Book of Common Prayer
21 Well, I’m ashamed to say it: we weren’t strong enough for that!
Boasting of weaknesses
Whatever anyone else dares to boast about (I’m talking nonsense, remember), I’ll boast as well. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they the servants of the Messiah?—I’m talking like a raving madman—I’m a better one. I’ve worked harder, been in prison more often, been beaten more times than I can count, and I’ve often been close to death. 24 Five times I’ve had the Jewish beating, forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; I was adrift in the sea for a night and a day. 26 I’ve been constantly traveling, facing dangers from rivers, dangers from brigands, dangers from my own people, dangers from foreigners, dangers in the town, dangers in the countryside, dangers at sea, dangers from false believers. 27 I’ve toiled and labored, I’ve burnt the candle at both ends, I’ve been hungry and thirsty, I’ve often gone without food altogether, I’ve been cold and naked.
28 Quite apart from all that, I have this daily pressure on me, my care for all the churches. 29 Who is weak and I’m not weak? Who is offended without me burning with shame?
30 If I must boast, I will boast of my weaknesses. 31 The God and father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows that I’m not lying:
Jesus calms the storm
35 That day, when it was evening, Jesus said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.”
36 They left the crowd, and took him with them in the boat he’d been in. There were other boats with him too.
37 A big windstorm blew up. The waves beat on the boat, and it quickly began to fill. 38 Jesus, however, was asleep on a cushion in the stern. They woke him up.
“Teacher!” they said to him, “We’re going down! Don’t you care?”
39 He got up, scolded the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Shut up!”
The wind died, and there was a flat calm. 40 Then he said to them, “Why are you scared? Don’t you believe yet?”
41 Great fear stole over them. “Who is this?” they said to each other. “Even the wind and the sea do what he says!”
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.