointing that you have received from him dwells in you, and you need not that any man teach you – but as the anointing teaches you all things, and is true, and is no lie, and as it taught you, even so abide therein.

²⁸ And now babes, abide in him, so that when he appears we may be bold, and not be made ashamed before him at his coming. ²⁹ If you know that he is righteous, know also that he who follows righteousness is born of him.

³⁰ And the apostles gathered themselves together to Jesus and told him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. ³¹ And he said to them, Come apart into the countryside and rest awhile. For there were so many comers and goers that they had no time so much as to eat. ³² And they went by boat out of the way into an isolated place.

³³ But the people noticed them when they departed, and many recognized him. And they ran there by foot out of all the towns and got there before them, and came together to him. ³⁴ And Jesus went out and saw the crowds of people, and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.

³⁵ And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came to him, saying, This is an isolated place, and now the day is far gone. ³⁶ Let the people depart so that they can go into the country round about and into the towns and buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat. ³⁷ He answered and said to them, You give them to eat. And they said to him, Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them to eat? ³⁸ He said to them, How many loaves do you have? Go and look. And when they had searched, they said, Five, and two fishes.

³⁹ And Jesus directed them to make all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ And they sat down here a row and there a row, by hundreds and by fifties. ⁴¹ And he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to put before the people. And he divided the two fishes among them all. ⁴² And they all did eat and were satisfied. ⁴³ And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments and of the fishes. ⁴⁴ And those who ate were about 5,000 men.