Book of Common Prayer

Ministers (or deacons) are ordained in the congregation to do service in necessary things of the body so that the apostles may attend only to the word of God. Stephen is accused.

6 In those days, as the number of the disciples grew, there arose a grudge among the Greeks against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. ² Then the twelve called all of the disciples together and said, It is not right that we should leave the word of God and serve at the tables. ³ Therefore, brethren, choose from among you seven men of good reputation, and full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint to this needful business. ⁴ But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

⁵ And this proposal pleased the whole assembly. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a convert from Antioch. ⁶ These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.

⁷ And the word of God advanced, and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly, and a great company of the priests accepted the faith. ⁸ And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

⁹ Then some of those who were of the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and Cyrenians, and some from Alexandria and Cilicia and Asia, arose and disputed with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they could not resist the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. ¹¹ Then they sent in men who said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. ¹² And they moved the people and the elders and the scribes, and came upon him and caught him, and brought him to the council. ¹³ And they brought forth false witnesses, who said, This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law, ¹⁴ for we heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the ordinances that Moses gave us.

¹⁵ And all who sat in the council looked steadfastly on him, and saw his face, as it were the face of an angel.

The loving conversation of Christ with the woman from Samaria by the well’s side. How he heals the ruler’s son.

4 As soon as the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard how Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John ² (though Jesus himself did not baptize, but his disciples), ³ he left Judea and went back to Galilee. ⁴ And it so was that he had to go through Samaria. ⁵ Then he came to a village of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. ⁶ And there was Jacob’s well.

Jesus, then wearied in his journey, sat on the well. And it was about the sixth hour, ⁷ and there came a woman of Samaria to draw water. And Jesus said to her, Give me to drink. ⁸ For his disciples had gone away to the town to buy food. ⁹ Then the woman of Samaria said to him, How is it that you, being a Jew, ask drink of me, a Samaritan? (For the Jews will have nothing to do with the Samaritans.)

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, Give me to drink, you would have asked of him, and he would have given you the water of life.

¹¹ The woman said to him, Sir, you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then do you have that water of life from? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob who gave us the well, and he himself drank from it, and his children and his animals?

¹³ Jesus answered and said to her, Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again. ¹⁴ But whoever drinks of the water that I give him shall never more thirst, but the water that I give him will be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

¹⁵ The woman said to him, Sir, give me of that water so that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw. ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, Go and call your husband, and come here. ¹⁷ The woman answered and said to him, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You have well said, I have no husband. ¹⁸ For you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband. This you have said truly.

¹⁹ The woman said to him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, but you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.

²¹ Jesus said to her, Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. ²² You Samaritans worship you know not what. We know what we worship, for salvation comes of the Jews. ²³ But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For indeed, the Father seeks such to worship him. ²⁴ God is a spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and truth.

²⁵ The woman said to him, I know well the Messiah will come, who is called Christ. When he is come, he will tell us all things.

²⁶ Jesus said to her, I who speak to you am he.