Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.

²Five of them were foolish [thoughtless, silly, and careless], and five were wise [far-sighted, practical, and sensible].

³For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take any [extra] oil with them,

⁴but the wise took flasks of oil along with their lamps.

⁵Now while the bridegroom was delayed, they all began to nod off, and they fell asleep.

⁶But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! The bridegroom [is coming]! Go out to meet him.'

⁷Then all those virgins got up and put their own lamps in order [trimmed the wicks and added oil and lit them].

⁸But the foolish virgins said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.'

⁹But the wise replied, 'No, otherwise there will not be enough for us and for you, too; go instead to the dealers and buy oil for yourselves.'

¹⁰But while they were going away to buy oil, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut and locked.

¹¹Later the others also came, and said, 'Lord, Lord, open [the door] for us.'

¹²But He replied, 'I assure you and most solemnly say to you, I do not know you [we have no relationship].'

¹³Therefore, be on the alert [be prepared and ready], for you do not know the day nor the hour [when the Son of Man will come].

¹⁴"For it is just like a man who was about to take a journey, and he called his servants together and entrusted them with his possessions.

¹⁵To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and then he went on his journey.

¹⁶The one who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he [made a profit and] gained five more.

¹⁷Likewise the one who had two [made a profit and] gained two more.

¹⁸But the one who had received the one went and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

¹⁹"Now after a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.

²⁰And the one who had received the five talents came and brought him five more, saying, 'Master, you entrusted to me five talents. See, I have [made a profit and] gained five more talents.'

²¹His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master.'

²²"Also the one who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have [made a profit and] gained two more talents.'

²³His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master.'

²⁴"The one who had received one talent also came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a harsh and demanding man, reaping [the harvest] where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter seed.

²⁵So I was afraid [to lose the talent], and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is your own.'

²⁶"But his master answered him, 'You wicked, lazy servant, you knew that I reap [the harvest] where I did not sow and gather where I did not scatter seed.

²⁷Then you ought to have put my money with the bankers, and at my return I would have received my money back with interest.

²⁸So take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.'

²⁹"For to everyone who has [and values his blessings and gifts from God, and has used them wisely], more will be given, and [he will be richly supplied so that] he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have [because he has ignored or disregarded his blessings and gifts from God], even what he does have will be taken away.

³⁰And throw out the worthless servant into the outer darkness; in that place [of grief and torment] there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger].

³¹"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory and majesty and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

³²All the nations will be gathered before Him [for judgment]; and He will separate them from one another, as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats;

³³and He will put the sheep on His right [the place of honor], and the goats on His left [the place of rejection].

³⁴"Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you blessed of My Father [you favored of God, appointed to eternal salvation], inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

³⁵For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;

³⁶I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me [with help and ministering care]; I was in prison, and you came to Me [ignoring personal danger].'

³⁷Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?

³⁸And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?

³⁹And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'

⁴⁰The King will answer and say to them, 'I assure you and most solemnly say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it for Me.'

⁴¹"Then He will say to those on His left, 'Leave Me, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels (demons);

⁴²for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;

⁴³I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me [with help and ministering care].'

⁴⁴Then they also [in their turn] will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?'

⁴⁵Then He will reply to them, 'I assure you and most solemnly say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these [my followers], you did not do it for Me.'

⁴⁶Then these [unbelieving people] will go away into eternal (unending) punishment, but those who are righteous and in right standing with God [will go, by His remarkable grace] into eternal (unending) life."

¹Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

²"Command the children of Israel to bring to you clear oil from beaten olives for the light [of the golden lampstand], to make a lamp burn continually.

³Outside the veil of the Testimony [between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place] in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron shall always keep the lamps burning before the LORD from evening until morning; it shall be a permanent statute throughout your generations.

⁴He shall keep the lamps burning on the pure gold lampstand before the LORD continually.

⁵"Then you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes (bread of the Presence, showbread) with it; two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake (loaf).

⁶You shall set the bread of the Presence (showbread) in two rows, six in a row, on the pure gold table before the LORD.

⁷You shall put pure frankincense [in two censers, one] beside each row, so that it may be with the bread as a memorial portion, an offering by fire to the LORD.

⁸Every Sabbath day Aaron shall arrange the showbread before the LORD continually; it is an everlasting covenant for the Israelites.

⁹The bread of the Presence shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a sacred place, for it is for Aaron a most holy portion of the offerings by fire to the LORD, his portion forever."

¹⁰Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the Israelites, and he and a man of Israel quarreled and struggled with each other in the camp.

¹¹The Israelite woman's son blasphemed the Name [of the LORD] and cursed. So they brought him to Moses. (Now his mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.)

¹²They put him in custody until the will and command of the LORD might be made clear to them.

¹³Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

¹⁴"Bring the one who has cursed [the LORD] outside the camp, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head [as witnesses to his guilt]; then let all the congregation stone him.

¹⁵You shall speak to the Israelites, saying, 'Whoever curses his God will bear his sin [through his own death].

¹⁶Further, the one who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall most certainly be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him. The stranger as well as the native-born shall be put to death when he blasphemes the Name [of the LORD].

¹⁷'If a man takes the life of any human being [unlawfully], he shall most certainly be put to death.

¹⁸The one who kills an animal shall replace it, animal for animal.

¹⁹If a man injures his neighbor (fellow citizen), whatever he has done shall be done to him:

²⁰fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so shall the same be done to him.

²¹The one who kills an animal shall replace it; but he who kills a human being [unlawfully] shall be put to death.

²²You shall have one standard of law for the stranger among you as well as for the native, for I am the LORD your God.'"

²³Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they brought the one who had cursed [the LORD] outside the camp and stoned him with stones. Thus the Israelites did just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

¹Therefore, since we have this ministry, just as we received mercy [from God, granting us salvation, opportunities, and blessings], we do not get discouraged nor lose our motivation.

²But we have renounced the disgraceful things hidden because of shame; not walking in trickery or adulterating the word of God, but by stating the truth [openly and plainly], we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.

³But even if our gospel is [in some sense] hidden [behind a veil], it is hidden [only] to those who are perishing;

⁴among them the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving to prevent them from seeing the illuminating light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

⁵For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves [merely] as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake.

⁶For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give us the Light of the knowledge of the glory and majesty of God [clearly revealed] in the face of Christ.

⁷But we have this precious treasure [the good news about salvation] in [unworthy] earthen vessels [of human frailty], so that the grandeur and surpassing greatness of the power will be [shown to be] from God [His sufficiency] and not from ourselves.

⁸We are pressured in every way [hedged in], but not crushed; perplexed [unsure of finding a way out], but not driven to despair;

⁹hunted down and persecuted, but not deserted [to stand alone]; struck down, but never destroyed;

¹⁰always carrying around in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the [resurrection] life of Jesus also may be shown in our body.

¹¹For we who live are constantly [experiencing the threat of] being handed over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the [resurrection] life of Jesus also may be evidenced in our mortal body [which is subject to death].

¹²So physical death is [actively] at work in us, but [spiritual] life [is actively at work] in you.

¹³Yet we have the same spirit of faith as he had, who wrote in Scripture, "I believed, therefore I spoke." We also believe, therefore we also speak,

¹⁴knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and will present us [along] with you in His presence.

¹⁵For all [these] things are for your sake, so that as [God's remarkable, undeserved] grace reaches to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of [our great] God.

¹⁶Therefore we do not become discouraged [spiritless, disappointed, or afraid]. Though our outer self is [progressively] wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day by day.

¹⁷For our momentary, light distress [this passing trouble] is producing for us an eternal weight of glory [a fullness] beyond all measure [surpassing all comparisons, a transcendent splendor and an endless blessedness]!

¹⁸So we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen; for the things which are visible are temporal [just brief and fleeting], but the things which are invisible are everlasting and imperishable.

¹Then I saw as the Lamb (Christ) broke one of the seven seals [of the scroll initiating the judgments], and I heard one of the four living creatures call out as with a voice of thunder, " Come."

²I looked, and behold, a white horse [of victory] whose rider carried a bow; and a crown [of victory] was given to him, and he rode forth conquering and to conquer.

³When He (the Lamb) broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, "Come."

⁴And another, a fiery red horse [of bloodshed], came out; and its rider was empowered to take peace from the earth, so that men would slaughter one another; and a great sword [of war and violent death] was given to him.

⁵When He (the Lamb) broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse [of famine]; and the rider had in his hand a pair of scales (a balance).

⁶And I heard something like a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius (a day's wages), and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine."

⁷When He (the Lamb) broke open the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out, "Come."

⁸So I looked, and behold, an ashen (pale greenish gray) horse [like a corpse, representing death and pestilence]; and its rider's name was Death; and Hades (the realm of the dead) was following with him. They were given authority and power over a fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword and with famine and with plague (pestilence, disease) and by the wild beasts of the earth.

⁹When He (the Lamb) broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained [out of loyalty to Christ].

¹⁰They cried in a loud voice, saying, "O Lord, holy and true, how long now before You will sit in judgment and avenge our blood on those [unregenerate ones] who dwell on the earth?"

¹¹Then they were each given a white robe; and they were told to rest and wait quietly for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed.

¹²I looked when He (the Lamb) broke open the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth [made] of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;

¹³and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, like a fig tree shedding its late [summer] figs when shaken by a strong wind.

¹⁴The sky was split [separated from the land] and rolled up like a scroll, and every mountain and island were dislodged and moved out of their places.

¹⁵Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the military commanders and the wealthy and the strong and everyone, [whether] slave or free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains;

¹⁶and they called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne, and from the [righteous] wrath and indignation of the Lamb;

¹⁷for the great day of their wrath and vengeance and retribution has come, and who is able to [face God and] stand [before the wrath of the Lamb]?"

¹Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer give off a foul odor; so a little foolishness [in one who is esteemed] outweighs wisdom and honor.

²A wise man's heart turns him toward the right [which is the way of blessing], but a fool's heart turns him toward the left [which is the way of condemnation].

³Even when a fool walks along the road, his [common] sense and good judgment fail him and he demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool.

⁴If the temper of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post [showing resistance], because composure and calmness prevent great offenses.

⁵There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like an error which proceeds from the ruler—

⁶folly is set in many exalted places and in great dignity while the rich sit in humble places.

⁷I have seen slaves riding on horses and princes walking like slaves on the ground.

⁸He who digs a pit [for others] may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a [stone] wall.

⁹He who quarries stones may be hurt with them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them.

¹⁰If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength; but wisdom [to sharpen the axe] helps him succeed [with less effort].

¹¹If the serpent bites before being charmed, then there is no profit for the charmer.

¹²The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious and win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him;

¹³the beginning of his talking is foolishness and the end of his talk is wicked madness.

¹⁴Yet the fool multiplies words, though no man knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after he is gone?

¹⁵The labor of a fool so wearies him [because he is ignorant] that he does not even know how to go to a city.

¹⁶Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child and when your [incompetent] officials and princes feast in the morning.

¹⁷Blessed [prosperous and admired] are you, O land, when your king is a man of noble birth, and your princes and officials feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.

¹⁸Through laziness the rafters [of state affairs] decay and the roof sags, and through idleness [the roof of] the house leaks.

¹⁹The officials make a feast for enjoyment [instead of repairing what is broken], and serve wine to make life merry, and money is the answer to everything.

²⁰Moreover, do not curse the king, even in your bedroom, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry the sound and a winged creature will make the matter known.

¹When Israel came out of Egypt, The house of Jacob from a people of strange language,

²Judah became His sanctuary, And Israel His dominion.

³The [Red] Sea looked and fled; The Jordan turned back.

⁴The mountains leaped like rams, The [little] hills, like lambs.

⁵What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?

⁶O mountains, that you leap like rams, O [little] hills, like lambs?

⁷Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the God of Jacob (Israel),

⁸Who turned the rock into a pool of water, The flint into a fountain of water.

¹The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it whichever way He wishes.

²Every man's way is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs and examines the hearts [of people and their motives].

³To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice [for wrongs repeatedly committed].

⁴Haughty and arrogant eyes and a proud heart, The lamp of the wicked [their self-centered pride], is sin [in the eyes of God].

⁵The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance and advantage, But everyone who acts in haste comes surely to poverty.

⁶Acquiring treasures by a lying tongue Is a fleeting vapor, the seeking and pursuit of death.

⁷The violence of the wicked will [return to them and] drag them away [like fish caught in a net], Because they refuse to act with justice.

⁸The way of the guilty is [exceedingly] crooked, But as for the pure, his conduct is upright.

⁹It is better to live in a corner of the housetop [on the flat roof, exposed to the weather] Than in a house shared with a quarrelsome (contentious) woman.

¹⁰The soul of the wicked desires evil [like an addictive substance]; His neighbor finds no compassion in his eyes.

¹¹When the scoffer is punished, the naive [observes the lesson and] becomes wise; But when the wise and teachable person is instructed, he receives knowledge.

¹²The righteous one keeps an eye on the house of the wicked— How the wicked are cast down to ruin.

¹³Whoever shuts his ears at the cry of the poor Will cry out himself and not be answered.

¹⁴A gift in secret subdues anger, And a bribe [hidden] in the pocket, strong wrath.

¹⁵When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous (the upright, the one in right standing with God), But to the evildoers it is disaster.

¹⁶A man who wanders from the way of understanding (godly wisdom) Will remain in the assembly of the dead.

¹⁷He who loves [only selfish] pleasure will become a poor man; He who loves and is devoted to wine and [olive] oil will not become rich.

¹⁸The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, And the treacherous in the place of the upright [for they fall into their own traps].

¹⁹It is better to dwell in a desert land Than with a contentious and troublesome woman.

²⁰There is precious treasure and oil in the house of the wise [who prepare for the future], But a short-sighted and foolish man swallows it up and wastes it.

²¹He who earnestly seeks righteousness and loyalty Finds life, righteousness, and honor.

²²A wise man scales the city [walls] of the mighty And brings down the stronghold in which they trust.

²³He who guards his mouth and his tongue Guards himself from troubles.

²⁴"Proud," "Haughty," "Scoffer," are his names Who acts with overbearing and insolent pride.

²⁵The desire of the lazy kills him, For his hands refuse to labor;

²⁶He craves all the day long [and does no work], But the righteous [willingly] gives and does not withhold [what he has].

²⁷The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable and offensive [to the LORD]. How much more [unacceptable and insulting can it be] when he brings it with evil intention?

²⁸A false witness will perish, But a man who listens to the truth will speak forever and go unchallenged.

²⁹A wicked man puts on a bold face, But as for the upright, he considers, directs, and establishes his way [with the confidence of integrity].

³⁰There is no [human] wisdom or understanding Or counsel [that can prevail] against the LORD.

³¹The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance and victory belong to the LORD.

¹Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with riddles.

²So she came to Jerusalem with a very large caravan (entourage), with camels carrying spices, a great quantity of gold, and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about everything that was on her mind [to discover the extent of his wisdom].

³Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king which he did not explain to her.

⁴When the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house (palace) which he had built,

⁵the food on his table, the seating of his servants (court officials), the attendance of his waiters and their attire, his cupbearers, his stairway by which he went up to the house (temple) of the LORD, she was breathless and awed [by the wonder of it all].

⁶Then she told the king, "The report which I heard in my own land about your words and wisdom is true!

⁷I did not believe the report until I came and saw it with my own eyes. Behold, the half of it was not told to me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard.

⁸How blessed (fortunate, happy) are your men! How blessed are these your servants who stand continually before you, hearing your wisdom!

⁹Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD loved Israel forever, He made you king to execute justice and righteousness."

¹⁰She gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again did such an abundance of spices come in [to Israel] as that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.

¹¹Also the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir a great quantity of almug wood (sandalwood) and precious stones.

¹²From the almug wood (sandalwood) the king made pillars for the house of the LORD and for the king's palace, and also lyres and harps for the singers. Such almug wood did not come in [to Israel] again, nor has it been seen to this day.

¹³King Solomon [in turn] gave to the queen of Sheba everything that she wanted, whatever she asked, besides what he gave to her from his royal bounty. So she returned to her own country, she and her servants.

¹⁴Now the weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one [particular] year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,

¹⁵besides the taxes from the traders and from the wares of the merchants, and [the tribute money] from all the kings of the Arabs (Bedouins) and the governors of the country.

¹⁶King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten (hammered) gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield.

¹⁷He made three hundred smaller shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon [the king's armory].

¹⁸Also the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with the finest gold.

¹⁹The throne had six steps, and a round top was attached to the throne from the back. On either side of the seat were armrests, and two lions stood beside the armrests.

²⁰Twelve lions stood there, one on either end of each of the six steps; there was nothing like it made for any other kingdom.

²¹All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver; it was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon.

²²For the king had at sea the [large cargo] ships of Tarshish with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold, silver, ivory, monkeys, and peacocks.

²³So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in wealth and in wisdom.

²⁴All the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his mind.

²⁵Every man brought a gift [of tribute]: articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.

²⁶Now Solomon collected chariots and horsemen; he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, which he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

²⁷The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars as plentiful as the sycamore trees that are in the lowland.

²⁸Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue, and the king's merchants acquired them from Kue, for a price.

²⁹A chariot could be imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty; and in the same way they exported them, by the king's merchants, to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram (Syria).

¹Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Woe (judgment is coming) to [the city of] Nebo, for it has been destroyed! Kiriathaim has been shamed, it has been captured; Misgab [the high fortress] has been shamed, broken down and crushed.

²"The glory of Moab is no more; In Heshbon they planned evil against her, Saying, 'Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O [city of] Madmen, shall be silenced; The sword will pursue you.

³"The sound of an outcry from Horonaim, 'Desolation and great destruction!'

⁴"Moab is destroyed; Her little ones have called out a cry of distress [to be heard as far as Zoar].

⁵"For the Ascent of Luhith Will be climbed by [successive groups of] fugitives with continual weeping; For on the descent of Horonaim They have heard the distress of the cry of destruction.

⁶"Run! Save your lives, That you may be like a juniper in the wilderness.

⁷"For because you have trusted in your works [your hand-made idols] and in your treasures [instead of in God], Even you yourself will be captured; And Chemosh [your disgusting god cannot rescue you, but] will go away into exile [along with the fugitives] Together with his priests and his princes.

⁸"And the destroyer will come upon every city; No city will escape. The [Jordan] valley also will be ruined And the plain will be devastated, As the LORD has said.

⁹"Give a gravestone to Moab, For she will fall into ruins; Her cities (pastures, farms) will be desolate, Without anyone to live in them.

¹⁰"Cursed is the one who does the work of the LORD negligently, And cursed is the one who restrains his sword from blood [in executing the judgment of the LORD].

¹¹"Moab has been at ease from his youth; He has also been undisturbed, and settled like wine on his dregs, And he has not been emptied from one vessel to another, Nor has he gone into exile. Therefore his flavor remains in him, And his scent has not changed.

¹²Therefore behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "when I will send to Moab those who will tip him over and who will empty his vessels and break his [earthenware] jars in pieces.

¹³And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh [his worthless, disgusting god], as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their [misplaced] confidence.

¹⁴"How can you say, 'We are great warriors And valiant men in war?'

¹⁵"Moab has been made desolate and his cities have gone up [in smoke and flame]; And his chosen young men have gone down to the slaughter," Says the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.

¹⁶"The destruction of Moab will come soon, And his disaster hurries quickly.

¹⁷"Show sympathy for him, all you [nations] who are around him, And all you [distant nations] who know his name; Say, 'How has the mighty scepter [of national power] been broken, And the splendid staff [of glory]!'

¹⁸"Come down from your glory, O Daughter living in Dibon, And sit on the parched ground [among the thirsty]! For the destroyer of Moab has advanced against you; He has destroyed your strongholds.

¹⁹"O inhabitant of Aroer, Stand by the road and keep watch! Ask [of] him who flees and [ask of] her who escapes, Saying, 'What has happened?'

²⁰"Moab is shamed, for she has been broken down and shattered. Wail and cry out! Tell by [the banks of] the Arnon That Moab has been destroyed.

²¹"Judgment has come on [the land of] the plain—upon Holon, Jahzah, and against Mephaath,

²²against Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim,

²³against Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon,

²⁴against Kerioth, Bozrah and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near.

²⁵The horn (strength) of Moab has been cut off and his arm [of authority] is shattered," says the LORD.

²⁶Make him drunk, for he has become arrogant and magnified himself against the LORD [by denying Reuben's occupation of the land the LORD had assigned him]. Moab also will wallow in his vomit, and he too shall become a laughingstock.

²⁷For was not Israel a laughingstock to you? Was he caught among thieves? For whenever you speak of him you shake your head in scorn.

²⁸"You inhabitants of Moab, Leave the cities and live among the rocks, And be like the dove that makes her nest In the walls of the yawning ravine.

²⁹"We have heard of the [giddy] pride of Moab, the extremely proud one— His haughtiness, his arrogance, his conceit, and his self-exaltation.

³⁰"I know his [insolent] wrath," says the LORD, "But it is futile; His idle boasts [in his deeds] have accomplished nothing.

³¹"Therefore I will wail over Moab, And I will cry out for all Moab. I will sigh and mourn over the men of Kir-heres (Kir-hareseth).

³²"O vines of Sibmah, I will weep for you More than the weeping of Jazer [over its ruins and wasted vineyards]. Your tendrils [of influence] stretched across the sea, Reaching [even] to the sea of Jazer. The destroyer has fallen On your summer fruits and your [season's] crop of grapes.

³³"So joy and gladness are taken away From the fruitful field and from the land of Moab. And I have made the wine cease from the wine presses; No one treads the grapes with shouting. Their shouting is not joyful shouting [but is instead, a battle cry].

³⁴From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, even to Jahaz they have raised their voice, from Zoar even to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim will become desolations.

³⁵Moreover, I will cause to cease in Moab," says the LORD, "the one who ascends and offers sacrifice in the high place and the one who burns incense to his gods.

³⁶"Therefore My heart moans and sighs for Moab like flutes, and My heart moans and sighs like flutes for the men of Kir-heres (Kir-hareseth); therefore [the remnant of] the abundant riches they gained has perished.

³⁷For every head is [shaven] bald and every beard cut off; there are cuts (slashes) on all the hands and sackcloth on the loins [all expressions of mourning].

³⁸On all the housetops of Moab and in its streets there is lamentation (expressions of grief for the dead) everywhere, for I have broken Moab like a vessel in which there is no pleasure," says the LORD.

³⁹How it is broken down! How they have wailed! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab will become a laughingstock and a [horrifying] terror to all who are around him."

⁴⁰For thus says the LORD: "Behold, one (Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon) will fly swiftly like an eagle And spread out his wings against Moab.

⁴¹"Kerioth [and the cities] has been taken And the strongholds seized; And the hearts of the warriors of Moab in that day Shall be like the heart of a woman in childbirth.

⁴²"Moab will be destroyed from being a nation (people) Because he has become arrogant and magnified himself against the LORD.

⁴³"Terror and pit and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab," says the LORD.

⁴⁴"The one who flees from the terror Will fall into the pit, And the one who gets up out of the pit Will be taken and caught in the trap; For I shall bring upon it, even upon Moab, The year of their punishment," says the LORD.

⁴⁵"In the shadow of Heshbon The fugitives stand powerless [helpless and without strength], For a fire has gone out from Heshbon, A flame from the midst of Sihon; It has destroyed the forehead of Moab And the crowns of the heads of [the arrogant Moabites] the ones in tumult.

⁴⁶"Woe (judgment is coming) to you, O Moab! The people of [the pagan god called] Chemosh have perished; For your sons have been taken away captive And your daughters into captivity.

⁴⁷"Yet I will return the captives and restore the fortunes of Moab In the latter days," says the LORD. Thus far is the judgment on Moab.

¹When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place,

²and suddenly a sound came from heaven like a rushing violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

³There appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were being distributed [among them], and they rested on each one of them [as each person received the Holy Spirit].

⁴And they were all filled [that is, diffused throughout their being] with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues (different languages), as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out [clearly and appropriately].

⁵Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout and God-fearing men from every nation under heaven.

⁶And when this sound was heard, a crowd gathered, and they were bewildered because each one was hearing those in the upper room speaking in his own language or dialect.

⁷They were completely astonished, saying, "Look! Are not all of these who are speaking Galileans?

⁸Then how is it that each of us hears in our own language or native dialect?

⁹[Among us there are] Parthians, Medes and Elamites, and people of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia [Minor],

¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and the visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes (Gentile converts to Judaism),

¹¹Cretans and Arabs—we all hear them speaking in our [native] tongues about the mighty works of God!"

¹²And they were beside themselves with amazement and were greatly perplexed, saying one to another, "What could this mean?"

¹³But others were laughing and joking and ridiculing them, saying, "They are full of sweet wine and are drunk!"

¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be explained to you; listen closely and pay attention to what I have to say.

¹⁵These people are not drunk, as you assume, since it is [only] the third hour of the day (9:00 a.m.);

¹⁶but this is [the beginning of] what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷'And it shall be in the last days,' says God, 'That I will pour out My Spirit upon all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see [divinely prompted] visions, And your old men shall dream [divinely prompted] dreams;

¹⁸Even on My bond-servants, both men and women, I will in those days pour out My Spirit And they shall prophesy.

¹⁹'And I will bring about wonders in the sky above And signs (attesting miracles) on the earth below, Blood and fire and smoking vapor.

²⁰'The sun shall be turned into darkness And the moon into blood, Before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.

²¹'And it shall be that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking, adoring, and worshiping the Lord Jesus] shall be saved (rescued spiritually).'

²²"Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man accredited and pointed out and attested to you by God with [the power to perform] miracles and wonders and signs which God worked through Him in your [very] midst, just as you yourselves know—

²³this Man, when handed over [to the Roman authorities] according to the predetermined decision and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross and put to death by the hands of lawless and godless men.

²⁴But God raised Him up, releasing Him and bringing an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in death's power.

²⁵For David says of Him, 'I saw the Lord constantly before me; For He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken [from my state of security].

²⁶'Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue exulted exceedingly; Moreover my flesh also will live in hope [that is, will encamp in anticipation of the resurrection];

²⁷'For You will not forsake me and abandon my soul to Hades (the realm of the dead), Nor let Your Holy One undergo decay [after death].

²⁸'You have made known to me the ways of life; You will fill me [infusing my soul] with joy with Your presence.'

²⁹"Brothers, I may confidently and freely say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

³⁰And so, being a prophet and knowing fully that God had sworn to him with an oath that He would seat one of his descendants on his throne,

³¹he foresaw and spoke [prophetically] of the resurrection of the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), that He was not abandoned [in death] to Hades (the realm of the dead), nor did His body undergo decay.

³²God raised this Jesus [bodily from the dead], and of that [fact] we are all witnesses.

³³Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this [blessing] which you both see and hear.

³⁴For David did not ascend into the heavens, yet he himself says, 'The Lord [the Father] said to my LORD [the Son], "Sit at My right hand,

³⁵Until I make Your enemies afootstool for Your feet."'

³⁶Therefore let all the house of Israel recognize beyond all doubt that God has made Him both Lord and Christ (Messiah, Anointed)—this Jesus whom you crucified."

³⁷Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart [with remorse and anxiety], and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what are we to do?"

³⁸And Peter said to them, "Repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways, accept and follow Jesus as the Messiah] and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

³⁹For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is for you and your children and for all who are far away [including the Gentiles], as many as the Lord our God calls to Himself."

⁴⁰And Peter solemnly testified and continued to admonish and urge them with many more words, saying, " Be saved from this crooked and unjust generation!"

⁴¹So then, those who accepted his message were baptized; and on that day about3,000 souls were added [to the body of believers].

⁴²They were continually and faithfully devoting themselves to the instruction of the apostles, and to fellowship, to eating meals together and to prayers.

⁴³A sense of awe was felt by everyone, and many wonders and signs (attesting miracles) were taking place through the apostles.

⁴⁴And all those who had believed [in Jesus as Savior] were together and had all things in common [considering their possessions to belong to the group as a whole].

⁴⁵And they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing the proceeds with all [the other believers], as anyone had need.

⁴⁶Day after day they met in the temple [area] continuing with one mind, and breaking bread in various private homes. They were eating their meals together with joy and generous hearts,

⁴⁷praising God continually, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were being saved.