Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John the brother of James, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.

²And His appearance changed dramatically in their presence; and His face shone [with heavenly glory, clear and bright] like the sun, and His clothing became as white as light.

³And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus.

⁴Then Peter began to speak and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good and delightful and auspicious that we are here; if You wish, I will put up three [sacred] tents here—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

⁵While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, " This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased and delighted! Listen to Him!"

⁶When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were terrified.

⁷But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Get up, and do not be afraid."

⁸And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.

⁹And as they were going down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Do not tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

¹⁰The disciples asked Him, "Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

¹¹He answered and said, "Elijah is coming and will restore all things;

¹²but I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not recognize him, but did to him as they wished. The Son of Man is also going to suffer at their hands."

¹³Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.

¹⁴When they approached the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, kneeling before Him and saying,

¹⁵"Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic (moonstruck) and suffers terribly; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.

¹⁶And I brought him to Your disciples, and they were not able to heal him."

¹⁷And Jesus answered, "You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me."

¹⁸Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed at once.

¹⁹Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, "Why could we not drive it out?"

²⁰He answered, "Because of your little faith [your lack of trust and confidence in the power of God]; for I assure you and most solemnly say to you, if you have [living] faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and [if it is God's will] it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

²¹[But this kind of demon does not go out except by prayer and fasting.]"

²²When they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed and handed over to men [who are His enemies];

²³and they will kill Him, and He will be raised [from death to life] on the third day." And they were deeply grieved and distressed.

²⁴When they arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel [temple tax] went up to Peter and said, "Does not your teacher pay the half-shekel?"

²⁵Peter answered, "Yes." And when he came home, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly rulers collect duties or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?"

²⁶When Peter said, "From strangers," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are exempt [from taxation].

²⁷However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take it and give it to them [to pay the temple tax] for you and Me."

¹Then the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who had died when they [irreverently] approached the presence of the LORD.

²The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron your brother that he must not enter at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil (the Holy of Holies), before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die, for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.

³Aaron [as high priest] shall enter the Holy Place in this way: with [the blood of] a young bull as a sin offering and [the blood of] a ram as a burnt offering.

⁴He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be next to his body, and he shall be belted with the linen sash, and dressed with the linen turban (these are the holy garments). He shall bathe his body in water and put them on.

⁵He shall take from the congregation of the Israelites [at their expense] two male goats as a sin offering and one ram as a burnt offering.

⁶Then Aaron shall present the bull as the sin offering for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house.

⁷He shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting.

⁸Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the LORD, the other lot for the scapegoat.

⁹Then Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord's lot fell and offer it as a sin offering.

¹⁰But the goat on which the lot fell for the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement on it; it shall be sent into the wilderness as the scapegoat.

¹¹"Aaron shall present the bull as the sin offering for himself and make atonement for himself and for his household (the other priests), and he shall kill the bull as the sin offering for himself.

¹²He shall take a censer full of burning coals from the [bronze] altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil [into the Most Holy Place],

¹³and put the incense on the fire [in the censer] before the LORD, so that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is on [the ark of] the Testimony, otherwise he will die.

¹⁴He shall take some of the bull's blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the mercy seat; also in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

¹⁵"Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for [the sins of] the people and bring its blood within the veil [into the Most Holy Place] and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat.

¹⁶So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place (Holy of Holies) because of the uncleanness and transgressions of the Israelites, for all their sins. He shall also do this for the Tent of Meeting which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness (impurities).

¹⁷There shall be no person in the Tent of Meeting when the high priest goes in to make atonement in the Holy Place [within the veil] until he comes out, so that he may make atonement for himself (his own sins) and for his household and for all the congregation of Israel.

¹⁸Then he shall go out to the altar [of burnt offering in the court] which is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the goat and put it on the horns of the altar on all sides.

¹⁹With his finger he shall sprinkle some of the blood on the altar of burnt offering seven times and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.

²⁰"When he has finished atoning for the Holy Place and the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat.

²¹Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the wickedness of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat [the scapegoat, the sin-bearer], and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is prepared [for the task].

²²The goat shall carry on itself all their (the Israelites) wickedness, carrying them to a solitary (infertile) land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.

²³"Then Aaron shall come into the Tent of Meeting and take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy Place (Holy of Holies), and shall leave them there.

²⁴He shall bathe his body with water in a holy place and put on his clothes, and come out and offer his burnt offering and that of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people.

²⁵And he shall offer up in smoke the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

²⁶The man who released the goat as the [sin-bearing] scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.

²⁷The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place (Holy of Holies), shall be taken outside the camp; their skins, their meat, and their waste shall be burned in the fire.

²⁸Then he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water, and afterward he may come into the camp.

²⁹"This shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month (nearly October) on the tenth day of the month you shall humble yourselves [by fasting] and not do any work, whether the native-born or the stranger who lives temporarily among you;

³⁰for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

³¹It is a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall humble yourselves; it is a permanent statute.

³²So the priest who is anointed and ordained to serve and minister as priest in his father's place shall make atonement: he shall wear the holy linen garments,

³³and make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the Tent of Meeting, and for the altar [of burnt offering in the court]. He shall also make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.

³⁴This shall be a permanent statute for you, so that atonement may be made for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year." So he did just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

¹Now about the spiritual gifts [the special endowments given by the Holy Spirit], brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.

²You know that when you were pagans, you were led off after speechless idols; however you were led off [whether by impulse or habit].

³Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the [power and influence of the] Spirit of God can say, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is [my] Lord," except by [the power and influence of] the Holy Spirit.

⁴Now there are [distinctive] varieties of spiritual gifts [special abilities given by the grace and extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit operating in believers], but it is the same Spirit [who grants them and empowers believers].

⁵And there are [distinctive] varieties of ministries and service, but it is the same Lord [who is served].

⁶And there are [distinctive] ways of working [to accomplish things], but it is the same God who produces all things in all believers [inspiring, energizing, and empowering them].

⁷But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit [the spiritual illumination and the enabling of the Holy Spirit] for the common good.

⁸To one is given through the [Holy] Spirit [the power to speak] the message of wisdom, and to another [the power to express] the word of knowledge and understanding according to the same Spirit;

⁹to another [wonder-working] faith [is given] by the same [Holy] Spirit, and to another the [extraordinary] gifts of healings by the one Spirit;

¹⁰and to another the working of miracles, and to another prophecy [foretelling the future, speaking a new message from God to the people], and to another discernment of spirits [the ability to distinguish sound, godly doctrine from the deceptive doctrine of man-made religions and cults], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, and to another interpretation of tongues.

¹¹All these things [the gifts, the achievements, the abilities, the empowering] are brought about by one and the same [Holy] Spirit, distributing to each one individually just as He chooses.

¹²For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so it is with Christ.

¹³For by one [Holy] Spirit we were all baptized into one body, [spiritually transformed—united together] whether Jews or Greeks (Gentiles), slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one [Holy] Spirit [since the same Holy Spirit fills each life].

¹⁴For the [human] body does not consist of one part, but of many [limbs and organs].

¹⁵If the foot says, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," is it not on the contrary still a part of the body?

¹⁶If the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," is it not on the contrary still a part of the body?

¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole [body] were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

¹⁸But now [as things really are], God has placed and arranged the parts in the body, each one of them, just as He willed and saw fit [with the best balance of function].

¹⁹If they all were a single organ, where would [the rest of] the body be?

²⁰But now [as things really are] there are many parts [different limbs and organs], but a single body.

²¹The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."

²²But quite the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are [absolutely] necessary;

²³and as for those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, these we treat with greater honor; and our less presentable parts are treated with greater modesty,

²⁴while our more presentable parts do not require it. But God has combined the [whole] body, giving greater honor to that part which lacks it,

²⁵so that there would be no division or discord in the body [that is, lack of adaptation of the parts to each other], but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.

²⁶And if one member suffers, all the parts share the suffering; if one member is honored, all rejoice with it.

²⁷Now you [collectively] are Christ's body, and individually [you are] members of it [each with his own special purpose and function].

²⁸So God has appointed and placed in the church [for His own use]: first apostles [chosen by Christ], second prophets [those who foretell the future, those who speak a new message from God to the people], third teachers, then those who work miracles, then those with the gifts of healings, the helpers, the administrators, and speakers in various kinds of [unknown] tongues.

²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?

³⁰Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?

³¹But earnestly desire and strive for the greater gifts [if acquiring them is going to be your goal]. And yet I will show you a still more excellent way [one of the choicest graces and the highest of them all: unselfish love].

¹The elder [of the church addresses this letter] to the elect (chosen) lady and her children, whom I love in truth—and not only I, but also all who know and understand the truth—

²because of the truth which lives in our hearts and will be with us forever:

³Grace, mercy, and peace (inner calm, a sense of spiritual well-being) will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, in truth and love.

⁴I was greatly delighted to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father.

⁵Now I ask you, lady, not as if I were writing to you a new commandment, but [simply reminding you of] the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love and unselfishly seek the best for one another.

⁶And this is love: that we walk in accordance with His commandments and are guided continually by His precepts. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should [always] walk in love.

⁷For many deceivers [heretics, posing as Christians] have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge and confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh (bodily form). This [person, the kind who does this] is the deceiver and the antichrist [that is, the antagonist of Christ].

⁸Watch yourselves, so that you do not lose what we have accomplished together, but that you may receive a full and perfect reward [when He grants rewards to faithful believers].

⁹Anyone who runs on ahead and does not remain in the doctrine of Christ [that is, one who is not content with what He taught], does not have God; but the one who continues to remain in the teaching [of Christ does have God], he has both the Father and the Son.

¹⁰If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching [but diminishes or adds to the doctrine of Christ], do not receive or welcome him into your house, and do not give him a greeting or any encouragement;

¹¹for the one who gives him a greeting [who encourages him or wishes him success, unwittingly] participates in his evil deeds.

¹²I have many things to write to you, but I prefer not to do so with paper (papyrus) and black (ink); but I hope to come to you and speak with you face to face, so that your joy may be complete.

¹³The children of your elect (chosen) sister greet you.

¹I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure and gratification; so enjoy yourself and have a good time." But behold, this too was vanity (futility, meaninglessness).

²I said of laughter, "It is madness," and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?"

³I explored with my mind how to gratify myself with wine while [at the same time] having my mind remain steady and guide me wisely; and how to take control of foolishness, until I could see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.

⁴I made great works: I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself;

⁵I made gardens and orchards for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees;

⁶I made pools of water for myself from which to water the forest and make the trees bud.

⁷I bought male and female slaves and had slaves born in my house. I also possessed herds and flocks larger than any who preceded me in Jerusalem.

⁸Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male singers and female singers, and the delights and pleasures of men— many concubines.

⁹So I became great and excelled more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also remained with me.

¹⁰Whatever my eyes looked at with desire I did not refuse them. I did not withhold from my heart any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor; and this was my reward for all my labor.

¹¹Then I considered all which my hands had done and labored to do, and behold, all was vanity and chasing after the wind and there was no profit (nothing of lasting value) under the sun.

¹²So I turned to consider [secular] wisdom, madness, and folly; for what will the man do who succeeds the king? Nothing except what has already been done.

¹³Then I saw that [even secular] wisdom [that brings sorrow] is better than [the pleasures of] folly and self-indulgence as light excels darkness.

¹⁴The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness; and yet I know that [in the end] one fate happens to them both.

¹⁵Then I said to myself, "As it happens to the fool, so death will also happen to me. What use is it then for me to be extremely wise?" Then I said in my heart, "This too is vanity (meaningless)."

¹⁶For there is no [more] lasting remembrance of the wise man than of the fool, since in the days to come all will be long forgotten. And how does the wise man die? Even as the fool!

¹⁷So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun caused me only great sorrow; because all is futility and chasing after the wind.

¹⁸So I hated all the fruit (gain) of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will succeed me.

¹⁹And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity (futility, self-conceit).

²⁰So I turned aside and let my heart despair over all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun.

²¹For there is a man who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill, yet gives his legacy to one who has not labored for it. This too is vanity and a great evil.

²²For what does a man get from all his labor and from the striving and sorrow of his heart with which he labors under the sun?

²³For all his days his work is painful and sorrowful; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity (worthless).

²⁴There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and assure himself that there is good in his labor. Even this, I have seen, is from the hand of God.

²⁵For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?

²⁶For to the person who pleases Him God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who pleases God. This too is vanity and chasing after the wind.

¹Praise the LORD! (Hallelujah!) Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His mercy and lovingkindness endure forever!

²Who can put into words the mighty deeds of the LORD? Or who can proclaim all His praise [that is due Him]?

³Blessed are those who observe justice [by honoring God's precepts], Who practice righteousness at all times.

⁴Remember me, O LORD, when You favor Your people. Visit me with Your salvation [when You rescue them],

⁵That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones, That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may glory with Your inheritance.

⁶We have sinned like our fathers; We have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly.

⁷Our fathers in Egypt did not understand nor appreciate Your miracles; They did not remember the abundance of Your mercies nor imprint Your lovingkindnesses on their hearts, But they were rebellious at the sea, at the Red Sea.

⁸Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake, That He might make His [supreme] power known.

⁹He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; And He led them through the depths as through a pasture.

¹⁰So He saved them from the hand of the one that hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the [Egyptian] enemy.

¹¹And the waters covered their adversaries; Not one of them was left.

¹²Then Israel believed in [the validity of] His words; They sang His praise.

¹³But they quickly forgot His works; They did not [patiently] wait for His counsel and purpose [to be revealed regarding them],

¹⁴But lusted intensely in the wilderness And tempted God [with their insistent desires] in the desert.

¹⁵So He gave them their request, But sent a wasting disease among them.

¹⁶They envied Moses in the camp, And Aaron [the high priest], the holy one of the LORD,

¹⁷Therefore the earth opened and swallowed Dathan, And engulfed the company of Abiram.

¹⁸And a fire broke out in their company; The flame consumed the wicked.

¹⁹They made a calf in Horeb (Sinai) And worshiped a cast image.

²⁰Thus they exchanged [the true God who was] their glory For the image of an ox that eats grass.

²¹They forgot God their Savior, Who had done such great things in Egypt,

²²Wonders in the land of Ham, Awesome things at the Red Sea.

²³Therefore He said He would destroy them, [And He would have done so] had not Moses, His chosen one, stepped into the gap before Him, To turn away His wrath from destroying them.

²⁴Then they despised the pleasant land [of Canaan]; They did not believe in His word nor rely on it,

²⁵But they sulked and complained in their tents; They did not listen to the voice of the LORD.

²⁶Therefore He lifted up His hand [swearing] to them, That He would cause them to fall in the wilderness,

²⁷And that He would cast out their descendants among the nations And scatter them in the lands [of the earth].

²⁸They joined themselves also to [the idol] Baal of Peor, And ate sacrifices offered to the dead.

²⁹Thus they provoked Him to anger with their practices, And a plague broke out among them.

³⁰Then Phinehas [the priest] stood up and interceded, And so the plague was halted.

³¹And that was credited to him for righteousness, To all generations forever.

³²They provoked Him to anger at the waters of Meribah, So that it went hard with Moses on their account;

³³Because they were rebellious against His Spirit, Moses spoke recklessly with his lips.

³⁴They did not destroy the [pagan] peoples [in Canaan], As the LORD commanded them,

³⁵But they mingled with the [idolatrous] nations And learned their ways,

³⁶And served their idols, Which became a [dreadful] snare to them.

³⁷They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons

³⁸And shed innocent blood, Even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with their blood.

³⁹In this way they became unclean in their practices; They played the prostitute in their own deeds [by giving their worship, which belongs to God alone, to other "gods"].

⁴⁰Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against His people And He detested His own inheritance.

⁴¹He gave them into the hands of the nations, And those who hated them ruled over them.

⁴²Their enemies also oppressed them, And they were subdued under the [powerful] hand of their enemies.

⁴³Many times He rescued them; But they were rebellious in their counsel, And sank down in their wickedness.

⁴⁴Nevertheless He looked [sympathetically] at their distress When He heard their cry;

⁴⁵And He remembered His covenant for their sake, And relented [rescinding their sentence] according to the greatness of His lovingkindness [when they cried out to Him],

⁴⁶He also made them objects of compassion Among those who had carried them away captive.

⁴⁷Save us, O LORD our God, And gather us from among the nations, That we may give thanks to Your holy name And glory in praising You.

⁴⁸Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting. And let all the people say, "Amen." Praise the LORD! (Hallelujah!)

¹A wise son heeds and accepts [and is the result of] his father's discipline and instruction, But a scoffer does not listen to reprimand and does not learn from his errors.

²From the fruit of his mouth a [wise] man enjoys good, But the desire of the treacherous is for violence.

³The one who guards his mouth [thinking before he speaks] protects his life; The one who opens his lips wide [and chatters without thinking] comes to ruin.

⁴The soul (appetite) of the lazy person craves and gets nothing [for lethargy overcomes ambition], But the soul (appetite) of the diligent [who works willingly] is rich and abundantly supplied.

⁵A righteous man hates lies, But a wicked man is loathsome, and he acts shamefully.

⁶Righteousness (being in right standing with God) guards the one whose way is blameless, But wickedness undermines and overthrows the sinner.

⁷There is one who pretends to be rich, yet has nothing at all; Another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

⁸The ransom for a man's life is his wealth, But the poor man does not even have to listen to a rebuke or threats [from the envious].

⁹The light of the righteous [within him—grows brighter and] rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked [is a temporary light and] goes out.

¹⁰Through pride and presumption come nothing but strife, But [skillful and godly] wisdom is with those who welcome [well-advised] counsel.

¹¹Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, But he who gathers gradually by [honest] labor will increase [his riches].

¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

¹³Whoever despises the word and counsel [of God] brings destruction upon himself, But he who [reverently] fears and respects the commandment [of God] will be rewarded.

¹⁴The teaching of the wise is a fountain and source of life, So that one may avoid the snares of death.

¹⁵Good understanding wins favor [from others], But the way of the unfaithful is hard [like barren, dry soil].

¹⁶Every prudent and self-disciplined man acts with knowledge, But a [closed-minded] fool [who refuses to learn] displays his foolishness [for all to see].

¹⁷A wicked messenger falls into hardship, But a faithful ambassador brings healing.

¹⁸Poverty and shame will come to him who refuses instruction and discipline, But he who accepts and learns from reproof or censure is honored.

¹⁹Desire realized is sweet to the soul; But it is detestable to fools to turn away from evil [which they have planned].

²⁰He who walks [as a companion] with wise men will be wise, But the companions of [conceited, dull-witted] fools [are fools themselves and] will experience harm.

²¹Adversity pursues sinners, But the [consistently] upright will be rewarded with prosperity.

²²A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for [the hands of] the righteous.

²³Abundant food is in the fallow (uncultivated) ground of the poor, But [without protection] it is swept away by injustice.

²⁴He who withholds the rod [of discipline] hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines and trains him diligently and appropriately [with wisdom and love].

²⁵The [consistently] righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, But the stomach of the wicked is in need [of bread].

¹When David's time to die approached, he gave instructions to Solomon his son, saying,

²"I am going the way of all the earth [as dust to dust]. Be strong and prove yourself a man.

³Keep the charge of the LORD your God, [that is, fulfill your obligation to] walk in His ways, keep His statutes, His commandments, His precepts, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, so that you may succeed in everything that you do and wherever you turn,

⁴so that the LORD may fulfill His promise concerning me, saying, 'If your sons are careful regarding their way [of life], to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and mind and with all their soul, you shall not fail to have a man (descendant) on the throne of Israel.'

⁵Now you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah [my sister] did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, [both of] whom he murdered; avenging the blood of war in [a time of] peace. And he put the [innocent] blood of war [of Abner and Amasa] on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals on his feet.

⁶So act in accordance with your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol (the place of the dead) in peace.

⁷But be gracious and kind to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who [have the honor to] eat at your table; for they met me [with kindness] when I fled from your brother Absalom.

⁸And look, you have with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim; he is the one who cursed me with a sinister curse the day I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at the Jordan [on my return], and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, 'I will not put you to death with the sword.'

⁹But now do not let him go unpunished, for you are a wise man; and you will know what to do to him, and you will bring his gray head down to Sheol [covered] with blood."

¹⁰So David lay down with his fathers [in death] and was buried in the City of David.

¹¹The time that David reigned over Israel was forty years: he reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

¹²Then Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.

¹³Now Adonijah the son of [David and] Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. She said, "Do you come in peace?" And he said, "In peace."

¹⁴Then he said, "I have something to say to you." And she said, "Speak."

¹⁵So he said, "You know that the kingdom belonged to me [as the eldest living son] and all Israel looked to me and expected me to be king. However, the kingdom has passed [from me] and became my brother's, for it was his from the LORD.

¹⁶So now I am making one request of you; do not refuse me." And she said to him, "Speak."

¹⁷He said, "Please speak to King Solomon, for he will not refuse you; ask that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife."

¹⁸Bathsheba replied, "Very well; I will speak to the king for you."

¹⁹So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat down on his throne; then he had a throne set for her, the king's mother, and she sat on his right.

²⁰Then she said, "I am making one small request of you; do not refuse me." And the king said to her, "Ask, my mother, for I will not refuse you."

²¹So she said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as a wife."

²²King Solomon answered and said to his mother, "And why are you asking for Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask the kingdom for him also—since he is my older brother—[ask it] for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah [his supporters]!"

²³Then King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, "May God do the same to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not requested this [deplorable] thing against his own life.

²⁴So now, as the LORD lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house as He promised, Adonijah shall indeed be put to death today."

²⁵So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck Adonijah and he died.

²⁶Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, "Go to Anathoth to your own fields, for you certainly deserve to die; but I will not put you to death this day, because you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and you suffered everything that my father endured."

²⁷So Solomon dismissed Abiathar [a descendant of Eli] from being priest to the LORD, fulfilling the word of the LORD, which He had spoken concerning the house (descendants) of Eli in Shiloh.

²⁸Now the news reached Joab, for Joab had supported and followed Adonijah, although he had not followed Absalom. So Joab fled to the [sacred] tent of the LORD and took hold of the horns of the altar [to seek asylum].

²⁹King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the LORD and was at that moment beside the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, "Go, strike him down."

³⁰So Benaiah came to the tent of the LORD and told Joab, "This is what the king commands, 'Come out of there.'" But Joab said, "No, for I will die here." Then Benaiah brought word to the king again, saying, "This is what Joab said, and this is how he answered me."

³¹The king said to him, "Do as he has said. Strike him down and bury him, so that you may remove from me and from my father's house the innocent blood which Joab shed.

³²The LORD will return his bloody deeds upon his own head, because he struck down two men more righteous and honorable than he and killed them with the sword, without my father David knowing: Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.

³³So shall their blood return on the head of Joab and the heads of his descendants forever. But for David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, may there be peace from the LORD forever."

³⁴So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up [to the tabernacle] and struck and killed Joab, and he was buried at his own house in the wilderness [of Judah].

³⁵The king appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab's place, and appointed Zadok the priest in place of Abiathar.

³⁶Now the king sent word and called for Shimei and said to him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there. Do not go from there to any other place.

³⁷For on the day you leave and cross over the Brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall surely die; your blood shall be on your own head."

³⁸Shimei said to the king, "The word (ruling) is good. As my lord the king has said, so will your servant do." So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for many days.

³⁹But it happened after three years, that two of Shimei's servants ran away to Achish the son of Maacah, the king of Gath. And Shimei was told, "Behold, your [runaway] servants are in Gath."

⁴⁰So Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to [King] Achish to look for his servants. And Shimei went and brought them back from Gath.

⁴¹Now Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned.

⁴²So the king sent word and called for Shimei and said to him, "Did I not make you swear by the LORD and solemnly warn you, saying, 'Know for certain that on the day you leave [Jerusalem] and go anywhere, you shall surely die'? And you said to me, 'The word (ruling) I have heard is good.'

⁴³Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD, and the command which I gave you?"

⁴⁴The king also said to Shimei, "You are aware in your own heart of all the evil you did to my father David; so the LORD shall return your evil on your own head.

⁴⁵But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD forever."

⁴⁶So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck down Shimei, and he died. So the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.

¹The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD after Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had released him from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being taken as exiles to Babylon.

²And the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, "The LORD your God promised this disaster on this place.

³Now the LORD has brought it about and has done just as He promised. Because you [people of Judah] have sinned against the LORD and did not listen to and honor His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you.

⁴But now, listen carefully, [because of your innocence] I am freeing you today from the chains which are on your hands. If you would prefer to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you [carefully]; but if you would prefer not to come with me to Babylon, then do not do so. Look, all the land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right (convenient) for you to go."

⁵While Jeremiah was still hesitating, the captain of the bodyguard said, "Go on back then to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed [governor] over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go wherever it seems right for you to go." So the captain of the bodyguard gave him an allowance of food and a gift and let him go.

⁶Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.

⁷Now when all the commanders of the forces that were [scattered] in the open country [of Judah] and their men heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land [of Judah] and had put him in charge of the men, women, and children, those of the poorest of the land who had not been exiled to Babylon,

⁸they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men.

⁹Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and their men, saying, "Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans; stay in this land and serve the king of Babylon, that it may go well with you.

¹⁰As for me, I am going to stay at Mizpah to stand [for you] before the Chaldeans who come to us [ministering to them and looking after the king's interests]; but as for you, gather in wine, summer fruit and oil and store them in your utensils [designed for such purposes], and live in your cities that you have taken over."

¹¹Likewise, when all the Jews who were in Moab and among the people of Ammon and in Edom and who were in all the [other] countries heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant [of the people] in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan over them [as governor],

¹²then all the Jews returned from all the places to which they had been driven and came back to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered a great abundance of wine and summer fruits.

¹³Moreover, Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were [scattered] in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah

¹⁴and said to him, "Do you know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?" But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them.

¹⁵Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, "Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and not a man will know [who is responsible]. Why should he kill you and cause all the Jews who are gathered near you to be scattered and the remnant of Judah to perish?"

¹⁶But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, "Do not do this thing, for you are lying about Ishmael."

¹"Brethren and fathers (kinsmen), hear my defense which I now offer to you."

²When they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet. And he continued,

³"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strictness of the law of our fathers, being ardent and passionate for God just as all of you are today.

⁴I persecuted and pursued the followers of this Way to the death, binding them with chains and putting [followers of Jesus] both men and women into prisons,

⁵as the high priest and all the Council of the elders (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) can testify; because from them I received letters to the brothers, and I was on my way to Damascus in order to bring those [believers] who were there to Jerusalem in chains to be punished.

⁶"But as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a great blaze of light suddenly flashed from heaven and shone around me.

⁷And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?'

⁸And I replied, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said to me, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.'

⁹Now those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me.

¹⁰And I asked, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord answered me, 'Get up and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that is appointed and destined for you to do.'

¹¹But since I could not see because of the [glorious intensity and dazzling] brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus.

¹²"And one Ananias, a devout man according to the standard of the Law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,

¹³came to [see] me, and standing near, he said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I [recovered my sight and] looked up at him.

¹⁴And he said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will, [and to progressively understand His plan with clarity and power] and to see the Righteous One [Jesus Christ, the Messiah] and to hear a message from His [own] mouth.

¹⁵For you will be His witness to all men testifying of what you have seen and heard.

¹⁶Now, why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on His name [for salvation].'

¹⁷"Then it happened when I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple [enclosure], that I fell into a trance (vision);

¹⁸and I saw Him saying to me, 'Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.'

¹⁹And I said, 'Lord, they themselves know [without any doubt] that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You [and Your message of salvation].

²⁰And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing nearby approving and consenting [to his death], and guarding the coats of those who were killing him.'

²¹And the Lord said to me, 'Go, I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'"

²²They listened to Paul until [he made] this [last] statement, but now they raised their voices and shouted, "Away with such a man from the earth! He is not fit to live!"

²³And as they were shouting and throwing off their coats [getting ready to stone Paul] and tossing dust into the air [expressing their anger],

²⁴the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, stating that he was to be interrogated with a whip in order to learn why the people were shouting against him that way.

²⁵But when they had stretched him out with the leather straps [in preparation for the whip], Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it legal for you to whip a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned [without a trial]?"

²⁶When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and said to him, "What are you about to do? This man is a Roman!"

²⁷So the commander came and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman?" And he said, "Yes."

²⁸The commander replied, "I purchased this citizenship [of mine] for a large sum of money [so how did you acquire yours?]." Paul said, "But I was actually born a citizen."

²⁹So those who were about to interrogate him by torture immediately let him go; and the commander was also afraid when he realized that Paul was a Roman and he had put him in chains.

³⁰But on the next day, wanting to know the real reason why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) to assemble; and brought Paul down and presented him before them.