Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹When He had completed all His teaching in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.

²Now a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die.

³When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to Him, asking Him to come and save the life of his slave.

⁴When they came to Jesus, they strongly urged Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him;

⁵for he loves our nation, and it was he who built us our synagogue.”

⁶Now Jesus started on His way with them; but already, when He was not yet far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to enter under my roof;

⁷for that reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You; but just say the word, and my servant shall be healed.

⁸For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under myself; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”

⁹Now when Jesus heard this, He was amazed at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”

¹⁰And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

¹¹Soon afterward Jesus went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd.

¹²Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her.

¹³When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her and said to her, “Do not go on weeping.”

¹⁴And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!”

¹⁵And the dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

¹⁶Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has appeared among us!” and, “God has visited His people!”

¹⁷And this report about Him spread throughout Judea and in all the surrounding region.

¹⁸The disciples of John also reported to him about all these things.

¹⁹And after summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or are we to look for another?”

²⁰When the men came to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the Coming One, or are we to look for another?’ ”

²¹At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind.

²²And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: people who were blind receive sight, people who limped walk, people with leprosy are cleansed and people who were deaf hear, dead people are raised up, and people who are poor have the gospel preached to them.

²³And blessed isanyone who does not take offense at Me.”

²⁴When the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into thewilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

²⁵But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces!

²⁶But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet.

²⁷This is the one about whom it is written: ‘BEHOLD, I AM SENDING MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.’

²⁸I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

²⁹When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they acknowledged God’s justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John.

³⁰But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.

³¹“To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?

³²They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a song of mourning, and you did not weep.’

³³For John the Baptist has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’

³⁴The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and aheavy drinker, a friend of tax collectors andsinners!’

³⁵And yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

³⁶Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to eat with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.

³⁷And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume,

³⁸and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, and began kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.

³⁹Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner!”

⁴⁰And Jesus responded and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.”

⁴¹“A moneylender had two debtors: the one owed five hundreddenarii, and the other, fifty.

⁴²When they were unable to repay, he canceled the debts of both. So which of them will love him more?”

⁴³Simon answered and said, “I assume the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.”

⁴⁴And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

⁴⁵Yougave Me no kiss; but she has not stopped kissing My feet since the time I came in.

⁴⁶You did notanoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.

⁴⁷For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little, loves little.”

⁴⁸And He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”

⁴⁹And then those who were reclining at the table with Him began saying to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

¹Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.”

²Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.

³Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a bare hill.

⁴Now God met with Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have set up the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.”

⁵Then the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and this is what you shall speak.”

⁶So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab.

⁷And he took up his discourse and said, “From Aram Balak has brought me, Moab’s king from the mountains of the East, saying, ‘Come, declare Jacob cursed for me, And come, curse Israel!’

⁸How am I to put a curse on him upon whom God has not put a curse? And how am I to curse him whom the LORD has not cursed?

⁹For I see him from the top of the rocks, And I look at him from the hills; Behold, a people that lives in isolation, And does not consider itself to be among the nations.

¹⁰Who has counted the dust of Jacob, Or the number of the fourth part of Israel? May I die the death of the upright, And may my end be like his!”

¹¹Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to put a curse on my enemies, but behold, you have actually blessed them!”

¹²He replied, “Must I not be careful to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?”

¹³Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you may see them, although you will only see the extreme end of them and will not see all of them; and put a curse on them for me from there.”

¹⁴So he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

¹⁵Then he said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering while I myself meet the LORD over there.”

¹⁶Then the LORD met Balaam and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and this is what you shall speak.”

¹⁷So he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the leaders of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the LORD spoken?”

¹⁸Then he took up his discourse and said, “Arise, Balak, and hear; Listen to me, son of Zippor!

¹⁹God is not a man, that He would lie, Nor a son of man, that He would change His mind; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

²⁰Behold, I have received a command to bless; When He has blessed, I cannot revoke it.

²¹He has not looked at misfortune in Jacob; Nor has He seen trouble in Israel; The LORD his God is with him, And the joyful shout of a king is among them.

²²God brings them out of Egypt, He is for them like the horns of the wild ox.

²³For there is no magic curse against Jacob, Nor is there any divination against Israel; At the proper time it shall be said to Jacob And to Israel, what God has done!

²⁴Behold, a people rises like a lioness, And like a lion it raises itself; It will not lie down until it devours the prey, And drinks the blood of those slain.”

²⁵Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!”

²⁶But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘Whatever the LORD speaks, I must do’?”

²⁷Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be agreeable with God that you curse them for me from there.”

²⁸So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the desert.

²⁹And Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.”

³⁰Balak did just as Balaam had said, and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

²To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

³We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

⁴since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;

⁵because of the hope reserved for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel

⁶which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth;

⁷just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf,

⁸and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.

⁹For this reason we also, since the day we heard about it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

¹⁰so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

¹¹strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all perseverance and patience; joyously

¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

¹³For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation:

¹⁶for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

¹⁷He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

¹⁸He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

¹⁹For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,

²⁰and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

²¹And although you were previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds,

²²yet He has now reconciled you in His body of flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—

²³if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

²⁴Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am supplementing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions in behalf of His body, which is the church.

²⁵I was made a minister of this church according to the commission from God granted to me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,

²⁶that is, the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His saints,

²⁷to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

²⁸We proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ.

²⁹For this purpose I also labor, striving according to His power which works mightily within me.

¹First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people,

²for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

³This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

⁴who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

⁵For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,

⁶who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

⁷For this I was appointed as a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

⁸Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and dispute.

⁹Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive apparel,

¹⁰but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.

¹¹A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness.

¹²But I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.

¹³For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve.

¹⁴And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a wrongdoer.

¹⁵But women will be preserved through childbirth—if they continue in faith, love, and sanctity, with moderation.

¹Then Job responded,

²“I have heard many things like these; Miserable comforters are you all!

³Is there no end to windy words? Or what provokes you that you answer?

⁴I too could speak like you, If only I were in your place. I could compose words against you And shake my head at you.

⁵Or I could strengthen you with my mouth, And the condolence of my lips could lessen your pain.

⁶“If I speak, my pain is not lessened, And if I refrain, what pain leaves me?

⁷But now He has exhausted me; You have laid waste all my group of loved ones.

⁸And you have shriveled me up, It has become a witness; And my infirmity rises up against me, It testifies to my face.

⁹His anger has torn me and hunted me down, He has gnashed at me with His teeth; My enemy glares at me.

¹⁰They have gaped at me with their mouths, They have slapped me on the cheek with contempt; They have massed themselves against me.

¹¹God hands me over to criminals, And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.

¹²I was at ease, but He shattered me, And He has grasped me by my neck and shaken me to pieces; He has also set me up as His target.

¹³His arrows surround me. He splits my kidneys open without mercy; He pours out my bile on the ground.

¹⁴He breaks through me with breach after breach; He runs at me like a warrior.

¹⁵I have sewed sackcloth over my skin, And thrust my horn in the dust.

¹⁶My face is flushed from weeping, And deep darkness is on my eyelids,

¹⁷Although there is no violence in my hands, And my prayer is pure.

¹⁸“Earth, do not cover my blood, And may there be no resting place for my cry.

¹⁹Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, And my advocate is on high.

²⁰My friends are my scoffers; My eye weeps to God,

²¹That one might plead for a man with God As a son of man with his neighbor!

²²For when a few years are past, I shall go the way of no return.

¹Rescue me, LORD, from evil people; Protect me from violent men

²Who devise evil things in their hearts; They continually stir up wars.

³They sharpen their tongues like a snake; The venom of a viper is under their lips. Selah

⁴Keep me, LORD, from the hands of the wicked; Protect me from violent men Who intend to trip up my feet.

⁵The proud have hidden a trap for me, and snares; They have spread a net at the wayside; They have set snares for me. Selah

⁶I said to the LORD, “You are my God; Listen, LORD, to the sound of my pleadings.

⁷GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head on the day of battle.

⁸Do not grant, LORD, the desires of the wicked; Do not bring about his evil planning, so that they are not exalted. Selah

⁹“As for the head of those who surround me, May the harm of their lips cover them.

¹⁰May burning coals fall upon them; May they be cast into the fire, Into bottomless pits from which they cannot rise.

¹¹May a slanderer not endure on the earth; May evil hunt a violent person violently.”

¹²I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, And justice for the poor.

¹³Certainly the righteous will give thanks to Your name; The upright will dwell in Your presence.

¹The plans of the heart belong to a person, But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.

²All the ways of a person are clean in his own sight, But the LORD examines the motives.

³Commit your works to the LORD, And your plans will be established.

⁴The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil.

⁵Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Be assured, he will not go unpunished.

⁶By mercy and truth atonement is made for wrongdoing, And by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil.

⁷When a person’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, He causes even his enemies to make peace with him.

⁸Better is a little with righteousness Than great income with injustice.

⁹The mind of a person plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.

¹⁰A divine verdict is on the lips of the king; His mouth should not err in judgment.

¹¹A just balance and scales belong to the LORD; All the weights of the bag are His concern.

¹²It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts, Because a throne is established on righteousness.

¹³Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And one who speaks right is loved.

¹⁴The fury of a king is like messengers of death; But a wise person will appease it.

¹⁵In the light of a king’s face is life, And his favor is like a cloud with the spring rain.

¹⁶How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.

¹⁷The highway of the upright is to turn away from evil; One who watches his way protects his life.

¹⁸Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.

¹⁹It is better to be humble in spirit with the needy Than to divide the spoils with the proud.

²⁰One who pays attention to the word will find good, And blessed is one who trusts in the LORD.

²¹The wise in heart will be called understanding, And sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.

²²Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it, But the discipline of fools is foolishness.

²³The heart of the wise instructs his mouth And adds persuasiveness to his lips.

²⁴Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

²⁵There is a way which seems right to a person, But its end is the way of death.

²⁶A worker’s appetite works for him, For his hunger urges him on.

²⁷A worthless person digs up evil, While his words are like scorching fire.

²⁸A perverse person spreads strife, And a slanderer separates close friends.

²⁹A person of violence entices his neighbor And leads him in a way that is not good.

³⁰He who winks his eyes does so to devise perverse things; He who compresses his lips brings evil to pass.

³¹A gray head is a crown of glory; It is found in the way of righteousness.

³²One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And one who rules his spirit, than one who captures a city.

³³The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD.

¹In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah became king.

²He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.

³He did what was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like his father David; he acted in accordance with everything that his father Joash had done.

⁴Only the high places were not eliminated; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

⁵Now it came about, as soon as the kingdom was firmly in his hand, that he killed his servants who had killed the king, his father.

⁶But he did not put the sons of the murderers to death, in obedience to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, as the LORD commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not be put to death for the sons, nor the sons be put to death for the fathers; but each shall be put to death for his own sin.”

⁷He killed ten thousand of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and took Sela by war, and named it Joktheel, as it is to this day.

⁸Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let’s face each other in combat.”

⁹But Jehoash king of Israel sent messengers to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thorn bush that was in Lebanon sent word to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ But a wild animal that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn bush.

¹⁰You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart is elated. Enjoy the glory and stay home; for why should you get involved in trouble so that you would fall, you and Judah with you?”

¹¹But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and they faced each other, he and Amaziah king of Judah, at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah.

¹²And Judah was defeated by Israel, and they fled, every man to his tent.

¹³Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits.

¹⁴And he took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasuries of the king’s house, the hostages as well, and returned to Samaria.

¹⁵Now as for the rest of the acts of Jehoash that he did, and his might and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

¹⁶So Jehoash lay down with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and his son Jeroboam became king in his place.

¹⁷Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel.

¹⁸Now as for the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

¹⁹They formed a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent men to Lachish after him and they killed him there.

²⁰Then they carried him on horses, and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.

²¹And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.

²²He built Elath and restored it to Judah after the king lay down with his fathers.

²³In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and reigned for forty-one years.

²⁴He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not abandon all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel.

²⁵He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, in accordance with the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.

²⁶For the LORD saw the misery of Israel, which was very bitter; for there was neither bond nor free spared, nor was there any helper for Israel.

²⁷Yet the LORD did not say that He would wipe out the name of Israel from under heaven, but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

²⁸Now as for the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did and his might, how he fought and how he recovered for Israel Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

²⁹And Jeroboam lay down with his fathers, with the kings of Israel, and his son Zechariah became king in his place.

¹Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

²“Son of man, ask a riddle and present a parable to the house of Israel,

³saying, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “A great eagle with great wings, long pinions, and a full plumage of many colors came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar.

⁴He broke off the topmost of its young twigs and brought it to a land of merchants; he set it in a city of traders.

⁵He also took from the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil, a meadow beside abundant waters; he set it like a willow.

⁶Then it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine with its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced shoots and sent out branches.

⁷“But there was another great eagle with great wings and much plumage; and behold, this vine turned its roots toward him and sent out its branches toward him from the beds where it was planted, so that he might water it.

⁸It was planted in good soil beside abundant waters, so that it would produce branches and bear fruit, and become a splendid vine.” ’

⁹Say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers—so that all its sprouting shoots wither? And neither by great strength nor by many people can it be raised from its roots again.

¹⁰Behold, though it is planted, will it thrive? Will it not completely wither as soon as the east wind strikes it—wither on the beds where it grew?” ’ ”

¹¹Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

¹²“Say now to the rebellious house, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Say, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and leaders, and brought them to him in Babylon.

¹³Then he took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land,

¹⁴so that the kingdom would be humbled, not exalting itself, but keeping his covenant so that it might continue.

¹⁵But he revolted against him by sending his messengers to Egypt so that they might give him horses and many troops. Will he succeed? Will he who does these things escape? Can he indeed break the covenant and escape?

¹⁶As I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘In the country of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke, in Babylon he shall certainly die.

¹⁷Pharaoh with his mighty army and great contingent will not help him in the war, when they pile up assault ramps and build siege walls to eliminate many lives.

¹⁸Now he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and behold, he pledged his allegiance, yet did all these things; he shall not escape.’ ”

¹⁹Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: “As I live, My oath which he despised and My covenant which he broke, I will certainly inflict on his head.

²⁰And I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My net. Then I will bring him to Babylon and enter into judgment with him there regarding the unfaithful act which he has committed against Me.

²¹All the choice men in all his troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to every wind; and you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken.”

²²This is what the Lord GOD says: “I will also take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and set it out; I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.

²³On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it, so that it may bring forth branches and bear fruit, and become a stately cedar. And birds of every kind will nest under it; they will nest in the shade of its branches.

²⁴All the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD; I bring down the high tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will perform it.”

¹When they had been brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta.

²The natives showed us extraordinary kindness, for they kindled a fire and took us all in because of the rain that had started and because of the cold.

³But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.

⁴When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.”

⁵However, Paul shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm.

⁶Now they were expecting that he was going to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.

⁷Now in the neighboring parts of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us warmly for three days.

⁸And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with a recurring fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him, and after he prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him.

⁹After this happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and being cured.

¹⁰They also showed us many honors, and when we were about to set sail, they supplied us with everything we needed.

¹¹After three months we set sail on an Alexandrian ship which had wintered at the island, and which had the Twin Brothers for its figurehead.

¹²After we put in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days.

¹³From there we sailed around and arrived at Rhegium, and a day later a south wind came up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli.

¹⁴There we found some brothers and sisters, and were invited to stay with them for seven days; and that is how we came to Rome.

¹⁵And from there the brothers and sisters, when they heard about us, came as far as the Market of Appius and the Three Inns to meet us; and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.

¹⁶When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

¹⁷After three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was handed over to the Romans as a prisoner from Jerusalem.

¹⁸And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there were no grounds for putting me to death.

¹⁹But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation against my nation.

²⁰For this reason, therefore, I requested to see you and to speak with you, since I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel.”

²¹They said to him, “We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor has any of the brothers come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you.

²²But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for regarding this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere.”

²³When they had set a day for Paul, people came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening.

²⁴Some were being persuaded by the things said by Paul, but others would not believe.

²⁵And when they disagreed with one another, they began leaving after Paul said one parting statement: “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers,

²⁶saying, ‘GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY, “YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, AND WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, AND WILL NOT PERCEIVE;

²⁷FOR THE HEARTS OF THIS PEOPLE HAVE BECOME INSENSITIVE, AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY HARDLY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES; OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.” ’

²⁸Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.”

²⁹

³⁰Now Paul stayed two full years in his own rented lodging and welcomed all who came to him,

³¹preaching the kingdom of God and teaching things about the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.