Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.

²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

³The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps,

⁴but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil.

⁵When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶“At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’

⁷“All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps.

⁸Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’

⁹“But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰“But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked.

¹¹Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’

¹²“But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’

¹³“So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.

¹⁴“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone.

¹⁵He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last — dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

¹⁶“The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more.

¹⁷The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more.

¹⁸But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

¹⁹“After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money.

²⁰The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’

²¹“The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together! ’

²²“The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’

²³“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

²⁴“Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate.

²⁵I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’

²⁶“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate,

²⁷why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

²⁸“Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver.

²⁹To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.

³⁰Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

³¹“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.

³²All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

³³He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

³⁴“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

³⁵For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.

³⁶I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

³⁷“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?

³⁸Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?

³⁹When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

⁴⁰“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

⁴¹“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.

⁴²For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink.

⁴³I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

⁴⁴“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

⁴⁵“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

⁴⁶“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

¹The LORD said to Moses,

²“Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.

³This is the lampstand that stands in the Tabernacle, in front of the inner curtain that shields the Ark of the Covenant. Aaron must keep the lamps burning in the LORD’s presence all night. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation.

⁴Aaron and the priests must tend the lamps on the pure gold lampstand continually in the LORD’s presence.

⁵“You must bake twelve flat loaves of bread from choice flour, using four quarts of flour for each loaf.

⁶Place the bread before the LORD on the pure gold table, and arrange the loaves in two stacks, with six loaves in each stack.

⁷Put some pure frankincense near each stack to serve as a representative offering, a special gift presented to the LORD.

⁸Every Sabbath day this bread must be laid out before the LORD as a gift from the Israelites; it is an ongoing expression of the eternal covenant.

⁹The loaves of bread will belong to Aaron and his descendants, who must eat them in a sacred place, for they are most holy. It is the permanent right of the priests to claim this portion of the special gifts presented to the LORD.”

¹⁰One day a man who had an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father came out of his tent and got into a fight with one of the Israelite men.

¹¹During the fight, this son of an Israelite woman blasphemed the Name of the LORD with a curse. So the man was brought to Moses for judgment. His mother was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan.

¹²They kept the man in custody until the LORD’s will in the matter should become clear to them.

¹³Then the LORD said to Moses,

¹⁴“Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and tell all those who heard the curse to lay their hands on his head. Then let the entire community stone him to death.

¹⁵Say to the people of Israel: Those who curse their God will be punished for their sin.

¹⁶Anyone who blasphemes the Name of the LORD must be stoned to death by the whole community of Israel. Any native-born Israelite or foreigner among you who blasphemes the Name of the LORD must be put to death.

¹⁷“Anyone who takes another person’s life must be put to death.

¹⁸“Anyone who kills another person’s animal must pay for it in full — a live animal for the animal that was killed.

¹⁹“Anyone who injures another person must be dealt with according to the injury inflicted —

²⁰a fracture for a fracture, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Whatever anyone does to injure another person must be paid back in kind.

²¹“Whoever kills an animal must pay for it in full, but whoever kills another person must be put to death.

²²“This same standard applies both to native-born Israelites and to the foreigners living among you. I am the LORD your God.”

²³After Moses gave all these instructions to the Israelites, they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him to death. The Israelites did just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

¹Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up.

²We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.

³If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing.

⁴Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

⁵You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.

⁶For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

⁸We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.

⁹We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

¹⁰Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

¹¹Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies.

¹²So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.

¹³But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.”

¹⁴We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you.

¹⁵All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.

¹⁶That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.

¹⁷For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

¹⁸So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

¹As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then I heard one of the four living beings say with a voice like thunder, “Come!”

²I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.

³When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, “Come!”

⁴Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.

⁵When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.

⁶And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, “A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day’s pay. And don’t waste the olive oil and wine.”

⁷When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, “Come!”

⁸I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.

⁹When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony.

¹⁰They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?”

¹¹Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters — their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred — had joined them.

¹²I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood.

¹³Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind.

¹⁴The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places.

¹⁵Then everyone — the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person — all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.

¹⁶And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.

¹⁷For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?”

¹As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.

²A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one.

³You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street!

⁴If your boss is angry at you, don’t quit! A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes.

⁵There is another evil I have seen under the sun. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake

⁶when they give great authority to foolish people and low positions to people of proven worth.

⁷I have even seen servants riding horseback like princes — and princes walking like servants!

⁸When you dig a well, you might fall in. When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake.

⁹When you work in a quarry, stones might fall and crush you. When you chop wood, there is danger with each stroke of your ax.

¹⁰Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.

¹¹If a snake bites before you charm it, what’s the use of being a snake charmer?

¹²Wise words bring approval, but fools are destroyed by their own words.

¹³Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked madness;

¹⁴they chatter on and on. No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future.

¹⁵Fools are so exhausted by a little work that they can’t even find their way home.

¹⁶What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant, the land whose leaders feast in the morning.

¹⁷Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader and whose leaders feast at the proper time to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.

¹⁸Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house.

¹⁹A party gives laughter, wine gives happiness, and money gives everything!

²⁰Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts. And don’t make fun of the powerful, even in your own bedroom. For a little bird might deliver your message and tell them what you said.

¹When the Israelites escaped from Egypt — when the family of Jacob left that foreign land —

²the land of Judah became God’s sanctuary, and Israel became his kingdom.

³The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way! The water of the Jordan River turned away.

⁴The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs!

⁵What’s wrong, Red Sea, that made you hurry out of their way? What happened, Jordan River, that you turned away?

⁶Why, mountains, did you skip like rams? Why, hills, like lambs?

⁷Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.

⁸He turned the rock into a pool of water; yes, a spring of water flowed from solid rock.

¹The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases.

²People may be right in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their heart.

³The LORD is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices.

⁴Haughty eyes, a proud heart, and evil actions are all sin.

⁵Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

⁶Wealth created by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap.

⁷The violence of the wicked sweeps them away, because they refuse to do what is just.

⁸The guilty walk a crooked path; the innocent travel a straight road.

⁹It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.

¹⁰Evil people desire evil; their neighbors get no mercy from them.

¹¹If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded become wise; if you instruct the wise, they will be all the wiser.

¹²The Righteous One knows what is going on in the homes of the wicked; he will bring disaster on them.

¹³Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.

¹⁴A secret gift calms anger; a bribe under the table pacifies fury.

¹⁵Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.

¹⁶The person who strays from common sense will end up in the company of the dead.

¹⁷Those who love pleasure become poor; those who love wine and luxury will never be rich.

¹⁸The wicked are punished in place of the godly, and traitors in place of the honest.

¹⁹It’s better to live alone in the desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife.

²⁰The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.

²¹Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.

²²The wise conquer the city of the strong and level the fortress in which they trust.

²³Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.

²⁴Mockers are proud and haughty; they act with boundless arrogance.

²⁵Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin, for their hands refuse to work.

²⁶Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give!

²⁷The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable, especially when it is offered with wrong motives.

²⁸A false witness will be cut off, but a credible witness will be allowed to speak.

²⁹The wicked bluff their way through, but the virtuous think before they act.

³⁰No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the LORD.

³¹The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.

¹When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, which brought honor to the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions.

²She arrived in Jerusalem with a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, large quantities of gold, and precious jewels. When she met with Solomon, she talked with him about everything she had on her mind.

³Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her.

⁴When the queen of Sheba realized how very wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built,

⁵she was overwhelmed. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup-bearers, and the burnt offerings Solomon made at the Temple of the LORD.

⁶She exclaimed to the king, “Everything I heard in my country about your achievements and wisdom is true!

⁷I didn’t believe what was said until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. In fact, I had not heard the half of it! Your wisdom and prosperity are far beyond what I was told.

⁸How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom!

⁹Praise the LORD your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness.”

¹⁰Then she gave the king a gift of 9,000 pounds of gold, great quantities of spices, and precious jewels. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

¹¹(In addition, Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir, and they also brought rich cargoes of red sandalwood and precious jewels.

¹²The king used the sandalwood to make railings for the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and to construct lyres and harps for the musicians. Never before or since has there been such a supply of sandalwood.)

¹³King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for, besides all the customary gifts he had so generously given. Then she and all her attendants returned to their own land.

¹⁴Each year Solomon received about 25 tons of gold.

¹⁵This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders, all the kings of Arabia, and the governors of the land.

¹⁶King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than fifteen pounds.

¹⁷He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each weighing nearly four pounds. The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

¹⁸Then the king made a huge throne, decorated with ivory and overlaid with fine gold.

¹⁹The throne had six steps and a rounded back. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, and the figure of a lion stood on each side of the throne.

²⁰There were also twelve other lions, one standing on each end of the six steps. No other throne in all the world could be compared with it!

²¹All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver, for silver was considered worthless in Solomon’s day!

²²The king had a fleet of trading ships of Tarshish that sailed with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the ships returned, loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

²³So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth.

²⁴People from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him.

²⁵Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

²⁶Solomon built up a huge force of chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He stationed some of them in the chariot cities and some near him in Jerusalem.

²⁷The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone. And valuable cedar timber was as common as the sycamore-fig trees that grow in the foothills of Judah.

²⁸Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Cilicia ; the king’s traders acquired them from Cilicia at the standard price.

²⁹At that time chariots from Egypt could be purchased for 600 pieces of silver, and horses for 150 pieces of silver. They were then exported to the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.

¹This message was given concerning Moab. This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “What sorrow awaits the city of Nebo; it will soon lie in ruins. The city of Kiriathaim will be humiliated and captured; the fortress will be humiliated and broken down.

²No one will ever brag about Moab again, for in Heshbon there is a plot to destroy her. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘we will cut her off from being a nation.’ The town of Madmen, too, will be silenced; the sword will follow you there.

³Listen to the cries from Horonaim, cries of devastation and great destruction.

⁴All Moab is destroyed. Her little ones will cry out.

⁵Her refugees weep bitterly, climbing the slope to Luhith. They cry out in terror, descending the slope to Horonaim.

⁶Flee for your lives! Hide in the wilderness!

⁷Because you have trusted in your wealth and skill, you will be taken captive. Your god Chemosh, with his priests and officials, will be hauled off to distant lands!

⁸“All the towns will be destroyed, and no one will escape — either on the plateaus or in the valleys, for the LORD has spoken.

⁹Oh, that Moab had wings so she could fly away, for her towns will be left empty, with no one living in them.

¹⁰Cursed are those who refuse to do the LORD’s work, who hold back their swords from shedding blood!

¹¹“From his earliest history, Moab has lived in peace, never going into exile. He is like wine that has been allowed to settle. He has not been poured from flask to flask, and he is now fragrant and smooth.

¹²But the time is coming soon,” says the LORD, “when I will send men to pour him from his jar. They will pour him out, then shatter the jar!

¹³At last Moab will be ashamed of his idol Chemosh, as the people of Israel were ashamed of their gold calf at Bethel.

¹⁴“You used to boast, ‘We are heroes, mighty men of war.’

¹⁵But now Moab and his towns will be destroyed. His most promising youth are doomed to slaughter,” says the King, whose name is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

¹⁶“Destruction is coming fast for Moab; calamity threatens ominously.

¹⁷You friends of Moab, weep for him and cry! See how the strong scepter is broken, how the beautiful staff is shattered!

¹⁸“Come down from your glory and sit in the dust, you people of Dibon, for those who destroy Moab will shatter Dibon, too. They will tear down all your towers.

¹⁹You people of Aroer, stand beside the road and watch. Shout to those who flee from Moab, ‘What has happened there?’

²⁰“And the reply comes back, ‘Moab lies in ruins, disgraced; weep and wail! Tell it by the banks of the Arnon River: Moab has been destroyed!’

²¹Judgment has been poured out on the towns of the plateau — on Holon and Jahaz and Mephaath,

²²on Dibon and Nebo and Beth-diblathaim,

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

²⁴on Kerioth and Bozrah — all the towns of Moab, far and near.

²⁵“The strength of Moab has ended. His arm has been broken,” says the LORD.

²⁶“Let him stagger and fall like a drunkard, for he has rebelled against the LORD. Moab will wallow in his own vomit, ridiculed by all.

²⁷Did you not ridicule the people of Israel? Were they caught in the company of thieves that you should despise them as you do?

²⁸“You people of Moab, flee from your towns and live in the caves. Hide like doves that nest in the clefts of the rocks.

²⁹We have all heard of the pride of Moab, for his pride is very great. We know of his lofty pride, his arrogance, and his haughty heart.

³⁰I know about his insolence,” says the LORD, “but his boasts are empty — as empty as his deeds.

³¹So now I wail for Moab; yes, I will mourn for Moab. My heart is broken for the men of Kir-hareseth.

³²“You people of Sibmah, rich in vineyards, I will weep for you even more than I did for Jazer. Your spreading vines once reached as far as the Dead Sea, but the destroyer has stripped you bare! He has harvested your grapes and summer fruits.

³³Joy and gladness are gone from fruitful Moab. The presses yield no wine. No one treads the grapes with shouts of joy. There is shouting, yes, but not of joy.

³⁴“Instead, their awful cries of terror can be heard from Heshbon clear across to Elealeh and Jahaz; from Zoar all the way to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. Even the waters of Nimrim are dried up now.

³⁵“I will put an end to Moab,” says the LORD, “for the people offer sacrifices at the pagan shrines and burn incense to their false gods.

³⁶My heart moans like a flute for Moab and Kir-hareseth, for all their wealth has disappeared.

³⁷The people shave their heads and beards in mourning. They slash their hands and put on clothes made of burlap.

³⁸There is crying and sorrow in every Moabite home and on every street. For I have smashed Moab like an old, unwanted jar.

³⁹How it is shattered! Hear the wailing! See the shame of Moab! It has become an object of ridicule, an example of ruin to all its neighbors.”

⁴⁰This is what the LORD says: “Look! The enemy swoops down like an eagle, spreading his wings over Moab.

⁴¹Its cities will fall, and its strongholds will be seized. Even the mightiest warriors will be in anguish like a woman in labor.

⁴²Moab will no longer be a nation, for it has boasted against the LORD.

⁴³“Terror and traps and snares will be your lot, O Moab,” says the LORD.

⁴⁴“Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap, and those who escape the trap will step into a snare. I will see to it that you do not get away, for the time of your judgment has come,” says the LORD.

⁴⁵“The people flee as far as Heshbon but are unable to go on. For a fire comes from Heshbon, King Sihon’s ancient home, to devour the entire land with all its rebellious people.

⁴⁶“What sorrow awaits you, O people of Moab! The people of the god Chemosh are destroyed! Your sons and your daughters have been taken away as captives.

⁴⁷But I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come. I, the LORD, have spoken!” This is the end of Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning Moab.

¹On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place.

²Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.

³Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.

⁴And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

⁵At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem.

⁶When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.

⁷They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee,

⁸and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages!

⁹Here we are — Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia,

¹⁰Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome

¹¹(both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!”

¹²They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.

¹³But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”

¹⁴Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this.

¹⁵These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that.

¹⁶No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:

¹⁷‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.

¹⁸In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants — men and women alike — and they will prophesy.

¹⁹And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below — blood and fire and clouds of smoke.

²⁰The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the LORD arrives.

²¹But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.’

²²“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know.

²³But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him.

²⁴But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.

²⁵King David said this about him: ‘I see that the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

²⁶No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts his praises! My body rests in hope.

²⁷For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.

²⁸You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’

²⁹“Dear brothers, think about this! You can be sure that the patriarch David wasn’t referring to himself, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us.

³⁰But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David’s own descendants would sit on his throne.

³¹David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah’s resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave.

³²“God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this.

³³Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today.

³⁴For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said, ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand

³⁵until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”’

³⁶“So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”

³⁷Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

³⁸Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

³⁹This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away — all who have been called by the Lord our God.”

⁴⁰Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”

⁴¹Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day — about 3,000 in all.

⁴²All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper ), and to prayer.

⁴³A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.

⁴⁴And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.

⁴⁵They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.

⁴⁶They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity —

⁴⁷all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.