Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹When they were nearing Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of His disciples,

²saying to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a [donkey's] colt tied, which has never been ridden by anyone; untie it and bring it here.

³If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord needs it'; and immediately he will send it here."

⁴So they went away [to the village] and found a colt tied outside at a gate in the street, and they untied it.

⁵Some of the people who were standing there said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?"

⁶They replied to them just as Jesus had directed, and they allowed them to go.

⁷They brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it, and He sat on it.

⁸And many [of the people] spread their coats on the road [as an act of tribute and homage before a new king], and others [scattered a layer of] leafy branches which they had cut from the fields [honoring Him as Messiah].

⁹Those who went in front and those who were following [Him] were shouting [in joy and praise], "Hosanna ( Save, I pray)! Blessed (praised, glorified) is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

¹⁰"Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest [heaven]!"

¹¹Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple [enclosure]; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve [disciples], because it was already late [in the day].

¹²On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He was hungry.

¹³Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if He would find anything on it. But He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

¹⁴He said to it, "No one will ever eat fruit from you again!" And His disciples were listening [to what He said].

¹⁵Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple [grounds] and began driving out [with force] the people who were selling and buying [animals for sacrifice] in the temple area, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers [who made a profit exchanging foreign money for temple coinage] and the seats of those who were selling doves;

¹⁶and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise or household wares through the temple [grounds, using the temple area irreverently as a shortcut].

¹⁷He began to teach and say to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a robbers' den."

¹⁸The chief priests and the scribes heard this and began searching for a way to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, since the entire crowd was struck with astonishment at His teaching.

¹⁹When evening came, Jesus and His disciples would leave the city.

²⁰In the morning, as they were passing by, the disciples saw that the fig tree had withered away from the roots up.

²¹And remembering, Peter said to Him, "Rabbi (Master), look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered!"

²²Jesus replied, "Have faith in God [constantly].

²³I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea!' and does not doubt in his heart [in God's unlimited power], but believes that what he says is going to take place, it will be done for him [in accordance with God's will].

²⁴For this reason I am telling you, whatever things you ask for in prayer [in accordance with God's will], believe [with confident trust] that you have received them, and they will be given to you.

²⁵Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him [drop the issue, let it go], so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions and wrongdoings [against Him and others].

²⁶["But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions."]

²⁷They came again to Jerusalem. And as Jesus was walking in the [courts and porches of the] temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him,

²⁸and began saying to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?"

²⁹Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

³⁰Was the baptism of John [the Baptist] from heaven [that is, ordained by God] or from men? Answer Me."

³¹They began discussing it with each other, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Then why did you not believe him?'

³²But shall we say, 'From men?'" —they were afraid [to answer because] of the crowd, for everyone considered John to have been a real prophet.

³³So they replied to Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

¹Now the people became like those who complain and whine about their hardships, and the LORD heard it; and when the LORD heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and devoured those in the outlying parts of the camp.

²So the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the LORD, the fire died out.

³He named that place Taberah (the place of burning), because the fire of the LORD burned among them.

⁴The rabble among them [who followed Israel from Egypt] had greedy desires [for familiar and delicious food], and the Israelites wept again and said, "Who will give us meat to eat?

⁵We remember the fish we ate freely and without cost in Egypt, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.

⁶But now our appetite is gone; there is nothing at all [in the way of food] to be seen but this manna."

⁷The manna was like coriander seed, and it looked like bdellium.

⁸The people went about and gathered it, and ground it in mills or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes with it; and it tasted like cakes baked with fresh [olive] oil.

⁹When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna fell with it.

¹⁰Now Moses heard the people weeping [in self-pity] throughout their families, every man at the doorway of his tent; and the anger of the LORD blazed hotly, and Moses regarded their behavior as evil.

¹¹So Moses said to the LORD, "Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have placed the burden of all these people on me?

¹²Was it I who conceived all these people? Was it I who brought them forth, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your arms as a nurse carries the nursing infant, to the land which You swore to their fathers'?

¹³Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep before me and say, 'Give us meat, so that we may eat.'

¹⁴I am not able to carry all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me.

¹⁵So if this is the way You are going to deal with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness."

¹⁶Accordingly, the LORD said to Moses, "Gather for Me seventy men from among the elders of Israel whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers; bring them to the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) and let them stand there with you.

¹⁷Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take away some of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not have to bear it all alone.

¹⁸Say to the people, 'Consecrate (separate as holy) yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept [in self-pity] in the ears of the LORD, saying, "Who will give us meat to eat? For we were well-off in Egypt." Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat.

¹⁹You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days,

²⁰but a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and is disgusting to you—because you have rejected and despised the LORD who is among you, and have wept [in self-pity] before Him, saying, "Why did we come out of Egypt?"'"

²¹But Moses said, "The people, among whom I am, are 600,000 [fighting men] on foot [besides all the women and children]; yet You have said, 'I will give them meat, so that they may eat it for a whole month!'

²²Should flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to be sufficient for them? Or should all the fish of the sea be collected for them to be sufficient for them?"

²³The LORD said to Moses, "Is the Lord's hand (ability, power) limited (short, inadequate)? You shall see now whether My word will come to pass for you or not."

²⁴So Moses went out and spoke to the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered seventy men from among the elders of the people and stationed them around the Tent (tabernacle).

²⁵Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took some of the Spirit who was upon Moses and put Him upon the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied [praising God and declaring His will], but they did not do it again.

²⁶But two men had remained in the camp; one named Eldad and the other named Medad. The Spirit rested upon them (now they were among those who had been registered, but had not gone out to the Tent), and they prophesied in the camp.

²⁷So a young man ran and told Moses and said, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying [extolling the praises of God and declaring His will] in the camp."

²⁸Then Joshua the son of Nun, the attendant of Moses from his youth, said, "My lord Moses, stop them!"

²⁹But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!"

³⁰Then Moses went back into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

³¹Now there went forth a wind from the LORD and it brought quails from the sea, and let them fall [so they flew low] beside the camp, about a day's journey on this side and on the other side, all around the camp, about two cubits (three feet) deep on the surface of the ground.

³²The people spent all that day and all night and all the next day and caught and gathered the quail (the one who gathered least gathered ten homers) and they spread them out for themselves around the camp [to cure them by drying].

³³While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck them with a very severe plague.

³⁴So that place was named Kibroth-hattaavah (the graves of greediness), because there they buried the people who had been greedy [for more than the manna that God provided them].

³⁵From Kibroth-hattaavah the people set out for Hazeroth, and they remained at Hazeroth.

¹It was for this freedom that Christ set us free [completely liberating us]; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery [which you once removed].

²Notice, it is I, Paul, who tells you that if you receive circumcision [as a supposed requirement of salvation], Christ will be of no benefit to you [for you will lack the faith in Christ that is necessary for salvation].

³Once more I solemnly affirm to every man who receives circumcision [as a supposed requirement of salvation], that he is under obligation and required to keep the whole Law.

⁴You have been severed from Christ, if you seek to be justified [that is, declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing with God] through the Law; you have fallen from grace [for you have lost your grasp on God's unmerited favor and blessing].

⁵For we [not relying on the Law but] through the [strength and power of the Holy] Spirit, by faith, are waiting [confidently] for the hope of righteousness [the completion of our salvation].

⁶For [if we are] in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but only faith activated and expressed and working through love.

⁷You were running [the race] well; who has interfered and prevented you from obeying the truth?

⁸This [deceptive] persuasion is not from Him who called you [to freedom in Christ].

⁹A little leaven [a slight inclination to error, or a few false teachers] leavens the whole batch [it perverts the concept of faith and misleads the church].

¹⁰I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view [contrary to mine on the matter]; but the one who is disturbing you, whoever he is, will have to bear the penalty.

¹¹But as for me, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision [as I had done before I met Christ; and as some accuse me of doing now, as necessary for salvation], why am I still being persecuted [by Jews]? In that case the stumbling block of the cross [to unbelieving Jews] has been abolished.

¹²I wish that those who are troubling you [by teaching that circumcision is necessary for salvation] would even [go all the way and] castrate themselves!

¹³For you, my brothers, were called to freedom; only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the sinful nature (worldliness, selfishness), but through love serve and seek the best for one another.

¹⁴For the whole Law [concerning human relationships] is fulfilled in one precept, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, you shall have an unselfish concern for others and do things for their benefit]."

¹⁵But if you bite and devour one another [in bickering and strife], watch out that you [along with your entire fellowship] are not consumed by one another.

¹⁶But I say, walk habitually in the [Holy] Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance], and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts].

¹⁷For the sinful nature has its desire which is opposed to the Spirit, and the [desire of the] Spirit opposes the sinful nature; for these [two, the sinful nature and the Spirit] are in direct opposition to each other [continually in conflict], so that you [as believers] do not [always] do whatever [good things] you want to do.

¹⁸But if you are guided and led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the Law.

¹⁹Now the practices of the sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control),

²⁰idolatry, sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies],

²¹envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²²But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

²³gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

²⁴And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites.

²⁵If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit].

²⁶We must not become conceited, challenging or provoking one another, envying one another.

¹And then I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding the key of the abyss (the bottomless pit) and a great chain was in his hand.

²And he overpowered and laid hold of the dragon, that old serpent [of primeval times], who is the devil and Satan, and bound him [securely] for a thousand years (a millennium);

³and the angel hurled him into the abyss, and closed it and sealed it above him [preventing his escape or rescue], so that he would no longer deceive and seduce the nations, until the thousand years were at an end. After these things he must be liberated for a short time.

⁴And then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those to whom judgment [that is, the authority to act as judges] was given. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had refused to worship the beast or his image, and had not accepted his mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

⁵The rest of the dead [the non-believers] did not come to life again until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.

⁶Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) and holy is the person who takes part in the first resurrection; over these the second death [which is eternal separation from God, the lake of fire] has no power or authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and they will reign with Him a thousand years.

⁷And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison (the abyss),

⁸and will come out to deceive and mislead the nations which are in the four corners of the earth—[including] Gog and Magog—to gather them together for the war; their number is like the sand of the seashore.

⁹And they swarmed up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints (God's people) and the beloved city [ Jerusalem]; but fire came down from heaven and consumed them.

¹⁰And the devil who had deceived them was hurled into the lake of fire and burning brimstone (sulfur), where the beast (Antichrist) and false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night, forever and ever.

¹¹And I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them [for this heaven and earth are passing away].

¹²And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the Book of Life; and the dead were judged according to what they had done as written in the books [that is, everything done while on earth].

¹³And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and Hades (the realm of the dead) surrendered the dead who were in them; and they were judged and sentenced, every one according to their deeds.

¹⁴Then death and Hades [the realm of the dead] were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire [the eternal separation from God].

¹⁵And if anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was hurled into the lake of fire.

¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

²"If we dare to converse with you, will you be impatient [or offended]? But who can restrain himself from speaking?

³"Behold, you have admonished and instructed many, And you have strengthened weak hands.

⁴"Your words have helped the one who was stumbling to stand, And you have strengthened feeble knees.

⁵"But now adversity comes upon you, and you are impatient and intolerant; It touches you, and you are horrified.

⁶"Is not your fear of God your confidence, And [is not] the integrity and uprightness of your ways your hope?

⁷"Remember now, who, being innocent, ever perished? Or where [and in what circumstances] were those upright and in right standing with God destroyed?

⁸"As I have seen, those who plow wickedness And those who sow trouble and harm harvest it.

⁹"By the breath of God they perish, And by the blast of His anger they are consumed.

¹⁰"The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions are broken.

¹¹"The lion perishes for lack of prey, And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

¹²"Now a word was secretly brought to me, And my ear received a whisper of it.

¹³"Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men,

¹⁴Dread and trembling came upon me, Which made all my bones shake.

¹⁵"Then a spirit passed before my face; The hair on my skin stood on end!

¹⁶"The spirit stood still, but I could not discern its appearance; A form was before my eyes; There was silence, and then I heard a voice, saying:

¹⁷'Can [mortal] man be just before God or be more righteous than He? Can a man be pure before his Maker or be more cleansed than He?

¹⁸'God puts no trust or confidence, even in His [heavenly] servants, And He charges His angels with error.

¹⁹'How much more [will He blame and charge] those who dwell in houses (bodies) of clay, Whose foundations are in the dust, Who are crushed like a moth.

²⁰'Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces and destroyed; Unobserved and unnoticed, they perish forever.

²¹'Is not their tent-cord drawn up within them [so that the tent collapses]? Do they not die, and yet without [acquiring] wisdom?'

¹A Song of Ascents. Blessed [happy and sheltered by God's favor] is everyone who fears the LORD [and worships Him with obedience], Who walks in His ways and lives according to His commandments.

²For you shall eat the fruit of [the labor of] your hands, You will be happy and blessed and it will be well with you.

³Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine Within the innermost part of your house; Your children will be like olive plants Around your table.

⁴Behold, for so shall the man be blessed and divinely favored Who fears the LORD [and worships Him with obedience].

⁵May the LORD bless you from Zion [His holy mountain], And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life;

⁶Indeed, may you see your [family perpetuated in your] children's children. Peace be upon Israel!

¹Hear, O children, the instruction of a father, And pay attention [and be willing to learn] so that you may gain understanding and intelligent discernment.

²For I give you good doctrine; Do not turn away from my instruction.

³When I was a son with my father (David), Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother (Bathsheba),

⁴He taught me and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live.

⁵"Get [skillful and godly] wisdom! Acquire understanding [actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation]! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

⁶"Do not turn away from her (Wisdom) and she will guard and protect you; Love her, and she will watch over you.

⁷"The beginning of wisdom is: Get [skillful and godly] wisdom [it is preeminent]! And with all your acquiring, get understanding [actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation].

⁸"Prize wisdom [and exalt her], and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her.

⁹"She will place on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty and glory."

¹⁰Hear, my son, and accept my sayings, And the years of your life will be many.

¹¹I have instructed you in the way of [skillful and godly] wisdom; I have led you in upright paths.

¹²When you walk, your steps will not be impeded [for your path will be clear and open]; And when you run, you will not stumble.

¹³Take hold of instruction; [actively seek it, grip it firmly and] do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life.

¹⁴Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not go the way of evil men.

¹⁵Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on.

¹⁶For the wicked cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are deprived of sleep unless they make someone stumble and fall.

¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness And drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸But the path of the just (righteous) is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day.

¹⁹The way of the wicked is like [deep] darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.

²⁰My son, pay attention to my words and be willing to learn; Open your ears to my sayings.

²¹Do not let them escape from your sight; Keep them in the center of your heart.

²²For they are life to those who find them, And healing and health to all their flesh.

²³Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

²⁴Put away from you a deceitful (lying, misleading) mouth, And put devious lips far from you.

²⁵Let your eyes look directly ahead [toward the path of moral courage] And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you [toward the path of integrity].

²⁶Consider well and watch carefully the path of your feet, And all your ways will be steadfast and sure.

²⁷Do not turn away to the right nor to the left [where evil may lurk]; Turn your foot from [the path of] evil.

¹When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal.

²And Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Bethel." But Elisha replied, "As the LORD lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.

³Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?" He said, "Yes, I know it; be quiet [about it]."

⁴Elijah said to him, "Elisha, please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the LORD lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho.

⁵The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?" And he answered, "Yes, I know it; be quiet [about it]."

⁶Elijah said to him, "Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on.

⁷Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood opposite them [to watch] at a distance; and the two of them stood by the Jordan.

⁸And Elijah took his mantle (coat) and rolled it up and struck the waters, and they were divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

⁹And when they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you." And Elisha said, "Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me."

¹⁰He said, "You have asked for a difficult thing. However, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so."

¹¹As they continued along and talked, behold, a chariot of fire with horses of fire [appeared suddenly and] separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

¹²Elisha saw it and cried out, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!" And he no longer saw Elijah. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces [in grief].

¹³He picked up the mantle of Elijah that fell off him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.

¹⁴He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" And when he too had struck the waters, they divided this way and that, and Elisha crossed over.

¹⁵When the sons of the prophets who were [watching] opposite at Jericho saw him, they said, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." And they came to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him [in respect].

¹⁶Then they said to Elisha, "Behold now, there are among your servants fifty strong men; please let them go and search for your master. It may be that the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley." And he said, "You shall not send anyone."

¹⁷But when they urged him until he was embarrassed [to refuse them], he said, "Send them." So they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days but did not find Elijah.

¹⁸They returned to Elisha while he was staying at Jericho; and he said to them, "Did I not tell you, 'Do not go'?"

¹⁹Then the men of the city said to Elisha, "Look, this city is in a pleasant place, as my lord [Elisha] sees; but the water is bad and the land is barren."

²⁰He said, "Bring me a new jar, and put salt in it." So they brought it to him.

²¹Then Elisha went to the spring of water and threw the salt in it and said, "Thus says the LORD: 'I [not the salt] have purified and healed these waters; there shall no longer be death or barrenness because of it.'"

²²So the waters have been purified to this day, in accordance with the word spoken by Elisha.

²³Then Elisha went up from Jericho to Bethel. On the way, young boys came out of the city and mocked him and said to him, "Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!"

²⁴When he turned around and looked at them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore to pieces forty-two of the boys.

²⁵Elisha went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

¹"And you [Ezekiel], son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber's razor and shave your head and your beard. Then take scales for weighing and divide the hair [into three parts].

²You shall burn one third with fire in the center of the city, when the days of the siege are completed. Then you shall take one third and strike it with the sword all around the city, and one third you shall scatter to the wind; and I will unsheathe a sword behind them.

³Also take some of them and bind them in the edges of your robes.

⁴Again take some hair and throw them into the fire and burn them in the fire; from it a fire will spread to all the house of Israel.

⁵"Thus says the Lord GOD, 'This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the center of the nations, and countries are around her.

⁶And she has rebelled against My ordinances more wickedly than the [pagan] nations and against My statutes more than the countries that are around her; for Israel has rejected My ordinances and has not walked in My statutes.'

⁷Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Because you have more turmoil than the nations which surround you and have not walked in My statutes, nor kept My ordinances, nor observed the ordinances of the nations which surround you,'

⁸therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I, I Myself, am against you, and I will execute judgments among you in the sight of the nations.

⁹And because of all your abominations, I will do among you that which I have not done, and the like of which I will not do again.

¹⁰Therefore, fathers will eat their sons among you, and sons will eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments on you and I will scatter to all the winds the remnant of you.

¹¹So, as I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable idols and with all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you and withdraw, and My eye will have no pity and I will not spare [you].

¹²One third of you will die of virulent disease or be consumed by famine among you; one third will fall by the sword around you; and one third I will scatter to all the winds, and I will unsheathe a sword behind them.

¹³'Thus My anger will come to an end and I will satisfy My wrath on them, and I will be appeased; then they will know [without any doubt] that I the LORD have spoken in My zeal when I have spent My wrath on them.

¹⁴Moreover, I will make you a desolation and a disgrace among the nations which surround you and in the sight of all who pass by.

¹⁵So it will be a disgrace, a taunt, a warning and an object of horror to the [pagan] nations who surround you when I execute judgments against you in anger and in wrath and in raging reprimands—I, the LORD, have spoken.

¹⁶When I send against them the deadly arrows of hunger which were for the destruction of those whom I will send to destroy you, then I will increase the famine upon you and break your staff of bread.

¹⁷Further, I will send against you hunger and wild beasts, and they will bereave you of children; virulent disease and bloodshed also will pass through you, and I will bring the sword on you. I, the LORD, have spoken.'"

¹Now Paul traveled to Derbe and also to Lystra. A disciple named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer [in Christ], however, his father was a Greek.

²Timothy was well spoken of by the brothers and sisters who were in Lystra and Iconium.

³Paul wanted Timothy to go with him [as a missionary]; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek.

⁴As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decrees decided on by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for the churches to observe.

⁵So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they continually increased in number day after day.

⁶Now they passed through the territory of Phrygia and Galatia, after being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in [the west coast province of] Asia [Minor];

⁷and after they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them;

⁸so passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.

⁹Then a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man from [the Roman province of] Macedonia was standing and pleading with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!"

¹⁰And when he had seen the vision, we (including Luke) tried to go on into Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

¹¹So setting sail from Troas, we ran a direct course to Samothrace, and the next day [went on] to Neapolis;

¹²and from there [we came] to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony. We stayed on in this city for several days;

¹³and on the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the bank of the [Gangites] river, where we thought there would be a place of prayer, and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had come there.

¹⁴A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a dealer in purple fabrics who was [already] a worshiper of God, listened to us; and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention and to respond to the things said by Paul.

¹⁵And when she was baptized, along with her household, she pleaded with us, saying, "If you have judged me and decided that I am faithful to the Lord [a true believer], come to my house and stay." And she persuaded us.

¹⁶It happened that as we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination [that is, a demonic spirit claiming to foretell the future and discover hidden knowledge], and she brought her owners a good profit by fortune-telling.

¹⁷She followed after Paul and us and kept screaming and shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God! They are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!"

¹⁸She continued doing this for several days. Then Paul, being greatly annoyed and worn out, turned and said to the spirit [inside her], "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ [as His representative] to come out of her!" And it came out at that very moment.

¹⁹But when her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the market place [where trials were held],

²⁰and when they had brought them before the chief magistrates, they said, "These men, who are Jews, are throwing our city into confusion and causing trouble.

²¹They are publicly teaching customs which are unlawful for us, as Romans, to accept or observe."

²²The crowd also joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and ordered that Paul and Silas be beaten with rods.

²³After striking them many times [with the rods], they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely.

²⁴He, having received such a [strict] command, threw them into the inner prison (dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks [in an agonizing position].

²⁵But about midnight when Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;

²⁶suddenly there was a great earthquake, so [powerful] that the very foundations of the prison were shaken and at once all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened.

²⁷When the jailer, shaken out of sleep, saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped.

²⁸But Paul shouted, saying, "Do not hurt yourself, we are all here!"

²⁹Then the jailer called for torches and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas,

³⁰and after he brought them out [of the inner prison], he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

³¹And they answered, "Believe in the Lord Jesus [as your personal Savior and entrust yourself to Him] and you will be saved, you and your household [if they also believe]."

³²And they spoke the word of the Lord [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ] to him and to all who were in his house.

³³And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their bloody wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household.

³⁴Then he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, since he had believed in God with his entire family [accepting with joy what had been made known to them about the Christ].

³⁵Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their officers, saying, "Release those men."

³⁶And the jailer repeated the words to Paul, saying, "The chief magistrates have sent word to release you; so come out now and go in peace."

³⁷But Paul said to them, "They have beaten us in public without a trial, men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison; and now they are sending us out secretly? No! Let them come here themselves and bring us out!"

³⁸The officers reported this message to the chief magistrates, and when they heard that the prisoners were Romans, they were frightened;

³⁹so they came [to the prison] and appealed to them [with apologies], and when they brought them out, they kept begging them to leave the city.

⁴⁰So they left the prison and went to Lydia's house; and when they had seen the brothers and sisters, they encouraged and comforted them, and left.