Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹And Jesus said to them, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste (experience) death before they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power."

²Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured (changed in form) before them [and began to shine brightly with divine and regal glory];

³and His clothes became radiant and dazzling, intensely white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them.

⁴Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were having a conversation with Jesus.

⁵Peter responded and said to Jesus, "Rabbi (Master), it is good for us to be here; let us make three [sacred] tents—one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

⁶For he did not [really] know what to say because they were terrified [and stunned by the miraculous sight].

⁷Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him and obey Him!"

⁸Suddenly they looked around and no longer saw anyone with them, except Jesus alone.

⁹As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus expressly ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

¹⁰So they [carefully and faithfully] kept the matter to themselves, discussing and questioning [with one another] what it meant to rise from the dead.

¹¹They asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first [before the Messiah comes]?"

¹²He answered them, "Elijah does come first and restores and reestablishes all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things [grief and physical distress] and be treated with contempt [utterly despised and rejected]?

¹³But I say to you that Elijah has in fact come [already], and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written [in Scripture] of him."

¹⁴When they came [back] to the [other nine] disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and scribes questioning and arguing with them.

¹⁵Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Jesus, they were startled and began running up to greet Him.

¹⁶He asked them, "What are you discussing with them?"

¹⁷One of the crowd replied to Him, "Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him unable to speak;

¹⁸and whenever it seizes him [intending to do harm], it throws him down, and he foams [at the mouth], and grinds his teeth and becomes stiff. I told Your disciples to drive it out, and they could not do it."

¹⁹He replied, "O unbelieving (faithless) generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!"

²⁰They brought the boy to Him. When the [demonic] spirit saw Him, immediately it threw the boy into a convulsion, and falling to the ground he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth.

²¹Jesus asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he answered, "Since childhood.

²²The demon has often thrown him both into fire and into water, intending to kill him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!"

²³Jesus said to him, "[You say to Me,] 'If You can?' All things are possible for the one who believes and trusts [in Me]!"

²⁴Immediately the father of the boy cried out [with a desperate, piercing cry], saying, "I do believe; help [me overcome] my unbelief."

²⁵When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering [around them], He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again!"

²⁶After screaming out and throwing him into a terrible convulsion, it came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse [so still and pale] that many [of the spectators] said, "He is dead!"

²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he stood up.

²⁸When He had gone indoors, His disciples began asking Him privately, "Why were we unable to drive it out?"

²⁹He replied to them, "This kind [of unclean spirit] cannot come out by anything but prayer [to the Father]."

³⁰They went on from there and began to go through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know it,

³¹because He was teaching His disciples [and preparing them for the future]. He told them, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed and handed over to men [who are His enemies], and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise [from the dead] three days later."

³²But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him [what He meant].

³³They arrived at Capernaum; and when He was in the house, He asked them, "What were you discussing and arguing about on the road?"

³⁴But they kept quiet, because on the road they had discussed and debated with one another which one [of them] was the greatest.

³⁵Sitting down [to teach], He called the twelve [disciples] and said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all [in importance] and a servant of all."

³⁶Taking a child, He set him before them; and taking him in His arms, He said to them,

³⁷"Whoever receives and welcomes one child such as this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives not [only] Me, but Him who sent Me."

³⁸John said to Him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not accompanying us [as Your disciple]."

³⁹But Jesus said, "Do not stop him; for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me.

⁴⁰For he who is not against us is for us.

⁴¹For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he will not lose his reward.

⁴²"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe and trust in Me to stumble [that is, to sin or lose faith], it would be better for him if a heavy millstone [one requiring a donkey's strength to turn it] were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

⁴³If your hand causes you to stumble and sin, cut it off [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]! It is better for you to enter life crippled, than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire,

⁴⁴[where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out.]

⁴⁵If your foot causes you to stumble and sin, cut it off [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]! It would be better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell,

⁴⁶[where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out.]

⁴⁷If your eye causes you to stumble and sin, throw it out [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]! It would be better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,

⁴⁸where their worm [that feeds on the dead] does not die, and the fire is not put out.

⁴⁹"For everyone will be salted with fire.

⁵⁰Salt is good and useful; but if salt has lost its saltiness (purpose), how will you make it salty? Have salt within yourselves continually, and be at peace with one another."

¹The LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,

²"The sons of Israel are to keep the Passover at its appointed time.

³On the fourteenth day of this month at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and ordinances you shall keep it."

⁴So Moses told the Israelites to observe the Passover.

⁵They observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight in the Wilderness of Sinai; in accordance with all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the Israelites did.

⁶But there were certain men who were [ceremonially] unclean because of [touching] the dead body of a man, so they could not observe the Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron that same day.

⁷Those men said to Moses, "We are [ceremonially] unclean because of [touching] a dead body. Why are we being restrained from presenting the Lord's offering at its appointed time among the Israelites?"

⁸Therefore, Moses said to them, "Wait, and I will listen to what the LORD will command concerning you."

⁹Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

¹⁰"Say to the Israelites, 'If any one of you or of your descendants becomes [ceremonially] unclean because of [touching] a dead body or is on a distant journey, he may, however, observe the Passover to the LORD.

¹¹On the fourteenth day of the second month [thirty days later] at twilight, they shall observe it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

¹²They shall leave none of it until morning nor break any of its bones; in accordance with all the statutes of the Passover they shall observe it.

¹³But the man who is [ceremonially] clean and is not on a journey, and yet does not observe the Passover, that person shall be cut off from among his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them] because he did not bring the Lord's offering at its appointed time; that man will bear [the penalty of] his sin.

¹⁴If a stranger lives among you as a resident alien and observes the Passover to the LORD, in accordance with its statutes and its ordinances, so shall he do; you shall have one statute, both for the resident alien and for the native of the land.'"

¹⁵Now on the day that the tabernacle was erected, the cloud [of God's presence] covered the tabernacle, that is, the tent of the Testimony; and in the evening it was over the tabernacle, appearing like [a pillar of] fire until the morning.

¹⁶So it was continuously; the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.

¹⁷Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent (tabernacle), afterward the Israelites would set out; and in the place where the cloud stopped, there the Israelites would camp.

¹⁸At the Lord's command the Israelites would journey on, and at His command they would camp. As long as the cloud remained over the tabernacle they remained camped.

¹⁹Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, the Israelites would keep their obligation to the LORD and not set out.

²⁰Sometimes the cloud remained only a few days over the tabernacle, and in accordance with the command of the LORD they remained camped. Then at His command they set out.

²¹If sometimes the cloud remained [over the tabernacle] from evening only until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning, they would journey on; whether in the daytime or at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out.

²²Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud [of the Lord's presence] lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the Israelites remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they set out.

²³At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they journeyed on; they kept their obligation to the LORD, in accordance with the command of the LORD through Moses.

¹O you foolish and thoughtless and superficial Galatians, who has bewitched you [that you would act like this], to whom—right before your very eyes—Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified [in the gospel message]?

²This is all I want to ask of you: did you receive the [Holy] Spirit as the result of obeying [the requirements of] the Law, or was it the result of hearing [the message of salvation and] with faith [believing it]?

³Are you so foolish and senseless? Having begun [your new life by faith] with the Spirit, are you now being perfected and reaching spiritual maturity by the flesh [that is, by your own works and efforts to keep the Law]?

⁴Have you suffered so many things and experienced so much all for nothing—if indeed it was all for nothing?

⁵So then, does He who supplies you with His [marvelous Holy] Spirit and works miracles among you, do it as a result of the works of the Law [which you perform], or because you [believe confidently in the message which you] heard with faith?

⁶Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, [as conformity to God's will and purpose—so it is with you also].

⁷So understand that it is the people who live by faith [with confidence in the power and goodness of God] who are [the true] sons of Abraham.

⁸The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the good news [of the Savior] to Abraham in advance [with this promise], saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed."

⁹So then those who are people of faith [whether Jew or Gentile] are blessed and favored by God [and declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing with Him] along with Abraham, the believer.

¹⁰For all who depend on the Law [seeking justification and salvation by obedience to the Law and the observance of rituals] are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed (condemned to destruction) is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, so as to practice them."

¹¹Now it is clear that no one is justified [that is, declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing] before God by the Law, for "The righteous (the just, the upright) shall live by faith."

¹²But the Law does not rest on or require faith [it has nothing to do with faith], but [instead, the Law] says, "He who practices them [the things prescribed by the Law] shall live by them [instead of faith]."

¹³Christ purchased our freedom and redeemed us from the curse of the Law and its condemnation by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs [crucified] on a tree (cross)"—

¹⁴in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might also come to the Gentiles, so that we would all receive [the realization of] the promise of the [Holy] Spirit through faith.

¹⁵Brothers and sisters, I speak in terms of human relations: even though a last will and testament is just a human covenant, yet when it has been signed and made legally binding, no one sets it aside or adds to it [modifying it in some way].

¹⁶Now the promises [in the covenants] were decreed to Abraham and to his seed. God does not say, "And to seeds (descendants, heirs)," as if [referring] to many [persons], but as to one, "And to your Seed," who is [none other than] Christ.

¹⁷This is what I mean: the Law, which came into existence four hundred and thirty years later [after the covenant concerning the coming Messiah], does not and cannot invalidate the covenant previously established by God, so as to abolish the promise.

¹⁸For if the inheritance [of what was promised] is based on [observing] the Law [as these false teachers claim], it is no longer based on a promise; however, God granted it to Abraham [as a gift] by virtue of His promise.

¹⁹Why, then, the Law [what was its purpose]? It was added [after the promise to Abraham, to reveal to people their guilt] because of transgressions [that is, to make people conscious of the sinfulness of sin], and [the Law] was ordained through angels and delivered to Israel by the hand of a mediator [Moses, the mediator between God and Israel, to be in effect] until the Seed would come to whom the promise had been made.

²⁰Now the mediator or go-between [in a transaction] is not [needed] for just one party; whereas God is only one [and was the only One giving the promise to Abraham, but the Law was a contract between two, God and Israel; its validity depended on both].

²¹Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a system of law had been given which could impart life, then righteousness (right standing with God) would actually have been based on law.

²²But the Scripture has imprisoned everyone [everything—the entire world] under sin, so that [the inheritance, the blessing of salvation] which was promised through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe [in Him and acknowledge Him as God's precious Son].

²³Now before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law, [perpetually] imprisoned [in preparation] for the faith that was destined to be revealed,

²⁴with the result that the Law has become our tutor and our disciplinarian to guide us to Christ, so that we may be justified [that is, declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing with God] by faith.

²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer under [the control and authority of] a tutor and disciplinarian.

²⁶For you [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified and] are all children of God [set apart for His purpose with full rights and privileges] through faith in Christ Jesus.

²⁷For all of you who were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union with the Christ, the Anointed] have clothed yourselves with Christ [that is, you have taken on His characteristics and values].

²⁸There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority].

²⁹And if you belong to Christ [if you are in Him], then you are Abraham's descendants, and [spiritual] heirs according to [God's] promise.

¹After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, possessing great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his splendor and radiance.

²And he shouted with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen [certainly to be destroyed] is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a dungeon haunted by every unclean spirit, and a prison for every unclean and loathsome bird.

³For all the nations have drunk from the wine of the passion of her [sexual] immorality, and the kings and political leaders of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth and economic power of her sensuous luxury."

⁴And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not be a partner in her sins and receive her plagues;

⁵for her sins (crimes, transgressions) have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her wickedness and crimes [for judgment].

⁶Repay to her even as she has repaid others, and pay back [to her] double [her torment] in accordance with what she has done; in the cup [of sin and suffering] which she mixed, mix a double portion [of perfect justice] for her.

⁷To the degree that she glorified herself and reveled and gloated in her sensuality [living deliciously and luxuriously], to that same degree impose on her torment and anguish, and mourning and grief; for in her heart she boasts, 'I sit as a queen [on a throne] and I am not a widow, and will never, ever see mourning or experience grief.'

⁸For this reason in a single day her plagues (afflictions, calamities) will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire and completely consumed; for strong and powerful is the Lord God who judges her.

⁹" And the kings and political leaders of the earth, who committed immorality and lived luxuriously with her, will weep and beat their chests [in mourning] over her when they see the smoke of her burning,

¹⁰standing a long way off, in fear of her torment, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, the strong city, Babylon! In a single hour your judgment has come.'

¹¹"And merchants of the earth will weep and grieve over her, because no one buys their cargo (goods, merchandise) anymore—

¹²cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet; all kinds of citron (scented) wood and every article of ivory and every article of very costly and lavish wood and bronze and iron and marble;

¹³and cinnamon and spices and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat; of cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and carriages; and of slaves and human lives.

¹⁴The ripe fruits and delicacies of your soul's desire have gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and extravagant are lost to you, never again to be found.

¹⁵The merchants who handled these articles, who grew wealthy from [their business with] her, will stand a long way off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,

¹⁶saying, 'Woe, woe, for the great city that was robed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, gilded and adorned with gold, with precious stones, and with pearls;

¹⁷because in one hour all the vast wealth has been laid waste.' And every ship captain or navigator, and every passenger and sailor, and all who make their living by the sea, stood a long way off,

¹⁸and exclaimed as they watched the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What could be compared to the great city?'

¹⁹And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, for the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich from her great wealth, because in one hour she has been laid waste!'

²⁰Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints (God's people) and apostles and prophets [who were martyred], because God has executed vengeance for you [through righteous judgment] upon her."

²¹Then a single powerful angel picked up a boulder like a great millstone and flung it into the sea, saying, "With such violence will Babylon the great city be hurled down [by the sudden, spectacular judgment of God], and will never again be found.

²²And the sound of harpists and musicians and flutists and trumpeters will never again be heard in you, and no skilled artisan of any craft will ever again be found in you, and the sound of the millstone [grinding grain] will never again be heard in you [for commerce will no longer flourish, and normal life will cease].

²³And never again will the light of a lamp shine in you, and never again will the voice of the bridegroom and bride be heard in you; for your merchants were the great and prominent men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived and misled by your sorcery [your magic spells and poisonous charm].

²⁴And in Babylon was found the blood of prophets and of saints (God's people) and of all those who have been slaughtered on the earth."

¹Again there was a day when the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan (adversary, accuser) also came among them to present himself before the LORD.

²The LORD said to Satan, "From where have you come?" Then Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming around on the earth and from walking around on it."

³The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered and reflected on My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God [with reverence] and abstains from and turns away from evil [because he honors God]. And still he maintains and holds tightly to his integrity, although you incited Me against him to destroy him without cause."

⁴Satan answered the LORD, " Skin for skin! Yes, a man will give all he has for his life.

⁵But put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh [and severely afflict him]; and he will curse You to Your face."

⁶So the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand, only spare his life."

⁷So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome boils and agonizingly painful sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

⁸And Job took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself, and he sat [down] among the ashes (rubbish heaps).

⁹Then his wife said to him, "Do you still cling to your integrity [and your faith and trust in God, without blaming Him]? Curse God and die!"

¹⁰But he said to her, "You speak as one of the [spiritually] foolish women speaks [ignorant and oblivious to God's will]. Shall we indeed accept [only] good from God and not [also] accept adversity and disaster?" In [spite of] all this Job did not sin with [words from] his lips.

¹¹Now when Job's three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; for they had made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him.

¹²When they looked from a distance and did not recognize him [because of his disfigurement], they raised their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe [in grief] and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky [in sorrow].

¹³So they sat down on the ground with Job for seven days and seven nights and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.

¹A Song of Ascents. When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion (Jerusalem), We were like those who dream [it seemed so unreal].

²Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."

³The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad!

⁴Restore our captivity, O LORD, As the stream-beds in the South (the Negev) [are restored by torrents of rain].

⁵They who sow in tears shall reap with joyful singing.

⁶He who goes back and forth weeping, carrying his bag of seed [for planting], Will indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

¹My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you,

²So that your ear is attentive to [skillful and godly] wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding [seeking it conscientiously and striving for it eagerly];

³Yes, if you cry out for insight, And lift up your voice for understanding;

⁴If you seek skillful and godly wisdom as you would silver And search for her as you would hidden treasures;

⁵Then you will understand the [reverent] fear of the LORD [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] And discover the knowledge of God.

⁶For the LORD gives [skillful and godly] wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

⁷He stores away sound wisdom for the righteous [those who are in right standing with Him]; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity [those of honorable character and moral courage],

⁸He guards the paths of justice; And He preserves the way of His saints (believers).

⁹Then you will understand righteousness and justice [in every circumstance] And integrity and every good path.

¹⁰For [skillful and godly] wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

¹¹Discretion will watch over you, Understanding and discernment will guard you,

¹²To keep you from the way of evil and the evil man, From the man who speaks perverse things;

¹³From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness;

¹⁴Who find joy in doing evil And delight in the perversity of evil,

¹⁵Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways;

¹⁶To keep you from the immoral woman; From the seductress with her flattering words,

¹⁷Who leaves the companion (husband) of her youth, And forgets the covenant of her God.

¹⁸For her house leads down to death And her paths lead to the dead;

¹⁹None who go to her return again, Nor do they regain the paths of life—

²⁰So you will walk in the way of good men [that is, those of personal integrity, moral courage and honorable character], And keep to the paths of the righteous.

²¹For the upright [those who are in right standing with God] will live in the land And those [of integrity] who are blameless [in God's sight] will remain in it;

²²But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous shall be [forcibly] uprooted and removed from it.

¹Aram (Syria) and Israel continued without war for three years.

²In the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.

³Now the king of Israel said to his servants, "Do you know that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, yet we are still doing nothing to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?"

⁴And Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?" Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."

⁵But Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire first for the word of the LORD."

⁶Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or should I not?" And they said, "Go up, for the LORD has handed it over to the king."

⁷But Jehoshaphat [doubted and] said, "Is there not another prophet of the LORD here whom we may ask?"

⁸The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is one more man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, because he never prophesies good news for me, but only evil." But Jehoshaphat said, "May the king not say that [Micaiah only tells bad news]."

⁹Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, "Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah."

¹⁰Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were each sitting on his throne, dressed in their [royal] robes, [in an open place] at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.

¹¹Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, "Thus says the LORD: 'With these you will gore the Arameans (Syrians) until they are destroyed.'"

¹²All the prophets were prophesying in the same way [to please Ahab], saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and be successful, for the LORD will hand it over to the king."

¹³Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, " Listen carefully, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable to the king. Please let your words be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably."

¹⁴But Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives, I will speak what the LORD says to me."

¹⁵So when he came to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go against Ramoth-gilead in battle, or shall we not?" And he answered him, "Go up and be successful, for the LORD will hand it over to the king."

¹⁶But the king [doubted him and] said to him, "How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?"

¹⁷And he said, "I saw all Israel Scattered upon the mountains, Like sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, 'These have no master. Let each of them return to his house in peace.'"

¹⁸Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"

¹⁹Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host (army) of heaven standing by Him on His right hand and on His left.

²⁰The LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said this, while another said that.

²¹Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.'

²²The LORD said to him, 'How?' And he said, 'I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then the LORD said, 'You are to entice him and also succeed. Go and do so.'

²³Now then, behold, the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these prophets; and the LORD has proclaimed disaster against you."

²⁴But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, "How did the Spirit of the LORD pass from me to speak to you?"

²⁵Micaiah said, "Behold, you shall see on that day [of the king's defeat] when you enter an inner room [looking for a place] to hide yourself."

²⁶Then the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king's son,

²⁷and say, 'Thus says the king, "Put this man in prison, and feed him sparingly with the bread and water until I return safely."'"

²⁸Micaiah said, "If you indeed return safely, the LORD has not spoken by me." Then he said, "Listen, all you people."

²⁹So [Ahab] the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.

³⁰The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and enter the battle, but you put on your [royal] clothing." So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.

³¹Now the king of Aram (Syria) had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, "Do not fight with [anyone, either] small or great, but with [Ahab] the king of Israel alone."

³²When the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "Surely it is the king of Israel." They turned to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat shouted out [in fear].

³³When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

³⁴But one man drew a bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around and take me out of the fight, because I have been seriously wounded."

³⁵The battle raged that day, and [Ahab] the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans (Syrians). And in the evening he died, and the blood from his wound ran down into the bottom of the chariot.

³⁶Then about sundown a resounding cry passed throughout the army, saying, "Every man to his city and every man to his own country!"

³⁷So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.

³⁸They washed the chariot by the pool [on the outskirts] of Samaria, where the prostitutes bathed, and the dogs licked up his blood, in accordance with the word of the LORD which He had spoken.

³⁹Now the rest of Ahab's acts, and everything that he did, the ivory palace which he built and all the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

⁴⁰So Ahab slept with his fathers [in death], and Ahaziah his son became king in his place.

⁴¹Now Jehoshaphat the son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.

⁴²Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

⁴³He walked in all the ways of Asa his father, without turning from them, doing right in the sight of the LORD. However, the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

⁴⁴Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

⁴⁵Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, his might which he displayed and how he made war, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

⁴⁶And the remnant of the sodomites (male cult prostitutes) who remained in the days of his father Asa, Jehoshaphat expelled from the land.

⁴⁷Now there was no king in Edom; a deputy (governor) was [serving as] king.

⁴⁸Jehoshaphat had [large cargo] ships of Tarshish constructed to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, because the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber.

⁴⁹Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go with your servants in the ships," But Jehoshaphat was unwilling and refused.

⁵⁰Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers [in death] and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David, and Jehoram his son became king in his place.

⁵¹Ahaziah the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years.

⁵²He did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the [idolatrous] way of his father [Ahab] and of his mother [Jezebel], and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin.

⁵³He served Baal and worshiped him, and he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger, in accordance with everything that his father [Ahab] had done.

¹He said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find [in this book]; eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel."

²So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll.

³He said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll that I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.

⁴Then He said to me, "Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak My words to them.

⁵For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel,

⁶not to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. But I have sent you to them who should listen to you and pay attention to My message;

⁷yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you and obey you, since they are not willing to listen to Me and obey Me, for the entire house of Israel is stubborn and obstinate.

⁸Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.

⁹I have made your forehead like emery (diamond), harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or be dismayed before them, though they are a rebellious house."

¹⁰Moreover, He said to me, "Son of man, receive into your heart all My words which I will speak to you and hear with your ears (listen closely).

¹¹Go to the [Jewish] exiles [in Babylon], to the children of your people, and speak to them, whether they listen or not, and tell them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD.'"

¹²Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great rushing sound behind me, "Blessed be the glory of the LORD in His place [above the expanse]."

¹³And then I heard the sound of the wings of the living beings as they touched one another and [I heard] the sound of the wheels beside them, a great rushing sound.

¹⁴So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went embittered [by the sins of Israel] in the rage of my spirit; and the hand of the LORD was strong on me.

¹⁵Then I came to the exiles who lived beside the River Chebar at Tel Abib. I sat there for seven days [in the place] where they were living, overwhelmed with astonishment [by my vision and the work before me].

¹⁶At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

¹⁷"Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me.

¹⁸When I say to the wicked, 'You will certainly die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to tell him to turn from his wicked way to save his life, that same evil man will die in his sin, but you will be responsible for his blood.

¹⁹However, if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he will die in his sin; but you have freed yourself [from responsibility].

²⁰Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness (right standing with God) and sins, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he will die in his sin, and the righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered; but you will be responsible for his blood.

²¹However, if you have warned the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning; also you have freed yourself [from responsibility]."

²²The hand of the LORD was on me there, and He said to me, "Arise, go out to the plain, and I will speak to you."

²³So I got up and went out to the plain; and behold, the glory and brilliance of the LORD was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the River Chebar, and I fell face downward.

²⁴Then the Spirit entered me and made me stand on my feet; He spoke and said to me, "Go, shut yourself up in your house.

²⁵As for you, son of man, they will put ropes on you and bind you with them so that you cannot go out among them.

²⁶And I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you cannot talk and you cannot be a man who rebukes the people, for they are a rebellious house.

²⁷But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth and you will say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD.' He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses [to hear], let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.

¹Now in Iconium Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue together and spoke in such a way [with such power and boldness] that a large number of Jews as well as Greeks believed [and confidently accepted Jesus as Savior];

²but the unbelieving Jews [who rejected Jesus as Messiah] stirred up and embittered the minds of the Gentiles against the believers.

³So Paul and Barnabas stayed for a long time, speaking boldly and confidently for the Lord, who continued to testify to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders (attesting miracles) be done by them.

⁴But the people of the city were divided; some were siding with the Jews, and some with the apostles.

⁵When there was an attempt by both the Gentiles and the Jews, together with their rulers, to shamefully mistreat and to stone them,

⁶they, aware of the situation, escaped to Lystra and Derbe, [taking refuge in the] cities of Lycaonia, and the neighboring region;

⁷and there they continued to preach the good news.

⁸Now at Lystra a man sat who was unable to use his feet, for he was crippled from birth and had never walked.

⁹This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, and Paul looked intently at him and saw that he had faith to be healed,

¹⁰and said with a loud voice, "Stand up on your feet." And he jumped up and began to walk.

¹¹And the crowds, when they saw what Paul had done, raised their voices, shouting in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!"

¹²They began calling Barnabas, Zeus [chief of the Greek gods], and Paul, Hermes [messenger of the Greek gods], since he took the lead in speaking.

¹³The priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance of the city, brought bulls and garlands to the city gates, and wanted to offer sacrifices with the crowds.

¹⁴But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting,

¹⁵"Men, why are you doing these things? We too are only men of the same nature as you, bringing the good news to you, so that you turn from these useless and meaningless things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything that is in them.

¹⁶In generations past He permitted all the nations to go their own ways;

¹⁷yet He did not leave Himself without some witness [as evidence of Himself], in that He kept constantly doing good things and showing you kindness, and giving you rains from heaven and productive seasons, filling your hearts with food and happiness."

¹⁸Even saying these words, with difficulty they prevented the people from offering sacrifices to them.

¹⁹But Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead.

²⁰But the disciples formed a circle around him, and he got up and went back into the city; and the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.

²¹They preached the good news to that city and made many disciples, then they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,

²²strengthening and establishing the hearts of the disciples; encouraging them to remain firm in the faith, saying, "It is through many tribulations and hardships that we must enter the kingdom of God."

²³When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they believed [and joyfully accepted as the Messiah].

²⁴Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia.

²⁵When they had spoken the word [of salvation through faith in Christ] in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

²⁶From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been entrusted to the grace of God for the work which they had now completed.

²⁷Arriving there, they gathered the church together and began to report [in great detail] everything that God had done with them and how He had opened to the Gentiles a door of faith [in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior].

²⁸And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.