Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Again Jesus began to teach beside the sea [of Galilee]. And a very large crowd gathered around Him, so He got into a boat [anchoring it a short distance out] on the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore.

²And He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said to them,

³"Listen! A sower went out to sow seed;

⁴and as he was sowing, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and ate it up.

⁵Other seed fell on rocks where there was not much soil; and immediately a plant sprang up because the soil had no depth.

⁶And when the sun came up, the plant was scorched; and because it had no root, it dried up and withered away.

⁷Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.

⁸And other seed fell into good soil, and as the plants grew and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundred times [as much as had been sown]."

⁹And He said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words."

¹⁰As soon as He was alone, those who were around Him, together with the twelve [disciples], began asking Him about [the interpretation of] the parables.

¹¹He said to them, "The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you [who have teachable hearts], but those who are outside [the unbelievers, the spiritually blind] get everything in parables,

¹²so that they will continually look but not see, and they will continually hear but not understand, otherwise they might turn [from their rejection of the truth] and be forgiven."

¹³Then He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand and grasp the meaning of all the parables?

¹⁴The sower sows the word [of God, the good news regarding the way of salvation].

¹⁵These [in the first group] are the ones along the road where the word is sown; but when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.

¹⁶In a similar way these [in the second group] are the ones on whom seed was sown on rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy [but accept it only superficially];

¹⁷and they have no real root in themselves, so they endure only for a little while; then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they [are offended and displeased at being associated with Me and] stumble and fall away.

¹⁸And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,

¹⁹but the worries and cares of the world [the distractions of this age with its worldly pleasures], and the deceitfulness [and the false security or glamour] of wealth [or fame], and the passionate desires for all the other things creep in and choke out the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

²⁰And those [in the last group] are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word [of God, the good news regarding the way of salvation] and accept it and bear fruit—thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much [as was sown]."

²¹He said to them, "A lamp is not brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? Is it not [brought in] to be put on the lampstand?

²²For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been kept secret, but that it would come to light [that is, things are hidden only temporarily, until the appropriate time comes for them to be known].

²³If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words."

²⁴Then He said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear. By your own standard of measurement [that is, to the extent that you study spiritual truth and apply godly wisdom] it will be measured to you [and you will be given even greater ability to respond]—and more will be given to you besides.

²⁵For whoever has [a teachable heart], to him more [understanding] will be given; and whoever does not have [a yearning for truth], even what he has will be taken away from him."

²⁶Then He said, "The kingdom of God is like a man who throws seed on the ground;

²⁷and he goes to bed at night and gets up every day, and [in the meantime] the seed sprouts and grows; how [it does this], he does not know.

²⁸The earth produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head [of grain], then the mature grain in the head.

²⁹But when the crop ripens, he immediately puts in the sickle [to reap], because [the time for] the harvest has come."

³⁰And He said, "How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use to illustrate and explain it?

³¹It is like a mustard seed, which, when it is sown on the ground, even though it is smaller than all the [other] seeds that are [sown] on the soil,

³²yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden herbs; and it puts out large branches, so that the birds of the sky are able to make nests and live under its shade."

³³With many such parables, Jesus spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear and understand it;

³⁴and He did not say anything to them without [using] a parable; He did, however, explain everything privately to His own disciples.

³⁵On that [same] day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us go over to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee]."

³⁶So leaving the crowd, they took Him with them, just as He was, in the boat. And other boats were with Him.

³⁷And a fierce windstorm began to blow, and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already being swamped.

³⁸But Jesus was in the stern, asleep [with His head] on the [sailor's leather] cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are about to die?"

³⁹And He got up and [sternly] rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still (muzzled)!" And the wind died down [as if it had grown weary] and there was [at once] a great calm [a perfect peacefulness].

⁴⁰Jesus said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith and confidence [in Me]?"

⁴¹They were filled with great fear, and said to each other, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"

¹Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

²"Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families (clans), by their fathers' households,

³from thirty years old and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle).

⁴This is the work and responsibility of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle): the most holy things.

⁵"When the camp prepares to move out, Aaron and his sons shall come into the sanctuary and take down the veil (curtain) screening off the Holy of Holies, and cover the ark of the testimony with it;

⁶and they shall put on it a covering of porpoise skin (fine leather), and shall spread over that a cloth of pure blue, and shall insert the carrying poles of the ark.

⁷Over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall spread a cloth of blue and put on it the plates, the dishes [for incense], the sacrificial bowls, the jars for the drink offering, and the continual bread [of the Presence] shall be on it.

⁸They shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet, and cover that with a covering of porpoise skin, and they shall insert its carrying poles.

⁹Then they shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light, along with its lamps, its wick cutters, its trays, and all the oil vessels, by which it is supplied;

¹⁰and they shall put the lampstand and all its utensils in a covering of porpoise skin, and shall put it on the carrying bars.

¹¹Over the golden [incense] altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with a covering of porpoise skin, and shall insert its carrying poles;

¹²and they shall take all the utensils of the service with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth, and cover them with a covering of porpoise skin, and put them on the carrying bars.

¹³Then they shall clean away the ashes from the altar [of burnt offering], and spread a purple cloth over it.

¹⁴They shall also put on it all its utensils with which they minister in connection with it: the pans, the meat-forks, the shovels, the basins, and all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread a covering of porpoise skin over it, and insert its carrying poles.

¹⁵When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all its furniture, as the camp sets out, after all that [is done, but not before], the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them [using the poles], so that they do not touch the holy things, and die. These are the things in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) which the sons of Kohath are to carry.

¹⁶"The responsibility of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, is the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the continual grain offering, and the anointing oil—the responsibility of all the tabernacle and everything that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings."

¹⁷Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

¹⁸"Do not cut off (eliminate, destroy) the tribe of the families of the Kohathites [who are only Levites and not priests], from among the Levites [by exposing them to the sin of touching the most holy things].

¹⁹But deal with them in this way, so that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his [specific] work and to his load [to be carried on the march].

²⁰But the Kohathites shall not go in to see the holy things, even for an instant, or they will die."

²¹Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

²²"Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers' households, by their families.

²³From thirty years and upward to fifty years old, you shall number them; all who enter for service to do the work in the Tent of Meeting.

²⁴This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in carrying [when on the march]:

²⁵they shall carry the tent curtains of the tabernacle, and the Tent of Meeting, its covering and the covering of porpoise skin (fine leather) that is on top of it, and the curtain for the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle),

²⁶and the hangings of the courtyard, and the curtain for the entrance of the gate of the courtyard which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their tent ropes, and all the equipment for their service; and all that is to be done, they shall perform.

²⁷Aaron and his sons shall direct all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, all they have to carry and all they have to do. You shall assign to them as a duty all that they are to carry [on the march].

²⁸This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle); and their duties shall be under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron, the [high] priest.

²⁹"As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families (clans), by their fathers' households;

³⁰from thirty years and upward to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle).

³¹This is what they are assigned to carry [on the march], according to all their service in the Tent of Meeting: the boards [for the framework] of the tabernacle and its bars and its pillars and its sockets or bases,

³²and the pillars around the courtyard with their sockets or bases and their pegs and their cords (tent ropes), with all their equipment and with all their [accessories for] service; and you shall assign each man by name the items he is to carry [on the march].

³³This is the work of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their tasks in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron, the priest."

³⁴So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families (clans) and by their fathers' households,

³⁵from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who enters the service to do the work in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle);

³⁶the men who were numbered by their families were 2,750.

³⁷These were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all who did service in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD through Moses.

³⁸The men who were numbered of the sons of Gershon, by their families (clans), and by their fathers' households,

³⁹from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service to do the work in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle);

⁴⁰the men who were numbered by their families, by their fathers' households, were 2,630.

⁴¹These were numbered men of the families of the sons of Gershon, everyone who served in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), whom Moses and Aaron numbered just as the LORD had commanded.

⁴²The men who were numbered of the sons of Merari, by their families (clans), by their fathers' households,

⁴³from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle);

⁴⁴the men who were numbered by their families were 3,200.

⁴⁵These are the men who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered in accordance with the commandment of the LORD through Moses.

⁴⁶All the men who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted by their families (clans) and by their fathers' households,

⁴⁷from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who could enter to do the work of service and the work of carrying in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle);

⁴⁸the men that were numbered were 8,580.

⁴⁹According to the commandment of the LORD through Moses, they were numbered, each assigned to his work of serving and carrying. Thus they were numbered by him, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

¹I wish you would bear with me [while I indulge] in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me [as you read this].

²I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy because I have promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

³But I am afraid that, even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, your minds may be corrupted and led away from the simplicity of [your sincere and] pure devotion to Christ.

⁴For [you seem willing to allow it] if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted. You tolerate all this beautifully [welcoming the deception].

⁵Yet I consider myself in no way inferior to the [so-called] super-apostles.

⁶But even if I am unskilled in speaking, yet I am not [untrained] in knowledge [I know what I am talking about]; but we have made this evident to you in every way, in all things.

⁷Or did I [perhaps] sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted and honored, because I preached God's gospel to you free of charge?

⁸I robbed other churches by accepting [more than their share of] financial support for my ministry to you.

⁹And when I was with you and ran short [financially], I did not burden any of you; for what I needed was fully supplied by the brothers (Silas and Timothy) who came from Macedonia (the church at Philippi). So I kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.

¹⁰As the truth of Christ is in me, my boast [of independence] will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia (southern Greece).

¹¹Why? Because I do not love you [or wish you well, or have regard for your welfare]? God knows [that I do]!

¹²But what I am doing I will keep doing, [for I am determined to keep this independence] in order to cut off the claim of those who want an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things they brag about.

¹³For such men are counterfeit apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.

¹⁴And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

¹⁵So it is no great surprise if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, but their end will correspond with their deeds.

¹⁶I repeat then, let no one think that I am foolish; but even if you do, at least accept me as foolish, so that I too may boast a little.

¹⁷What I say in this confident boasting, I say not as the Lord would [with His authority], but foolishly.

¹⁸Since many boast [of worldly things and brag] about human accomplishments, I will boast too.

¹⁹For you, being so wise, gladly tolerate and accept the foolish [like me]!

²⁰For you tolerate it if anyone makes you his slave; or devours you and your possessions; or takes advantage of you; or acts presumptuously; or hits you in the face.

²¹To my shame, I must say, we have been too weak [in comparison to those pseudo-apostles who take advantage of you]. But in whatever anyone else dares to boast—I am speaking foolishly—I also dare to boast.

²²Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.

²³Are they [self-proclaimed] servants of Christ?—I am speaking as if I were out of my mind—I am more so [for I exceed them]; with far more labors, with far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, and often in danger of death.

²⁴Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.

²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent adrift on the sea;

²⁶many times on journeys, [exposed to] danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own countrymen, danger from the Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger on the sea, danger among those posing as believers;

²⁷in labor and hardship, often unable to sleep, in hunger and thirst, often [driven to] fasting [for lack of food], in cold and exposure [without adequate clothing].

²⁸Besides those external things, there is the daily [inescapable] pressure of my concern for all the churches.

²⁹Who is weak, and I do not feel [his] weakness? Who is made to sin, and I am not on fire [with sorrow and concern]?

³⁰If I must boast, I will boast of the things that reveal my weakness [the things by which I am made weak in the eyes of my opponents].

³¹The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed and to be praised forevermore, knows that I am not lying.

³²In Damascus the governor (ethnarch) under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order to arrest me,

³³and I was [actually] let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and slipped through his fingers.

¹And the dragon (Satan) stood on the sandy shore of the sea. Then I saw a [vicious] beast coming up out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten royal crowns (diadems), and on his heads were blasphemous names.

²And the beast that I saw resembled a leopard, but his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth was like that of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.

³I saw one of his heads which seemed to have a fatal wound, but his fatal wound was healed; and the entire earth followed after the beast in amazement.

⁴They fell down and worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; they also worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like (as great as) the beast, and who is able to wage war against him?"

⁵And the beast was given a mouth (the power of speech), uttering great things and arrogant and blasphemous words, and he was given freedom and authority to act and to do as he pleased for forty-two months (three and a half years).

⁶And he opened his mouth to speak blasphemies (abusive speech, slander) against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, and those who live in heaven.

⁷He was also permitted to wage war against the saints (God's people) and to overcome them, and authority and power over every tribe and people and language and nation.

⁸All the inhabitants of the earth will fall down and worship him, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the Book of Life of the Lamb who has been slain [as a willing sacrifice].

⁹If anyone has an ear, let him hear.

¹⁰If anyone is destined for captivity, he will go into captivity; if anyone kills with a sword, he must be killed with a sword. Here is [the call for] the patient endurance and the faithfulness of the saints [which is seen in the response of God's people to difficult times].

¹¹Then I saw another beast rising up out of the earth; he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke like a dragon.

¹²He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence [when the two are together]. And he makes the earth and those who inhabit it worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

¹³He performs great signs (awe-inspiring acts), even making fire fall from the sky to the earth, right before peoples' eyes.

¹⁴And he deceives those [unconverted ones] who inhabit the earth [into believing him] because of the signs which he is given [by Satan] to perform in the presence of the [first] beast, telling those who inhabit the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded [fatally] by the sword and has come back to life.

¹⁵And he is given power to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast will even [appear to] speak, and cause those who do not bow down and worship the image of the beast to be put to death.

¹⁶Also he compels all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead [signifying allegiance to the beast],

¹⁷and that no one will be able to buy or sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.

¹⁸Here is wisdom. Let the person who has enough insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the [imperfect] number of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

¹(The Bridegroom) "I have come into my garden, my sister, my [promised] bride; I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam and spice [from your sweet words]. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, friends; Drink and drink deeply, O lovers."

²(The Shulammite Bride) "I was asleep, but my heart was awake. A voice [in my dream]! My beloved was knocking: 'Open to me, my sister, my darling, My dove, my perfect one! For my head is drenched with the [heavy night] dew; My hair [is covered] with the dampness of the night.'

³"I had taken off my dress, How can I put it on again? I had washed my feet, How could I get them dirty again?

⁴"My beloved extended his hand through the opening [of the door], And my feelings were aroused for him.

⁵"I arose to open for my beloved; And my hands dripped with myrrh, And my fingers with liquid [sweet-scented] myrrh, On the handles of the bolt.

⁶"I opened for my beloved, But my beloved had turned away and was gone. My heart went out to him when he spoke. I searched for him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he did not answer me.

⁷"The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me. They struck me, they wounded me; The guardsmen of the walls took my shawl from me.

⁸"I command that you take an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, As to what you tell him— [Say that] I am sick from love [sick from being without him]."

⁹(The Chorus) "What is your beloved more than another beloved, O most beautiful among women? What is your beloved more than another beloved, That you should so command us to take an oath?"

¹⁰(The Shulammite Bride) "My beloved is exquisitely handsome and ruddy, Outstanding among ten thousand.

¹¹"His head is like [precious] gold, pure gold; His hair is [curly] like clusters of dates And black as a raven.

¹²"His eyes are like doves Beside streams of water, Bathed in milk And reposed in their setting.

¹³"His cheeks are like a bed of balsam, Banks of sweet, fragrant herbs. His lips are lilies Dripping sweet-scented myrrh.

¹⁴"His hands are rods of gold Set with beryl; His abdomen is a figure of carved ivory Inlaid with sapphires.

¹⁵"His legs are [strong and steady] pillars of alabaster Set upon pedestals of fine gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, Stately and choice as the cedars.

¹⁶"His mouth is full of sweetness; Yes, he is altogether lovely and desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem."

¹A Song of Ascents. I will lift up my eyes to the hills [of Jerusalem]— From where shall my help come?

²My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.

³He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.

⁴Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber [briefly] nor sleep [soundly].

⁵The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand.

⁶The sun will not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night.

⁷The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your life.

⁸The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in [everything that you do] From this time forth and forever.

¹The wicked flee when no one pursues them, But the righteous are as bold as a lion.

²When a land does wrong, it has many princes, But when the ruler is a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability endures.

³A poor man who oppresses and exploits the lowly Is like a sweeping rain which leaves no food.

⁴Those who set aside the law [of God and man] praise the wicked, But those who keep the law [of God and man] struggle with them.

⁵Evil men do not understand justice, But they who long for and seek the LORD understand it fully.

⁶Better is the poor who walks in his integrity Than he who is crooked and two-faced though he is rich.

⁷He who keeps the law [of God and man] is a wise and discerning son, But he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father [and himself].

⁸He who increases his wealth by interest and usury (excessive interest) Gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor.

⁹He who turns his ear away from listening to the law [of God and man], Even his prayer is repulsive [to God].

¹⁰He who leads the upright astray on an evil path Will himself fall into his own pit, But the blameless will inherit good.

¹¹The rich man [who is conceited and relies on his wealth instead of God] is wise in his own eyes, But the poor man who has understanding [because he relies on God] is able to see through him.

¹²When the righteous triumph, there is great glory and celebration; But when the wicked rise [to prominence], men hide themselves.

¹³He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But whoever confesses and turns away from his sins will find compassion and mercy.

¹⁴Blessed and favored by God is the man who fears [sin and its consequence] at all times, But he who hardens his heart [and is determined to sin] will fall into disaster.

¹⁵Like a roaring lion and a charging bear Is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

¹⁶A leader who is a great oppressor lacks understanding and common sense [and his wickedness shortens his days], But he who hates unjust gain will [be blessed and] prolong his days.

¹⁷A man who is burdened with the guilt of human blood (murder) Will be a fugitive until death; let no one support him or give him refuge.

¹⁸He who walks blamelessly and uprightly will be kept safe, But he who is crooked (perverse) will suddenly fall.

¹⁹He who cultivates his land will have plenty of bread, But he who follows worthless people and frivolous pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

²⁰A faithful (right-minded) man will abound with blessings, But he who hurries to be rich will not go unpunished.

²¹To have regard for one person over another and to show favoritism is not good, Because for a piece of bread a man will transgress.

²²He who has an evil and envious eye hurries to be rich And does not know that poverty will come upon him.

²³He who [appropriately] reprimands a [wise] man will afterward find more favor Than he who flatters with the tongue.

²⁴He who robs his father or his mother And says, "This is no sin," Is [not only a thief but also] the companion of a man who destroys.

²⁵An arrogant and greedy man stirs up strife, But he who trusts in the LORD will be blessed and prosper.

²⁶He who trusts confidently in his own heart is a [dull, thickheaded] fool, But he who walks in [skillful and godly] wisdom will be rescued.

²⁷He who gives to the poor will never want, But he who shuts his eyes [from their need] will have many curses.

²⁸When the wicked rise [to power], men hide themselves; But when the wicked perish, the [consistently] righteous increase and become great.

¹Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by My word."

²And the word of the LORD came to him, saying,

³"Go from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan [River].

⁴You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to sustain you there [with food]."

⁵So he went and did in accordance with the word of the LORD; he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.

⁶And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he would drink from the brook.

⁷It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

⁸Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,

⁹"Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."

¹⁰So he set out and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks [for firewood]. He called out to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a jar, so that I may drink."

¹¹As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand."

¹²But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar. See, I am gathering a few sticks so that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it [as our last meal] and die."

¹³Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said. Just make me a little bread from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son.

¹⁴For this is what the LORD God of Israel says: 'The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted nor shall the jar of oil be empty until the day that the LORD sends rain [again] on the face of the earth.'"

¹⁵She went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days.

¹⁶The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, in accordance the word of the LORD which He spoke through Elijah.

¹⁷It happened after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.

¹⁸So she said to Elijah, "What [problem] is there between you and me, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to mind and to put my son to death?"

¹⁹He said to her, "Give me your son." Then he took him from her arms and carried him up to the upper room where he was living, and laid him on his own bed.

²⁰He called to the LORD and said, "O LORD my God, have You brought further tragedy to the widow with whom I am staying, by causing her son to die?"

²¹Then he stretched himself out upon the child three times, and called to the LORD and said, "O LORD my God, please let this child's life return to him."

²²The LORD heard the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child returned to him and he revived.

²³Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the [lower part of the] house and gave him to his mother; and Elijah said, "See, your son is alive."

²⁴Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth."

¹Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord [and relentless in his search for believers], went to the high priest,

²and he asked for letters [of authority] from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any men or women there belonging to the Way [believers, followers of Jesus the Messiah], men and women alike, he could arrest them and bring them bound [with chains] to Jerusalem.

³As he traveled he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him [displaying the glory and majesty of Christ];

⁴and he fell to the ground and heard a voice [from heaven] saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting and oppressing Me?"

⁵And Saul said, "Who are You, Lord?" And He answered, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,

⁶now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

⁷The men who were traveling with him [were terrified and] stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.

⁸Saul got up from the ground, but though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

⁹And he was unable to see for three days, and he neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰Now in Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he answered, "Here I am, Lord."

¹¹And the Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul; for he is praying [there],

¹²and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him, so that he may regain his sight."

¹³But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, especially how much suffering and evil he has brought on Your saints (God's people) at Jerusalem;

¹⁴and here [in Damascus] he has authority from the high priests to put in chains all who call on Your name [confessing You as Savior]."

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, "Go, for this man is a [deliberately] chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;

¹⁶for I will make clear to him how much he must suffer and endure for My name's sake."

¹⁷So Ananias left and entered the house, and he laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came [to Damascus], has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit [in order to proclaim Christ to both Jews and Gentiles]."

¹⁸Immediately something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized;

¹⁹and he took some food and was strengthened. For several days [afterward] Saul remained with the disciples who were at Damascus.

²⁰And immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "This Man is the Son of God [the promised Messiah]!"

²¹All those who heard him continued to be amazed and said, "Is this not the man who in Jerusalem attacked those who called on this name [of Jesus], and had come here [to Damascus] for the express purpose of bringing them bound [with chains] before the chief priests?"

²²But Saul increased in strength more and more, and continued to perplex the Jews who lived in Damascus by examining [theological evidence] and proving [with Scripture] that this Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).

²³After considerable time had passed [about three years or so], the Jews plotted together to kill him,

²⁴but their plot became known to Saul. They were also watching the city's gates day and night so they could kill him;

²⁵but his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

²⁶When he arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.

²⁷However, Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and described to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road [to Damascus], and how He had spoken to him, and how at Damascus Saul had preached openly and spoken confidently in the name of Jesus.

²⁸So he was with them, moving around freely [as one among them] in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.

²⁹He was talking and arguing with the Hellenists (Greek-speaking Jews); but they were attempting to kill him.

³⁰When the brothers found out [about the plot], they brought him down to Caesarea [Maritima] and sent him off to Tarsus [his home town].

³¹So the church throughout Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace [without persecution], being built up [in wisdom, virtue, and faith]; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort and encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it continued to grow [in numbers].

³²Now as Peter was traveling throughout the land, he went down to [visit] the saints (God's people) who lived at Lydda.

³³There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years and was paralyzed.

³⁴Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed." Immediately Aeneas got up.

³⁵Then all who lived at Lydda and the plain of Sharon saw [what had happened to] him, and they turned to the Lord.

³⁶Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, (which translated into Greek means Dorcas). She was rich in acts of kindness and charity which she continually did.

³⁷During that time it happened that she became sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upstairs room.

³⁸Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, "Come to us without delay."

³⁹So Peter got up [at once] and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upstairs room; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing [him] all the tunics and robes that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.

⁴⁰But Peter sent them all out [of the room] and knelt down and prayed; then turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, arise!" And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

⁴¹And he gave her his hand and helped her up; and then he called in the saints (God's people) and the widows, and he presented her [to them] alive.

⁴²This became known all over Joppa, and many came to believe in the Lord [that is, to adhere to and trust in and rely on Jesus as Christ and Savior].

⁴³And so it was that Peter stayed in Joppa for many days with Simon, a tanner.