Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Then Jesus left Capernaum and went down to the region of Judea and into the area east of the Jordan River. Once again crowds gathered around him, and as usual he was teaching them.

²Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife?”

³Jesus answered them with a question: “What did Moses say in the law about divorce?”

⁴“Well, he permitted it,” they replied. “He said a man can give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away.”

⁵But Jesus responded, “He wrote this commandment only as a concession to your hard hearts.

⁶But ‘God made them male and female’ from the beginning of creation.

⁷‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife,

⁸and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one,

⁹let no one split apart what God has joined together.”

¹⁰Later, when he was alone with his disciples in the house, they brought up the subject again.

¹¹He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery against her.

¹²And if a woman divorces her husband and marries someone else, she commits adultery.”

¹³One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.

¹⁴When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.

¹⁵I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

¹⁶Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.

¹⁷As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁸“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.

¹⁹But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’ ”

²⁰“Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”

²¹Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²²At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

²³Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!”

²⁴This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God.

²⁵In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

²⁶The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.

²⁷Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

²⁸Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.

²⁹“Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News,

³⁰will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property — along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life.

³¹But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then. ”

³²They were now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with awe, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear. Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus once more began to describe everything that was about to happen to him.

³³“Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans.

³⁴They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again.”

³⁵Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.”

³⁶“What is your request?” he asked.

³⁷They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”

³⁸But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?”

³⁹“Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!” Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering.

⁴⁰But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”

⁴¹When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant.

⁴²So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.

⁴³But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,

⁴⁴and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.

⁴⁵For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

⁴⁶Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road.

⁴⁷When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁸“Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!”

⁵⁰Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

⁵¹“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My Rabbi, ” the blind man said, “I want to see!”

⁵²And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.

¹Now the LORD said to Moses,

²“Make two trumpets of hammered silver for calling the community to assemble and for signaling the breaking of camp.

³When both trumpets are blown, everyone must gather before you at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

⁴But if only one trumpet is blown, then only the leaders — the heads of the clans of Israel — must present themselves to you.

⁵“When you sound the signal to move on, the tribes camped on the east side of the Tabernacle must break camp and move forward.

⁶When you sound the signal a second time, the tribes camped on the south will follow. You must sound short blasts as the signal for moving on.

⁷But when you call the people to an assembly, blow the trumpets with a different signal.

⁸Only the priests, Aaron’s descendants, are allowed to blow the trumpets. This is a permanent law for you, to be observed from generation to generation.

⁹“When you arrive in your own land and go to war against your enemies who attack you, sound the alarm with the trumpets. Then the LORD your God will remember you and rescue you from your enemies.

¹⁰Blow the trumpets in times of gladness, too, sounding them at your annual festivals and at the beginning of each month. And blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and peace offerings. The trumpets will remind your God of his covenant with you. I am the LORD your God.”

¹¹In the second year after Israel’s departure from Egypt — on the twentieth day of the second month — the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle of the Covenant.

¹²So the Israelites set out from the wilderness of Sinai and traveled on from place to place until the cloud stopped in the wilderness of Paran.

¹³When the people set out for the first time, following the instructions the LORD had given through Moses,

¹⁴Judah’s troops led the way. They marched behind their banner, and their leader was Nahshon son of Amminadab.

¹⁵They were joined by the troops of the tribe of Issachar, led by Nethanel son of Zuar,

¹⁶and the troops of the tribe of Zebulun, led by Eliab son of Helon.

¹⁷Then the Tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonite and Merarite divisions of the Levites were next in the line of march, carrying the Tabernacle with them.

¹⁸Reuben’s troops went next, marching behind their banner. Their leader was Elizur son of Shedeur.

¹⁹They were joined by the troops of the tribe of Simeon, led by Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai,

²⁰and the troops of the tribe of Gad, led by Eliasaph son of Deuel.

²¹Next came the Kohathite division of the Levites, carrying the sacred objects from the Tabernacle. Before they arrived at the next camp, the Tabernacle would already be set up at its new location.

²²Ephraim’s troops went next, marching behind their banner. Their leader was Elishama son of Ammihud.

²³They were joined by the troops of the tribe of Manasseh, led by Gamaliel son of Pedahzur,

²⁴and the troops of the tribe of Benjamin, led by Abidan son of Gideoni.

²⁵Dan’s troops went last, marching behind their banner and serving as the rear guard for all the tribal camps. Their leader was Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.

²⁶They were joined by the troops of the tribe of Asher, led by Pagiel son of Ocran,

²⁷and the troops of the tribe of Naphtali, led by Ahira son of Enan.

²⁸This was the order in which the Israelites marched, division by division.

²⁹One day Moses said to his brother-in-law, Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, “We are on our way to the place the LORD promised us, for he said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised wonderful blessings for Israel!”

³⁰But Hobab replied, “No, I will not go. I must return to my own land and family.”

³¹“Please don’t leave us,” Moses pleaded. “You know the places in the wilderness where we should camp. Come, be our guide.

³²If you do, we’ll share with you all the blessings the LORD gives us.”

³³They marched for three days after leaving the mountain of the LORD, with the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant moving ahead of them to show them where to stop and rest.

³⁴As they moved on each day, the cloud of the LORD hovered over them.

³⁵And whenever the Ark set out, Moses would shout, “Arise, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered! Let them flee before you!”

³⁶And when the Ark was set down, he would say, “Return, O LORD, to the countless thousands of Israel!”

¹Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.

²They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set.

³And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.

⁴But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.

⁵God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.

⁶And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”

⁷Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

⁸Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist.

⁹So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?

¹⁰You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years.

¹¹I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing.

¹²Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to live as I do in freedom from these things, for I have become like you Gentiles — free from those laws. You did not mistreat me when I first preached to you.

¹³Surely you remember that I was sick when I first brought you the Good News.

¹⁴But even though my condition tempted you to reject me, you did not despise me or turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself.

¹⁵Where is that joyful and grateful spirit you felt then? I am sure you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me if it had been possible.

¹⁶Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?

¹⁷Those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but their intentions are not good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them.

¹⁸If someone is eager to do good things for you, that’s all right; but let them do it all the time, not just when I’m with you.

¹⁹Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives.

²⁰I wish I were with you right now so I could change my tone. But at this distance I don’t know how else to help you.

²¹Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says?

²²The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife.

²³The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.

²⁴These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them.

²⁵And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law.

²⁶But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother.

²⁷As Isaiah said, “Rejoice, O childless woman, you who have never given birth! Break into a joyful shout, you who have never been in labor! For the desolate woman now has more children than the woman who lives with her husband!”

²⁸And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac.

²⁹But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.

³⁰But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”

³¹So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.

¹After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting, “Praise the LORD! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.

²His judgments are true and just. He has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the murder of his servants.”

³And again their voices rang out: “Praise the LORD! The smoke from that city ascends forever and ever!”

⁴Then the twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried out, “Amen! Praise the LORD!”

⁵And from the throne came a voice that said, “Praise our God, all his servants, all who fear him, from the least to the greatest.”

⁶Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: “Praise the LORD! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

⁷Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself.

⁸She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.

⁹And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”

¹⁰Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus. ”

¹¹Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.

¹²His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself.

¹³He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God.

¹⁴The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses.

¹⁵From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress.

¹⁶On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

¹⁷Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared.

¹⁸Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.”

¹⁹Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army.

²⁰And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast — miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

²¹Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.

¹At last Job spoke, and he cursed the day of his birth.

²He said:

³“Let the day of my birth be erased, and the night I was conceived.

⁴Let that day be turned to darkness. Let it be lost even to God on high, and let no light shine on it.

⁵Let the darkness and utter gloom claim that day for its own. Let a black cloud overshadow it, and let the darkness terrify it.

⁶Let that night be blotted off the calendar, never again to be counted among the days of the year, never again to appear among the months.

⁷Let that night be childless. Let it have no joy.

⁸Let those who are experts at cursing — whose cursing could rouse Leviathan — curse that day.

⁹Let its morning stars remain dark. Let it hope for light, but in vain; may it never see the morning light.

¹⁰Curse that day for failing to shut my mother’s womb, for letting me be born to see all this trouble.

¹¹“Why wasn’t I born dead? Why didn’t I die as I came from the womb?

¹²Why was I laid on my mother’s lap? Why did she nurse me at her breasts?

¹³Had I died at birth, I would now be at peace. I would be asleep and at rest.

¹⁴I would rest with the world’s kings and prime ministers, whose great buildings now lie in ruins.

¹⁵I would rest with princes, rich in gold, whose palaces were filled with silver.

¹⁶Why wasn’t I buried like a stillborn child, like a baby who never lives to see the light?

¹⁷For in death the wicked cause no trouble, and the weary are at rest.

¹⁸Even captives are at ease in death, with no guards to curse them.

¹⁹Rich and poor are both there, and the slave is free from his master.

²⁰“Oh, why give light to those in misery, and life to those who are bitter?

²¹They long for death, and it won’t come. They search for death more eagerly than for hidden treasure.

²²They’re filled with joy when they finally die, and rejoice when they find the grave.

²³Why is life given to those with no future, those God has surrounded with difficulties?

²⁴I cannot eat for sighing; my groans pour out like water.

²⁵What I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded has come true.

²⁶I have no peace, no quietness. I have no rest; only trouble comes.”

¹Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.

²It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.

³Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.

⁴Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.

⁵How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.

¹My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart.

²If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying.

³Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.

⁴Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.

⁵Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

⁶Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

⁷Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

⁸Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.

⁹Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.

¹⁰Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.

¹¹My child, don’t reject the LORD’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you.

¹²For the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

¹³Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding.

¹⁴For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold.

¹⁵Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.

¹⁶She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left.

¹⁷She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying.

¹⁸Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.

¹⁹By wisdom the LORD founded the earth; by understanding he created the heavens.

²⁰By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth, and the dew settles beneath the night sky.

²¹My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them,

²²for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace.

²³They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble.

²⁴You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly.

²⁵You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked,

²⁶for the LORD is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.

²⁷Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.

²⁸If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”

²⁹Don’t plot harm against your neighbor, for those who live nearby trust you.

³⁰Don’t pick a fight without reason, when no one has done you harm.

³¹Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways.

³²Such wicked people are detestable to the LORD, but he offers his friendship to the godly.

³³The LORD curses the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the upright.

³⁴The LORD mocks the mockers but is gracious to the humble.

³⁵The wise inherit honor, but fools are put to shame!

¹After King Ahab’s death, the land of Moab rebelled against Israel.

²One day Israel’s new king, Ahaziah, fell through the latticework of an upper room at his palace in Samaria and was seriously injured. So he sent messengers to the temple of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether he would recover.

³But the angel of the LORD told Elijah, who was from Tishbe, “Go and confront the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is there no God in Israel? Why are you going to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether the king will recover?

⁴Now, therefore, this is what the LORD says: You will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’” So Elijah went to deliver the message.

⁵When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “Why have you returned so soon?”

⁶They replied, “A man came up to us and told us to go back to the king and give him this message. ‘This is what the LORD says: Is there no God in Israel? Why are you sending men to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’”

⁷“What sort of man was he?” the king demanded. “What did he look like?”

⁸They replied, “He was a hairy man, and he wore a leather belt around his waist.” “Elijah from Tishbe!” the king exclaimed.

⁹Then he sent an army captain with fifty soldiers to arrest him. They found him sitting on top of a hill. The captain said to him, “Man of God, the king has commanded you to come down with us.”

¹⁰But Elijah replied to the captain, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and killed them all.

¹¹So the king sent another captain with fifty men. The captain said to him, “Man of God, the king demands that you come down at once.”

¹²Elijah replied, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” And again the fire of God fell from heaven and killed them all.

¹³Once more the king sent a third captain with fifty men. But this time the captain went up the hill and fell to his knees before Elijah. He pleaded with him, “O man of God, please spare my life and the lives of these, your fifty servants.

¹⁴See how the fire from heaven came down and destroyed the first two groups. But now please spare my life!”

¹⁵Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him, and don’t be afraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went with him to the king.

¹⁶And Elijah said to the king, “This is what the LORD says: Why did you send messengers to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Is there no God in Israel to answer your question? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.”

¹⁷So Ahaziah died, just as the LORD had promised through Elijah. Since Ahaziah did not have a son to succeed him, his brother Joram became the next king. This took place in the second year of the reign of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.

¹⁸The rest of the events in Ahaziah’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.

¹“And now, son of man, take a large clay brick and set it down in front of you. Then draw a map of the city of Jerusalem on it.

²Show the city under siege. Build a wall around it so no one can escape. Set up the enemy camp, and surround the city with siege ramps and battering rams.

³Then take an iron griddle and place it between you and the city. Turn toward the city and demonstrate how harsh the siege will be against Jerusalem. This will be a warning to the people of Israel.

⁴“Now lie on your left side and place the sins of Israel on yourself. You are to bear their sins for the number of days you lie there on your side.

⁵I am requiring you to bear Israel’s sins for 390 days — one day for each year of their sin.

⁶After that, turn over and lie on your right side for 40 days — one day for each year of Judah’s sin.

⁷“Meanwhile, keep staring at the siege of Jerusalem. Lie there with your arm bared and prophesy her destruction.

⁸I will tie you up with ropes so you won’t be able to turn from side to side until the days of your siege have been completed.

⁹“Now go and get some wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and emmer wheat, and mix them together in a storage jar. Use them to make bread for yourself during the 390 days you will be lying on your side.

¹⁰Ration this out to yourself, eight ounces of food for each day, and eat it at set times.

¹¹Then measure out a jar of water for each day, and drink it at set times.

¹²Prepare and eat this food as you would barley cakes. While all the people are watching, bake it over a fire using dried human dung as fuel and then eat the bread.”

¹³Then the LORD said, “This is how Israel will eat defiled bread in the Gentile lands to which I will banish them!”

¹⁴Then I said, “O Sovereign LORD, must I be defiled by using human dung? For I have never been defiled before. From the time I was a child until now I have never eaten any animal that died of sickness or was killed by other animals. I have never eaten any meat forbidden by the law.”

¹⁵“All right,” the LORD said. “You may bake your bread with cow dung instead of human dung.”

¹⁶Then he told me, “Son of man, I will make food very scarce in Jerusalem. It will be weighed out with great care and eaten fearfully. The water will be rationed out drop by drop, and the people will drink it with dismay.

¹⁷Lacking food and water, people will look at one another in terror, and they will waste away under their punishment.

¹While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers : “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

²Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently. Finally, the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question.

³The church sent the delegates to Jerusalem, and they stopped along the way in Phoenicia and Samaria to visit the believers. They told them — much to everyone’s joy — that the Gentiles, too, were being converted.

⁴When they arrived in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported everything God had done through them.

⁵But then some of the believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and insisted, “The Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to follow the law of Moses.”

⁶So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue.

⁷At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe.

⁸God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us.

⁹He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith.

¹⁰So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear?

¹¹We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”

¹²Everyone listened quietly as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

¹³When they had finished, James stood and said, “Brothers, listen to me.

¹⁴Peter has told you about the time God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for himself.

¹⁵And this conversion of Gentiles is exactly what the prophets predicted. As it is written:

¹⁶‘Afterward I will return and restore the fallen house of David. I will rebuild its ruins and restore it,

¹⁷so that the rest of humanity might seek the LORD, including the Gentiles — all those I have called to be mine. The LORD has spoken —

¹⁸he who made these things known so long ago.’

¹⁹“And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.

²⁰Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from eating food offered to idols, from sexual immorality, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from consuming blood.

²¹For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations.”

²²Then the apostles and elders together with the whole church in Jerusalem chose delegates, and they sent them to Antioch of Syria with Paul and Barnabas to report on this decision. The men chosen were two of the church leaders — Judas (also called Barsabbas) and Silas.

²³This is the letter they took with them: “This letter is from the apostles and elders, your brothers in Jerusalem. It is written to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. Greetings!

²⁴“We understand that some men from here have troubled you and upset you with their teaching, but we did not send them!

²⁵So we decided, having come to complete agreement, to send you official representatives, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

²⁶who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁷We are sending Judas and Silas to confirm what we have decided concerning your question.

²⁸“For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements:

²⁹You must abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. If you do this, you will do well. Farewell.”

³⁰The messengers went at once to Antioch, where they called a general meeting of the believers and delivered the letter.

³¹And there was great joy throughout the church that day as they read this encouraging message.

³²Then Judas and Silas, both being prophets, spoke at length to the believers, encouraging and strengthening their faith.

³³They stayed for a while, and then the believers sent them back to the church in Jerusalem with a blessing of peace.

³⁴

³⁵Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch. They and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord there.

³⁶After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing.”

³⁷Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark.

³⁸But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work.

³⁹Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus.

⁴⁰Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious care.

⁴¹Then he traveled throughout Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches there.