Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹At that particular time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.

²But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath."

³He said to them, "Have you not read [in the Scriptures] what David did when he was hungry, he and those who accompanied him—

⁴how he went into the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests only?

⁵Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break [the sanctity of] the Sabbath and yet are innocent?

⁶But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.

⁷And if you had only known what this statement means, 'I desire compassion [for those in distress],and not [animal] sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent.

⁸For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

⁹Leaving there, He went into their synagogue.

¹⁰A man was there whose hand was withered. And they asked Jesus, "Is it lawful and permissible to heal on the Sabbath?"—they asked this so that they might accuse Him and bring charges into court.

¹¹But He said to them, "What man is there among you who, if he has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?

¹²How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful and permissible to do good on the Sabbath."

¹³Then He said to the man, "Reach out your hand!" The man reached out and it was restored, as normal and healthy as the other.

¹⁴But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, discussing how they could destroy Him.

¹⁵Being aware of this, Jesus left there. Many followed Him, and He healed all of them [who were sick],

¹⁶and warned them not to tell [publicly] who He was.

¹⁷This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁸"Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen; My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will proclaim justice to the nations.

¹⁹"He will not quarrel, nor cry out loudly; Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.

²⁰"A battered reed He will not break, And a smoldering wick He will not extinguish, Until He leads justice to victory.

²¹"And in His name the Gentiles (all the nations of the world) will hope [with confidence]."

²²Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man both spoke and saw.

²³All the people wondered in amazement, and said, "Could this be the Son of David (the Messiah)?"

²⁴But the Pharisees heard it and said, "This man casts out demons only by [the help of] Beelzebul (Satan) the prince of the demons."

²⁵Knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, "Any kingdom that is divided against itself is being laid waste; and no city or house divided against itself will [continue to] stand.

²⁶If Satan casts out Satan [that is, his demons], he has become divided against himself and disunited; how then will his kingdom stand?

²⁷If I cast out the demons by [the help of] Beelzebul (Satan), by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges.

²⁸But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you [before you expected it].

²⁹Or how can anyone go into a strong man's house and steal his property unless he first overpowers and ties up the strong man? Then he will ransack and rob his house.

³⁰He who is not with Me [once and for all on My side] is against Me; and he who does not [unequivocally] gather with Me scatters.

³¹"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy [every evil, abusive, injurious speaking, or indignity against sacred things] will be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the [Holy] Spirit will not be forgiven.

³²Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit [by attributing the miracles done by Me to Satan] will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

³³"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is recognized and judged by its fruit.

³⁴You brood of vipers, how can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.

³⁵The good man, from his [inner] good treasure, brings out good things; and the evil man, from his [inner] evil treasure, brings out evil things.

³⁶But I tell you, on the day of judgment people will have to give an accounting for every careless or useless word they speak.

³⁷For by your words [reflecting your spiritual condition] you will be justified and acquitted of the guilt of sin; and by your words [rejecting Me] you will be condemned and sentenced."

³⁸Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign (attesting miracle) from You [proving that You are what You claim to be]."

³⁹But He replied and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation [that is morally unfaithful to God] craves and demands a [miraculous] sign; but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah;

⁴⁰for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

⁴¹The men of Nineveh will stand up [as witnesses] at the judgment against this generation, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now, something greater than Jonah is here.

⁴²The Queen of the South (Sheba) will stand up [as a witness] at the judgment against this generation, and will condemn it because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and now, something greater than Solomon is here.

⁴³"Now when the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, it roams through waterless (dry, arid) places in search of rest, but it does not find it.

⁴⁴Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it arrives, it finds the place unoccupied, swept, and put in order.

⁴⁵Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and make their home there. And the last condition of that man becomes worse than the first. So will it also be with this wicked generation."

⁴⁶While He was still talking to the crowds, it happened that His mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to Him.

⁴⁷Someone said to Him, "Look! Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside asking to speak to You."

⁴⁸But Jesus replied to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"

⁴⁹And stretching out His hand toward His disciples [and all His other followers], He said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!

⁵⁰For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven [by believing in Me, and following Me] is My brother and sister and mother."

¹The LORD spoke again to Moses and Aaron, saying to them,

²"Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'Among all the animals which are on the earth, these are the animals which you may eat.

³You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof [that is, a hoof split into two parts especially at its distal extremity] and chews the cud.

⁴Nevertheless, you are not to eat these, among those which chew the cud or divide the hoof: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not divide the hoof; it is [ceremonially] unclean to you.

⁵And the shaphan, because it chews the cud but does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you.

⁶And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you.

⁷And the swine, because it divides the hoof and makes a split hoof, but does not chew the cud; it is unclean to you.

⁸You shall not eat their meat nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

⁹'These you may eat, whatever is in the water: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, these you may eat;

¹⁰but whatever does not have fins and scales in the seas and in the rivers, of all the teeming life in the waters, and of all the living creatures that are in the waters, they are [to be considered] detestable to you.

¹¹They shall be hated things to you. You may not eat their meat; you shall detest their carcasses.

¹²Everything in the water that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.

¹³'These you shall detest among the birds; they are not to be eaten, for they are hated things: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard,

¹⁴the kite, every kind of falcon,

¹⁵every kind of raven,

¹⁶the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, every species of hawk,

¹⁷the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl,

¹⁸the white owl, the pelican, the carrion vulture,

¹⁹the stork, all kinds of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.

²⁰'All winged insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you;

²¹yet of all winged insects that walk on all fours you may eat those which have legs above their feet with which to leap on the ground.

²²Of these you may eat: the whole species of migratory locust, of bald locust, of cricket, and of grasshopper.

²³But all other winged insects which are four footed are detestable to you.

²⁴'By [contact with] these you will become unclean; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until the evening (dusk),

²⁵and whoever picks up any of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.

²⁶Concerning all the animals which divide the hoof, but do not have a split hoof, or which do not chew the cud, they are unclean to you; whoever touches them becomes unclean.

²⁷Also all animals that walk on their paws, among all kinds of animals that walk on four legs, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until the evening,

²⁸and the one who picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.

²⁹'These also are unclean to you among the swarming things that crawl around on the ground [and multiply profusely]: the mole, the mouse, and any kind of great lizard,

³⁰the gecko, the crocodile, the lizard, the sand reptile, and the chameleon.

³¹These [creatures] are unclean to you among all that swarm; whoever touches them when they are dead becomes unclean until evening.

³²Also anything on which one of them falls after dying becomes unclean, whether it is an article of wood or clothing, or a skin, or a sack—any article that is used—it must be put in water, and will be unclean until the evening; then it becomes clean.

³³As for any earthenware container into which any of these [crawling things] falls, whatever is in it becomes unclean, and you shall break the container.

³⁴Any of the food which may be eaten, but on which [unclean] water falls, shall become unclean, and any liquid that may be drunk in every container shall become unclean.

³⁵Everything that part of their carcass falls on becomes unclean; an oven, or a small stove shall be smashed; they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you.

³⁶Nevertheless a spring or a cistern (reservoir) collecting water shall be clean; but whoever touches one of these carcasses shall be unclean.

³⁷If a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean;

³⁸but if water is put on the seed and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

³⁹'If one of the animals that you may eat dies [of natural causes], whoever touches its carcass becomes unclean until the evening.

⁴⁰And whoever eats some of its meat shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening; also whoever picks up its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.

⁴¹'Now everything that swarms on the ground is detestable; it is not to be eaten.

⁴²Whatever crawls on its belly, and whatever walks on all fours, and whatever has many feet among all things that swarm on the ground, you shall not eat; for they are detestable.

⁴³Do not make yourselves loathsome (impure, repulsive) by [eating] any swarming thing; you shall not make yourselves unclean by them so as to defile yourselves.

⁴⁴For I am the LORD your God; so consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm or crawls on the ground.

⁴⁵For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; therefore you shall be holy, for I am holy.'"

⁴⁶This is the law regarding the animal and the bird and every living thing that moves in the waters and everything that swarms on the earth,

⁴⁷to make a distinction between the [ceremonially] unclean and the [ceremonially] clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.

¹Now as to the matters of which you wrote: It is good (beneficial, advantageous) for a man not to touch a woman [outside marriage].

²But because of [the temptation to participate in] sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.

³The husband must fulfill his [marital] duty to his wife [with good will and kindness], and likewise the wife to her husband.

⁴The wife does not have [exclusive] authority over her own body, but the husband shares with her; and likewise the husband does not have [exclusive] authority over his body, but the wife shares with him.

⁵Do not deprive each other [of marital rights], except perhaps by mutual consent for a time, so that you may devote yourselves [unhindered] to prayer, but come together again so that Satan will not tempt you [to sin] because of your lack of self-control.

⁶But I am saying this as a concession, not as a command.

⁷I wish that all the people were as I am; but each person has his own gift from God, one of this kind and one of that.

⁸But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, [that as a practical matter] it is good if they remain [single and entirely devoted to the Lord] as I am.

⁹But if they do not have [sufficient] self-control, they should marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

¹⁰But to the married [believers] I give instructions—not I, but the Lord—that the wife is not to separate from her husband,

¹¹(but even if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to her husband) and that the husband should not leave his wife.

¹²To the rest I declare—I, not the Lord [since Jesus did not discuss this]—that if any [believing] brother has a wife who does not believe [in Christ], and she consents to live with him, he must not leave her.

¹³And if any [believing] woman has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not leave him.

¹⁴For the unbelieving husband is sanctified [that is, he receives the blessings granted] through his [Christian] wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be [ceremonially] unclean, but as it is they are holy.

¹⁵But if the unbelieving partner leaves, let him leave. In such cases the [remaining] brother or sister is not [spiritually or morally] bound. But God has called us to peace.

¹⁶For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband [by leading him to Christ]? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife [by leading her to Christ]?

¹⁷Only, let each one live the life which the Lord has assigned him, and to which God has called him [for each person is unique and is accountable for his choices and conduct, let him walk in this way]. This is the rule I make in all the churches.

¹⁸Was anyone at the time of his calling [from God already] circumcised? He is not to become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called while uncircumcised? He is not to be circumcised.

¹⁹Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is keeping the commandments of God.

²⁰Each one should remain in the condition in which he was [when he was] called.

²¹Were you a slave when you were called? Do not worry about that [since your status as a believer is equal to that of a freeborn believer]; but if you are able to gain your freedom, do that.

²²For he who was a slave when he was called in the Lord is a freedman of the Lord, likewise he who was free when he was called is a slave of Christ.

²³You were bought with a price [a precious price paid by Christ]; do not become slaves to men [but to Christ].

²⁴Brothers, let each one remain with God in that condition in which he was [when he was] called.

²⁵Now concerning the virgins [of marriageable age] I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.

²⁶I think then that because of the impending distress [that is, the pressure of the current trouble], it is good for a man to remain as he is.

²⁷Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you unmarried? Do not seek a wife.

²⁸But if you do marry, you have not sinned [in doing so]; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned [in doing so]. Yet those [who marry] will have troubles (special challenges) in this life, and I am trying to spare you that.

²⁹But I say this, believers: the time has been shortened, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they did not;

³⁰and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess [anything];

³¹and those who use the world [taking advantage of its opportunities], as though they did not make full use of it. For the outward form of this world [its present social and material nature] is passing away.

³²But I want you to be free from concern. The unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord;

³³but the married man is concerned about worldly things, how he may please his wife,

³⁴and his interests are divided. The unmarried woman or the virgin is concerned about the matters of the Lord, how to be holy and set apart both in body and in spirit; but a married woman is concerned about worldly things, how she may please her husband.

³⁵Now I say this for your own benefit; not to restrict you, but to promote what is appropriate and secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.

³⁶But if any man thinks that he is not acting properly and honorably toward his virgin daughter, [ by not permitting her to marry], if she is past her youth, and it must be so, let him do as he wishes, he does not sin; let her marry.

³⁷But the man who stands firmly committed in his heart, having no compulsion [to yield to his daughter's request], and has authority over his own will, and has decided in his own heart to keep his own virgin [daughter from being married], he will do well.

³⁸So then both the father who gives his virgin daughter in marriage does well, and he who does not give her in marriage will do better.

³⁹A wife is bound [to her husband by law] as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry whomever she wishes, only [provided that he too is] in the Lord.

⁴⁰But in my opinion a widow is happier if she stays as she is. And I think that I also have the Spirit of God [in this matter].

¹[I am writing about] what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life [the One who existed even before the beginning of the world, Christ]—

²and the Life [an aspect of His being] was manifested, and we have seen [it as eyewitnesses] and testify and declare to you [the Life], the eternal Life who was [already existing] with the Father and was [actually] made visible to us [His followers]—

³what we have seen and heard we also proclaim to you, so that you too may have fellowship [as partners] with us. And indeed our fellowship [which is a distinguishing mark of born-again believers] is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

⁴We are writing these things to you so that our joy [in seeing you included] may be made complete [by having you share in the joy of salvation].

⁵This is the message [of God's promised revelation] which we have heard from Him and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection].

⁶If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness [of sin], we lie and do not practice the truth;

⁷but if we [really] walk in the Light [that is, live each and every day in conformity with the precepts of God], as He Himself is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another [He with us, and we with Him], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin [by erasing the stain of sin, keeping us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations].

⁸If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude ourselves and the truth is not in us. [His word does not live in our hearts.]

⁹If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].

¹⁰If we say that we have not sinned [refusing to admit acts of sin], we make Him [out to be] a liar [by contradicting Him] and His word is not in us.

¹"Do you know the time when the wild goats of the rock give birth [to their young]? Do you observe the calving of the deer?

²"Can you count the months that they carry offspring, Or do you know the time when they give birth?

³"They kneel down, they bring forth their young, They cast out their labor pains.

⁴"Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the open field; They leave and do not return to them.

⁵"Who sent out the wild donkey free [from dependence on man]? And who has loosed the bonds of the wild donkey [to survive in the wild],

⁶To whom I gave the wilderness as his home And the salt land as his dwelling place?

⁷"He scorns the tumult of the city, And does not hear the shouting of the taskmaster.

⁸"He explores the mountains as his pasture And searches after every green thing.

⁹"Will the wild ox be willing to serve you, Or remain beside your manger at night?

¹⁰"Can you bind the wild ox with a harness [to the plow] in the furrow? Or will he plow the valleys for you?

¹¹"Will you trust him because his strength is great And leave your labor to him?

¹²"Will you have faith and depend on him to return your grain And gather it from your threshing floor?

¹³"The [flightless] wings of the ostrich wave joyously; With the pinion (shackles, fetters) and plumage of love,

¹⁴For she leaves her eggs on the ground And warms them in the dust,

¹⁵Forgetting that a foot may crush them, Or that the wild beast may trample them.

¹⁶"She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers; Though her labor is in vain because she is unconcerned [for the safety of her brood],

¹⁷For God has made her forget wisdom, And has not given her a share of understanding.

¹⁸"Yet when she lifts herself on high, [So swift is she that] she laughs at the horse and his rider.

¹⁹"Have you given the horse his might? Have you clothed his neck with quivering and a shaking mane?

²⁰"Have you [Job] made him leap like a locust? The majesty of his snorting [nostrils] is terrible.

²¹"He paws in the valley and rejoices in his strength; He goes out to meet the weapons [of armed men].

²²"He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; And [in battle] he does not turn back from the sword.

²³"The quiver rattles against him, [As do] the flashing spear and the lance [of his rider].

²⁴"With fierceness and rage he races to devour the ground, And he does not stand still at the sound of the [war] trumpet.

²⁵"As often as the trumpet sounds he says, 'Aha!' And he smells the battle from far away, And senses the thunder of the captains and the war cry.

²⁶"Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, Stretching his wings toward the south [as winter approaches]?

²⁷"Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up And makes his nest on high [in an inaccessible place]?

²⁸"On the cliff he dwells and remains [securely], Upon the point of the rock and the inaccessible stronghold.

²⁹"From there he spies out the prey; His eyes see it from far away.

³⁰"His young ones suck up blood; And where the slain are, there is he."

¹A Psalm of David. I will sing of [steadfast] lovingkindness and justice; To You, O LORD, I will sing praises.

²I will behave wisely and follow the way of integrity. When will You come to me? I will walk in my house in integrity and with a blameless heart.

³I will set no worthless or wicked thing before my eyes. I hate the practice of those who fall away [from the right path]; It will not grasp hold of me.

⁴A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not tolerate evil.

⁵Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will silence; The one who has a haughty look and a proud (arrogant) heart I will not tolerate.

⁶My eyes will be on the faithful (honorable) of the land, that they may dwell with me; He who walks blamelessly is the one who will minister to and serve me.

⁷He who practices deceit will not dwell in my house; He who tells lies and half-truths will not continue [to remain] in my presence.

⁸Morning after morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, That I may cut off from the city of the LORD all those who do evil.

¹Does not wisdom call, And understanding lift up her voice?

²On the top of the heights beside the way, Where the paths meet, wisdom takes her stand;

³Beside the gates, at the entrance to the city, At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:

⁴"To you, O men, I call, And my voice is directed to the sons of men.

⁵"O you naive or inexperienced [who are easily misled], understand prudence and seek astute common sense; And, O you [closed-minded, self-confident] fools, understand wisdom [seek the insight and self-discipline that leads to godly living].

⁶"Listen, for I will speak excellent and noble things; And the opening of my lips will reveal right things.

⁷"For my mouth will utter truth, And wickedness is repulsive and loathsome to my lips.

⁸"All the words of my mouth are in righteousness (upright, in right standing with God); There is nothing contrary to truth or perverted (crooked) in them.

⁹"They are all straightforward to him who understands [with an open and willing mind], And right to those who find knowledge and live by it.

¹⁰"Take my instruction rather than [seeking] silver, And take knowledge rather than choicest gold,

¹¹"For wisdom is better than rubies; And all desirable things cannot compare with her.

¹²"I, [godly] wisdom, reside with prudence [good judgment, moral courage and astute common sense], And I find knowledge and discretion.

¹³"The [reverent] fear and worshipful awe of the LORD includes the hatred of evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate.

¹⁴"Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power and strength are mine.

¹⁵"By me kings reign And rulers decide and decree justice.

¹⁶"By me princes rule, and nobles, All who judge and govern rightly.

¹⁷"I love those who love me; And those who seek me early and diligently will find me.

¹⁸"Riches and honor are with me, Enduring wealth and righteousness (right standing with God).

¹⁹"My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold, And my yield is better than choicest silver.

²⁰"I, [Wisdom, continuously] walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice,

²¹That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth and true riches, And that I may fill their treasuries.

²²"The LORD created and possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old [were accomplished].

²³"From everlasting I was established and ordained, From the beginning, before the earth existed, [I, godly wisdom, existed].

²⁴"When there were no ocean depths I was born, When there were no fountains and springs overflowing with water.

²⁵"Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills, I was born;

²⁶While He had not yet made the earth and the fields, Or the first of the dust of the earth.

²⁷"When He established the heavens, I [Wisdom] was there; When He drew a circle upon the face of the deep,

²⁸When He made firm the skies above, When the fountains and springs of the deep became fixed and strong,

²⁹When He set for the sea its boundary So that the waters would not transgress [the boundaries set by] His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth—

³⁰Then I was beside Him, as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight; Rejoicing before Him always,

³¹Rejoicing in the world, His inhabited earth, And having my delight in the sons of men.

³²"Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, For blessed [happy, prosperous, to be admired] are they who keep my ways.

³³"Heed (pay attention to) instruction and be wise, And do not ignore or neglect it.

³⁴"Blessed [happy, prosperous, to be admired] is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts.

³⁵"For whoever finds me (Wisdom) finds life And obtains favor and grace from the LORD.

³⁶"But he who fails to find me or sins against me injures himself; All those who hate me love and court death."

¹There was famine in the days of David for three consecutive years; and David sought the presence (face) of the LORD [asking the reason]. The LORD replied, "It is because of Saul and his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death."

²So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them (now the Gibeonites were not of the sons (descendants) of Israel but of the remnant (survivors) of the Amorites. The Israelites had sworn [an oath] to [spare] them, but Saul in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah had sought to strike down the Gibeonites).

³So David said to the Gibeonites, "What should I do for you? How can I make it good so that you will bless the Lord's inheritance (Israel)?"

⁴The Gibeonites said to him, "We will not accept silver or gold belonging to Saul or his household (descendants); nor is it for us to put any man to death in Israel." David said, "I will do for you whatever you say."

⁵So they said to the king, "The man who consumed us and planned to exterminate us from remaining in any territory of Israel,

⁶let seven men [chosen] from his sons (descendants) be given to us and we will hang them before the LORD [that is, put them on display, impaled with broken legs and arms] in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen one of the LORD." And the king said, "I will give them."

⁷But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the Lord's oath that was between David and Saul's son Jonathan.

⁸So the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth, and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she had borne to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.

⁹He handed them over to the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the LORD, and the seven died together. They were put to death in the first days of the grain harvest, the beginning of the barley harvest [in the spring].

¹⁰Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest [in the spring] until [the autumn] rain fell on them; and she allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on their bodies by day, nor the beasts of the field [to feed on them] by night.

¹¹David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

¹²Then David went and took the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the open square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day when the Philistines had killed Saul in Gilboa.

¹³He brought up the bones of Saul and of Jonathan his son from there, and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged [with their arms and legs broken].

¹⁴They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father; and they did all that the king commanded. After that, God was moved by prayer for the land.

¹⁵Now the Philistines were at war again with Israel. David went down with his servants, and as they fought against the Philistines, David became weary.

¹⁶Then Ishbi-benob, who was among the descendants of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels (six pounds) of bronze, was armed with a new sword, and he intended to kill David.

¹⁷But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to David's aid, and struck and killed the Philistine. Then David's men swore to him, "You shall not go out again with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel."

¹⁸After this, there was war again with the Philistines at Gob (Gezer). At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph (Sippai), who was among the descendants of the giant.

¹⁹There was war with the Philistines again at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite, killed Goliath the Gittite, whose spear shaft was like a weaver's beam.

²⁰There was war at Gath again, where there was a man of great stature who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; he also was a descendant of the giants.

²¹And when he taunted and defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, killed him.

²²These four [warriors] were descended from the giant in Gath, and they fell by the hands of David and his servants.

¹The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

²"Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak to them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the [side] chambers; then give them [who are pledged not to drink wine] some wine to drink."

³So I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons and the whole house of the Rechabites,

⁴and I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was near the chamber of the princes, above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum the doorkeeper.

⁵Then I set before the men of the house of the Rechabites pitchers full of wine, and cups, and I said to them, "Drink wine."

⁶But they said, "We will not drink wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us: 'You shall not drink wine, neither you nor your sons, forever.

⁷Nor shall you build a house or sow seed or plant a vineyard or own one; but you shall live in tents all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you are sojourners (temporary residents).'

⁸We have obeyed the words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, in all our days we have never drunk wine, nor have our wives, our sons, or our daughters,

⁹nor have we built ourselves houses to live in; nor do we have vineyards or fields or seed.

¹⁰We have lived only in tents, and have obeyed and done [everything] according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

¹¹But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, 'Come and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans [who rule Babylon] and for fear of the army of the Arameans.' So we have lived in Jerusalem."

¹²Then came the word of the LORD to Jeremiah, saying,

¹³"Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Go and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, "Will you not receive instruction by listening to My words and honoring them?" says the LORD.

¹⁴The command which Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons not to drink wine has been observed [as a custom for more than two hundred years]. To this day they do not drink wine, for they have obeyed their father's command. But I have repeatedly spoken to you, yet you have not listened to Me.

¹⁵I have also sent to you all My servants the prophets, sending them repeatedly, saying, 'Let every one of you turn now from his evil way and alter your behavior, and do not follow other gods to worship and serve them; and then you will live in the land which I have given to you and to your forefathers. But you have not submitted or listened to Me.

¹⁶Indeed, the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have observed the command of their father which he gave them, but this people has not listened to Me.'"'

¹⁷"Therefore thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Behold (hear this), I am bringing on Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them, but they have not listened, and I have called to them, but they have not answered.'"

¹⁸Then Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father and have kept all his commands and have done according to all that he commanded you,

¹⁹therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never fail to have a man (descendant) to stand before Me always."'"

¹Now after Paul and Silas had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.

²And Paul entered the synagogue, as was his custom, and for three Sabbaths he engaged in discussion and friendly debate with them from the Scriptures,

³explaining and pointing out [scriptural evidence] that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I am proclaiming to you, is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)."

⁴And some of them were persuaded to believe and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and many of the leading women.

⁵But the [unbelieving] Jews became jealous, and taking along some thugs from [the lowlifes in] the market place, they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and then attacking Jason's house tried to bring Paul and Silas out to the people.

⁶But when they failed to find them, they dragged Jason and some brothers before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too;

⁷and Jason has welcomed them [into his house and protected them]! And they all are saying things contrary to the decrees of Caesar, [actually] claiming that there is another king, Jesus."

⁸They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things.

⁹And when they had taken security (bail) from Jason and the others, they let them go.

¹⁰The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea; and when they arrived, they entered the Jewish synagogue.

¹¹Now these people were more noble and open-minded than those in Thessalonica, so they received the message [of salvation through faith in the Christ] with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

¹²As a result many of them became believers, together with a number of prominent Greek women and men.

¹³But when the Jews of Thessalonica learned that the word of God [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ] had also been preached by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and disturbing the crowds.

¹⁴So at that time the brothers immediately sent Paul away to go as far as the sea; but Silas and Timothy remained there [at Berea].

¹⁵Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens; and [after] receiving instructions [from Paul] for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible, they left.

¹⁶Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was greatly angered when he saw that the city was full of idols.

¹⁷So he had discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place day after day with any who happened to be there.

¹⁸And some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to engage in conversation with him. And some said, "What could this idle babbler [with his eclectic, scrap-heap learning] have in mind to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities"—because he was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

¹⁹They took him and brought him to the Areopagus (Hill of Ares, the Greek god of war), saying, "May we know what this [strange] new teaching is which you are proclaiming?

²⁰For you are bringing some startling and strange things to our ears; so we want to know what they mean."

²¹(Now all the Athenians and the foreigners visiting there used to spend their [leisure] time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)

²²So Paul, standing in the center of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I observe [with every turn I make throughout the city] that you are very religious and devout in all respects.

²³Now as I was going along and carefully looking at your objects of worship, I came to an altar with this inscription: 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' Therefore what you already worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

²⁴The God who created the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;

²⁵nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, because it is He who gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.

²⁶And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands and territories.

²⁷This was so that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grasp for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.

²⁸For in Him we live and move and exist [that is, in Him we actually have our being], as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.'

²⁹So then, being God's children, we should not think that the Divine Nature (deity) is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination or skill of man.

³⁰Therefore God overlooked and disregarded the former ages of ignorance; but now He commands all people everywhere to repent [that is, to change their old way of thinking, to regret their past sins, and to seek God's purpose for their lives],

³¹because He has set a day when He will judge the inhabited world in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointed and destined for that task, and He has provided credible proof to everyone by raising Him from the dead."

³²Now when they heard [the term] resurrection from the dead, some mocked and sneered; but others said, "We will hear from you again about this matter."

³³So Paul left them.

³⁴But some men joined him and believed; among them were Dionysius, [a judge] of the Council of Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.