Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

²As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.”

³“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’ ”

⁴John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

⁵Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

⁶Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

⁷And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.

⁸I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

⁹It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

¹⁰And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.

¹¹Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

¹²Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.

¹³And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

¹⁴Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

¹⁵and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

¹⁶And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

¹⁷Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

¹⁸They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

¹⁹When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.

²⁰And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

²¹Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.

²²And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

²³Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out,

²⁴saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

²⁵But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!”

²⁶And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.

²⁷Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”

²⁸And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

²⁹Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

³⁰But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.

³¹So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

³²At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.

³³And the whole city was gathered together at the door.

³⁴Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

³⁵Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.

³⁶And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.

³⁷When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”

³⁸But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”

³⁹And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.

⁴⁰Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

⁴¹Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”

⁴²As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.

⁴³And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once,

⁴⁴and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

⁴⁵However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

¹Now the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying:

²“Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male individually,

³from twenty years old and above—all who are able to go to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall number them by their armies.

⁴And with you there shall be a man from every tribe, each one the head of his father’s house.

⁵“These are the names of the men who shall stand with you: from Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;

⁶from Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai;

⁷from Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab;

⁸from Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar;

⁹from Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon;

¹⁰from the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; from Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur;

¹¹from Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni;

¹²from Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai;

¹³from Asher, Pagiel the son of Ocran;

¹⁴from Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel;

¹⁵from Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.”

¹⁶These were chosen from the congregation, leaders of their fathers’ tribes, heads of the divisions in Israel.

¹⁷Then Moses and Aaron took these men who had been mentioned by name,

¹⁸and they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month; and they recited their ancestry by families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, each one individually.

¹⁹As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.

²⁰Now the children of Reuben, Israel’s oldest son, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war:

²¹those who were numbered of the tribe of Reuben were forty-six thousand five hundred.

²²From the children of Simeon, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, of those who were numbered, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war:

²³those who were numbered of the tribe of Simeon were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.

²⁴From the children of Gad, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war:

²⁵those who were numbered of the tribe of Gad were forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty.

²⁶From the children of Judah, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war:

²⁷those who were numbered of the tribe of Judah were seventy-four thousand six hundred.

²⁸From the children of Issachar, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war:

²⁹those who were numbered of the tribe of Issachar were fifty-four thousand four hundred.

³⁰From the children of Zebulun, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war:

³¹those who were numbered of the tribe of Zebulun were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.

³²From the sons of Joseph, the children of Ephraim, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war:

³³those who were numbered of the tribe of Ephraim were forty thousand five hundred.

³⁴From the children of Manasseh, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war:

³⁵those who were numbered of the tribe of Manasseh were thirty-two thousand two hundred.

³⁶From the children of Benjamin, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war:

³⁷those who were numbered of the tribe of Benjamin were thirty-five thousand four hundred.

³⁸From the children of Dan, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war:

³⁹those who were numbered of the tribe of Dan were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.

⁴⁰From the children of Asher, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war:

⁴¹those who were numbered of the tribe of Asher were forty-one thousand five hundred.

⁴²From the children of Naphtali, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war:

⁴³those who were numbered of the tribe of Naphtali were fifty-three thousand four hundred.

⁴⁴These are the ones who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, with the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each one representing his father’s house.

⁴⁵So all who were numbered of the children of Israel, by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war in Israel—

⁴⁶all who were numbered were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty.

⁴⁷But the Levites were not numbered among them by their fathers’ tribe;

⁴⁸for the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying:

⁴⁹“Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, nor take a census of them among the children of Israel;

⁵⁰but you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, over all its furnishings, and over all things that belong to it; they shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they shall attend to it and camp around the tabernacle.

⁵¹And when the tabernacle is to go forward, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall set it up. The outsider who comes near shall be put to death.

⁵²The children of Israel shall pitch their tents, everyone by his own camp, everyone by his own standard, according to their armies;

⁵³but the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony, that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the children of Israel; and the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony.”

⁵⁴Thus the children of Israel did; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so they did.

¹Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia:

²that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.

³For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing,

⁴imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.

⁵And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.

⁶So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well.

⁷But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also.

⁸I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.

⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

¹⁰And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago;

¹¹but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have.

¹²For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.

¹³For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened;

¹⁴but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality.

¹⁵As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”

¹⁶But thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.

¹⁷For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord.

¹⁸And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches,

¹⁹and not only that, but who was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us to the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind,

²⁰avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us—

²¹providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

²²And we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, because of the great confidence which we have in you.

²³If anyone inquires about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.

²⁴Therefore show to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf.

¹I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.

²He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,

³and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.

⁴Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”

⁵The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven

⁶and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer,

⁷but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.

⁸Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.”

⁹So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.” And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”

¹⁰Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.

¹¹And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

¹I am the rose of Sharon, And the lily of the valleys.

²Like a lily among thorns, So is my love among the daughters.

³Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, So is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, And his fruit was sweet to my taste.

⁴He brought me to the banqueting house, And his banner over me was love.

⁵Sustain me with cakes of raisins, Refresh me with apples, For I am lovesick.

⁶His left hand is under my head, And his right hand embraces me.

⁷I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the does of the field, Do not stir up nor awaken love Until it pleases.

⁸The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes Leaping upon the mountains, Skipping upon the hills.

⁹My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he stands behind our wall; He is looking through the windows, Gazing through the lattice.

¹⁰My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away.

¹¹For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone.

¹²The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land.

¹³The fig tree puts forth her green figs, And the vines with the tender grapes Give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away!

¹⁴“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the secret places of the cliff, Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, And your face is lovely.”

¹⁵Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes.

¹⁶My beloved is mine, and I am his. He feeds his flock among the lilies.

¹⁷Until the day breaks And the shadows flee away, Turn, my beloved, And be like a gazelle Or a young stag Upon the mountains of Bether.

¹Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

²Let Israel now say, “His mercy endures forever.”

³Let the house of Aaron now say, “His mercy endures forever.”

⁴Let those who fear the LORD now say, “His mercy endures forever.”

⁵I called on the LORD in distress; The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.

⁶The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

⁷The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.

⁸It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man.

⁹It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes.

¹⁰All nations surrounded me, But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.

¹¹They surrounded me, Yes, they surrounded me; But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.

¹²They surrounded me like bees; They were quenched like a fire of thorns; For in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.

¹³You pushed me violently, that I might fall, But the LORD helped me.

¹⁴The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.

¹⁵The voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.

¹⁶The right hand of the LORD is exalted; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.

¹⁷I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the LORD.

¹⁸The LORD has chastened me severely, But He has not given me over to death.

¹⁹Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the LORD.

²⁰This is the gate of the LORD, Through which the righteous shall enter.

²¹I will praise You, For You have answered me, And have become my salvation.

²²The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.

²³This was the LORD’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.

²⁴This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

²⁵Save now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.

²⁶Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.

²⁷God is the LORD, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.

²⁸You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You.

²⁹Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

¹These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied:

²It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

³As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, So the heart of kings is unsearchable.

⁴Take away the dross from silver, And it will go to the silversmith for jewelry.

⁵Take away the wicked from before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness.

⁶Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the place of the great;

⁷For it is better that he say to you, “Come up here,” Than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince, Whom your eyes have seen.

⁸Do not go hastily to court; For what will you do in the end, When your neighbor has put you to shame?

⁹Debate your case with your neighbor, And do not disclose the secret to another;

¹⁰Lest he who hears it expose your shame, And your reputation be ruined.

¹¹A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold In settings of silver.

¹²Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold Is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear.

¹³Like the cold of snow in time of harvest Is a faithful messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters.

¹⁴Whoever falsely boasts of giving Is like clouds and wind without rain.

¹⁵By long forbearance a ruler is persuaded, And a gentle tongue breaks a bone.

¹⁶Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, Lest you be filled with it and vomit.

¹⁷Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house, Lest he become weary of you and hate you.

¹⁸A man who bears false witness against his neighbor Is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow.

¹⁹Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.

²⁰Like one who takes away a garment in cold weather, And like vinegar on soda, Is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

²¹If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;

²²For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the LORD will reward you.

²³The north wind brings forth rain, And a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.

²⁴It is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

²⁵As cold water to a weary soul, So is good news from a far country.

²⁶A righteous man who falters before the wicked Is like a murky spring and a polluted well.

²⁷It is not good to eat much honey; So to seek one’s own glory is not glory.

²⁸Whoever has no rule over his own spirit Is like a city broken down, without walls.

¹At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick.

²And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Please arise, and disguise yourself, that they may not recognize you as the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Indeed, Ahijah the prophet is there, who told me that I would be king over this people.

³Also take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what will become of the child.”

⁴And Jeroboam’s wife did so; she arose and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were glazed by reason of his age.

⁵Now the LORD had said to Ahijah, “Here is the wife of Jeroboam, coming to ask you something about her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus you shall say to her; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will pretend to be another woman.”

⁶And so it was, when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another person? For I have been sent to you with bad news.

⁷Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel,

⁸and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes;

⁹but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back—

¹⁰therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all gone.

¹¹The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field; for the LORD has spoken!” ’

¹²Arise therefore, go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die.

¹³And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.

¹⁴“Moreover the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam; this is the day. What? Even now!

¹⁵For the LORD will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their wooden images, provoking the LORD to anger.

¹⁶And He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and who made Israel sin.”

¹⁷Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed, and came to Tirzah. When she came to the threshold of the house, the child died.

¹⁸And they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet.

¹⁹Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he made war and how he reigned, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

²⁰The period that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years. So he rested with his fathers. Then Nadab his son reigned in his place.

²¹And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king. He reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. His mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess.

²²Now Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done.

²³For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree.

²⁴And there were also perverted persons in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

²⁵It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem.

²⁶And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house; he took away everything. He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon had made.

²⁷Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house.

²⁸And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards carried them, then brought them back into the guardroom.

²⁹Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

³⁰And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.

³¹So Rehoboam rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. His mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. Then Abijam his son reigned in his place.

¹Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

²He also did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

³For because of the anger of the LORD this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, till He finally cast them out from His presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

⁴Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around.

⁵So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

⁶By the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

⁷Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled and went out of the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were near the city all around. And they went by way of the plain.

⁸But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him.

⁹So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he pronounced judgment on him.

¹⁰Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. And he killed all the princes of Judah in Riblah.

¹¹He also put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in bronze fetters, took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.

¹²Now in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month ( which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

¹³He burned the house of the LORD and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire.

¹⁴And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around.

¹⁵Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poor people, the rest of the people who remained in the city, the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen.

¹⁶But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.

¹⁷The bronze pillars that were in the house of the LORD, and the carts and the bronze Sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried all their bronze to Babylon.

¹⁸They also took away the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the bowls, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered.

¹⁹The basins, the firepans, the bowls, the pots, the lampstands, the spoons, and the cups, whatever was solid gold and whatever was solid silver, the captain of the guard took away.

²⁰The two pillars, one Sea, the twelve bronze bulls which were under it, and the carts, which King Solomon had made for the house of the LORD— the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure.

²¹Now concerning the pillars: the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, a measuring line of twelve cubits could measure its circumference, and its thickness was four fingers; it was hollow.

²²A capital of bronze was on it; and the height of one capital was five cubits, with a network and pomegranates all around the capital, all of bronze. The second pillar, with pomegranates was the same.

²³There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates, all around on the network, were one hundred.

²⁴The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers.

²⁵He also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war, seven men of the king’s close associates who were found in the city, the principal scribe of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city.

²⁶And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

²⁷Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.

²⁸These are the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year, three thousand and twenty-three Jews;

²⁹in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred and thirty-two persons;

³⁰in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred and forty-five persons. All the persons were four thousand six hundred.

³¹Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison.

³²And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon.

³³So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life.

³⁴And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day until the day of his death, all the days of his life.

¹Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.

²Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.

³Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;

⁴but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

⁵And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,

⁶whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.

⁷Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

⁸And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.

⁹Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen.

¹⁰And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

¹¹Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”

¹²And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.

¹³They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law;

¹⁴for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.”

¹⁵And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.