Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹When it was morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) conferred together against Jesus, [plotting how] to put Him to death [since under Roman rule they had no power to execute anyone];

²so they bound Him, and led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate the governor [of Judea, who had the authority to condemn prisoners to death].

³When Judas, His betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was gripped with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders,

⁴saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." They replied, "What is that to us? See to that yourself!"

⁵And throwing the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary, he left; and went away and hanged himself.

⁶The chief priests, picking up the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put these in the treasury [of the temple], because it is the price of blood."

⁷So after consultation they used the money to buy the Potter's Field as a burial place for strangers.

⁸Therefore that piece of ground has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

⁹Then the words spoken by Jeremiah the prophet were fulfilled: "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him on whom a price had been set by the sons of Israel;

¹⁰and they gave them for the Potter's Field, as the Lord directed me."

¹¹Now Jesus stood before [Pilate] the governor, and the governor asked Him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" [In affirmation] Jesus said to him, "It is as you say."

¹²But when the charges were brought against Him by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer.

¹³Then Pilate said to Him, "Do You not hear how many things they are testifying against You?"

¹⁴But Jesus did not reply to him, not even to a single accusation, so that the governor was greatly astonished.

¹⁵Now at the feast [of the Passover] the governor was in the habit of setting free any one prisoner whom the people chose.

¹⁶And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner [guilty of insurrection and murder], called Barabbas.

¹⁷So when they had assembled [for this purpose], Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to set free for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"

¹⁸For Pilate knew that it was because of jealousy that the chief priests and elders had handed Jesus over to him.

¹⁹While he was seated on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, "Have nothing to do with that righteous and innocent Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him."

²⁰But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death.

²¹The governor said to them, "Which of the two do you wish me to set free for you?" And they said, "Barabbas."

²²Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all replied, "Let Him be crucified!"

²³And he said, "Why, what has He done that is evil?" But they continued shouting all the louder, "Let Him be crucified!"

²⁴So when Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but rather that a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands [to ceremonially cleanse himself of guilt] in the presence of the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this [righteous] Man's blood; see to that yourselves."

²⁵And all the people answered, "Let [the responsibility for] His blood be on us and on our children!"

²⁶So he set Barabbas free for them; but after having Jesus severely whipped (scourged), he handed Him over to be crucified.

²⁷Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium, and they gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him.

²⁸They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on Him [as a king's robe].

²⁹And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a reed in His right hand [as a scepter]. Kneeling before Him, they ridiculed Him, saying, "Hail (rejoice), King of the Jews!"

³⁰They spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him repeatedly on the head.

³¹After they finished ridiculing Him, they stripped Him of the scarlet robe and put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

³²Now as they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they forced into service to carry the cross of Jesus.

³³And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull,

³⁴they offered Him wine mixed with gall (myrrh, a bitter-tasting narcotic) to drink; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.

³⁵And when they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes among them by casting lots.

³⁶Then sitting down there, they began to keep watch over Him [to guard against any rescue attempt].

³⁷And above His head they put the accusation against Him which read, " THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS."

³⁸At the same time two robbers were crucified with Jesus, one on the right and one on the left.

³⁹Those who passed by were hurling abuse at Him and jeering at Him, wagging their heads [in scorn and ridicule],

⁴⁰and they said [tauntingly], "You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself [from death]! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."

⁴¹In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying,

⁴²"He saved others [from death]; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him and acknowledge Him.

⁴³He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'"

⁴⁴The robbers who had been crucified with Him also began to insult Him in the same way.

⁴⁵Now from the sixth hour (noon) there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.).

⁴⁶About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud [agonized] voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

⁴⁷When some of the bystanders there heard it, they began saying, "This man is calling for Elijah."

⁴⁸Immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, soaked it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.

⁴⁹But the rest said, "Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him [from death]."

⁵⁰And Jesus cried out again with a loud [agonized] voice, and gave up His spirit [voluntarily, sovereignly dismissing and releasing His spirit from His body in submission to His Father's plan].

⁵¹And [at once] the veil [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; the earth shook and the rocks were split apart.

⁵²The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints (God's people) who had fallen asleep [in death] were raised [to life];

⁵³and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city (Jerusalem) and appeared to many people.

⁵⁴Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, they were terribly frightened and filled with awe, and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

⁵⁵There were also many women there looking on from a distance, who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him.

⁵⁶Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and [Salome] the mother of Zebedee's sons [James and John].

⁵⁷When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus.

⁵⁸He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus [so that he might bury Him], and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.

⁵⁹And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth (burial wrapping),

⁶⁰and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock; and he rolled a large stone over the entrance of the tomb and went away.

⁶¹And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

⁶²The next day, that is, the day after the [day of] preparation [for the Sabbath], the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled before Pilate,

⁶³and said, "Sir, we have remembered that when He was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise [from the dead].'

⁶⁴Therefore, give orders to have the tomb made secure and safeguarded until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and tell the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last deception [the reporting of His resurrection] will be worse than the first [the reporting that He is the Messiah]."

⁶⁵Pilate said to them, "You have a guard [of soldiers]; go [with them], make the tomb as secure as you know how."

⁶⁶So they went and made the tomb secure, and along with [stationing] a guard of soldiers [to be on watch] they set a seal on the stone.

¹'You shall not make idols for yourselves, nor shall you erect an image, a sacred pillar or an obelisk, nor shall you place any figured stone in your land so that you may bow down to it; for I am the LORD your God.

²You shall keep My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD.

³If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and [obediently] do them,

⁴then I will give you rain in its season, and the land will yield her produce and the trees of the field bear their fruit.

⁵And your threshing season will last until grape gathering and the grape gathering [time] will last until planting, and you will eat your bread and be filled and live securely in your land.

⁶I will also grant peace in the land, so that you may lie down and there will be no one to make you afraid. I will also eliminate harmful animals from the land, and no sword will pass through your land.

⁷And you will chase your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword.

⁸Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will put ten thousand to flight; your enemies will fall before you by the sword.

⁹For I will turn toward you [with favor and regard] and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will establish and confirm My covenant with you.

¹⁰You will eat the old supply of [abundant] produce, and clear out the old [to make room] for the new.

¹¹I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject nor separate itself from you.

¹²I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.

¹³I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves; and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk upright [with heads held high as free men].

¹⁴'But if you do not obey Me and do not [obediently] do all these commandments,

¹⁵if, instead, you reject My statutes, and if your soul rejects My ordinances, so that you will not [obediently] do all My commandments, and in this way break My covenant,

¹⁶I, in turn, will do this to you: I will appoint over you sudden terror, consumption, and fever that will waste away the eyes and cause the soul to languish also. And you will sow your seed uselessly, for your enemies will eat what you plant.

¹⁷I will set My face against you so that you will be struck down before your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one is pursuing you.

¹⁸If in spite of all this you still will not listen to Me and be obedient, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.

¹⁹I will break your pride in your power, and I will make your sky like iron [giving no rain and blocking all prayers] and your ground like bronze [hard to plow and yielding no produce].

²⁰Your strength will be spent uselessly, for your land will not yield its produce and the trees of the land will not yield their fruit.

²¹'If then, you act with hostility toward Me and are unwilling to obey Me, I will increase the plague on you seven times in accordance with your sins.

²²I will let loose the [wild] animals of the field among you, which will bereave you of your children and destroy your livestock and make you so few in number that your roads will lie deserted and desolate.

²³'And if by these things you are not turned to Me, but act with hostility against Me,

²⁴then I also will act with hostility against you, and I will strike you seven times for your sins.

²⁵I will bring a sword on you that will execute vengeance for [breaking] the covenant; and when you gather together in your cities, I will send pestilence (virulent disease) among you, and you shall be handed over to the enemy.

²⁶When I break your staff of bread [that is, cut off your supply of food], ten women will bake your bread in one oven, and they will ration your bread; and you will eat and not be satisfied.

²⁷'Yet if in spite of this you will not [attentively] listen to Me but act with hostility against me,

²⁸then I will act with hostility against you in wrath, and I also will punish you seven times for your sins.

²⁹You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters.

³⁰I will destroy your high places [devoted to idolatrous worship], and cut down your incense altars, and heap your dead bodies upon the [crushed] bodies of your idols, and My soul will detest you [with deep and unutterable loathing].

³¹I will lay waste your cities as well and will make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your sweet and soothing aromas [of offerings by fire].

³²I will make the land desolate, and your enemies who settle in it will be appalled at it.

³³I will scatter you among the nations and draw out the sword [of your enemies] after you; your land will become desolate and your cities will become ruins.

³⁴'Then the land [of Israel] will enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate, while you are in your enemies' land; then the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths.

³⁵As long as it lies desolate, it will have rest, the rest it did not have on your Sabbaths, while you were living on it.

³⁶As for those who are left of you, I will bring despair (lack of courage, weakness) into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; the sound of a scattered leaf will put them to flight, and they will flee as if [running] from the sword, and will fall even when no one is chasing them.

³⁷They shall stumble over one another as if to escape from a sword when no one is chasing them; and you will have no power to stand before your enemies.

³⁸You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will consume you.

³⁹Those of you who are left will rot away because of their wickedness in the lands of your enemies; also because of the wickedness of their forefathers they will rot away like them.

⁴⁰'If they confess their wickedness and the wickedness of their forefathers, in their unfaithfulness which they have committed against Me—and also in their acting with hostility toward Me—

⁴¹I also was acting with hostility toward them and brought them into the land of their enemies—then if their uncircumcised (sin-filled) hearts are humbled and they accept the punishment for their wickedness,

⁴²then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and also My covenant with Isaac, and also My covenant with Abraham, and remember the land.

⁴³But the land will be abandoned by them and will enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them; and they will accept the punishment for their wickedness and make amends because they rejected My ordinances and their soul rejected My statutes.

⁴⁴Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so despise them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God.

⁴⁵But I will, for their sake, [earnestly] remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I have brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.'"

⁴⁶These are the statutes, ordinances, and laws which the LORD established between Himself and the Israelites through Moses at Mount Sinai.

¹Working together with Him, we strongly urge you not to receive God's grace in vain [by turning away from sound doctrine and His merciful kindness].

²For He says, "At the acceptable time (the time of grace) I listened to you, And I helped you on the day of salvation." Behold, now is "the acceptable time," behold, now is "the day of salvation"—

³we put no obstruction in anyone's path, so that the ministry will not be discredited,

⁴but we commend ourselves in every way as servants of God: in great endurance, in sufferings, in hardships, in distresses,

⁵in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in labors, in sleepless nights, in hunger,

⁶in purity and sincerity, in knowledge and spiritual insight, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love,

⁷in [speaking] the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand [like holding the sword to attack] and for the left [like holding the shield to defend],

⁸amid glory and dishonor; by evil report and good report; branded as deceivers and yet [vindicated as] truthful;

⁹as unknown [to the world], yet well-known [by God and His people]; as dying, yet we live; as punished, yet not killed;

¹⁰as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet bestowing riches on many; as having nothing, yet possessing all things.

¹¹We are speaking freely to you, Corinthians [we are keeping nothing back], and our heart is opened wide.

¹²There is no limit to our affection for you, but you are limited in your own affection [for us].

¹³Now in the same way as a fair exchange [for our love toward you]—I am speaking as [I would] to children—open wide [your hearts] to us also.

¹⁴Do not be unequally bound together with unbelievers [do not make mismatched alliances with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership can righteousness have with lawlessness? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

¹⁵What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial (Satan)? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

¹⁶What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said: "I will dwell among them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

¹⁷"So come out from among unbelievers and be separate," says the Lord, "And do not touch what is unclean; And I will graciously receive you and welcome you [with favor],

¹⁸And I will be a Father to you, And you will be My sons and daughters," Says the Lord Almighty.

¹When He (the Lamb) broke open the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour [in awe of God's impending judgment].

²Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

³Another angel came and stood at the altar. He had a golden censer, and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints (God's people) on the golden altar in front of the throne.

⁴And the smoke and fragrant aroma of the incense, with the prayers of the saints (God's people), ascended before God from the angel's hand.

⁵So the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder and loud rumblings and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

⁶Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them [initiating the judgments].

⁷The first [angel] sounded [his trumpet], and there was [a storm of] hail and fire, mixed with blood, and it was hurled to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

⁸The second angel sounded [his trumpet], and something like a great mountain blazing with fire was hurled into the sea; and a third of the sea was turned to blood;

⁹and a third of the living creatures that were in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰The third angel sounded [his trumpet], and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch [flashing across the sky], and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of [fresh] waters.

¹¹The name of the star is Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the waters, because they had become bitter (toxic).

¹²Then the fourth angel sounded [his trumpet], and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and a third of the daylight would not shine, and the night in the same way [would not shine].

¹³Then I looked, and I heard a solitary eagle flying in midheaven [for all to see], saying with a loud voice, " Woe, woe, woe [great wrath is coming] to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpets which the three angels are about to sound [announcing ever greater judgments]!"

¹Remember [thoughtfully] also your Creator in the days of your youth [for you are not your own, but His], before the evil days come or the years draw near when you will say [of physical pleasures], "I have no enjoyment and delight in them";

²before the sun and the light, and the moon and the stars are darkened [by impaired vision], and the clouds [of depression] return after the rain [of tears];

³in the day when the keepers of the house (hands, arms) tremble, and the strong men (feet, knees) bow themselves, and the grinders (molar teeth) cease because they are few, and those (eyes) who look through the windows grow dim;

⁴when the doors (lips) are shut in the streets and the sound of the grinding [of the teeth] is low, and one rises at the sound of a bird and the crowing of a rooster, and all the daughters of music (voice, ears) sing softly.

⁵Furthermore, they are afraid of a high place and of dangers on the road; the almond tree (hair) blossoms [white], and the grasshopper (a little thing) is a burden, and the caperberry (desire, appetite) fails. For man goes to his eternal home and the mourners go about the streets and market places.

⁶Earnestly remember your Creator before the silver cord [of life] is broken, or the golden bowl is crushed, or the pitcher at the fountain is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed;

⁷then the dust [out of which God made man's body] will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

⁸"Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher. "All [that is done without God's guidance] is vanity (futility)."

⁹Furthermore, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; and he pondered and searched out and arranged many proverbs.

¹⁰The Preacher sought to find delightful words, even to write correctly words of truth.

¹¹The words of the wise are like [prodding] goads, and these collected sayings are [firmly fixed in the mind] like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd.

¹²But beyond this my son, [about going further than the words given by one Shepherd], be warned: the writing of many books is endless [so do not believe everything you read], and excessive study and devotion to books is wearying to the body.

¹³When all has been heard, the end of the matter is: fear God [worship Him with awe-filled reverence, knowing that He is almighty God] and keep His commandments, for this applies to every person.

¹⁴For God will bring every act to judgment, every hidden and secret thing, whether it is good or evil.

¹I love the LORD, because He hears [and continues to hear] My voice and my supplications (my pleas, my cries, my specific needs).

²Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.

³The cords and sorrows of death encompassed me, And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow.

⁴Then I called on the name of the LORD: "O LORD, please save my life!"

⁵Gracious is the LORD, and [consistently] righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate.

⁶The LORD protects the simple (childlike); I was brought low [humbled and discouraged], and He saved me.

⁷Return to your rest, O my soul, For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.

⁸For You have rescued my life from death, My eyes from tears, And my feet from stumbling and falling.

⁹I will walk [in submissive wonder] before the LORD In the land of the living.

¹⁰I believed [and clung to my God] when I said, "I am greatly afflicted."

¹¹I said in my alarm, "All men are liars."

¹²What will I give to the LORD [in return] For all His benefits toward me? [How can I repay Him for His precious blessings?]

¹³I will lift up the cup of salvation And call on the name of the LORD.

¹⁴I will pay my vows to the LORD, Yes, in the presence of all His people.

¹⁵Precious [and of great consequence] in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones [so He watches over them].

¹⁶O LORD, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid; You have unfastened my chains.

¹⁷I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call on the name of the LORD.

¹⁸I will pay my vows to the LORD, Yes, in the presence of all His people,

¹⁹In the courts of the Lord's house (temple)— In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD! (Hallelujah!)

¹When you sit down to dine with a ruler, Consider carefully what is [set] before you;

²For you will put a knife to your throat If you are a man of great appetite.

³Do not desire his delicacies, For it is deceptive food [offered to you with questionable motives].

⁴Do not weary yourself [with the overwhelming desire] to gain wealth; Cease from your own understanding of it.

⁵When you set your eyes on wealth, it is [suddenly] gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies to the heavens.

⁶Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies;

⁷For as he thinks in his heart, so is he [in behavior—one who manipulates]. He says to you, "Eat and drink," Yet his heart is not with you [but it is begrudging the cost].

⁸The morsel which you have eaten you will vomit up, And you will waste your compliments.

⁹Do not speak in the ears of a fool, For he will despise the [godly] wisdom of your words.

¹⁰Do not move the ancient landmark [at the boundary of the property] And do not go into the fields of the fatherless [to take what is theirs],

¹¹For their Redeemer is strong and mighty; He will plead their case against you.

¹²Apply your heart to discipline And your ears to words of knowledge.

¹³Do not withhold discipline from the child; If you swat him with a reed-like rod [applied with godly wisdom], he will not die.

¹⁴You shall swat him with the reed-like rod And rescue his life from Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).

¹⁵My son, if your heart is wise, My heart will also be glad;

¹⁶Yes, my heart will rejoice When your lips speak right things.

¹⁷Do not let your heart envy sinners [who live godless lives and have no hope of salvation], But [continue to] live in the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the LORD day by day.

¹⁸Surely there is a future [and a reward], And your hope and expectation will not be cut off.

¹⁹Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way [of the LORD].

²⁰Do not associate with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat,

²¹For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And the drowsiness [of overindulgence] will clothe one with rags.

²²Listen to your father, who sired you, And do not despise your mother when she is old.

²³Buy truth, and do not sell it; Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.

²⁴The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who sires a wise child will have joy in him.

²⁵Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her who gave birth to you rejoice [in your wise and godly choices].

²⁶My son, give me your heart And let your eyes delight in my ways,

²⁷For a prostitute is a deep pit, And an immoral woman is a narrow well.

²⁸She lurks and lies in wait like a robber [who waits for prey], And she increases the faithless among men.

²⁹Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Whose eyes are red and dim?

³⁰Those who linger long over wine, Those who go to taste mixed wine.

³¹Do not look at wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the glass, When it goes down smoothly.

³²At the last it bites like a serpent And stings like a viper.

³³Your [drunken] eyes will see strange things And your mind will utter perverse things [untrue things, twisted things].

³⁴And you will be [as unsteady] as one who lies down in the middle of the sea, And [as vulnerable to disaster] as one who lies down on the top of a ship's mast, saying,

³⁵"They struck me, but I was not hurt! They beat me, but I did not feel it! When will I wake up? I will seek more wine."

¹Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.

²Now when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard about it, he was living in Egypt (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon).

³So they sent word and called for him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

⁴"Your father made our yoke (burden) heavy; so now lighten the hard labor and the heavy yoke your father imposed on us, and we will serve you."

⁵Rehoboam replied to them, "Leave for three days, then come back to me [for my decision]." So the people left.

⁶King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served and advised his father Solomon while he was still alive and said, "How do you advise me to answer this people?"

⁷They spoke to him, saying, "If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and grant their request, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever."

⁸But he ignored the advice which the elders gave him and consulted the young men who grew up with him and served him.

⁹He said to them, "What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, 'Lighten the yoke (burden) which your father put on us'?"

¹⁰The young men who had grown up with him answered, "This is what you should say to this people who told you, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but as for you, make our yoke lighter'—say this to them: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins [and my reign will be even more severe].

¹¹And now, whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'"

¹²Jeroboam and all the people came back to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had instructed, saying, "Return to me on the third day."

¹³The king answered the people harshly and ignored the advice which the elders had given him,

¹⁴and spoke to them in accordance with the advice of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but as for me, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions."

¹⁵So the king did not listen to the people; for the situation was from the LORD, so that He might fulfill His word which He spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

¹⁶So when all [the ten northern tribes of] Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people replied to the king, saying, "What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; To your tents, O Israel! Look now after your own house, David!" Then Israel went back to their tents.

¹⁷But as for the sons (descendants) of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah [including Benjamin], Rehoboam reigned over them.

¹⁸Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was in charge of the forced labor [to represent him], and all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam quickly mounted his chariot to escape to Jerusalem.

¹⁹So Israel (the ten northern tribes) has rebelled against the house (royal line) of David to this day (the date of this writing).

²⁰It came about when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent word and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. None followed the house of David except the tribe of Judah [including Benjamin].

²¹Now when Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he assembled all the [fighting men from the] house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel to bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.

²²But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,

²³"Tell Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and all the house (fighting men) of Judah and Benjamin and the rest of the people,

²⁴'Thus says the LORD, "You shall not go up and fight against your brothers, the sons of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing has come about from Me."'" So they listened to the word of the LORD and returned to go home, in accordance with the word of the LORD.

²⁵Then Jeroboam built Shechem [as his royal city] in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. He went out from there and rebuilt Penuel [as a stronghold].

²⁶Jeroboam [doubted God's promise to him and] said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David.

²⁷If these people go up to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, then their heart will turn to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah."

²⁸So the king took counsel [and followed bad advice] and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, "It is too much for you to go [all the way] up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt."

²⁹He set the one [golden calf] in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.

³⁰Now this thing became a sin [for Israel]; because the people went to worship before the one [or the other of them] as far as Dan.

³¹And Jeroboam also made houses on high places, and he made priests from all people who were not of the sons (descendants) of Levi.

³²Jeroboam held a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast which is kept in Judah, and he went up to the altar; he did this in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.

³³So he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart [in defiance of God's commandments]; and he held a feast for the Israelites and he went up to the altar to burn incense [in defiance of God's law.]

¹The word that the LORD spoke concerning Babylon and concerning the land of the Chaldeans through Jeremiah the prophet:

²"Declare among the nations. Lift up a signal [to spread the news]—publish and proclaim it, Do not conceal it; say, 'Babylon has been taken, Bel [the patron god] has been shamed, Marduk (Bel) has been shattered. Babylon's images have been shamed, her [worthless] idols have been thrown down.'

³For out of the north a nation (Media) has come against her which will make her land desolate, and no one will live there. They have fled, they have gone away—both man and animal.

⁴"In those days and at that time," says the LORD, "the children of Israel will come, they and the children of Judah together; they will come up weeping [in repentance] as they come and seek the LORD their God [inquiring for and of Him].

⁵They will ask the way to Zion, with their faces in that direction, saying, 'Come, let us join ourselves to the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.'

⁶"My people have become lost sheep; Their shepherds have led them astray. They have made them turn aside [to the seductive places of idolatry] on the mountains. They have gone along [from one sin to another] from mountain to hill; They have forgotten their [own] resting place.

⁷"All who found them have devoured them; And their adversaries have said, 'We are not guilty, Because they have sinned against the LORD [and are no longer holy to Him], their [true] habitation of righteousness and justice, Even the LORD, the [confident] hope of their fathers.'

⁸"Wander away from the midst of Babylon And go out of the land of the Chaldeans; Be like the male goats [who serve as leaders] at the head of the flocks.

⁹"For behold, I will stir up and bring up against Babylon An assembly of great nations from the north country. They will equip themselves and set up the battle lines against her; From there she will be taken captive. Their arrows will be like an expert warrior Who will not return empty-handed.

¹⁰"Chaldea will become plunder; All who plunder her will be satisfied," says the LORD.

¹¹"Though you are glad, though you rejoice, O you who plunder My heritage, Though you are wanton and skip about like a heifer in the grass And neigh like stallions,

¹²Your mother [Babylon] shall be greatly shamed; She who gave you birth will be ashamed. Behold, she will be the least of the nations, A wilderness, a parched land and a desert.

¹³"Because of the wrath of the LORD she will not be inhabited But she will be completely desolate; Everyone who goes by Babylon will be appalled And will hiss (mock) at all her wounds and plagues.

¹⁴"Set yourselves in battle formation against Babylon on every side, All you archers. Shoot at her! Do not spare the arrows, For she has sinned against the LORD.

¹⁵"Raise the battle cry against her on every side! She has given her hand [in agreement] and has surrendered; her pillars have fallen, Her walls have been torn down. For this is the vengeance of the LORD: Take vengeance on her; As she has done [to others], do to her.

¹⁶"Cut off the sower from Babylon And the one who handles the sickle at the time of harvest. For fear of the sword of the oppressor Everyone will return to his own people And everyone will flee to his own land.

¹⁷Israel is a hunted and scattered flock [driven here and there as prey]; the lions have chased them away. First the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken (gnawed) his bones.

¹⁸Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I will visit (inspect, examine) and punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I visited and punished the king of Assyria.

¹⁹And I will bring Israel [home] again to his pasture and he will graze on [the most fertile lands of] Carmel [in the west] and Bashan [in the east], and his soul will be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.

²⁰In those days and at that time,' says the LORD, 'a search will be made for the wickedness of Israel, but there will be none and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.'

²¹"Go against [Babylon] the land of Merathaim (Double Rebellion), Go up against it and against the people of Pekod (Punishment). Kill and utterly destroy them," says the LORD, "And do everything that I have commanded you."

²²"The noise of battle is in the land, And [the noise of] great destruction.

²³"How the hammer of the whole earth Is crushed and broken! How Babylon has become A horror [of desolation] among the nations!

²⁴"I set a trap for you and you also were caught, O Babylon, And you did not know it; You have been found and also seized Because you have struggled against the LORD."

²⁵The LORD has opened His armory And has brought out [the nations who unknowingly are] the weapons of His indignation (wrath), For it is a work of the Lord GOD of hosts In the land of the Chaldeans.

²⁶Come against her from the farthest border. Open her storehouses; Pile it up like heaps of rubbish. Burn and destroy her completely; Let nothing be left of her.

²⁷Kill all her young bulls [her strength—her young men]; Let them go down to the slaughter! Woe (judgment is coming) to the Chaldeans, for their day has come, The time of their punishment.

²⁸Listen to the voice of the refugees who flee and escape from the land of Babylon, Proclaiming in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, The vengeance [of the LORD against the Chaldeans] for [plundering and destroying] His temple.

²⁹"Call together many [archers] against Babylon, All those who bend the bow. Encamp against her on every side; Let no one from there escape. Repay her according to her actions; Just as she has done, do to her. For she has been proudly defiant and presumptuous against the LORD, Against the Holy One of Israel.

³⁰"Therefore her young men will fall in her streets, And all her soldiers will be destroyed on that day," says the LORD.

³¹"Behold, I am against you, [O Babylon, you] arrogant one, [you who are pride and presumption personified]," Says the Lord GOD of hosts, "For your day has come, The time when I will punish you.

³²"The arrogant (proud) one will stumble and fall With no one to raise him up; And I will set fire to his cities And it will devour all who are around him."

³³Thus says the LORD of hosts, "The children of Israel are oppressed, And the children of Judah as well; And all who took them captive have held them tightly, They have refused to let them go.

³⁴"Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is His name. He will most certainly plead their case and defend their cause So that He may bring rest to their land, But turmoil to the inhabitants of Babylon.

³⁵"A sword against the Chaldeans," says the LORD, "And against the inhabitants of Babylon And against her princes (officials, civic rulers) and against her wise men (astrologers, religious rulers)!

³⁶"A sword against the oracle priests (the babbling liars), and they will become fools! A sword against her mighty warriors, and they will be shattered and destroyed!

³⁷"A sword against their horses and against their chariots And against all the foreign troops that are in her midst, And they will become [as weak and defenseless as] women! A sword against her treasures, and they will be plundered!

³⁸"A drought on her waters, and they will dry up! For it is a land of [worthless] idols, And they are mad over fearsome idols [those objects of terror in which they foolishly trust].

³⁹"Therefore wild beasts of the desert will live there [in Babylon] with the jackals; The ostriches also will live there, And it will never again be inhabited [with people] Or lived in from generation to generation.

⁴⁰"As when God overthrew Sodom And Gomorrah and their neighboring cities," says the LORD, "So no man will live there; Nor shall any son of man live there."

⁴¹"Behold, a people is coming from the north, And a great nation and many kings Will be stirring from the remote parts of the earth.

⁴²"They seize their bow and spear; They are cruel and have no compassion. They sound like the roaring of the sea; They ride on horses, Every man equipped like a man [ready] for the battle Against you, O Daughter of Babylon.

⁴³"The king of Babylon has heard the report about them, And his hands fall limp and helpless; Anguish has seized him, And agony like that of a woman in childbirth.

⁴⁴"See, one will come up like a lion from the thicket of the Jordan against the enduring habitation [of Babylon] and its watered pastures; for in an instant I will make Babylon run from his land. I will appoint over Babylon the one whom I choose. For who is like Me, and who will summon Me [into court] and prosecute Me [for this]? Who is the [earthly] shepherd who can stand [defiantly] before Me?"

⁴⁵Therefore hear the plan of the LORD which He has devised against Babylon, and hear what He has purposed against [the inhabitants of the land of] the Chaldeans: surely they will be dragged away, [even] the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their habitation desolate because of them.

⁴⁶At the shout, "Babylon has been seized!" the earth quakes, and an outcry is heard among the nations.

¹And while Peter and John were talking to the people, the priests and the captain [who was in charge of the temple area and] of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,

²being extremely disturbed and thoroughly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in [the case of] Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

³So they arrested them and put them in jail until the next day, because it was evening.

⁴But many of those who heard the message [of salvation] believed [in Jesus and accepted Him as the Christ]. And the number of the men came to be about 5,000.

⁵On the next day, their magistrates and elders and scribes (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) were gathered together in Jerusalem;

⁶and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all others who were of high-priestly descent.

⁷When they had put the men in front of them, they repeatedly asked, "By what sort of power, or in what name [that is, by what kind of authority], did you do this [healing]?"

⁸Then Peter, filled with [the power of] the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers and elders of the people [members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Court],

⁹if we are being put on trial today [to interrogate us] for a good deed done to [benefit] a disabled man, as to how this man has been restored to health,

¹⁰let it be known and clearly understood by all of you, and by all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you [demanded be] crucified [by the Romans and], whom God raised from the dead—in this name [that is, by the authority and power of Jesus] this man stands here before you in good health.

¹¹This Jesus is the stone which was despised and rejected by you, the builders, but which became thechief Cornerstone.

¹²And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among people by which we must be saved [for God has provided the world no alternative for salvation]."

¹³Now when the men of the Sanhedrin (Jewish High Court) saw the confidence and boldness of Peter and John, and grasped the fact that they were uneducated and untrained [ordinary] men, they were astounded, and began to recognize that they had been with Jesus.

¹⁴And seeing the man who had been healed standing there with them, they had nothing to say in reply.

¹⁵But after ordering them to step out of the Council [chamber], they began to confer among themselves,

¹⁶saying, "What are we to do with these men? For the fact that an extraordinary miracle has taken place through them is public knowledge and clearly evident to all the residents of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

¹⁷But to keep it from spreading further among the people and the nation, let us [sternly] warn them not to speak again to anyone in this name."

¹⁸So they sent for them, and commanded them not to speak [as His representatives] or teach at all in the name of Jesus [using Him as their authority].

¹⁹But Peter and John replied to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you and obey you rather than God, you must judge [for yourselves];

²⁰for we, on our part, cannot stop telling [people] about what we have seen and heard."

²¹When the rulers and Council members had threatened them further, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because [of their fear] of the people, for they were all praising and glorifying and honoring God for what had happened;

²²for the man to whom this sign (attesting miracle) of healing had happened was more than forty years old.

²³After Peter and John were released, they returned to their own [people] and reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them.

²⁴And when they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, "O Sovereign Lord [having complete power and authority], it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them,

²⁵who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David, Your servant, said, 'Why did the nations (Gentiles) become arrogant and rage, And the peoples devise futile things [against the Lord]?

²⁶'The kings of the earth took their stand [to attack], And the rulers were assembled together Against the Lord and against His Anointed (the Christ, the Messiah).'

²⁷For in this city there were gathered together against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,

²⁸to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined [before the creation of the world] to occur [and so without knowing it, they served Your own purpose].

²⁹And now, Lord, observe their threats [take them into account] and grant that Your bond-servants may declare Your message [of salvation] with great confidence,

³⁰while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders (attesting miracles) take place through the name [and the authority and power] of Your holy Servant and Son Jesus."

³¹And when they had prayed, the place where they were meeting together was shaken [a sign of God's presence]; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness and courage.

³²Now the company of believers was of one heart and soul, and not one [of them] claimed that anything belonging to him was [exclusively] his own, but everything was common property and for the use of all.

³³And with great ability and power the apostles were continuously testifying to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace [God's remarkable lovingkindness and favor and goodwill] rested richly upon them all.

³⁴There was not a needy person among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them, and bringing the proceeds of the sales

³⁵and placing the money down at the apostles' feet. Then it was distributed to each as anyone had need.

³⁶Now Joseph, a Levite and native of Cyprus, who was surnamed Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement),

³⁷sold a field belonging to him and brought the money and set it at the apostles' feet.