Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him.

²They observed that some of his disciples were eating bread with unclean  — that is, unwashed — hands.

³(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, keeping the tradition of the elders.

⁴When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they have washed. And there are many other customs they have received and keep, like the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and dining couches. )

⁵So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders, instead of eating bread with ceremonially unclean hands?”

⁶He answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

⁷ They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines human commands.

⁸Abandoning the command of God, you hold on to human tradition.”

⁹He also said to them, “You have a fine way of invalidating God’s command in order to set up your tradition!

¹⁰For Moses said: Honor your father and your mother; and Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.

¹¹But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit you might have received from me is corban’” (that is, an offering devoted to God),

¹²“you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother.

¹³You nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many other similar things.”

¹⁴Summoning the crowd again, he told them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand:

¹⁵Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”

¹⁶

¹⁷When he went into the house away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about the parable.

¹⁸He said to them, “Are you also as lacking in understanding? Don’t you realize that nothing going into a person from the outside can defile him?

¹⁹For it doesn’t go into his heart but into the stomach and is eliminated” (thus he declared all foods clean ).

²⁰And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.

²¹For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders,

²²adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, self-indulgence, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.

²³All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”

²⁴He got up and departed from there to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it, but he could not escape notice.

²⁵Instead, immediately after hearing about him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit came and fell at his feet.

²⁶The woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she was asking him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

²⁷He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, because it isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

²⁸But she replied to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

²⁹Then he told her, “Because of this reply, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.”

³⁰When she went back to her home, she found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.

³¹Again, leaving the region of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis.

³²They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking and begged Jesus to lay his hand on him.

³³So he took him away from the crowd in private. After putting his fingers in the man’s ears and spitting, he touched his tongue.

³⁴Looking up to heaven, he sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”).

³⁵Immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly.

³⁶He ordered them to tell no one, but the more he ordered them, the more they proclaimed it.

³⁷They were extremely astonished and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

¹On the day Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, along with the altar and all its utensils. After he anointed and consecrated these things,

²the leaders of Israel, the heads of their ancestral families, presented an offering. They were the tribal leaders who supervised the registration.

³They brought as their offering before the LORD six covered carts and twelve oxen, a cart from every two leaders and an ox from each one, and presented them in front of the tabernacle.

⁴The LORD said to Moses,

⁵“Accept these from them to be used in the work of the tent of meeting, and give this offering to the Levites, to each division according to their service.”

⁶So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites.

⁷He gave the Gershonites two carts and four oxen corresponding to their service,

⁸and gave the Merarites four carts and eight oxen corresponding to their service, under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

⁹But he did not give any to the Kohathites, since their responsibility was service related to the holy objects carried on their shoulders.

¹⁰The leaders also presented the dedication gift for the altar when it was anointed. The leaders presented their offerings in front of the altar.

¹¹The LORD told Moses, “Each day have one leader present his offering for the dedication of the altar.”

¹²The one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab from the tribe of Judah.

¹³His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

¹⁴one gold bowl weighing four ounces, full of incense;

¹⁵one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

¹⁶one male goat for a sin offering;

¹⁷and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.

¹⁸On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, presented an offering.

¹⁹As his offering, he presented one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

²⁰one gold bowl weighing four ounces, full of incense;

²¹one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

²²one male goat for a sin offering;

²³and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.

²⁴On the third day Eliab son of Helon, leader of the Zebulunites, presented an offering.

²⁵His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

²⁶one gold bowl weighing four ounces, full of incense;

²⁷one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

²⁸one male goat for a sin offering;

²⁹and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.

³⁰On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, leader of the Reubenites, presented an offering.

³¹His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

³²one gold bowl weighing four ounces, full of incense;

³³one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

³⁴one male goat for a sin offering;

³⁵and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.

³⁶On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, leader of the Simeonites, presented an offering.

³⁷His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

³⁸one gold bowl weighing four ounces, full of incense;

³⁹one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

⁴⁰one male goat for a sin offering;

⁴¹and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.

⁴²On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, leader of the Gadites, presented an offering.

⁴³His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

⁴⁴one gold bowl weighing four ounces full of incense;

⁴⁵one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

⁴⁶one male goat for a sin offering;

⁴⁷and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.

⁴⁸On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, leader of the Ephraimites, presented an offering.

⁴⁹His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

⁵⁰one gold bowl weighing four ounces, full of incense;

⁵¹one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

⁵²one male goat for a sin offering;

⁵³and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud.

⁵⁴On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, leader of the Manassites, presented an offering.

⁵⁵His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

⁵⁶one gold bowl weighing four ounces, full of incense;

⁵⁷one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

⁵⁸one male goat for a sin offering;

⁵⁹and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.

⁶⁰On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, leader of the Benjaminites, presented an offering.

⁶¹His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

⁶²one gold bowl weighing four ounces, full of incense;

⁶³one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

⁶⁴one male goat for a sin offering;

⁶⁵and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni.

⁶⁶On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, leader of the Danites, presented an offering.

⁶⁷His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

⁶⁸one gold bowl weighing four ounces, full of incense;

⁶⁹one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

⁷⁰one male goat for a sin offering;

⁷¹and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.

⁷²On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ochran, leader of the Asherites, presented an offering.

⁷³His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

⁷⁴one gold bowl weighing four ounces, full of incense;

⁷⁵one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

⁷⁶one male goat for a sin offering;

⁷⁷and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Ochran.

⁷⁸On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, leader of the Naphtalites, presented an offering.

⁷⁹His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

⁸⁰one gold bowl weighing four ounces, full of incense;

⁸¹one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

⁸²one male goat for a sin offering;

⁸³and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.

⁸⁴This was the dedication gift from the leaders of Israel for the altar when it was anointed: twelve silver dishes, twelve silver basins, and twelve gold bowls.

⁸⁵Each silver dish weighed 3¼ pounds, and each basin 1¾ pounds. The total weight of the silver articles was 60 pounds measured by the standard sanctuary shekel.

⁸⁶The twelve gold bowls full of incense each weighed four ounces measured by the standard sanctuary shekel. The total weight of the gold bowls was 3 pounds.

⁸⁷All the livestock for the burnt offering totaled twelve bulls, twelve rams, and twelve male lambs a year old, with their grain offerings, and twelve male goats for the sin offering.

⁸⁸All the livestock for the fellowship sacrifice totaled twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty male goats, and sixty male lambs a year old. This was the dedication gift for the altar after it was anointed.

⁸⁹When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim. He spoke to him that way.

¹Paul, an apostle — not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead  —

²and all the brothers who are with me: To the churches of Galatia.

³Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,

⁴who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.

⁵To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

⁶I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel —

⁷not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

⁸But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him!

⁹As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!

¹⁰For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

¹¹For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin.

¹²For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹³For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I intensely persecuted God’s church and tried to destroy it.

¹⁴I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.

¹⁵But when God, who from my mother’s womb set me apart and called me by his grace, was pleased

¹⁶to reveal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone.

¹⁷I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me; instead I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus.

¹⁸Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days.

¹⁹But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.

²⁰I declare in the sight of God: I am not lying in what I write to you.

²¹Afterward, I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

²²I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches that are in Christ.

²³They simply kept hearing: “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith he once tried to destroy.”

²⁴And they glorified God because of me.

¹Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”

²The first went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and severely painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped its image.

³The second poured out his bowl into the sea. It turned to blood like that of a dead person, and all life in the sea died.

⁴The third poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.

⁵I heard the angel of the waters say, You are just, the Holy One, who is and who was, because you have passed judgment on these things.

⁶Because they poured out the blood of the saints and the prophets, you have given them blood to drink; they deserve it!

⁷I heard the altar say, Yes, Lord God, the Almighty, true and just are your judgments.

⁸The fourth poured out his bowl on the sun. It was allowed to scorch people with fire,

⁹and people were scorched by the intense heat. So they blasphemed the name of God, who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory.

¹⁰The fifth poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues because of their pain

¹¹and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they did not repent of their works.

¹²The sixth poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east.

¹³Then I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming from the dragon’s mouth, from the beast’s mouth, and from the mouth of the false prophet.

¹⁴For they are demonic spirits performing signs, who travel to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for the battle on the great day of God, the Almighty.

¹⁵“Look, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who is alert and remains clothed so that he may not go around naked and people see his shame.”

¹⁶So they assembled the kings at the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

¹⁷Then the seventh poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done!”

¹⁸There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder. And a severe earthquake occurred like no other since people have been on the earth, so great was the quake.

¹⁹The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the Great was remembered in God’s presence; he gave her the cup filled with the wine of his fierce anger.

²⁰Every island fled, and the mountains disappeared.

²¹Enormous hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell from the sky on people, and they blasphemed God for the plague of hail because that plague was extremely severe.

¹If only I could treat you like my brother, one who nursed at my mother’s breasts, I would find you in public and kiss you, and no one would scorn me.

²I would lead you, I would take you, to the house of my mother who taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink from the juice of my pomegranate.

³May his left hand be under my head, and his right arm embrace me.

⁴Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you, do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time.

⁵Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning on the one she loves? I awakened you under the apricot tree. There your mother conceived you; there she conceived and gave you birth.

⁶Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death; jealousy is as unrelenting as Sheol. Love’s flames are fiery flames  — an almighty flame!

⁷A huge torrent cannot extinguish love; rivers cannot sweep it away. If a man were to give all his wealth for love, it would be utterly scorned.

⁸Our sister is young; she has no breasts. What will we do for our sister on the day she is spoken for?

⁹If she is a wall, we will build a silver barricade on her. If she is a door, we will enclose her with cedar planks.

¹⁰I am a wall and my breasts like towers. So in his eyes I have become like one who finds peace.

¹¹Solomon owned a vineyard in Baal-hamon. He leased the vineyard to tenants. Each was to bring for his fruit one thousand pieces of silver.

¹²I have my own vineyard. The one thousand are for you, Solomon, but two hundred for those who take care of its fruits.

¹³You who dwell in the gardens, companions are listening for your voice; let me hear you!

¹⁴Run away with me, my love, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.

¹A song of ascents. Of David. [1] If the LORD had not been on our side — let Israel say —

²If the LORD had not been on our side when people attacked us,

³then they would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger against us.

⁴Then the water would have engulfed us; the torrent would have swept over us;

⁵the raging water would have swept over us.

⁶Blessed be the LORD, who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth.

⁷We have escaped like a bird from the hunter’s net; the net is torn, and we have escaped.

⁸Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

¹The words of King Lemuel, a pronouncement that his mother taught him:

²What should I say, my son? What, son of my womb? What, son of my vows?

³Don’t spend your energy on women or your efforts on those who destroy kings.

⁴It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine or for rulers to desire beer.

⁵Otherwise, he will drink, forget what is decreed, and pervert justice for all the oppressed.

⁶Give beer to one who is dying and wine to one whose life is bitter.

⁷Let him drink so that he can forget his poverty and remember his trouble no more.

⁸Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed.

⁹Speak up, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy.

¹⁰Who can find a wife of noble character? She is far more precious than jewels.

¹¹The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will not lack anything good.

¹²She rewards him with good, not evil, all the days of her life.

¹³She selects wool and flax and works with willing hands.

¹⁴She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from far away.

¹⁵She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and portions for her female servants.

¹⁶She evaluates a field and buys it; she plants a vineyard with her earnings.

¹⁷She draws on her strength and reveals that her arms are strong.

¹⁸She sees that her profits are good, and her lamp never goes out at night.

¹⁹She extends her hands to the spinning staff, and her hands hold the spindle.

²⁰Her hands reach out to the poor, and she extends her hands to the needy.

²¹She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all in her household are doubly clothed.

²²She makes her own bed coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple.

²³Her husband is known at the city gates, where he sits among the elders of the land.

²⁴She makes and sells linen garments; she delivers belts to the merchants.

²⁵Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come.

²⁶Her mouth speaks wisdom, and loving instruction is on her tongue.

²⁷She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle.

²⁸Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also praises her:

²⁹“Many women have done noble deeds, but you surpass them all!”

³⁰Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD will be praised.

³¹Give her the reward of her labor, and let her works praise her at the city gates.

¹Now King Ben-hadad of Aram assembled his entire army. Thirty-two kings, along with horses and chariots, were with him. He marched up, besieged Samaria, and fought against it.

²He sent messengers into the city to King Ahab of Israel and said to him, “This is what Ben-hadad says:

³‘Your silver and your gold are mine! And your best wives and children are mine as well!’”

⁴Then the king of Israel answered, “Just as you say, my lord the king: I am yours, along with all that I have.”

⁵The messengers then returned and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I have sent messengers to you, saying: You are to give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children.

⁶But at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your palace and your servants’ houses. They will lay their hands on and take away whatever is precious to you.’”

⁷Then the king of Israel called for all the elders of the land and said, “Recognize that this one is only looking for trouble, for he demanded my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I didn’t turn him down.”

⁸All the elders and all the people said to him, “Don’t listen or agree.”

⁹So he said to Ben-hadad’s messengers, “Say to my lord the king, ‘Everything you demanded of your servant the first time, I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” So the messengers left and took word back to him.

¹⁰Then Ben-hadad sent messengers to him and said, “May the gods punish me and do so severely if Samaria’s dust amounts to a handful for each of the people who follow me.”

¹¹The king of Israel answered, “Say this: ‘Don’t let the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.’”

¹²When Ben-hadad heard this response, while he and the kings were drinking in their quarters, he said to his servants, “Take your positions.” So they took their positions against the city.

¹³A prophet approached King Ahab of Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Do you see this whole huge army? Watch, I am handing it over to you today so that you may know that I am the LORD.’”

¹⁴Ahab asked, “By whom?” And the prophet said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘By the young men of the provincial leaders.’” Then he asked, “Who is to start the battle?” He said, “You.”

¹⁵So Ahab mobilized the young men of the provincial leaders, and there were 232. After them he mobilized all the Israelite troops: 7,000.

¹⁶They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the thirty-two kings who were helping him were getting drunk in their quarters.

¹⁷The young men of the provincial leaders marched out first. Then Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, saying, “Men are marching out of Samaria.”

¹⁸So he said, “If they have marched out in peace, take them alive, and if they have marched out for battle, take them alive.”

¹⁹The young men of the provincial leaders and the army behind them marched out from the city,

²⁰and each one struck down his opponent. So the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, but King Ben-hadad of Aram escaped on a horse with the cavalry.

²¹Then the king of Israel marched out and attacked the cavalry and the chariots. He inflicted a severe slaughter on Aram.

²²The prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him, “Go and strengthen yourself, then consider carefully what you should do, for in the spring the king of Aram will attack you.”

²³Now the king of Aram’s servants said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hill country. That’s why they were stronger than we were. Instead, we should fight with them on the plain; then we will certainly be stronger than they are.

²⁴Also do this: remove each king from his position and appoint captains in their place.

²⁵Raise another army for yourself like the army you lost — horse for horse, chariot for chariot — and let’s fight with them on the plain; and we will certainly be stronger than they are.” The king listened to them and did it.

²⁶In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to battle Israel.

²⁷The Israelites mobilized, gathered supplies, and went to fight them. The Israelites camped in front of them like two little flocks of goats, while the Arameans filled the landscape.

²⁸Then the man of God approached and said to the king of Israel, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans have said: The LORD is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys, I will hand over all this whole huge army to you. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

²⁹They camped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day, the battle took place, and the Israelites struck down the Arameans — one hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day.

³⁰The ones who remained fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell on those twenty-seven thousand remaining men. Ben-hadad also fled and went into an inner room in the city.

³¹His servants said to him, “Consider this: we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. So let’s put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and let’s go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.”

³²So they dressed with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, went to the king of Israel, and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please spare my life.’” So he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

³³Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, so they quickly picked up on this and responded, “Yes, it is your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go and bring him.” So Ben-hadad came out to him, and Ahab had him come up into the chariot.

³⁴Then Ben-hadad said to him, “I restore to you the cities that my father took from your father, and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, like my father set up in Samaria.” Ahab responded, “On the basis of this treaty, I release you.” So he made a treaty with him and released him.

³⁵One of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow prophet by the word of the LORD, “Strike me!” But the man refused to strike him.

³⁶He told him, “Because you did not listen to the LORD, mark my words: When you leave me, a lion will kill you.” When he left him, a lion attacked and killed him.

³⁷The prophet found another man and said to him, “Strike me!” So the man struck him, inflicting a wound.

³⁸Then the prophet went and waited for the king on the road. He disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.

³⁹As the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant marched out into the middle of the battle. Suddenly, a man turned aside and brought someone to me and said, ‘Guard this man! If he is ever missing, it will be your life in place of his life, or you will weigh out seventy-five pounds of silver.’

⁴⁰But while your servant was busy here and there, he disappeared.” The king of Israel said to him, “That will be your sentence; you yourself have decided it.”

⁴¹He quickly removed the bandage from his eyes. The king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets.

⁴²The prophet said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you released from your hand the man I had set apart for destruction, it will be your life in place of his life and your people in place of his people.’”

⁴³The king of Israel left for home resentful and angry, and he entered Samaria.

¹In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, while I was among the exiles by the Chebar Canal, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.

²On the fifth day of the month — it was the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile  —

³the word of the LORD came directly to the priest Ezekiel son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar Canal. The LORD’s hand was on him there.

⁴I looked, and there was a whirlwind coming from the north, a huge cloud with fire flashing back and forth and brilliant light all around it. In the center of the fire, there was a gleam like amber.

⁵The likeness of four living creatures came from it, and this was their appearance: They looked something like a human,

⁶but each of them had four faces and four wings.

⁷Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf, sparkling like the gleam of polished bronze.

⁸They had human hands under their wings on their four sides. All four of them had faces and wings.

⁹Their wings were touching. The creatures did not turn as they moved; each one went straight ahead.

¹⁰Their faces looked something like the face of a human, and each of the four had the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left, and the face of an eagle.

¹¹That is what their faces were like. Their wings were spread upward; each had two wings touching that of another and two wings covering its body.

¹²Each creature went straight ahead. Wherever the Spirit wanted to go, they went without turning as they moved.

¹³The likeness of the living creatures was like the appearance of blazing coals of fire or like torches. Fire was moving back and forth between the living creatures; it was bright, with lightning coming out of it.

¹⁴The creatures were darting back and forth like flashes of lightning.

¹⁵When I looked at the living creatures, there was one wheel on the ground beside each of the four-faced creatures.

¹⁶The appearance of the wheels and their craftsmanship was like the gleam of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. Their appearance and craftsmanship was like a wheel within a wheel.

¹⁷When they moved, they went in any of the four directions, without turning as they moved.

¹⁸Their rims were tall and awe-inspiring. Each of their four rims were full of eyes all around.

¹⁹When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when the creatures rose from the earth, the wheels also rose.

²⁰Wherever the Spirit wanted to go, the creatures went in the direction the Spirit was moving. The wheels rose alongside them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

²¹When the creatures moved, the wheels moved; when the creatures stopped, the wheels stopped; and when the creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose alongside them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

²²Over the heads of the living creatures the likeness of an expanse was spread out. It gleamed like awe-inspiring crystal,

²³and under the expanse their wings extended one toward another. They each also had two wings covering their bodies.

²⁴When they moved, I heard the sound of their wings like the roar of a huge torrent, like the voice of the Almighty, and a sound of tumult like the noise of an army. When they stopped, they lowered their wings.

²⁵A voice came from above the expanse over their heads; when they stopped, they lowered their wings.

²⁶Something like a throne with the appearance of lapis lazuli was above the expanse over their heads. On the throne, high above, was someone who looked like a human.

²⁷From what seemed to be his waist up, I saw a gleam like amber, with what looked like fire enclosing it all around. From what seemed to be his waist down, I also saw what looked like fire. There was a brilliant light all around him.

²⁸The appearance of the brilliant light all around was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the likeness of the LORD’s glory. When I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.

¹About that time King Herod violently attacked some who belonged to the church,

²and he executed James, John’s brother, with the sword.

³When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too, during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

⁴After the arrest, he put him in prison and assigned four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.

⁵So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was praying fervently to God for him.

⁶When Herod was about to bring him out for trial, that very night Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while the sentries in front of the door guarded the prison.

⁷Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. Striking Peter on the side, he woke him up and said, “Quick, get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists.

⁸“Get dressed,” the angel told him, “and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Wrap your cloak around you,” he told him, “and follow me.”

⁹So he went out and followed, and he did not know that what the angel did was really happening, but he thought he was seeing a vision.

¹⁰After they passed the first and second guards, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went outside and passed one street, and suddenly the angel left him.

¹¹When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from all that the Jewish people expected.”

¹²As soon as he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many had assembled and were praying.

¹³He knocked at the door of the outer gate, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer.

¹⁴She recognized Peter’s voice, and because of her joy, she did not open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the outer gate.

¹⁵“You’re out of your mind!” they told her. But she kept insisting that it was true, and they said, “It’s his angel.”

¹⁶Peter, however, kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were amazed.

¹⁷Motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Tell these things to James and the brothers,” he said, and he left and went to another place.

¹⁸At daylight, there was a great commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.

¹⁹After Herod had searched and did not find him, he interrogated the guards and ordered their execution. Then Herod went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.

²⁰Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. Together they presented themselves before him. After winning over Blastus, who was in charge of the king’s bedroom, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food from the king’s country.

²¹On an appointed day, dressed in royal robes and seated on the throne, Herod delivered a speech to them.

²²The assembled people began to shout, “It’s the voice of a god and not of a man!”

²³At once an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.

²⁴But the word of God flourished and multiplied.

²⁵After they had completed their relief mission, Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem, taking along John who was called Mark.