Book of Common Prayer

So Elders, Lead By Example

5 Therefore^[a] I exhort the elders among you, I the fellow-elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, the sharer^[b] also of the glory going-to be revealed: ² Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising-oversight— not by-compulsion^[c], but willingly^[d], according to God; nor greedily, but eagerly; ³ nor as lording-over^[e] your lots^[f], but being patterns for the flock. ⁴ And the Chief-shepherd having appeared, you will receive the unfading crown of ^[g] glory.

Young Men, Follow

⁵ Likewise, younger men— be subject to the^[h] elders.

Everyone, Be Humble And Keep Watch For The Adversary

And everyone— clothe-yourselves-with humblemindedness toward one another. Because “God opposes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble” [Prov 3:34]. ⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God in order that He may exalt you at the proper-time, ⁷ having cast all your anxiety^[i] upon Him, because He is concerned^[j] about you. ⁸ Be sober, keep-watch. Your adversary the devil is walking-around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour— ⁹ whom resist, firm in the^[k] faith, knowing that the same kinds of sufferings are being accomplished^[l] by your brotherhood in the world.

And The God of All Grace Will Establish You After Your Sufferings

¹⁰ And the God of all grace, the One having called you into His eternal glory in Christ Jesus— you having suffered a little— will Himself restore, support, strengthen, establish you. ¹¹ To Him be the dominion forever, amen.

¹² I wrote to you through Silvanus, the faithful brother, as I count him, with a few words exhorting and bearing-witness that this^[m] is the true grace of God— in which, stand [firm]. ¹³ She in Babylon^[n] chosen-with you greets you. Also Mark, my son. ¹⁴ Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you, to all the ones in Christ.

1 The book of the genealogy^[a] of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham—

² Abraham fathered^[b] Isaac, and Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers, ³ and Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez fathered Hezron, and Hezron fathered Ram, ⁴ and Ram fathered Aminadab, and Aminadab fathered Nahshon, and Nahshon fathered Salmon, ⁵ and Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, and Obed fathered Jesse, ⁶ and Jesse fathered David the king.

And David fathered Solomon by the one of Uriah, ⁷ and Solomon fathered Rehoboam, and Rehoboam fathered Abijah, and Abijah fathered Asaph, ⁸ and Asaph fathered Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, and Joram fathered Uzziah, ⁹ and Uzziah fathered Jotham, and Jotham fathered Ahaz, and Ahaz fathered Hezekiah, ¹⁰ and Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, and Manasseh fathered Amos, and Amos fathered Josiah, ¹¹ and Josiah fathered Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the deportation of Babylon.

¹² And after the deportation of Babylon, Jeconiah fathered Shealtiel, and Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel, ¹³ and Zerubbabel fathered Abihud, and Abihud fathered Eliakim, and Eliakim fathered Azor, ¹⁴ and Azor fathered Zadok, and Zadok fathered Achim, and Achim fathered Eliud, ¹⁵ and Eliud fathered Eleazar, and Eleazar fathered Matthan, and Matthan fathered Jacob, ¹⁶ and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary— by whom^[c] Jesus was born, the One being called Christ.

¹⁷ So all^[d] the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation of Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the deportation of Babylon to the Christ are fourteen generations.

In Fulfillment of Isaiah, John The Baptist Prepares The Nation For The Messiah

3 Now during those days John the Baptist comes^[a], proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn-near”. ³ For this one is the one having been spoken of through Isaiah the prophet saying [in Isa 40:3], “A voice of one shouting in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, be making His paths straight’”. ⁴ Now John himself was having^[b] his clothing [made] of camel’s hair, and a belt made-of-leather around his waist. And his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ At that time Jerusalem and all Judea and all the surrounding-region of the Jordan was going out to him. ⁶ And they were being baptized in the Jordan River by him while confessing-out^[c] their sins.