Lectionary Readings Book of Common Prayer - 1979 Sunday, September-30-2012 Proper 21

The Collect

Proper 21
O God, who declarest thy almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace, that we, running to obtain thy promises, may be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Preface of the Lord's Day

Old Testament Reading

Numbers 11:4-6,10-16,24-29
⁴Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: "Who will give us meat to eat? ⁵We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; ⁶but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!" ¹⁰Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased. ¹¹So Moses said to the LORD, "Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me? ¹²Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,' to the land which You swore to their fathers? ¹³Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, 'Give us meat, that we may eat.' ¹⁴I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. ¹⁵If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now-if I have found favor in Your sight-and do not let me see my wretchedness!" ¹⁶So the LORD said to Moses: "Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. ²⁴So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. ²⁵Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again. ²⁶But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." ²⁸So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, "Moses my lord, forbid them!" ²⁹Then Moses said to him, "Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!" -- NKJV

Psalm

Psalm 19

Caeli enarrant
1The heavens declare the glory of God, *
     and the firmament shows his handiwork.
2One day tells its tale to another, *
     and one night imparts knowledge to another.
3Although they have no words or language, *
     and their voices are not heard,
4Their sound has gone out into all lands, *
     and their message to the ends of the world.
5In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; *
     it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
     it rejoices like a champion to run its course.
6It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
     and runs about to the end of it again; *
     nothing is hidden from its burning heat.
7The law of the LORD is perfect
     and revives the soul; *
     the testimony of the LORD is sure
     and gives wisdom to the innocent.
8The statutes of the LORD are just
     and rejoice the heart; *
     the commandment of the LORD is clear
     and gives light to the eyes.
9The fear of the LORD is clean
     and endures for ever; *
     the judgments of the LORD are true
     and righteous altogether.
10More to be desired are they than gold,
     more than much fine gold, *
     sweeter far than honey,
     than honey in the comb.
11By them also is your servant enlightened, *
     and in keeping them there is great reward.
12Who can tell how often he offends? *
     cleanse me from my secret faults.
13Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
     let them not get dominion over me; *
     then shall I be whole and sound,
     and innocent of a great offense.
14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
     heart be acceptable in your sight, *
     O LORD, my strength and my redeemer.

- OR -

Psalm 19:7-14

7The law of the LORD is perfect
     and revives the soul; *
     the testimony of the LORD is sure
     and gives wisdom to the innocent.
8The statutes of the LORD are just
     and rejoice the heart; *
     the commandment of the LORD is clear
     and gives light to the eyes.
9The fear of the LORD is clean
     and endures for ever; *
     the judgments of the LORD are true
     and righteous altogether.
10More to be desired are they than gold,
     more than much fine gold, *
     sweeter far than honey,
     than honey in the comb.
11By them also is your servant enlightened, *
     and in keeping them there is great reward.
12Who can tell how often he offends? *
     cleanse me from my secret faults.
13Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
     let them not get dominion over me; *
     then shall I be whole and sound,
     and innocent of a great offense.
14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
     heart be acceptable in your sight, *
     O LORD, my strength and my redeemer.

 New Testament Reading

James 4:7-12
⁷Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. ¹¹Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. ¹²There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? -- NKJV - AND -

[James 4:13-5:6]
4:¹³ Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; ¹⁴ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." ¹⁶ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. 5:¹ Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! ² Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. ⁴ Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. ⁵ You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you. -- NKJV

Gospel Reading

Mark 9:38-43,45,47-48
³⁸Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us." ³⁹But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. ⁴⁰For he who is not against us is on our side. ⁴¹For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward. ⁴²"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. ⁴³If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched- ⁴⁵And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched- ⁴⁷And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire- ⁴⁸where ' Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.' -- NKJV

Lectionary Readings Book of Common Prayer - 1979 Sunday, September-23-2012 Proper 20

 The Collect
Proper 20
Grant us, O Lord, not to mind earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to cleave to those that shall abide; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Preface of the Lord's Day

Old Testament Reading

Wisdom 1:16-2:1
1:¹⁶ But ungodly men by their words and deeds summoned death; considering him a friend, they pined away, and they made a covenant with him, because they are fit to belong to his party. 2:¹ For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves, "Short and sorrowful is our life, and there is no remedy when a man comes to his end, and no one has been known to return from Hades. -- RSV - AND -
Wisdom 2:(6-11)12-22
(⁶ "Come, therefore, let us enjoy the good things that exist, and make use of the creation to the full as in youth. ⁷ Let us take our fill of costly wine and perfumes, and let no flower of spring pass by us. ⁸ Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds before they wither. ⁹ Let none of us fail to share in our revelry, everywhere let us leave signs of enjoyment, because this is our portion, and this our lot. ¹⁰ Let us oppress the righteous poor man; let us not spare the widow nor regard the gray hairs of the aged. ¹¹ But let our might be our law of right, for what is weak proves itself to be useless. )¹² "Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training. ¹³ He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord. ¹⁴ He became to us a reproof of our thoughts; ¹⁵ the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange. ¹⁶ We are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father. ¹⁷ Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life; ¹⁸ for if the righteous man is God's son, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. ¹⁹ Let us test him with insult and torture, that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance. ²⁰ Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected." ²¹ Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray, for their wickedness blinded them, ²² and they did not know the secret purposes of God, nor hope for the wages of holiness, nor discern the prize for blameless souls; -- RSV

Psalm

Psalm 54

Deus, in nomine
1Save me, O God, by your Name; *
     in your might, defend my cause.
2Hear my prayer, O God; *
     give ear to the words of my mouth.
3For the arrogant have risen up against me,
     and the ruthless have sought my life, *
     those who have no regard for God.
4Behold, God is my helper; *
     it is the Lord who sustains my life.
5Render evil to those who spy on me; *
     in your faithfulness, destroy them.
6I will offer you a freewill sacrifice *
     and praise your Name, O LORD, for it is good.
7For you have rescued me from every trouble, *
     and my eye has seen the ruin of my foes.

New Testament Reading

James 3:16-4:6
3:¹⁶ For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. ¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. ¹⁸ Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. 4:¹ Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? ² You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. ⁴ Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"? ⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: " God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." -- NKJV

Gospel Reading

Mark 9:30-37
³⁰Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. ³¹For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day." ³²But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him. ³³Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?" ³⁴But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. ³⁵And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." ³⁶Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, ³⁷"Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me." -- NKJV

Lectionary Readings Book of Common Prayer - 1979 Sunday, September-16-2012 Proper 19

The Collect

Proper 19
O God, forasmuch as without you we are not able to please thee, mercifully grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Preface of the Lord's Day

Old Testament Reading

Isaiah 50:4-9
⁴" The Lord GOD has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned. ⁵The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away. ⁶I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. ⁷" For the Lord GOD will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. ⁸He is near who justifies Me; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand together. Who is My adversary? Let him come near Me. ⁹Surely the Lord GOD will help Me; Who is he who will condemn Me? Indeed they will all grow old like a garment; The moth will eat them up. -- NKJV

Psalm

Psalm 116

Dilexi, quoniam
1I love the LORD, because he has heard the voice of my
     supplication, *
     because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him.
2The cords of death entangled me;
     the grip of the grave took hold of me; *
     I came to grief and sorrow.
3Then I called upon the Name of the LORD: *
     "O LORD, I pray you, save my life."
4Gracious is the LORD and righteous; *
     our God is full of compassion.
5The LORD watches over the innocent; *
     I was brought very low, and he helped me.
6Turn again to your rest, O my soul. *
     for the LORD has treated you well.
7For you have rescued my life from death, *
     my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.
8I will walk in the presence of the LORD *
     in the land of the living.
9I believed, even when I said,
     "I have been brought very low." *
     In my distress I said, "No one can be trusted."
10How shall I repay the LORD *
     for all the good things he has done for me?
11I will lift up the cup of salvation *
     and call upon the Name of the LORD.
12I will fulfill my vows to the LORD *
     in the presence of all his people.
13Precious in the sight of the LORD *
     is the death of his servants.
14O LORD, I am your servant; *
     I am your servant and the child of your handmaid;
     you have freed me from my bonds.
15I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving *
     and call upon the Name of the LORD.
16I will fulfill my vows to the LORD *
     in the presence of all his people,
17In the courts of the LORD'S house, *
     in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
     Hallelujah!

- OR -

Psalm 116:1-8

1I love the LORD, because he has heard the voice of my
     supplication, *
     because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him.
2The cords of death entangled me;
     the grip of the grave took hold of me; *
     I came to grief and sorrow.
3Then I called upon the Name of the LORD: *
     "O LORD, I pray you, save my life."
4Gracious is the LORD and righteous; *
     our God is full of compassion.
5The LORD watches over the innocent; *
     I was brought very low, and he helped me.
6Turn again to your rest, O my soul. *
     for the LORD has treated you well.
7For you have rescued my life from death, *
     my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.
8I will walk in the presence of the LORD *
     in the land of the living.

 New Testament Reading

James 2:1-5,8-10,14-18
¹My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. ²For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, ³and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," ⁴have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? ⁵Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? ⁸If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; ⁹but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. ¹⁴What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? ¹⁵If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? ¹⁷Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. ¹⁸But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. -- NKJV

Gospel Reading

Mark 8:27-38
²⁷Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?" ²⁸So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets." ²⁹He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ." ³⁰Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him. ³¹And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³²He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. ³³But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." ³⁴When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ³⁵For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. ³⁶For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? ³⁷Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ³⁸For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." -- NKJV - OR -

Mark 9:14-29
¹⁴And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. ¹⁵Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. ¹⁶And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?" ¹⁷Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. ¹⁸And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not." ¹⁹He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me." ²⁰Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. ²¹So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. ²²And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." ²³Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." ²⁴Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" ²⁵When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!" ²⁶Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead." ²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. ²⁸And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" ²⁹So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." -- NKJV

Lectionary Readings Book of Common Prayer - 1979 Sunday, September-09-2012 Proper 18

The Collect

Proper 18
Grant us, O Lord, we pray thee, to trust in you with all our heart; for, as thou dost alway resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so thou dost not forsake those who make their boast of thy mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Preface of the Lord's Day

Old Testament Reading

Isaiah 35:4-7
⁴Say to those who are fearful-hearted, " Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you." ⁵Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. ⁶Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert. ⁷The parched ground shall become a pool, And the thirsty land springs of water; In the habitation of jackals, where each lay, There shall be grass with reeds and rushes. -- NKJV

Psalm

Psalm 146

Lauda, anima mea
1Hallelujah!
     Praise the LORD, O my soul! *
     I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
     I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
2Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *
     for there is no help in them.
3When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *
     and in that day their thoughts perish.
4Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! *
     whose hope is in the LORD their God;
5Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *
     who keeps his promise for ever;
6Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *
     and food to those who hunger.
7The LORD sets the prisoners free;
     the LORD opens the eyes of the blind; *
     the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
8The LORD loves the righteous;
     the LORD cares for the stranger; *
     he sustains the orphan and widow,
     but frustrates the way of the wicked.
9The LORD shall reign for ever, *
     your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
     Hallelujah!

- OR -

Psalm 146:4-9

4Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! *
     whose hope is in the LORD their God;
5Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *
     who keeps his promise for ever;
6Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *
     and food to those who hunger.
7The LORD sets the prisoners free;
     the LORD opens the eyes of the blind; *
     the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
8The LORD loves the righteous;
     the LORD cares for the stranger; *
     he sustains the orphan and widow,
     but frustrates the way of the wicked.
9The LORD shall reign for ever, *
     your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
     Hallelujah!

New Testament Reading

James 1:17-27
¹⁷Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. ¹⁸Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. ¹⁹So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; ²⁰for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. ²²But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. ²⁶If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. ²⁷Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. -- NKJV

Gospel Reading

Mark 7:31-37
³¹Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. ³²Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. ³³And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. ³⁴Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." ³⁵Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. ³⁶Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. ³⁷And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak." -- NKJV