Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B

²⁶ But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise, and go toward the south to the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert.” ²⁷ He arose and went; and behold, there was a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship. ²⁸ He was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹ The Spirit said to Philip, “Go near, and join yourself to this chariot.” ³⁰ Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” ³¹ He said, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” He begged Philip to come up and sit with him. ³² Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. As a lamb before his shearer is silent, so he doesn’t open his mouth. ³³ In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away. Who will declare His generation? For his life is taken from the earth.” ³⁴ The eunuch answered Philip, “Who is the prophet talking about? About himself, or about someone else?” ³⁵ Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached to him about Jesus. ³⁶ As they went on the way, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Behold, here is water. What is keeping me from being baptized?” ³⁸ He commanded the chariot to stand still, and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. ³⁹ When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the eunuch didn’t see him any more, for he went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ But Philip was found at Azotus. Passing through, he preached the Good News to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.

²⁵ My praise of you comes in the great assembly. I will pay my vows before those who fear him. ²⁶ The humble shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise the LORD who seek after him. Let your hearts live forever. ²⁷ All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD. All the relatives of the nations shall worship before you. ²⁸ For the kingdom is the LORD’s. He is the ruler over the nations. ²⁹ All the rich ones of the earth shall eat and worship. All those who go down to the dust shall bow before him, even he who can’t keep his soul alive. ³⁰ Posterity shall serve him. Future generations shall be told about the Lord. ³¹ They shall come and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born, for he has done it.

⁷ Beloved, let’s love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God. ⁸ He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love. ⁹ By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us. ¹³ By this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. ¹⁷ In this love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so we are in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love. ¹⁹ We love him, because he first loved us. ²⁰ If a man says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? ²¹ This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.