Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Now Jesus, full of [and in perfect communication with] the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness

²for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they ended, He was hungry.

³Then the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to turn into bread."

⁴Jesus replied to him, "It is written and forever remains written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.'"

⁵Then he led Jesus up [to a high mountain] and displayed before Him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth [and their magnificence] in the twinkling of an eye.

⁶And the devil said to Him, "I will give You all this realm and its glory [its power, its renown]; because it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.

⁷Therefore if You worship before me, it will all be Yours."

⁸Jesus replied to him, "It is written and forever remains written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.'"

⁹Then he led Jesus to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle (highest point) of the temple, and said [mockingly] to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here;

¹⁰for it is written and forever remains written, 'He will command His angels concerning You to guard and protect You,'

¹¹and, 'they will lift You up on their hands, So that You do not strike Your foot against a stone.'"

¹²Jesus replied to him, "It is said [in Scripture], 'you shall not tempt the Lord your God [to prove Himself to you].'"

¹³When the devil had finished every temptation, he [temporarily] left Him until a more opportune time.

¹⁴Then Jesus went back to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about Him spread through the entire region.

¹⁵And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised and glorified and honored by all.

¹⁶So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.

¹⁷The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

¹⁸"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me (the Messiah), Because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent Me to announce release (pardon, forgiveness) to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed (downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy),

¹⁹to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the favor of God abound greatly]."

²⁰Then He rolled up the scroll [having stopped in the middle of the verse], gave it back to the attendant and sat down [to teach]; and the eyes of all those in the synagogue were [attentively] fixed on Him.

²¹He began speaking to them: "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing and in your presence."

²²And [as He continued on] they all were speaking well of Him, and were in awe and were wondering about the words of grace which were coming from His lips; and they were saying, "Is this not Joseph's son?"

²³So He said to them, "You will no doubt quote this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal Yourself! Whatever [miracles] that we heard were done [by You] in Capernaum, do here in Your hometown as well.'"

²⁴Then He said, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.

²⁵But in truth I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was closed up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land;

²⁶and yet Elijah was not sent [by the Lord] to a single one of them, but only to Zarephath in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

²⁷And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and not one of them was cleansed [by being healed] except Naaman the Syrian."

²⁸As they heard these things [about God's grace to these two Gentiles], the people in the synagogue were filled with a great rage;

²⁹and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the crest of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to hurl Him down the cliff.

³⁰But passing [miraculously] through the crowd, He went on His way.

³¹Then He came down [from the hills of Nazareth] to Capernaum, a city of Galilee [on the shore of the sea], and He was teaching them on the Sabbath;

³²and they were surprised [almost overwhelmed] at His teaching, because His message was [given] with authority and power and great ability.

³³There was a man in the synagogue who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud and terrible voice,

³⁴"Let us alone! What business do we have [in common] with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!"

³⁵But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent (muzzled, gagged) and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown the man down among them, he came out of him without injuring him in any way.

³⁶They were all astonished and in awe, and began saying to one another, "What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out!"

³⁷And the news about Him spread into every place in the surrounding district (Galilee).

³⁸Then Jesus got up and left the synagogue and went to Simon's (Peter's) house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him to help her.

³⁹Standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and immediately she got up and began serving them [as her guests].

⁴⁰While the sun was setting [marking the end of the Sabbath day], all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus; and laying His hands on each one of them, He was healing them [exhibiting His authority as Messiah].

⁴¹Demons also were coming out of many people, shouting, "You are the Son of God!" But He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that He was the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).

⁴²When daybreak came, Jesus left [Simon Peter's house] and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and [they] came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them.

⁴³But He said, "I must preach [the good news of] the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because I was sent for this purpose."

⁴⁴So He continued preaching in the synagogues of Judea [the country of the Jews, including Galilee].

¹Then the Israelites, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month [in the fortieth year after leaving Egypt]. And the people lived in Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there.

²Now there was no water for the congregation, and they gathered together against Moses and Aaron.

³The people contended with Moses, and said, "If only we had perished when our brothers perished [in the plague] before the LORD!

⁴Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness to die here, we and our livestock?

⁵Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or of figs or of vines or of pomegranates, and there is no water to drink."

⁶Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) and fell on their faces [before the LORD in prayer]. Then the glory and brilliance of the LORD appeared to them;

⁷and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

⁸"Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock in front of them, so that it will pour out its water. In this way you shall bring water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their livestock drink [fresh water]."

⁹So Moses took the rod from before the LORD, just as He had commanded him;

¹⁰and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. Moses said to them, "Listen now, you rebels; must we bring you water out of this rock?"

¹¹Then Moses raised his hand [in anger] and with his rod he struck the rock twice [instead of speaking to the rock as the LORD had commanded]. And the water poured out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank [fresh water].

¹²But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you have not believed (trusted) Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, you therefore shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them."

¹³These are the waters of Meribah (contention, strife), where the sons of Israel contended with the LORD, and He showed Himself holy among them.

¹⁴Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: "Thus says your brother Israel, 'You know all the hardship that has come upon us [as a nation];

¹⁵that our fathers (ancestors) went down to Egypt, and we lived there for a long time, and the Egyptians treated [both] us and our fathers badly.

¹⁶But when we cried out to the LORD [for help], He heard us and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. Now look, we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory.

¹⁷Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through a field or through a vineyard; we will not even drink water from a well. We will go along the king's highway, not turning [off-course] to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.'"

¹⁸But [the king of] Edom said to him, "You shall not pass through my territory, or I will come out against you with the sword."

¹⁹Again, the Israelites said to him, "We will go by the highway [trade route], and if I and my livestock drink any of your water, then I will pay for it. Only let me pass through on foot, nothing else."

²⁰But the king of Edom said, "You shall not pass through [my territory]." And Edom came out against Israel with many people and a strong hand.

²¹Thus [the king of] Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel turned away from him.

²²Now when they set out from Kadesh, the Israelites, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.

²³Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom, saying,

²⁴"Aaron will be gathered to his people [in death]; for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you [both] rebelled against My command at the waters of Meribah.

²⁵Take Aaron and Eleazar his son and bring them up to Mount Hor;

²⁶and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son. So Aaron will be gathered to his fathers, and will die there."

²⁷So Moses did just as the LORD had commanded; and they went up Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.

²⁸After Moses stripped Aaron of his [priestly] garments and put them on Eleazar his son, Aaron died there on the mountain top. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.

²⁹When all the congregation saw that Aaron had died, all the house of Israel wept (mourned) for him thirty days.

¹Therefore if there is any encouragement and comfort in Christ [as there certainly is in abundance], if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship [that we share] in the Spirit, if [there is] any [great depth of] affection and compassion,

²make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love [toward one another], knit together in spirit, intent on one purpose [and living a life that reflects your faith and spreads the gospel—the good news regarding salvation through faith in Christ].

³Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit [through factional motives, or strife], but with [an attitude of] humility [being neither arrogant nor self-righteous], regard others as more important than yourselves.

⁴Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

⁵Have this same attitude in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus [look to Him as your example in selfless humility],

⁶who, although He existed in the form and unchanging essence of God [as One with Him, possessing the fullness of all the divine attributes—the entire nature of deity], did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or asserted [as if He did not already possess it, or was afraid of losing it];

⁷but emptied Himself [without renouncing or diminishing His deity, but only temporarily giving up the outward expression of divine equality and His rightful dignity] by assuming the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men [He became completely human but was without sin, being fully God and fully man].

⁸After He was found in [terms of His] outward appearance as a man [for a divinely-appointed time], He humbled Himself [still further] by becoming obedient [to the Father] to the point of death, even death on a cross.

⁹For this reason also [because He obeyed and so completely humbled Himself], God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,

¹⁰so that at the name of Jesusevery knee shall bow [in submission], of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

¹¹and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to the glory of God the Father.

¹²So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ].

¹³For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.

¹⁴Do everything without murmuring or questioning [the providence of God],

¹⁵so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish in the midst of a [morally] crooked and [spiritually] perverted generation, among whom you are seen as bright lights [beacons shining out clearly] in the world [of darkness],

¹⁶holding out and offering to everyone the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to rejoice greatly because I did not run [my race] in vain nor labor without result.

¹⁷But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith [for preaching the message of salvation], still I rejoice and share my joy with you all.

¹⁸You too, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.

¹⁹But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may also be encouraged by learning news about you.

²⁰For I have no one else [like him who is] so kindred a spirit who will be genuinely concerned for your [spiritual] welfare.

²¹For the others [who deserted me after my arrest] all seek [to advance] their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

²²But you know of Timothy's tested worth and his proven character, that he has served with me to advance the gospel like a son serving with his father.

²³Therefore, I hope [that it is His will] to send him immediately, just as soon as I see how my case turns out;

²⁴and I trust [confidently] in the Lord that soon I also will be coming to you.

²⁵However, I thought it necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, [who has been] my brother and companion and fellow soldier, who was also sent as your messenger to take care of my needs.

²⁶For he has been longing for all of you and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.

²⁷He certainly was sick and close to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow.

²⁸So I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you.

²⁹Welcome him home in the Lord with great joy, and appreciate and honor men like him;

³⁰because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me [which distance prevented you from rendering personally].

¹[Job continued:] "Behold, my eye has seen all this, My ear has heard and understood it.

²"What you know I also know; I am not inferior to you.

³"But I wish to speak to the Almighty, And I desire to argue with God.

⁴"But you smear me with lies [you defame my character most untruthfully]; You are all worthless physicians and have no remedy to offer.

⁵"Oh, that you would be completely silent, And that silence would be your wisdom!

⁶"Please hear my argument And listen to the pleadings of my lips.

⁷"Will you speak what is unjust for God, And speak what is deceitful for Him?

⁸"Will you show partiality for Him [and be unjust to me so that you may gain favor with Him]? Will you contend and plead for God?

⁹"Will it be well for you when He investigates you [and your tactics against me]? Or will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?

¹⁰"He will surely reprimand you If you secretly show partiality.

¹¹"Will not His majesty terrify you, And will not the dread of Him fall upon you?

¹²"Your memorable sayings are [worthless, merely] proverbs of ashes; Your defenses are defenses of [crumbling] clay.

¹³"Be silent before me so that I may speak; And let happen to me what may.

¹⁴"Why should I take my flesh in my teeth And put my life in my hands [incurring the wrath of God]?

¹⁵"Even though He kills me; I will hope in Him. Nevertheless, I will argue my ways to His face.

¹⁶"This also will be my salvation, For a godless man may not come before Him.

¹⁷"Listen diligently to my speech, And let my declaration fill your ears.

¹⁸"Behold now, I have prepared my case; I know that I will be vindicated.

¹⁹"Who will argue and contend with me? For then I would be silent and die.

²⁰"Only [O Lord,] do not do two things to me, And then I will not hide myself from Your face:

²¹Withdraw Your hand from me and remove this bodily suffering, And let not the dread of You terrify me.

²²"Then [Lord,] call, and I will answer; Or let me speak, and then reply to me.

²³"How many are my iniquities and sins [that so much sorrow should come to me]? Make me recognize and understand my transgression and my sin.

²⁴"Why do You hide Your face [as if offended] And consider me Your enemy?

²⁵"Will You cause a windblown leaf to tremble? Will You pursue the chaff of the dry stubble?

²⁶"For You write bitter things against me [in Your indictment] And make me inherit and suffer for the iniquities of my youth.

²⁷"You also put my feet in the stocks [as punishment] And [critically] observe all my paths; You set a circle and limit around the soles of my feet [which I must not overstep],

²⁸While I waste away like a rotten thing, Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

¹By the rivers of Babylon, There we [captives] sat down and wept, When we remembered Zion [the city God imprinted on our hearts].

²On the willow trees in the midst of Babylon We hung our harps.

³For there they who took us captive demanded of us a song with words, And our tormentors [who made a mockery of us demanded] amusement, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion."

⁴How can we sing the Lord's song In a strange and foreign land?

⁵If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget [her skill with the harp].

⁶Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth If I do not remember you, If I do not prefer Jerusalem Above my chief joy.

⁷Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom, The day of [the fall of] Jerusalem, Who said "Down, down [with her] To her very foundation."

⁸O daughter of Babylon, you devastator, How blessed will be the one Who repays you [with destruction] as you have repaid us.

⁹How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones Against the rock.

¹A wise son heeds and accepts [and is the result of] his father's discipline and instruction, But a scoffer does not listen to reprimand and does not learn from his errors.

²From the fruit of his mouth a [wise] man enjoys good, But the desire of the treacherous is for violence.

³The one who guards his mouth [thinking before he speaks] protects his life; The one who opens his lips wide [and chatters without thinking] comes to ruin.

⁴The soul (appetite) of the lazy person craves and gets nothing [for lethargy overcomes ambition], But the soul (appetite) of the diligent [who works willingly] is rich and abundantly supplied.

⁵A righteous man hates lies, But a wicked man is loathsome, and he acts shamefully.

⁶Righteousness (being in right standing with God) guards the one whose way is blameless, But wickedness undermines and overthrows the sinner.

⁷There is one who pretends to be rich, yet has nothing at all; Another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

⁸The ransom for a man's life is his wealth, But the poor man does not even have to listen to a rebuke or threats [from the envious].

⁹The light of the righteous [within him—grows brighter and] rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked [is a temporary light and] goes out.

¹⁰Through pride and presumption come nothing but strife, But [skillful and godly] wisdom is with those who welcome [well-advised] counsel.

¹¹Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, But he who gathers gradually by [honest] labor will increase [his riches].

¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

¹³Whoever despises the word and counsel [of God] brings destruction upon himself, But he who [reverently] fears and respects the commandment [of God] will be rewarded.

¹⁴The teaching of the wise is a fountain and source of life, So that one may avoid the snares of death.

¹⁵Good understanding wins favor [from others], But the way of the unfaithful is hard [like barren, dry soil].

¹⁶Every prudent and self-disciplined man acts with knowledge, But a [closed-minded] fool [who refuses to learn] displays his foolishness [for all to see].

¹⁷A wicked messenger falls into hardship, But a faithful ambassador brings healing.

¹⁸Poverty and shame will come to him who refuses instruction and discipline, But he who accepts and learns from reproof or censure is honored.

¹⁹Desire realized is sweet to the soul; But it is detestable to fools to turn away from evil [which they have planned].

²⁰He who walks [as a companion] with wise men will be wise, But the companions of [conceited, dull-witted] fools [are fools themselves and] will experience harm.

²¹Adversity pursues sinners, But the [consistently] upright will be rewarded with prosperity.

²²A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for [the hands of] the righteous.

²³Abundant food is in the fallow (uncultivated) ground of the poor, But [without protection] it is swept away by injustice.

²⁴He who withholds the rod [of discipline] hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines and trains him diligently and appropriately [with wisdom and love].

²⁵The [consistently] righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, But the stomach of the wicked is in need [of bread].

¹When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah [king of Judah] saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal offspring.

²But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram [of Judah and half] sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and abducted him from among the king's sons who were to be killed, and hid him and his nurse in the bedroom. So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death.

³Joash was hidden with his nurse in the house (temple) of the LORD for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

⁴Now in the seventh year Jehoiada [the priest, Jehosheba's husband] sent for the captains of hundreds of the Carites and of the guard and brought them to him to the house of the LORD. Then he made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the LORD, and showed them the king's [hidden] son.

⁵He commanded them, saying, "This is the thing that you shall do: a third of you who come in [reporting for duty] on the Sabbath shall keep watch over the king's house

⁶(a third shall also be at the [city] gate Sur, and a third at the gate behind the guards); so you shall keep watch over the palace [from three posts] for defense.

⁷Two units of you, all those who go out [off duty] on the Sabbath, shall also keep watch over the house (temple) of the LORD for [the protection of] the king.

⁸You shall surround the [young] king, each man with weapons in his hand; and whoever comes through the ranks shall be put to death. You are to be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in."

⁹The captains of hundreds acted in accordance with everything that Jehoiada the priest commanded; and each of them took his men who were to come in (on duty) on the Sabbath, with those who were to go out (off duty) on the Sabbath, and they came to Jehoiada the priest.

¹⁰The priest gave to the captains of hundreds the spears and shields that had been King David's, which were in the house of the LORD.

¹¹And the guards stood, each man with weapons in his hand, from the right side to the left side of the temple area, by the altar [in the courtyard] and by the temple [proper], all around the king.

¹²Then Jehoiada brought out the king's son and put the crown on him and gave him the Testimony [a copy of the Mosaic Law]; and they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, "Long live the king!"

¹³When Athaliah heard the sound of the guards and of the people, she went into the house of the LORD to the people.

¹⁴When she looked, behold, there stood the [young] king [on the platform] by the pillar, as was customary [on such occasions], and the captains and the trumpeters were beside the king; and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing the trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, "Treason! Treason!"

¹⁵Then Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds appointed over the army and said to them, "Take her out between the ranks, and whoever follows her put to death with the sword." For the priest had said, "Let her not be put to death in the house (temple) of the LORD."

¹⁶So they seized her, and she went through the horses' entrance to the king's house (palace), and she was put to death there.

¹⁷Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD, the king, and the people, that they would be the Lord's people—also between the king and the people [to be his subjects].

¹⁸Then all the people of the land went to the house of Baal and tore it down. They utterly smashed his altar and his images to pieces, and they put Mattan the priest of Baal to death in front of the altars. And [Jehoiada] the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD.

¹⁹Then he took the captains of hundreds, the Carites (royal bodyguards), the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought the [young] king down from the house of the LORD, and came by way of the guards' gate to the king's house. And [little] Joash sat on the throne of the kings.

²⁰So all the people of the land rejoiced and the city [of Jerusalem] was quiet. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword at the king's house.

²¹Jehoash (Joash) was seven years old when he became king.

¹Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me [seeking an oracle from God] and sat down before me.

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

³"Son of man, these men have set up [and honored] their idols in their hearts and have put right before their faces the [vile] stumbling block of their wickedness and guilt; should I [permit Myself to] be consulted by them at all?

⁴Therefore speak to them and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Any man of the house of Israel who takes his idols [of rebellion] into his heart, and puts the [vile] stumbling block of his wickedness and guilt [images of silver and gold] before his face, and yet comes to the prophet [to ask of him], I the LORD will answer him, [but I will answer him] in accordance with the number of his idols,

⁵in order that I may take hold of the heart (mind) of the house of Israel who are all estranged from Me because of their idols."'

⁶"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your disgusting and vile acts.

⁷For anyone of the house of Israel or among the strangers who immigrate to Israel who separates himself from Me, taking his idols into his heart, and puts right before his face the [vile] stumbling block of his wickedness and guilt, and [then] comes to the prophet to ask of Me for himself, I the LORD will answer him Myself.

⁸I will set My face against that man [that hypocrite] and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from among My people; and you will know [without any doubt] that I am the LORD.

⁹"But if the prophet [who speaks without My authority] is enticed to speak a word [of his own], it is I the LORD who have caused that prophet [to speak falsely to please the inquirer, thus allowing himself to be a party to the inquirer's sin], and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel.

¹⁰They [both] will bear the punishment of their wickedness; the sin of the [counterfeit] prophet will be the same as the sin of the [hypocritical] inquirer,

¹¹so that the house of Israel may no longer drift away from Me and no longer defile themselves with all their transgressions, but they will be My people, and I will be their God,"' says the Lord GOD."

¹²The word of the LORD came [again] to me, saying,

¹³"Son of man, if a land sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it and destroy its source of bread and send famine on it and cut off from it both man and animal,

¹⁴even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in that land, by their own righteousness (right standing with God) they could only save (deliver) themselves," says the Lord GOD.

¹⁵"If I were to cause predatory beasts to pass through the land and they ravaged it and depopulated it of children, and it became desolate so that no one would pass through because of the predators,

¹⁶though these three men were in the land, as I live," says the Lord GOD, "they could not save either their sons or their daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate (ruined, deserted).

¹⁷Or if I were to bring a sword on that land and say, 'Let a sword go through the land and cut off man and animal from it,'

¹⁸even though these three men were in the land, as I live," says the Lord GOD, "they could not save either their sons or their daughters, but they alone would be saved.

¹⁹Or if I should send a virulent disease into that land and pour out My wrath in blood on it to cut off man and animal from it,

²⁰even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land, as I live," says the Lord GOD, "they could not save either their son or their daughter; they would save only themselves by their righteousness [that is, their right-standing with God—their moral and spiritual integrity]."

²¹For thus says the Lord GOD, "How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem—sword, famine, predatory beasts, and virulent disease—to cut off man and animal from it!

²²Yet, behold, survivors will be left in it [escaping the judgments], both sons and daughters. Listen carefully, they are going to come out to you [in Babylon] and you will see their [wicked] conduct and [despicable] actions; then you will be at peace in regard to the disaster which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought on it [has been deserved].

²³Then they will reassure you [in regard to the appropriateness of the judgments] when you see their [heinous] conduct and actions, for you will know that I have not done without cause whatever I did to it," declares the Lord GOD.

¹Now Festus arrived in the province, and three days later he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea [Maritima].

²And [there in Jerusalem] the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews brought charges against Paul [before Festus], and they repeatedly pleaded with him,

³asking as a concession against Paul, that he would have him brought to Jerusalem; (meanwhile planning an ambush to kill him on the way).

⁴Festus answered that Paul was being held in custody in Caesarea [Maritima] and that he himself was about to leave shortly.

⁵"So," he said, "let those who are in a position of authority among you go there with me, and if there is anything criminal about the man, let them bring charges against him."

⁶Now after Festus had spent no more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on the tribunal (the judicial bench), and ordered Paul to be brought [before him].

⁷After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him which they were not able to prove,

⁸while Paul declared in his own defense, "I have done no wrong and committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar."

⁹But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul, " Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial there in my presence [before the Jewish Sanhedrin] on these charges?"

¹⁰Paul said, "I am standing before Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know.

¹¹Therefore, if I am guilty and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not try to escape death; but if there is nothing to the accusations which these men are bringing against me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar (Emperor Nero)."

¹²Then Festus, after conferring with [the men who formed] his council, answered, "You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go."

¹³Now several days later, Agrippa [II] the king and Bernice [his sister] arrived at Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus [the new governor].

¹⁴While they were spending many days there, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, "There is a man here who was left as a prisoner by Felix.

¹⁵When I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews [told me about him and] brought charges against him, petitioning for a sentence of condemnation against him.

¹⁶I told them that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over any man [for punishment] before the accused meets his accusers face to face and has the opportunity to defend himself against the charges.

¹⁷So after they arrived together here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my place on the tribunal and ordered that the man be brought before me.

¹⁸When his accusers stood up, they brought no charges against him of crimes that I was expecting [neither civil nor criminal actions],

¹⁹instead they had some points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about one Jesus, a man who had died, but whom Paul kept asserting and insisting [over and over] to be alive.

²⁰And I, being at a loss as to how to investigate these things, asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding these matters.

²¹But when Paul appealed to be held in custody for a decision by the Emperor [Nero], I ordered him to be kept in custody until I could send him to Caesar."

²²Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I would like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," Festus replied, "you will hear him."

²³So the next day Agrippa and [his sister] Bernice came with great pageantry, and they went into the auditorium accompanied by the military commanders and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.

²⁴Then Festus said, "King Agrippa and all you gentlemen present with us, you see this man [Paul] about whom all the Jewish people appealed to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly insisting that he ought not to live any longer.

²⁵But I found that he had done nothing worthy of death; however, since he appealed to the Emperor [Nero], I decided to send him [to Rome].

²⁶But I have nothing specific about him to write to my lord. So I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the investigation has taken place, I will have something to put in writing.

²⁷For it seems absurd and unreasonable to me to send a prisoner [to Rome] without indicating the charges against him."