Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Now He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable thatstumbling blocks come, but woe to one through whom they come!

²It is better for him if a millstone is hung around his neck and heis thrown into the sea, than that he may cause one of these little ones tosin.

³Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

⁴And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

⁵The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

⁶But the Lord said, “If youhad faiththe size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it wouldobey you.

⁷“Now which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him after he comes in from the field, ‘Come immediately and recline at the table to eat’?

⁸On the contrary, will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properlyclothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; andafterward youmay eat and drink’?

⁹He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he?

¹⁰So you too, when you do all the things which were commanded you, say, ‘We areunworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’ ”

¹¹While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee.

¹²And as He entered a village, ten men with leprosy who stood at a distance met Him;

¹³and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

¹⁴When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed.

¹⁵Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice,

¹⁶and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷But Jesus responded and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they?

¹⁸Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”

¹⁹And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith hasmade you well.”

²⁰Now He was questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, and He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming withsigns that can be observed;

²¹nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God isin your midst.”

²²And He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

²³And they will say to you, ‘Look there,’ or, ‘Look here!’ Do not leave, and do not run after them.

²⁴For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one partof the sky, shines to the other partof the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day.

²⁵But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

²⁶And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man:

²⁷people were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, and they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

²⁸It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, and they were building;

²⁹but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire andbrimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

³⁰It will bejust the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

³¹On that day, the one who will be on thehousetop,with his goods in the house, must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one in the field must not turn back.

³²Remember Lot’s wife.

³³Whoever strives tosave hislife will lose it, and whoever loses his life will keep it.

³⁴I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left.

³⁵There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left.

³⁶[Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”]

³⁷And responding, they *said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body is, there also thevultures will be gathered.”

¹These are the journeys of the sons of Israel, by which they came out of the land of Egypt by their armies, under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.

²Moses recorded their starting places according to their journeys by the command of the LORD, and these are their journeys according to their starting places.

³Now they journeyed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the Passover the sons of Israel started out boldly in the sight of all the Egyptians,

⁴while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn whom the LORD had fatally struck among them. The LORD had also executed judgments against their gods.

⁵Then the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses and camped in Succoth.

⁶They journeyed from Succoth and camped in Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness.

⁷Then they journeyed from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which faces Baal-zephon; and they camped before Migdol.

⁸They journeyed from Pi-hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea to the wilderness; and they went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah.

⁹They journeyed from Marah and came to Elim; and in Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.

¹⁰They journeyed from Elim and camped by the Red Sea.

¹¹And they journeyed from the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin.

¹²They journeyed from the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah.

¹³They journeyed from Dophkah and camped at Alush.

¹⁴And they journeyed from Alush and camped at Rephidim; now it was there that the people had no water to drink.

¹⁵And they journeyed from Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai.

¹⁶They journeyed from the wilderness of Sinai, and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.

¹⁷They journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.

¹⁸They journeyed from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.

¹⁹They journeyed from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez.

²⁰They journeyed from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah.

²¹They journeyed from Libnah and camped at Rissah.

²²They journeyed from Rissah and camped in Kehelathah.

²³They journeyed from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.

²⁴They journeyed from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.

²⁵They journeyed from Haradah and camped at Makheloth.

²⁶They journeyed from Makheloth and camped at Tahath.

²⁷They journeyed from Tahath and camped at Terah.

²⁸They journeyed from Terah and camped at Mithkah.

²⁹They journeyed from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.

³⁰They journeyed from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.

³¹They journeyed from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan.

³²They journeyed from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad.

³³They journeyed from Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.

³⁴They journeyed from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.

³⁵They journeyed from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber.

³⁶They journeyed from Ezion-geber and camped in the wilderness of Zin, that is, Kadesh.

³⁷They journeyed from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, at the edge of the land of Edom.

³⁸Then Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of the LORD, and died there in the fortieth year after the sons of Israel had come from the land of Egypt, on the first day in the fifth month.

³⁹Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

⁴⁰Now the Canaanite, the king of Arad who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard about the coming of the sons of Israel.

⁴¹Then they journeyed from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.

⁴²They journeyed from Zalmonah and camped at Punon.

⁴³They journeyed from Punon and camped at Oboth.

⁴⁴They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, at the border of Moab.

⁴⁵They journeyed from Iyim and camped at Dibon-gad.

⁴⁶They journeyed from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim.

⁴⁷They journeyed from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo.

⁴⁸They journeyed from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan opposite Jericho.

⁴⁹They camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim, in the plains of Moab.

⁵⁰Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying,

⁵¹“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

⁵²you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from you, and destroy all their idolatrous sculptures, destroy all their cast metal images, and eliminate all their high places;

⁵³and you shall take possession of the land and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it.

⁵⁴You shall maintain the land as an inheritance by lot according to your families; to the larger you shall give more inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give less inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to anyone, that shall be his. You shall pass on land as an inheritance according to the tribes of your fathers.

⁵⁵But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from you, then it will come about that those whom you let remain of them will be like thorns in your eyes and like pricks in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live.

⁵⁶And just as I plan to do to them, I will do to you.’ ”

¹For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

²to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace.

³Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.

⁴Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils.

⁵And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have a commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their countrymen, although they are descended from Abraham.

⁶But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.

⁷But without any dispute the lesser person is blessed by the greater.

⁸In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on.

⁹And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, has paid tithes,

¹⁰for he was still in the loins of his forefather when Melchizedek met him.

¹¹So if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?

¹²For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also.

¹³For the one about whom these things are said belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar.

¹⁴For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses said nothing concerning priests.

¹⁵And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek,

¹⁶who has become a priest not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life.

¹⁷For it is attested of Him, “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.”

¹⁸For, on the one hand, there is the nullification of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness

¹⁹(for the Law made nothing perfect); on the other hand, there is the introduction of a better hope, through which we come near to God.

²⁰And to the extent that it was not without an oath

²¹(for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him, “THE LORD HAS SWORN AND WILL NOT CHANGE HIS MIND, ‘YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER’ ”);

²²by the same extent Jesus also has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

²³The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing;

²⁴Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently.

²⁵Therefore He is also able to save forever those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

²⁶For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens;

²⁷who has no daily need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because He did this once for all time when He offered up Himself.

²⁸For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, who has been made perfect forever.

¹But as for you, proclaim the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.

²Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance.

³Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good,

⁴so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,

⁵to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

⁶Likewise urge the young men to be sensible;

⁷in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified,

⁸sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.

⁹Urge slaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be pleasing, not argumentative,

¹⁰not stealing, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.

¹¹For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people,

¹²instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age,

¹³looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,

¹⁴who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, eager for good deeds.

¹⁵These things speak and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. No one is to disregard you.

¹Then Job responded,

²“What a help you are to the weak! You have saved the arm without strength!

³What advice you have given to one without wisdom! What helpful insight you have abundantly provided!

⁴To whom have you uttered words? And whose spirit was expressed through you?

⁵“The departed spirits are made to tremble Under the waters and their inhabitants.

⁶Sheol is naked before Him, And Abaddon has no covering.

⁷He stretches out the north over empty space And hangs the earth on nothing.

⁸He wraps up the waters in His clouds, And the cloud does not burst under them.

⁹He obscures the face of the full moon And spreads His cloud over it.

¹⁰He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters At the boundary of light and darkness.

¹¹The pillars of heaven tremble And are amazed at His rebuke.

¹²With His power He quieted the sea, And by His understanding He shattered Rahab.

¹³By His breath the heavens are cleared; His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent.

¹⁴Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; And how faint a word we hear of Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand?”

¹Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse.

²Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.

³Praise Him with trumpet sound; Praise Him with harp and lyre.

⁴Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flute.

⁵Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals.

⁶Everything that has breath shall praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!

¹Like snow in summer and like rain in harvest, So honor is not fitting for a fool.

²Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, So a curse without cause does not come to rest.

³A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the back of fools.

⁴Do not answer a fool according to his foolishness, Or you will also be like him.

⁵Answer a fool as his foolishness deserves, So that he will not be wise in his own eyes.

⁶One who sends a message by the hand of a fool Chops off his own feet and drinks violence.

⁷Like useless legs to one who cannot walk, So is a proverb in the mouths of fools.

⁸Like one who binds a stone in a sling, So is one who gives honor to a fool.

⁹Like a thorn that sticks in the hand of a heavy drinker, So is a proverb in the mouths of fools.

¹⁰Like an archer who wounds everyone, So is one who hires a fool or hires those who pass by.

¹¹Like a dog that returns to its vomit, So is a fool who repeats his foolishness.

¹²Do you see a person wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

¹³A lazy one says, “There is a lion on the road! A lion is in the public square!”

¹⁴As the door turns on its hinges, So does a lazy one on his bed.

¹⁵A lazy one buries his hand in the dish; He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again.

¹⁶A lazy one is wiser in his own eyes Than seven people who can give a discreet answer.

¹⁷Like one who takes a dog by the ears, So is one who passes by and meddles with strife not belonging to him.

¹⁸Like a maniac who shoots Flaming arrows, arrows, and death,

¹⁹So is a person who deceives his neighbor, And says, “Was I not joking?”

²⁰For lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no gossiper, quarreling quiets down.

²¹Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, So is a contentious person to kindle strife.

²²The words of a gossiper are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the body.

²³Like an earthenware vessel overlaid with silver impurities Are burning lips and a wicked heart.

²⁴One who hates disguises it with his lips, But he harbors deceit in his heart.

²⁵When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, Because there are seven abominations in his heart.

²⁶Though his hatred covers itself with deception, His wickedness will be revealed in the assembly.

²⁷One who digs a pit will fall into it, And one who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.

²⁸A lying tongue hates those it crushes, And a flattering mouth works ruin.

¹In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and revolted against him.

²And the LORD sent against him bands of Chaldeans, bands of Arameans, bands of Moabites, and bands of Ammonites. He sent them against Judah to destroy it, in accordance with the word of the LORD which He had spoken through His servants the prophets.

³It indeed came upon Judah at the command of the LORD, to remove them from His sight due to the sins of Manasseh, in accordance with everything that he had done,

⁴and also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the LORD was unwilling to forgive.

⁵Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

⁶So Jehoiakim lay down with his fathers, and his son Jehoiachin became king in his place.

⁷Now the king of Egypt did not come out of his land again, because the king of Babylon had taken everything that belonged to the king of Egypt from the brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.

⁸Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.

⁹He did evil in the sight of the LORD, in accordance with all that his father had done.

¹⁰At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon went up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege.

¹¹And Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came to the city, while his servants were besieging it.

¹²Then Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials. And the king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign.

¹³He also brought out from there all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and he smashed all the articles of gold that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, just as the LORD had said.

¹⁴Then he led into exile all the people of Jerusalem and all the commanders and all the valiant warriors, ten thousand exiles, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None were left except the poorest people of the land.

¹⁵So he led Jehoiachin into exile to Babylon; also the king’s mother, the king’s wives, and his officials and the leading men of the land, he led into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

¹⁶And all the valiant men, seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, a thousand, all strong and fit for war, these too the king of Babylon brought into exile to Babylon.

¹⁷Then the king of Babylon made his uncle Mattaniah king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

¹⁸Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

¹⁹He did evil in the sight of the LORD, in accordance with everything that Jehoiakim had done.

²⁰For it was due to the anger of the LORD that this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He cast them out of His presence. And Zedekiah revolted against the king of Babylon.

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

²“And you, son of man, take up a song of mourning over Tyre;

³and say to Tyre, who sits at the entrance to the sea, merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Tyre, you have said, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’

⁴Your borders are in the heart of the seas; Your builders have perfected your beauty.

⁵They have made all your planks of juniper trees from Senir; They have taken a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.

⁶Of oaks from Bashan they have made your rudders; With ivory they have inlaid your deck of boxwood from the coastlands of Cyprus.

⁷Your sail was of colorfully embroidered linen from Egypt So that it became your flag; Your awning was violet and purple from the coastlands of Elishah.

⁸The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers; Your wise men, Tyre, were aboard; they were your sailors.

⁹The elders of Gebal and her wise men were with you repairing your leaks; All the ships of the sea and their sailors were with you in order to deal in your merchandise.

¹⁰“Persia, Lud, and Put were in your army, your men of war. They hung up shield and helmet on you; they presented your splendor.

¹¹The sons of Arvad and your army were on your walls, all around, and the Gammadim were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls all around; they perfected your beauty.

¹²“Tarshish was your customer because of the abundance of all kinds of wealth; with silver, iron, tin, and lead they paid for your merchandise.

¹³Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were your traders; with human lives and vessels of bronze they paid for your merchandise.

¹⁴Those from Beth-togarmah gave horses, war horses, and mules for your merchandise.

¹⁵The sons of Dedan were your traders. Many coastlands were your market; they brought ivory tusks and ebony as your payment.

¹⁶Aram was your customer because of the abundance of your goods; they paid for your merchandise with emeralds, purple, colorfully woven cloth, fine linen, coral, and rubies.

¹⁷Judah and the land of Israel, they were your traders; with the wheat of Minnith, cakes, honey, oil, and balsam they paid for your merchandise.

¹⁸Damascus was your customer because of the abundance of your goods, because of the abundance of all kinds of wealth, because of the wine of Helbon and white wool.

¹⁹Vedan and Javan paid for your merchandise from Uzal; wrought iron, cassia, and spice reed were among your merchandise.

²⁰Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for riding.

²¹Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, they were your customers for lambs, rams, and goats; for these they were your customers.

²²The traders of Sheba and Raamah, they traded with you; they paid for your merchandise with the best of all balsam oil, and with all kinds of precious stones, and gold.

²³Haran, Canneh, Eden, the traders of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad traded with you.

²⁴They traded with you in choice garments, in clothes of violet and colorfully woven cloth, and in blankets of two colors, and tightly wound cords, which were among your merchandise.

²⁵The ships of Tarshish were the carriers for your merchandise. And you were filled and were very glorious In the heart of the seas.

²⁶“Your rowers have brought you Into great waters; The east wind has broken you In the heart of the seas.

²⁷Your wealth, your wares, your merchandise, Your seamen and your sailors, Your repairers of leaks, your dealers in merchandise, And all your men of war who are in you, With all your contingent that is in your midst, Will fall into the heart of the seas On the day of your overthrow.

²⁸At the sound of the cry of your sailors, The pasture lands will shake.

²⁹All who handle the oar, The seamen and all the sailors of the sea Will come down from their ships; They will stand on the land,

³⁰And they will make their voice heard over you And cry out bitterly. They will throw dust on their heads, They will wallow in ashes.

³¹Also they will shave themselves bald for you And put on sackcloth; And they will weep for you in bitterness of soul With bitter mourning.

³²Moreover, in their wailing they will take up a song of mourning for you And sing a song of mourning over you: ‘Who is like Tyre, Like her who is silent in the midst of the sea?

³³When your merchandise went out from the seas, You satisfied many peoples; With the abundance of your wealth and your merchandise You enriched the kings of the earth.

³⁴Now that you are broken by the seas In the depths of the waters, Your merchandise and all your company Have fallen in the midst of you.

³⁵All the inhabitants of the coastlands Are appalled at you, And their kings are horribly afraid; They have a troubled look.

³⁶The merchants among the peoples hiss at you; You have become terrified And you will cease to be forever.’ ” ’ ”

¹Now there was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort,

²a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and made many charitable contributions to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.

³About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!”

⁴And he looked at him intently and became terrified, and said, “What is it, lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and charitable gifts have ascended as a memorial offering before God.

⁵Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter;

⁶he is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.”

⁷When the angel who *spoke to him left, he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier from his personal attendants,

⁸and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

⁹On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.

¹⁰But he became hungry and wanted to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance;

¹¹and he *saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground,

¹²and on it were all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the sky.

¹³A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!”

¹⁴But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.”

¹⁵Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.”

¹⁶This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky.

¹⁷Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius had asked directions to Simon’s house, and they appeared at the gate;

¹⁸and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there.

¹⁹While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you.

²⁰But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.”

²¹Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?”

²²They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you.”

²³So he invited them in and gave them lodging. Now on the next day he got ready and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.

²⁴On the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

²⁵When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him.

²⁶But Peter helped him up, saying, “Stand up; I, too, am just a man.”

²⁷As he talked with him, he entered and *found many people assembled.

²⁸And he said to them, “You yourselves know that it is forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner; and yet God has shown me that I am not to call any person unholy or unclean.

²⁹That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask, for what reason did you send for me?”

³⁰Cornelius said, “Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining clothing,

³¹and he *said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your charitable gifts have been remembered before God.

³²Therefore send some men to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner, by the sea.’

³³So I sent men to you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear everything that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

³⁴Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,

³⁵but in every nation the one who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.

³⁶The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)—

³⁷you yourselves know the thing that happened throughout Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed.

³⁸You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

³⁹We are witnesses of all the things that He did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross.

⁴⁰God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He be revealed,

⁴¹not to all the people, but to witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

⁴²And He ordered us to preach to the people, and to testify solemnly that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.

⁴³All the prophets testify of Him, that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.

⁴⁵All the Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had also been poured out on the Gentiles.

⁴⁶For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter responded,

⁴⁷“Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?”

⁴⁸And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.