Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹One Sabbath, when he went in to eat at the house of one of the leading Pharisees, they were watching him closely.

²There in front of him was a man whose body was swollen with fluid.

³In response, Jesus asked the law experts and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”

⁴But they kept silent. He took the man, healed him, and sent him away.

⁵And to them, he said, “Which of you whose son or ox falls into a well, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”

⁶They could find no answer to these things.

⁷He told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they would choose the best places for themselves:

⁸“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, don’t recline at the best place, because a more distinguished person than you may have been invited by your host.

⁹The one who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in humiliation, you will proceed to take the lowest place.

¹⁰“But when you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ You will then be honored in the presence of all the other guests.

¹¹For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

¹²He also said to the one who had invited him, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors, because they might invite you back, and you would be repaid.

¹³On the contrary, when you host a banquet, invite those who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind.

¹⁴And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

¹⁵When one of those who reclined at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is the one who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”

¹⁶Then he told him: “A man was giving a large banquet and invited many.

¹⁷At the time of the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’

¹⁸“But without exception they all began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. I ask you to excuse me.’

¹⁹“Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m going to try them out. I ask you to excuse me.’

²⁰“And another said, ‘I just got married, and therefore I’m unable to come.’

²¹“So the servant came back and reported these things to his master. Then in anger, the master of the house told his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in here the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.’

²²“‘Master,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, and there’s still room.’

²³“Then the master told the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges and make them come in, so that my house may be filled.

²⁴For I tell you, not one of those people who were invited will enjoy my banquet.’”

²⁵Now great crowds were traveling with him. So he turned and said to them:

²⁶“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters — yes, and even his own life — he cannot be my disciple.

²⁷Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

²⁸“For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?

²⁹Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to ridicule him,

³⁰saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

³¹“Or what king, going to war against another king, will not first sit down and decide if he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand?

³²If not, while the other is still far off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.

³³In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.

³⁴“Now, salt is good, but if salt should lose its taste, how will it be made salty?

³⁵It isn’t fit for the soil or for the manure pile; they throw it out. Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

¹Moses told the leaders of the Israelite tribes, “This is what the LORD has commanded:

²When a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to put himself under an obligation, he must not break his word; he must do whatever he has promised.

³“When a woman in her father’s house during her youth makes a vow to the LORD or puts herself under an obligation,

⁴and her father hears about her vow or the obligation she put herself under, and he says nothing to her, all her vows and every obligation she put herself under are binding.

⁵But if her father prohibits her on the day he hears about it, none of her vows and none of the obligations she put herself under are binding. The LORD will release her because her father has prohibited her.

⁶“If a woman marries while her vows or the rash commitment she herself made are binding,

⁷and her husband hears about it and says nothing to her when he finds out, her vows are binding, and the obligations she put herself under are binding.

⁸But if her husband prohibits her when he hears about it, he will cancel her vow that is binding or the rash commitment she herself made, and the LORD will release her.

⁹“Every vow a widow or divorced woman puts herself under is binding on her.

¹⁰“If a woman in her husband’s house has made a vow or put herself under an obligation with an oath,

¹¹and her husband hears about it, says nothing to her, and does not prohibit her, all her vows are binding, and every obligation she put herself under is binding.

¹²But if her husband cancels them on the day he hears about it, nothing that came from her lips, whether her vows or her obligation, is binding. Her husband has canceled them, and the LORD will release her.

¹³Her husband may confirm or cancel any vow or any sworn obligation to deny herself.

¹⁴If her husband says nothing at all to her from day to day, he confirms all her vows and obligations, which are binding. He has confirmed them because he said nothing to her when he heard about them.

¹⁵But if he cancels them after he hears about them, he will be responsible for her commitment.”

¹⁶These are the statutes that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the relationship between a man and his wife, or between a father and his daughter in his house during her youth.

¹Therefore, since the promise to enter his rest remains, let us beware that none of you be found to have fallen short.

²For we also have received the good news just as they did. But the message they heard did not benefit them, since they were not united with those who heard it in faith.

³For we who have believed enter the rest, in keeping with what he has said, So I swore in my anger, “They will not enter my rest,” even though his works have been finished since the foundation of the world.

⁴For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in this way: And on the seventh day God rested from all his works.

⁵Again, in that passage he says, They will never enter my rest.

⁶Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news did not enter because of disobedience,

⁷he again specifies a certain day —  today. He specified this speaking through David after such a long time: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.

⁸For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.

⁹Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people.

¹⁰For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his.

¹¹Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.

¹²For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

¹³No creature is hidden from him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

¹⁴Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens — Jesus the Son of God — let us hold fast to our confession.

¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.

¹⁶Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

¹But know this: Hard times will come in the last days.

²For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,

³unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good,

⁴traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

⁵holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.

⁶For among them are those who worm their way into households and deceive gullible women overwhelmed by sins and led astray by a variety of passions,

⁷always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

⁸Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth. They are men who are corrupt in mind and worthless in regard to the faith.

⁹But they will not make further progress, for their foolishness will be clear to all, as was the foolishness of Jannes and Jambres.

¹⁰But you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, and endurance,

¹¹along with the persecutions and sufferings that came to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured — and yet the Lord rescued me from them all.

¹²In fact, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

¹³Evil people and impostors will become worse, deceiving and being deceived.

¹⁴But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you,

¹⁵and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

¹⁶All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,

¹⁷so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

¹Then Job answered:

²Today also my complaint is bitter. His hand is heavy despite my groaning.

³If only I knew how to find him, so that I could go to his throne.

⁴I would plead my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments.

⁵I would learn how he would answer me; and understand what he would say to me.

⁶Would he prosecute me forcefully? No, he would certainly pay attention to me.

⁷Then an upright man could reason with him, and I would escape from my Judge forever.

⁸If I go east, he is not there, and if I go west, I cannot perceive him.

⁹When he is at work to the north, I cannot see him; when he turns south, I cannot find him.

¹⁰Yet he knows the way I have taken; when he has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.

¹¹My feet have followed in his tracks; I have kept to his way and not turned aside.

¹²I have not departed from the commands from his lips; I have treasured the words from his mouth more than my daily food.

¹³But he is unchangeable; who can oppose him? He does what he desires.

¹⁴He will certainly accomplish what he has decreed for me, and he has many more things like these in mind.

¹⁵Therefore I am terrified in his presence; when I consider this, I am afraid of him.

¹⁶God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me.

¹⁷Yet I am not destroyed by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face.

¹Hallelujah! How good it is to sing to our God, for praise is pleasant and lovely.

²The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem; he gathers Israel’s exiled people.

³He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

⁴He counts the number of the stars; he gives names to all of them.

⁵Our Lord is great, vast in power; his understanding is infinite.

⁶The LORD helps the oppressed but brings the wicked to the ground.

⁷Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; play the lyre to our God,

⁸who covers the sky with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, and causes grass to grow on the hills.

⁹He provides the animals with their food, and the young ravens, what they cry for.

¹⁰He is not impressed by the strength of a horse; he does not value the power of a warrior.

¹¹The LORD values those who fear him, those who put their hope in his faithful love.

¹²Exalt the LORD, Jerusalem; praise your God, Zion!

¹³For he strengthens the bars of your city gates and blesses your children within you.

¹⁴He endows your territory with prosperity; he satisfies you with the finest wheat.

¹⁵He sends his command throughout the earth; his word runs swiftly.

¹⁶He spreads snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes;

¹⁷he throws his hailstones like crumbs. Who can withstand his cold?

¹⁸He sends his word and melts them; he unleashes his winds, and the water flows.

¹⁹He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and judgments to Israel.

²⁰He has not done this for every nation; they do not know his judgments. Hallelujah!

¹When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you,

²and put a knife to your throat if you have a big appetite;

³don’t desire his choice food, for that food is deceptive.

⁴Don’t wear yourself out to get rich; because you know better, stop!

⁵As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.

⁶Don’t eat a stingy person’s bread, and don’t desire his choice food,

⁷for it’s like someone calculating inwardly. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

⁸You will vomit the little you’ve eaten and waste your pleasant words.

⁹Don’t speak to a fool, for he will despise the insight of your words.

¹⁰Don’t move an ancient boundary marker, and don’t encroach on the fields of the fatherless,

¹¹for their Redeemer is strong, and he will champion their cause against you.

¹²Apply yourself to discipline and listen to words of knowledge.

¹³Don’t withhold discipline from a youth; if you punish him with a rod, he will not die.

¹⁴Punish him with a rod, and you will rescue his life from Sheol.

¹⁵My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will indeed rejoice.

¹⁶My innermost being will celebrate when your lips say what is right.

¹⁷Don’t let your heart envy sinners; instead, always fear the LORD.

¹⁸For then you will have a future, and your hope will not be dashed.

¹⁹Listen, my son, and be wise; keep your mind on the right course.

²⁰Don’t associate with those who drink too much wine or with those who gorge themselves on meat.

²¹For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor, and grogginess will clothe them in rags.

²²Listen to your father who gave you life, and don’t despise your mother when she is old.

²³Buy — and do not sell — truth, wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

²⁴The father of a righteous son will rejoice greatly, and one who fathers a wise son will delight in him.

²⁵Let your father and mother have joy, and let her who gave birth to you rejoice.

²⁶My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.

²⁷For a prostitute is a deep pit, and a wayward woman is a narrow well;

²⁸indeed, she sets an ambush like a robber and increases the number of unfaithful people.

²⁹Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has conflicts? Who has complaints? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has red eyes?

³⁰Those who linger over wine; those who go looking for mixed wine.

³¹Don’t gaze at wine because it is red, because it gleams in the cup and goes down smoothly.

³²In the end it bites like a snake and stings like a viper.

³³Your eyes will see strange things, and you will say absurd things.

³⁴You’ll be like someone sleeping out at sea or lying down on the top of a ship’s mast.

³⁵“They struck me, but I feel no pain! They beat me, but I didn’t know it! When will I wake up? I’ll look for another drink.”

¹Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.

²He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the LORD had dispossessed before the Israelites.

³He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed and reestablished the altars for Baal. He made an Asherah, as King Ahab of Israel had done; he also bowed in worship to all the stars in the sky and served them.

⁴He built altars in the LORD’s temple, where the LORD had said, “Jerusalem is where I will put my name.”

⁵He built altars to all the stars in the sky in both courtyards of the LORD’s temple.

⁶He sacrificed his son in the fire, practiced witchcraft and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did a huge amount of evil in the LORD’s sight, angering him.

⁷Manasseh set up the carved image of Asherah, which he made, in the temple that the LORD had spoken about to David and his son Solomon: “I will establish my name forever in this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.

⁸I will never again cause the feet of the Israelites to wander from the land I gave to their ancestors if only they will be careful to do all I have commanded them — the whole law that my servant Moses commanded them.”

⁹But they did not listen; Manasseh caused them to stray so that they did worse evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.

¹⁰The LORD said through his servants the prophets,

¹¹“Since King Manasseh of Judah has committed all these detestable acts  — worse evil than the Amorites who preceded him had done — and by means of his idols has also caused Judah to sin,

¹²this is what the LORD God of Israel says: ‘I am about to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that everyone who hears about it will shudder.

¹³I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line used on Samaria and the mason’s level used on the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem clean as one wipes a bowl — wiping it and turning it upside down.

¹⁴I will abandon the remnant of my inheritance and hand them over to their enemies. They will become plunder and spoil to all their enemies,

¹⁵because they have done what is evil in my sight and have angered me from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until today.’”

¹⁶Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem with it from one end to another. This was in addition to his sin that he caused Judah to commit, so that they did what was evil in the LORD’s sight.

¹⁷The rest of the events of Manasseh’s reign, along with all his accomplishments and the sin that he committed, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.

¹⁸Manasseh rested with his fathers and was buried in the garden of his own house, the garden of Uzza. His son Amon became king in his place.

¹⁹Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah.

²⁰He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, just as his father Manasseh had done.

²¹He walked in all the ways his father had walked; he served the idols his father had served, and he bowed in worship to them.

²²He abandoned the LORD God of his ancestors and did not walk in the ways of the LORD.

²³Amon’s servants conspired against him and put the king to death in his own house.

²⁴The common people killed all who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.

²⁵The rest of the events of Amon’s reign, along with his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.

²⁶He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah became king in his place.

¹The word of the LORD came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month:

²“Son of man, write down today’s date, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.

³Now speak a parable to the rebellious house. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: Put the pot on the fire — put it on, and then pour water into it!

⁴Place the pieces of meat in it, every good piece — thigh and shoulder. Fill it with choice bones.

⁵Take the choicest of the flock and also pile up the fuel under it. Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.

⁶“‘Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the city of bloodshed, the pot that has corrosion inside it, and its corrosion has not come out of it! Empty it piece by piece; lots should not be cast for its contents.

⁷For the blood she shed is still within her. She put it out on the bare rock; she didn’t pour it on the ground to cover it with dust.

⁸In order to stir up wrath and take vengeance, I have put her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered.

⁹“‘Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the city of bloodshed! I myself will make the pile of kindling large.

¹⁰Pile on the logs and kindle the fire! Cook the meat well and mix in the spices! Let the bones be burned!

¹¹Set the empty pot on its coals so that it becomes hot and its copper glows. Then its impurity will melt inside it; its corrosion will be consumed.

¹²It has frustrated every effort; its thick corrosion will not come off. Into the fire with its corrosion!

¹³Because of the depravity of your uncleanness — since I tried to purify you, but you would not be purified from your uncleanness — you will not be pure again until I have satisfied my wrath on you.

¹⁴I, the LORD, have spoken. It is coming, and I will do it! I will not refrain, I will not show pity, and I will not relent. I will judge you according to your ways and deeds. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.’”

¹⁵Then the word of the LORD came to me:

¹⁶“Son of man, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you with a fatal blow. But you must not lament or weep or let your tears flow.

¹⁷Groan quietly; do not observe mourning rites for the dead. Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache or eat the bread of mourners.”

¹⁸I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. The next morning I did just as I was commanded.

¹⁹Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things you are doing mean for us?”

²⁰So I answered them: “The word of the LORD came to me:

²¹Say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the desire of your heart. Also, the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.

²²Then you will do just as I have done: You will not cover your mustache or eat the bread of mourners.

²³Your turbans will remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not lament or weep but will waste away because of your iniquities and will groan to one another.

²⁴Now Ezekiel will be a sign for you. You will do everything that he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’

²⁵“As for you, son of man, know that on that day I will take from them their stronghold — their pride and joy, the delight of their eyes, and the longing of their hearts — as well as their sons and daughters.

²⁶On that day a fugitive will come to you and report the news.

²⁷On that day your mouth will be opened to talk with him; you will speak and no longer be mute. So you will be a sign for them, and they will know that I am the LORD.”

¹“Are these things true?” the high priest asked.

²“Brothers and fathers,” he replied, “listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,

³and said to him: Leave your country and relatives, and come to the land that I will show you.

⁴“Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this land in which you are now living.

⁵He didn’t give him an inheritance in it — not even a foot of ground — but he promised to give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him, even though he was childless.

⁶God spoke in this way: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and they would enslave and oppress them for four hundred years.

⁷I will judge the nation that they will serve as slaves, God said. After this, they will come out and worship me in this place.

⁸And so he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. After this, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

⁹“The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt, but God was with him

¹⁰and rescued him out of all his troubles. He gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over his whole household.

¹¹Now a famine and great suffering came over all of Egypt and Canaan, and our ancestors could find no food.

¹²When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there the first time.

¹³The second time, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh.

¹⁴Joseph invited his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five people in all,

¹⁵and Jacob went down to Egypt. He and our ancestors died there,

¹⁶were carried back to Shechem, and were placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

¹⁷“As the time was approaching to fulfill the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people flourished and multiplied in Egypt

¹⁸until a different king who did not know Joseph ruled over Egypt.

¹⁹He dealt deceitfully with our race and oppressed our ancestors by making them abandon their infants outside so that they wouldn’t survive.

²⁰At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in God’s sight. He was cared for in his father’s home for three months.

²¹When he was put outside, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted and raised him as her own son.

²²So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his speech and actions.

²³“When he was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites.

²⁴When he saw one of them being mistreated, he came to his rescue and avenged the oppressed man by striking down the Egyptian.

²⁵He assumed his people would understand that God would give them deliverance through him, but they did not understand.

²⁶The next day he showed up while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them peacefully, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other? ’

²⁷“But the one who was mistreating his neighbor pushed Moses aside, saying: Who appointed you a ruler and a judge over us?

²⁸Do you want to kill me, the same way you killed the Egyptian yesterday?

²⁹“When he heard this, Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

³⁰After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.

³¹When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he was approaching to look at it, the voice of the Lord came:

³²I am the God of your ancestors — the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look.

³³“The Lord said to him: Take off the sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground.

³⁴I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. And now, come, I will send you to Egypt.

³⁵“This Moses, whom they rejected when they said, Who appointed you a ruler and a judge?  — this one God sent as a ruler and a deliverer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

³⁶This man led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.

³⁷“This is the Moses who said to the Israelites: God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers and sisters.

³⁸He is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors. He received living oracles to give to us.

³⁹Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him. Instead, they pushed him aside, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.

⁴⁰They told Aaron: Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what’s happened to him.

⁴¹They even made a calf in those days, offered sacrifice to the idol, and were celebrating what their hands had made.

⁴²God turned away and gave them up to worship the stars of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: House of Israel, did you bring me offerings and sacrifices for forty years in the wilderness?

⁴³You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship. So I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.

⁴⁴“Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses commanded him to make it according to the pattern he had seen.

⁴⁵Our ancestors in turn received it and with Joshua brought it in when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before them, until the days of David.

⁴⁶He found favor in God’s sight and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.

⁴⁷It was Solomon, rather, who built him a house,

⁴⁸but the Most High does not dwell in sanctuaries made with hands, as the prophet says:

⁴⁹Heaven is my throne, and the earth my footstool. What sort of house will you build for me? says the Lord, or what will be my resting place?

⁵⁰Did not my hand make all these things?

⁵¹“You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your ancestors did, you do also.

⁵²Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.

⁵³You received the law under the direction of angels and yet have not kept it.”

⁵⁴When they heard these things, they were enraged and gnashed their teeth at him.

⁵⁵Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

⁵⁶He said, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

⁵⁷They yelled at the top of their voices, covered their ears, and together rushed against him.

⁵⁸They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. And the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

⁵⁹While they were stoning Stephen, he called out: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”

⁶⁰He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And after saying this, he died.