Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Afterward he was traveling from one town and village to another, preaching and telling the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him,

²and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary, called Magdalene (seven demons had come out of her);

³Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward; Susanna; and many others who were supporting them from their possessions.

⁴As a large crowd was gathering, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, he said in a parable:

⁵“A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it.

⁶Other seed fell on the rock; when it grew up, it withered away, since it lacked moisture.

⁷Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with it and choked it.

⁸Still other seed fell on good ground; when it grew up, it produced fruit: a hundred times what was sown.” As he said this, he called out, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

⁹Then his disciples asked him, “What does this parable mean?”

¹⁰So he said, “The secrets of the kingdom of God have been given for you to know, but to the rest it is in parables, so that Looking they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

¹¹“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.

¹²The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

¹³And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy. Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing.

¹⁴As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit.

¹⁵But the seed in the good ground — these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, produce fruit.

¹⁶“No one, after lighting a lamp, covers it with a basket or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in may see its light.

¹⁷For nothing is concealed that won’t be revealed, and nothing hidden that won’t be made known and brought to light.

¹⁸Therefore take care how you listen. For whoever has, more will be given to him; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

¹⁹Then his mother and brothers came to him, but they could not meet with him because of the crowd.

²⁰He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”

²¹But he replied to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear and do the word of God.”

²²One day he and his disciples got into a boat, and he told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” So they set out,

²³and as they were sailing he fell asleep. Then a fierce windstorm came down on the lake; they were being swamped and were in danger.

²⁴They came and woke him up, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to die!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves. So they ceased, and there was a calm.

²⁵He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, asking one another, “Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the waves, and they obey him!”

²⁶Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.

²⁷When he got out on land, a demon-possessed man from the town met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes and did not stay in a house but in the tombs.

²⁸When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before him, and said in a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torment me!”

²⁹For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was guarded, bound by chains and shackles, he would snap the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted places.

³⁰“What is your name?” Jesus asked him. “Legion,” he said, because many demons had entered him.

³¹And they begged him not to banish them to the abyss.

³²A large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. The demons begged him to permit them to enter the pigs, and he gave them permission.

³³The demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

³⁴When the men who tended them saw what had happened, they ran off and reported it in the town and in the countryside.

³⁵Then people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man the demons had departed from, sitting at Jesus’s feet, dressed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.

³⁶Meanwhile, the eyewitnesses reported to them how the demon-possessed man was delivered.

³⁷Then all the people of the Gerasene region asked him to leave them, because they were gripped by great fear. So getting into the boat, he returned.

³⁸The man from whom the demons had departed begged him earnestly to be with him. But he sent him away and said,

³⁹“Go back to your home, and tell all that God has done for you.” And off he went, proclaiming throughout the town how much Jesus had done for him.

⁴⁰When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him.

⁴¹Just then, a man named Jairus came. He was a leader of the synagogue. He fell down at Jesus’s feet and pleaded with him to come to his house,

⁴²because he had an only daughter about twelve years old, and she was dying. While he was going, the crowds were nearly crushing him.

⁴³A woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years, who had spent all she had on doctors and yet could not be healed by any,

⁴⁴approached from behind and touched the end of his robe. Instantly her bleeding stopped.

⁴⁵“Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are hemming you in and pressing against you.”

⁴⁶“Someone did touch me,” said Jesus. “I know that power has gone out from me.”

⁴⁷When the woman saw that she was discovered, she came trembling and fell down before him. In the presence of all the people, she declared the reason she had touched him and how she was instantly healed.

⁴⁸“Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

⁴⁹While he was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue leader’s house and said, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

⁵⁰When Jesus heard it, he answered him, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe, and she will be saved.”

⁵¹After he came to the house, he let no one enter with him except Peter, John, James, and the child’s father and mother.

⁵²Everyone was crying and mourning for her. But he said, “Stop crying, because she is not dead but asleep.”

⁵³They laughed at him, because they knew she was dead.

⁵⁴So he took her by the hand and called out, “Child, get up!”

⁵⁵Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then he gave orders that she be given something to eat.

⁵⁶Her parents were astounded, but he instructed them to tell no one what had happened.

¹Since Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go to seek omens as on previous occasions, but turned toward the wilderness.

²When Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him,

³and he proclaimed his poem: The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eyes are opened,

⁴the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls into a trance with his eyes uncovered:

⁵How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your dwellings, Israel.

⁶They stretch out like river valleys, like gardens beside a stream, like aloes the LORD has planted, like cedars beside the water.

⁷Water will flow from his buckets, and his seed will be by abundant water. His king will be greater than Agag, and his kingdom will be exalted.

⁸God brought him out of Egypt; he is like the horns of a wild ox for them. He will feed on enemy nations and gnaw their bones; he will strike them with his arrows.

⁹He crouches, he lies down like a lion or a lioness — who dares to rouse him? Those who bless you will be blessed, and those who curse you will be cursed.

¹⁰Then Balak became furious with Balaam, struck his hands together, and said to him, “I summoned you to put a curse on my enemies, but instead, you have blessed them these three times.

¹¹Now go to your home! I said I would reward you richly, but look, the LORD has denied you a reward.”

¹²Balaam answered Balak, “Didn’t I previously tell the messengers you sent me:

¹³If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go against the LORD’s command, to do anything good or bad of my own will? I will say whatever the LORD says.

¹⁴Now I am going back to my people, but first, let me warn you what these people will do to your people in the future.”

¹⁵Then he proclaimed his poem: The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eyes are opened;

¹⁶the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God and has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls into a trance with his eyes uncovered:

¹⁷I see him, but not now; I perceive him, but not near. A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will smash the forehead of Moab and strike down all the Shethites.

¹⁸Edom will become a possession; Seir will become a possession of its enemies, but Israel will be triumphant.

¹⁹One who comes from Jacob will rule; he will destroy the city’s survivors.

²⁰Then Balaam saw Amalek and proclaimed his poem: Amalek was first among the nations, but his future is destruction.

²¹Next he saw the Kenites and proclaimed his poem: Your dwelling place is enduring; your nest is set in the cliffs.

²²Kain will be destroyed when Asshur takes you captive.

²³Once more he proclaimed his poem: Ah, who can live when God does this?

²⁴Ships will come from the coast of Kittim; they will carry out raids against Asshur and Eber, but they too will come to destruction.

²⁵Balaam then arose and went back to his homeland, and Balak also went his way.

¹For I want you to know how greatly I am struggling for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me in person.

²I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery  — Christ.

³In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

⁴I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable.

⁵For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.

⁶So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,

⁷being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.

⁸Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ.

⁹For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ,

¹⁰and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

¹¹You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ,

¹²when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

¹³And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses.

¹⁴He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

¹⁵He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

¹⁶Therefore, don’t let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day.

¹⁷These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is Christ.

¹⁸Let no one condemn you by delighting in ascetic practices and the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm. Such people are inflated by empty notions of their unspiritual mind.

¹⁹He doesn’t hold on to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, grows with growth from God.

²⁰If you died with Christ to the elements of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations:

²¹“Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”?

²²All these regulations refer to what is destined to perish by being used up; they are human commands and doctrines.

²³Although these have a reputation for wisdom by promoting self-made religion, false humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.

¹This saying is trustworthy: “If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work.”

²An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

³not an excessive drinker, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy.

⁴He must manage his own household competently and have his children under control with all dignity.

⁵(If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s church?)

⁶He must not be a new convert, or he might become conceited and incur the same condemnation as the devil.

⁷Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the devil’s trap.

⁸Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money,

⁹holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

¹⁰They must also be tested first; if they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons.

¹¹Wives, too, must be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self-controlled, faithful in everything.

¹²Deacons are to be husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own households competently.

¹³For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴I write these things to you, hoping to come to you soon.

¹⁵But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

¹⁶And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

¹My spirit is broken. My days are extinguished. A graveyard awaits me.

²Surely mockers surround me, and my eyes must gaze at their rebellion.

³Accept my pledge! Put up security for me. Who else will be my sponsor?

⁴You have closed their minds to understanding, therefore you will not honor them.

⁵If a man denounces his friends for a price, the eyes of his children will fail.

⁶He has made me an object of scorn to the people; I have become a man people spit at.

⁷My eyes have grown dim from grief, and my whole body has become but a shadow.

⁸The upright are appalled at this, and the innocent are roused against the godless.

⁹Yet the righteous person will hold to his way, and the one whose hands are clean will grow stronger.

¹⁰But come back and try again, all of you. I will not find a wise man among you.

¹¹My days have slipped by; my plans have been ruined, even the things dear to my heart.

¹²They turned night into day and made light seem near in the face of darkness.

¹³If I await Sheol as my home, spread out my bed in darkness,

¹⁴and say to corruption, “You are my father,” and to the maggot, “My mother” or “My sister,”

¹⁵where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me?

¹⁶Will it go down to the gates of Sheol, or will we descend together to the dust?

¹A psalm of David. [1] LORD, I call on you; hurry to help me. Listen to my voice when I call on you.

²May my prayer be set before you as incense, the raising of my hands as the evening offering.

³LORD, set up a guard for my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.

⁴Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing or perform wicked acts with men who commit sin. Do not let me feast on their delicacies.

⁵Let the righteous one strike me — it is an act of faithful love; let him rebuke me — it is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. Even now my prayer is against the evil acts of the wicked.

⁶When their rulers will be thrown off the sides of a cliff, the people will listen to my words, for they are pleasing.

⁷As when one plows and breaks up the soil, turning up rocks, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

⁸But my eyes look to you, LORD, my Lord. I seek refuge in you; do not let me die.

⁹Protect me from the trap they have set for me, and from the snares of evildoers.

¹⁰Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.

¹Better a dry crust with peace than a house full of feasting with strife.

²A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share an inheritance among brothers.

³A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold, and the LORD is the tester of hearts.

⁴A wicked person listens to malicious talk; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

⁵The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker, and one who rejoices over calamity will not go unpunished.

⁶Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly, and the pride of children is their fathers.

⁷Eloquent words are not appropriate on a fool’s lips; how much worse are lies for a ruler.

⁸A bribe seems like a magic stone to its owner; wherever he turns, he succeeds.

⁹Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but whoever gossips about it separates friends.

¹⁰A rebuke cuts into a perceptive person more than a hundred lashes into a fool.

¹¹An evil person desires only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

¹²Better for a person to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his foolishness.

¹³If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never depart from his house.

¹⁴To start a conflict is to release a flood; stop the dispute before it breaks out.

¹⁵Acquitting the guilty and condemning the just  — both are detestable to the LORD.

¹⁶Why does a fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom?

¹⁷A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time.

¹⁸One without sense enters an agreement and puts up security for his friend.

¹⁹One who loves to offend loves strife; one who builds a high threshold invites injury.

²⁰One with a twisted mind will not succeed, and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin.

²¹A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow; the father of a fool has no joy.

²²A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

²³A wicked person secretly takes a bribe to subvert the course of justice.

²⁴Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive, but a fool’s eyes roam to the ends of the earth.

²⁵A foolish son is grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him.

²⁶It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person or to beat a noble for his honesty.

²⁷The one who has knowledge restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head is a person of understanding.

²⁸Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent — discerning, when he seals his lips.

¹In the twenty-seventh year of Israel’s King Jeroboam, Azariah son of Amaziah became king of Judah.

²He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem.

³Azariah did what was right in the LORD’s sight just as his father Amaziah had done.

⁴Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.

⁵The LORD afflicted the king, and he had a serious skin disease until the day of his death. He lived in quarantine, while Jotham, the king’s son, was over the household governing the people of the land.

⁶The rest of the events of Azariah’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.

⁷Azariah rested with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His son Jotham became king in his place.

⁸In the thirty-eighth year of Judah’s King Azariah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria for six months.

⁹He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.

¹⁰Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah. He struck him down publicly, killed him, and became king in his place.

¹¹As for the rest of the events of Zechariah’s reign, they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

¹²The word of the LORD that he spoke to Jehu was, “Four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel,” and it was so.

¹³In the thirty-ninth year of Judah’s King Uzziah, Shallum son of Jabesh became king; he reigned in Samaria a full month.

¹⁴Then Menahem son of Gadi came up from Tirzah to Samaria and struck down Shallum son of Jabesh there. He killed him and became king in his place.

¹⁵As for the rest of the events of Shallum’s reign, along with the conspiracy that he formed, they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

¹⁶At that time, starting from Tirzah, Menahem attacked Tiphsah, all who were in it, and its territory because they wouldn’t surrender. He ripped open all the pregnant women.

¹⁷In the thirty-ninth year of Judah’s King Azariah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel, and he reigned ten years in Samaria.

¹⁸He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight. Throughout his reign, he did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.

¹⁹King Pul of Assyria invaded the land, so Menahem gave Pul seventy-five thousand pounds of silver so that Pul would support him to strengthen his grasp on the kingdom.

²⁰Then Menahem exacted twenty ounces of silver from each of the prominent men of Israel to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and did not stay there in the land.

²¹The rest of the events of Menahem’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

²²Menahem rested with his fathers, and his son Pekahiah became king in his place.

²³In the fiftieth year of Judah’s King Azariah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years.

²⁴He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight and did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.

²⁵Then his officer, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him and struck him down in Samaria at the citadel of the king’s palace — with Argob and Arieh. There were fifty Gileadite men with Pekah. He killed Pekahiah and became king in his place.

²⁶As for the rest of the events of Pekahiah’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

²⁷In the fifty-second year of Judah’s King Azariah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years.

²⁸He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight. He did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.

²⁹In the days of King Pekah of Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee — all the land of Naphtali  — and deported the people to Assyria.

³⁰Then Hoshea son of Elah organized a conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked him, killed him, and became king in his place in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.

³¹As for the rest of the events of Pekah’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

³²In the second year of Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah, Jotham son of Uzziah became king of Judah.

³³He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok.

³⁴He did what was right in the LORD’s sight just as his father Uzziah had done.

³⁵Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. Jotham built the Upper Gate of the LORD’s temple.

³⁶The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.

³⁷In those days the LORD began sending Aram’s King Rezin and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.

³⁸Jotham rested with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of his ancestor David. His son Ahaz became king in his place.

¹The word of the LORD came to me:

²“What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel: ‘The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

³As I live” — this is the declaration of the Lord GOD  — “you will no longer use this proverb in Israel.

⁴Look, every life belongs to me. The life of the father is like the life of the son — both belong to me. The person who sins is the one who will die.

⁵“Suppose a man is righteous and does what is just and right:

⁶He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her menstrual impurity.

⁷He doesn’t oppress anyone but returns his collateral to the debtor. He does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing.

⁸He doesn’t lend at interest or for profit but keeps his hand from injustice and carries out true justice between men.

⁹He follows my statutes and keeps my ordinances, acting faithfully. Such a person is righteous; he will certainly live.” This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.

¹⁰“But suppose the man has a violent son, who sheds blood and does any of these things,

¹¹though the father has done none of them. Indeed, when the son eats at the mountain shrines and defiles his neighbor’s wife,

¹²and when he oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, and does not return collateral, and when he looks to the idols, commits detestable acts,

¹³and lends at interest or for profit, will he live? He will not live! Since he has committed all these detestable acts, he will certainly die. His death will be his own fault.

¹⁴“Now suppose he has a son who sees all the sins his father has committed, and though he sees them, he does not do likewise.

¹⁵He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.

¹⁶He doesn’t oppress anyone, hold collateral, or commit robbery. He gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing.

¹⁷He keeps his hand from harming the poor, not taking interest or profit on a loan. He practices my ordinances and follows my statutes. Such a person will not die for his father’s iniquity. He will certainly live.

¹⁸“As for his father, he will die for his own iniquity because he practiced fraud, robbed his brother, and did among his people what was not good.

¹⁹But you may ask, ‘Why doesn’t the son suffer punishment for the father’s iniquity? ’ Since the son has done what is just and right, carefully observing all my statutes, he will certainly live.

²⁰The person who sins is the one who will die. A son won’t suffer punishment for the father’s iniquity, and a father won’t suffer punishment for the son’s iniquity. The righteousness of the righteous person will be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked person will be on him.

²¹“But if the wicked person turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all my statutes, and does what is just and right, he will certainly live; he will not die.

²²None of the transgressions he has committed will be held against him. He will live because of the righteousness he has practiced.

²³Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. “Instead, don’t I take pleasure when he turns from his ways and lives?

²⁴But when a righteous person turns from his righteousness and acts unjustly, committing the same detestable acts that the wicked do, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. He will die because of the treachery he has engaged in and the sin he has committed.

²⁵“But you say, ‘The Lord’s way isn’t fair.’ Now listen, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair? Instead, isn’t it your ways that are unfair?

²⁶When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and acts unjustly, he will die for this. He will die because of the injustice he has committed.

²⁷But if a wicked person turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will preserve his life.

²⁸He will certainly live because he thought it over and turned from all the transgressions he had committed; he will not die.

²⁹But the house of Israel says, ‘The Lord’s way isn’t fair.’ Is it my ways that are unfair, house of Israel? Instead, isn’t it your ways that are unfair?

³⁰“Therefore, house of Israel, I will judge each one of you according to his ways.” This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. “Repent and turn from all your rebellious acts, so they will not become a sinful stumbling block to you.

³¹Throw off all the transgressions you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, house of Israel?

³²For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death.” This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. “So repent and live!

¹I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach

²until the day he was taken up, after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.

³After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

⁴While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about;

⁵for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.”

⁶So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”

⁷He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.

⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

⁹After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

¹⁰While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them.

¹¹They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”

¹²Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem — a Sabbath day’s journey away.

¹³When they arrived, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.

¹⁴They all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

¹⁵In those days Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters  — the number of people who were together was about a hundred and twenty — and said:

¹⁶“Brothers and sisters, it was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit through the mouth of David foretold about Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.

¹⁷For he was one of our number and shared in this ministry.”

¹⁸Now this man acquired a field with his unrighteous wages. He fell headfirst, his body burst open and his intestines spilled out.

¹⁹This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so that in their own language that field is called Hakeldama (that is, Field of Blood).

²⁰“For it is written in the Book of Psalms: Let his dwelling become desolate; let no one live in it; and Let someone else take his position.

²¹“Therefore, from among the men who have accompanied us during the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us —

²²beginning from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us — from among these, it is necessary that one become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

²³So they proposed two: Joseph, called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.

²⁴Then they prayed, “You, Lord, know everyone’s hearts; show which of these two you have chosen

²⁵to take the place in this apostolic ministry that Judas left to go where he belongs.”

²⁶Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias and he was added to the eleven apostles.