Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹The Pharisees and Sadducees approached, and tested him, asking him to show them a sign from heaven.

²He replied, “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be good weather because the sky is red.’

³And in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy because the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times.

⁴An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away.

⁵The disciples reached the other shore, and they had forgotten to take bread.

⁶Then Jesus told them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

⁷They were discussing among themselves, “We didn’t bring any bread.”

⁸Aware of this, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves that you do not have bread?

⁹Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand and how many baskets you collected?

¹⁰Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many large baskets you collected?

¹¹Why is it you don’t understand that when I told you, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees,’ it wasn’t about bread?”

¹²Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the leaven in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

¹³When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵“But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?”

¹⁶Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven.

¹⁸And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.”

²⁰Then he gave the disciples orders to tell no one that he was the Messiah.

²¹From then on Jesus began to point out to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.

²²Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to you!”

²³Jesus turned and told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.”

²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

²⁵For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.

²⁶For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life?

²⁷For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each according to what he has done.

²⁸Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

¹The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron:

²“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When any man has a discharge from his member, he is unclean.

³This is uncleanness of his discharge: Whether his member secretes the discharge or retains it, he is unclean. All the days that his member secretes or retains anything because of his discharge, he is unclean.

⁴Any bed the man with the discharge lies on will be unclean, and any furniture he sits on will be unclean.

⁵Anyone who touches his bed is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening.

⁶Whoever sits on furniture that the man with the discharge was sitting on is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening.

⁷Whoever touches the body of the man with a discharge is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening.

⁸If the man with the discharge spits on anyone who is clean, he is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening.

⁹Any saddle the man with the discharge rides on will be unclean.

¹⁰Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until evening, and whoever carries such things is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening.

¹¹If the man with the discharge touches anyone without first rinsing his hands in water, the person who was touched is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening.

¹²Any clay pot that the man with the discharge touches must be broken, while any wooden utensil is to be rinsed with water.

¹³“When the man with the discharge has been cured of it, he is to count seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe his body in fresh water; he will be clean.

¹⁴He must take two turtledoves or two young pigeons on the eighth day, come before the LORD at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and give them to the priest.

¹⁵The priest is to sacrifice them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the LORD because of his discharge.

¹⁶“When a man has an emission of semen, he is to bathe himself completely with water, and he will remain unclean until evening.

¹⁷Any clothing or leather on which there is an emission of semen is to be washed with water, and it will remain unclean until evening.

¹⁸If a man sleeps with a woman and has an emission of semen, both of them are to bathe with water, and they will remain unclean until evening.

¹⁹“When a woman has a discharge, and it consists of blood from her body, she will be unclean because of her menstruation for seven days. Everyone who touches her will be unclean until evening.

²⁰Anything she lies on during her menstruation will become unclean, and anything she sits on will become unclean.

²¹Everyone who touches her bed is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening.

²²Everyone who touches any furniture she was sitting on is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening.

²³If discharge is on the bed or the furniture she was sitting on, when he touches it he will be unclean until evening.

²⁴If a man sleeps with her, and blood from her menstruation gets on him, he will be unclean for seven days, and every bed he lies on will become unclean.

²⁵“When a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days, though it is not the time of her menstruation, or if she has a discharge beyond her period, she will be unclean all the days of her unclean discharge, as she is during the days of her menstruation.

²⁶Any bed she lies on during the days of her discharge will be like her bed during menstrual impurity; any furniture she sits on will be unclean as in her menstrual period.

²⁷Everyone who touches them will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening.

²⁸When she is cured of her discharge, she is to count seven days, and after that she will be clean.

²⁹On the eighth day she must take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

³⁰The priest is to sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her before the LORD because of her unclean discharge.

³¹“You must keep the Israelites from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by defiling my tabernacle that is among them.

³²This is the law for someone with a discharge: a man who has an emission of semen, becoming unclean by it;

³³a woman who is in her menstrual period; anyone who has a discharge, whether male or female; and a man who sleeps with a woman who is unclean.”

¹Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.

²Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions just as I delivered them to you.

³But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ.

⁴Every man who prays or prophesies with something on his head dishonors his head.

⁵Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since that is one and the same as having her head shaved.

⁶For if a woman doesn’t cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her head be covered.

⁷A man should not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God. So too, woman is the glory of man.

⁸For man did not come from woman, but woman came from man.

⁹Neither was man created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man.

¹⁰This is why a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.

¹¹In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, and man is not independent of woman.

¹²For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman, and all things come from God.

¹³Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

¹⁴Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair it is a disgrace to him,

¹⁵but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her as a covering.

¹⁶If anyone wants to argue about this, we have no other custom, nor do the churches of God.

¹⁷Now in giving this instruction I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse.

¹⁸For to begin with, I hear that when you come together as a church there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.

¹⁹Indeed, it is necessary that there be factions among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you.

²⁰When you come together, then, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.

²¹For at the meal, each one eats his own supper. So one person is hungry while another gets drunk!

²²Don’t you have homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you in this matter!

²³For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread,

²⁴and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

²⁵In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

²⁷So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord.

²⁸Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup.

²⁹For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.

³⁰This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep.

³¹If we were properly judging ourselves, we would not be judged,

³²but when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned with the world.

³³Therefore, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, welcome one another.

³⁴If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather together you will not come under judgment. I will give instructions about the other matters whenever I come.

¹Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of him.

²This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands.

³For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden,

⁴because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.

⁵Who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

⁶Jesus Christ — he is the one who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

⁷For there are three that testify:

⁸the Spirit, the water, and the blood  — and these three are in agreement.

⁹If we accept human testimony, God’s testimony is greater, because it is God’s testimony that he has given about his Son.

¹⁰The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about his Son.

¹¹And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

¹²The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

¹³I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

¹⁴This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

¹⁵And if we know that he hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of him.

¹⁶If anyone sees a fellow believer committing a sin that doesn’t lead to death, he should ask, and God will give life to him — to those who commit sin that doesn’t lead to death. There is sin that leads to death. I am not saying he should pray about that.

¹⁷All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin that doesn’t lead to death.

¹⁸We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the one who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.

¹⁹We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one.

²⁰And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true one. We are in the true one — that is, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

²¹Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

¹The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem.

²“Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Absolute futility. Everything is futile.”

³What does a person gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun?

⁴A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.

⁵The sun rises and the sun sets; panting, it returns to the place where it rises.

⁶Gusting to the south, turning to the north, turning, turning, goes the wind, and the wind returns in its cycles.

⁷All the streams flow to the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.

⁸All things are wearisome, more than anyone can say. The eye is not satisfied by seeing or the ear filled with hearing.

⁹What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.

¹⁰Can one say about anything, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.

¹¹There is no remembrance of those who came before; and of those who will come after there will also be no remembrance by those who follow them.

¹²I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³I applied my mind to examine and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven. God has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied.

¹⁴I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.

¹⁵What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.

¹⁶I said to myself, “See, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has thoroughly grasped wisdom and knowledge.”

¹⁷I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly; I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind.

¹⁸For with much wisdom is much sorrow; as knowledge increases, grief increases.

¹Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; proclaim his deeds among the peoples.

²Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell about all his wondrous works!

³Honor his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

⁴Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

⁵Remember the wondrous works he has done, his wonders, and the judgments he has pronounced,

⁶you offspring of Abraham his servant, Jacob’s descendants — his chosen ones.

⁷He is the LORD our God; his judgments govern the whole earth.

⁸He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he ordained for a thousand generations  —

⁹the covenant he made with Abraham, swore to Isaac,

¹⁰and confirmed to Jacob as a decree and to Israel as a permanent covenant:

¹¹“I will give the land of Canaan to you as your inherited portion.”

¹²When they were few in number, very few indeed, and resident aliens in Canaan,

¹³wandering from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another,

¹⁴he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their behalf:

¹⁵“Do not touch my anointed ones, or harm my prophets.”

¹⁶He called down famine against the land and destroyed the entire food supply.

¹⁷He had sent a man ahead of them — Joseph, who was sold as a slave.

¹⁸They hurt his feet with shackles; his neck was put in an iron collar.

¹⁹Until the time his prediction came true, the word of the LORD tested him.

²⁰The king sent for him and released him; the ruler of peoples set him free.

²¹He made him master of his household, ruler over all his possessions  —

²²binding his officials at will and instructing his elders.

²³Then Israel went to Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.

²⁴The LORD made his people very fruitful; he made them more numerous than their foes,

²⁵whose hearts he turned to hate his people and to deal deceptively with his servants.

²⁶He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

²⁷They performed his miraculous signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.

²⁸He sent darkness, and it became dark — for did they not defy his commands?

²⁹He turned their water into blood and caused their fish to die.

³⁰Their land was overrun with frogs, even in their royal chambers.

³¹He spoke, and insects came  — gnats throughout their country.

³²He gave them hail for rain, and lightning throughout their land.

³³He struck their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their territory.

³⁴He spoke, and locusts came — young locusts without number.

³⁵They devoured all the vegetation in their land and consumed the produce of their land.

³⁶He struck all the firstborn in their land, all their first progeny.

³⁷Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold, and no one among his tribes stumbled.

³⁸Egypt was glad when they left, for the dread of Israel had fallen on them.

³⁹He spread a cloud as a covering and gave a fire to light up the night.

⁴⁰They asked, and he brought quail and satisfied them with bread from heaven.

⁴¹He opened a rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a stream in the desert.

⁴²For he remembered his holy promise to Abraham his servant.

⁴³He brought his people out with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy.

⁴⁴He gave them the lands of the nations, and they inherited what other peoples had worked for.

⁴⁵All this happened so that they might keep his statutes and obey his instructions. Hallelujah!

¹Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but one who hates correction is stupid.

²One who is good obtains favor from the LORD, but he condemns a person who schemes.

³No one can be made secure by wickedness, but the root of the righteous is immovable.

⁴A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a wife who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.

⁵The thoughts of the righteous are just, but guidance from the wicked is deceitful.

⁶The words of the wicked are a deadly ambush, but the speech of the upright rescues them.

⁷The wicked are overthrown and perish, but the house of the righteous will stand.

⁸A man is praised for his insight, but a twisted mind is despised.

⁹Better to be disregarded, yet have a servant, than to act important but have no food.

¹⁰The righteous cares about his animal’s health, but even the merciful acts of the wicked are cruel.

¹¹The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks sense.

¹²The wicked desire what evil people have caught, but the root of the righteous is productive.

¹³By rebellious speech an evil person is trapped, but a righteous person escapes from trouble.

¹⁴A person will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, and the work of a person’s hands will reward him.

¹⁵A fool’s way is right in his own eyes, but whoever listens to counsel is wise.

¹⁶A fool’s displeasure is known at once, but whoever ignores an insult is sensible.

¹⁷Whoever speaks the truth declares what is right, but a false witness speaks deceit.

¹⁸There is one who speaks rashly, like a piercing sword; but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

¹⁹Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue, only a moment.

²⁰Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.

²¹No disaster overcomes the righteous, but the wicked are full of misery.

²²Lying lips are detestable to the LORD, but faithful people are his delight.

²³A shrewd person conceals knowledge, but a foolish heart publicizes stupidity.

²⁴The diligent hand will rule, but laziness will lead to forced labor.

²⁵Anxiety in a person’s heart weighs it down, but a good word cheers it up.

²⁶A righteous person is careful in dealing with his neighbor, but the ways of the wicked lead them astray.

²⁷A lazy hunter doesn’t roast his game, but to a diligent person, his wealth is precious.

²⁸There is life in the path of righteousness, and in its path there is no death.

¹Now King David was old and advanced in age. Although they covered him with bedclothes, he could not get warm.

²So his servants said to him: “Let us search for a young virgin for my lord the king. She is to attend the king and be his caregiver. She is to lie by your side so that my lord the king will get warm.”

³They searched for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel; they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king.

⁴The girl was of unsurpassed beauty, and she became the king’s caregiver. She attended to him, but he was not intimate with her.

⁵Adonijah son of Haggith kept exalting himself, saying, “I will be king!” He prepared chariots, cavalry, and fifty men to run ahead of him.

⁶But his father had never once infuriated him by asking, “Why did you do that?” In addition, he was quite handsome and was born after Absalom.

⁷He conspired with Joab son of Zeruiah and with the priest Abiathar. They supported Adonijah,

⁸but the priest Zadok, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the prophet Nathan, Shimei, Rei, and David’s royal guard did not side with Adonijah.

⁹Adonijah sacrificed sheep, goats, cattle, and fattened cattle near the stone of Zoheleth, which is next to En-rogel. He invited all his royal brothers and all the men of Judah, the servants of the king,

¹⁰but he did not invite the prophet Nathan, Benaiah, the royal guard, or his brother Solomon.

¹¹Then Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king and our lord David does not know it?

¹²Now please come and let me advise you. Save your life and the life of your son Solomon.

¹³Go, approach King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your servant: Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne? So why has Adonijah become king?’

¹⁴At that moment, while you are still there speaking with the king, I’ll come in after you and confirm your words.”

¹⁵So Bathsheba went to the king in his bedroom. Since the king was very old, Abishag the Shunammite was attending to him.

¹⁶Bathsheba knelt low and paid homage to the king, and he asked, “What do you want?”

¹⁷She replied, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the LORD your God, ‘Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne.’

¹⁸Now look, Adonijah has become king. And, my lord the king, you didn’t know it.

¹⁹He has lavishly sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep. He invited all the king’s sons, the priest Abiathar, and Joab the commander of the army, but he did not invite your servant Solomon.

²⁰Now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.

²¹Otherwise, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be regarded as criminals.”

²²At that moment, while she was still speaking with the king, the prophet Nathan arrived,

²³and it was announced to the king, “The prophet Nathan is here.” He came into the king’s presence and paid homage to him with his face to the ground.

²⁴“My lord the king,” Nathan said, “did you say, ‘Adonijah is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne’?

²⁵For today he went down and lavishly sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep. He invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and the priest Abiathar. And look! They’re eating and drinking in his presence, and they’re saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’

²⁶But he did not invite me — me, your servant — or the priest Zadok or Benaiah son of Jehoiada or your servant Solomon.

²⁷I’m certain my lord the king would not have let this happen without letting your servant know who will sit on my lord the king’s throne after him.”

²⁸King David responded by saying, “Call in Bathsheba for me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him.

²⁹The king swore an oath and said, “As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from every difficulty,

³⁰just as I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel: Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne in my place, that is exactly what I will do this very day.”

³¹Bathsheba knelt low with her face to the ground, paying homage to the king, and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”

³²King David then said, “Call in the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada for me.” So they came into the king’s presence.

³³The king said to them, “Take my servants with you, have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon.

³⁴There, the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan are to anoint him as king over Israel. You are to blow the ram’s horn and say, ‘Long live King Solomon! ’

³⁵You are to come up after him, and he is to come in and sit on my throne. He is the one who is to become king in my place; he is the one I have commanded to be ruler over Israel and Judah.”

³⁶“Amen,” Benaiah son of Jehoiada replied to the king. “May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so affirm it.

³⁷Just as the LORD was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”

³⁸Then the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down, had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and took him to Gihon.

³⁹The priest Zadok took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the ram’s horn, and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon!”

⁴⁰All the people went up after him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy that the earth split open from the sound.

⁴¹Adonijah and all the invited guests who were with him heard the noise as they finished eating. Joab heard the sound of the ram’s horn and said, “Why is the town in such an uproar?”

⁴²He was still speaking when Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest, suddenly arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are an important man, and you must be bringing good news.”

⁴³“Unfortunately not,” Jonathan answered him. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king.

⁴⁴And with Solomon, the king has sent the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have had him ride on the king’s mule.

⁴⁵The priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan have anointed him king in Gihon. They have gone up from there rejoicing. The town has been in an uproar; that’s the noise you heard.

⁴⁶Solomon has even taken his seat on the royal throne.

⁴⁷“The king’s servants have also gone to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more well known than your name, and may he make his throne greater than your throne.’ Then the king bowed in worship on his bed.

⁴⁸And the king went on to say this: ‘Blessed be the LORD God of Israel! Today he has provided one to sit on my throne, and I am a witness.’”

⁴⁹Then all of Adonijah’s guests got up trembling and went their separate ways.

⁵⁰Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, so he got up and went to take hold of the horns of the altar.

⁵¹It was reported to Solomon: “Look, Adonijah fears King Solomon, and he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon first swear to me that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’”

⁵²Then Solomon said, “If he is a man of character, not a single hair of his will fall to the ground, but if evil is found in him, he dies.”

⁵³So King Solomon sent for him, and they took him down from the altar. He came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your home.”

¹In the ninth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, in the tenth month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem with his entire army and laid siege to it.

²In the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, on the ninth day of the month, the city was broken into.

³All the officials of the king of Babylon entered and sat at the Middle Gate: Nergal-sharezer, Samgar, Nebusarsechim the chief of staff, Nergal-sharezer the chief soothsayer, and all the rest of the officials of Babylon’s king.

⁴When King Zedekiah of Judah and all the fighting men saw them, they fled. They left the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the city gate between the two walls. They left along the route to the Arabah.

⁵However, the Chaldean army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They arrested him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon’s king, at Riblah in the land of Hamath. The king passed sentence on him there.

⁶At Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all Judah’s nobles.

⁷Then he blinded Zedekiah and put him in bronze chains to take him to Babylon.

⁸The Chaldeans next burned down the king’s palace and the people’s houses and tore down the walls of Jerusalem.

⁹Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guards, deported the rest of the people to Babylon — those who had remained in the city and those deserters who had defected to him along with the rest of the people who remained.

¹⁰However, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guards, left in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing, and he gave them vineyards and fields at that time.

¹¹Speaking through Nebuzaradan, captain of the guards, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon gave orders concerning Jeremiah:

¹²“Take him and look after him. Don’t do him any harm, but do for him whatever he says.”

¹³Nebuzaradan, captain of the guards, Nebushazban the chief of staff, Nergal-sharezer the chief soothsayer, and all the captains of Babylon’s king

¹⁴had Jeremiah brought from the guard’s courtyard and turned him over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, to take him home. So he settled among his own people.

¹⁵Now the word of the LORD had come to Jeremiah when he was confined in the guard’s courtyard:

¹⁶“Go tell Ebed-melech the Cushite, ‘This is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words for disaster and not for good against this city. They will take place before your eyes on that day.

¹⁷But I will rescue you on that day — this is the LORD’s declaration — and you will not be handed over to the men you dread.

¹⁸Indeed, I will certainly deliver you so that you do not fall by the sword. Because you have trusted in me, you will retain your life like the spoils of war. This is the LORD’s declaration.’”

¹After we tore ourselves away from them, we set sail straight for Cos, the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.

²Finding a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we boarded and set sail.

³After we sighted Cyprus, passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria and arrived at Tyre, since the ship was to unload its cargo there.

⁴We sought out the disciples and stayed there seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go to Jerusalem.

⁵When our time had come to an end, we left to continue our journey, while all of them, with their wives and children, accompanied us out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach to pray,

⁶we said farewell to one another and boarded the ship, and they returned home.

⁷When we completed our voyage from Tyre, we reached Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day.

⁸The next day we left and came to Caesarea, where we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven, and stayed with him.

⁹This man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.

¹⁰After we had been there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

¹¹He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him over to the Gentiles.’”

¹²When we heard this, both we and the local people pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem.

¹³Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

¹⁴Since he would not be persuaded, we said no more except, “The Lord’s will be done.”

¹⁵After this we got ready and went up to Jerusalem.

¹⁶Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us and brought us to Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to stay.

¹⁷When we reached Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters welcomed us warmly.

¹⁸The following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.

¹⁹After greeting them, he reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

²⁰When they heard it, they glorified God and said, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.

²¹But they have been informed about you — that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or to live according to our customs.

²²So what is to be done? They will certainly hear that you’ve come.

²³Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have made a vow.

²⁴Take these men, purify yourself along with them, and pay for them to get their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that what they were told about you amounts to nothing, but that you yourself are also careful about observing the law.

²⁵With regard to the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter containing our decision that they should keep themselves from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled, and from sexual immorality.”

²⁶So the next day, Paul took the men, having purified himself along with them, and entered the temple, announcing the completion of the purification days when the offering would be made for each of them.

²⁷When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd, and seized him,

²⁸shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, and this place. What’s more, he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”

²⁹For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.

³⁰The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul, dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.

³¹As they were trying to kill him, word went up to the commander of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in chaos.

³²Taking along soldiers and centurions, he immediately ran down to them. Seeing the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

³³Then the commander approached, took him into custody, and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He asked who he was and what he had done.

³⁴Some in the crowd were shouting one thing and some another. Since he was not able to get reliable information because of the uproar, he ordered him to be taken into the barracks.

³⁵When Paul got to the steps, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd,

³⁶for the mass of people followed, yelling, “Get rid of him!”

³⁷As he was about to be brought into the barracks, Paul said to the commander, “Am I allowed to say something to you?” He replied, “You know how to speak Greek?

³⁸Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt some time ago and led four thousand men of the Assassins into the wilderness?”

³⁹Paul said, “I am a Jewish man from Tarsus of Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. Now I ask you, let me speak to the people.”

⁴⁰After he had given permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people. When there was a great hush, he addressed them in Aramaic: