Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.

²And there was a man called Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector [a superintendent to whom others reported], and he was rich.

³Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, but he could not see because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.

⁴So he ran on ahead [of the crowd] and climbed up in a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.

⁵When Jesus reached the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house."

⁶So Zaccheus hurried and came down, and welcomed Jesus with joy.

⁷When the people saw it, they all began muttering [in discontent], "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a [notorious] sinner."

⁸Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "See, Lord, I am [now] giving half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I will give back four times as much."

⁹Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this household, because he, too, is a [ spiritual] son of Abraham;

¹⁰for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

¹¹While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they assumed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately [as soon as He reached the city].

¹²So He said, "A nobleman went to a distant country to obtain for himself a kingdom, and [then] to return.

¹³So he called ten of his servants, and gave them ten minas [one apiece, each equal to about a hundred days' wages] and said to them, 'Do business [with this] until I return.'

¹⁴But his citizens [the residents of his new kingdom] hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to be a king over us.'

¹⁵When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these servants, to whom he had given the money, be called to him, that he might find out what business they had done.

¹⁶The first one came before him and said, 'Lord, your mina has made ten more minas.'

¹⁷And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you proved yourself faithful and trustworthy in a very little thing, you shall [now] have authority over ten cities [in my kingdom].'

¹⁸The second one came and said, 'Lord, your mina has made five minas.'

¹⁹And he said to him also, 'And you shall take charge over five cities.'

²⁰Then another came and said, 'Lord, here is your mina, which I have kept laid up in a handkerchief [for safekeeping].

²¹I was [always] afraid of you, because you are a stern man; you pick up what you did not lay down and you reap what you did not sow.'

²²He said to the servant, 'I will judge and condemn you by your own words, you worthless servant! Did you [really] know that I was a stern man, picking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow?

²³Then why did you not [at the very least] put my money in a bank? Then on my return, I would have collected it with interest.'

²⁴Then he said to the bystanders, 'Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.'

²⁵And they said to him, 'Lord, he has ten minas already!'

²⁶[Jesus explained,] 'I tell you that to everyone who has [because he valued his gifts from God and has used them wisely], more will be given; but from the one who does not have [because he disregarded his gifts from God], even what he has will be taken away.'

²⁷[The king ended by saying,] 'But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them, bring them here and kill them in my presence.'"

²⁸After saying these things, Jesus went on ahead [of them], going up to Jerusalem.

²⁹When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples,

³⁰saying, "Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a [donkey's] colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.

³¹If anybody asks you, 'Why are you untying the colt?' you will say, 'The Lord needs it.'"

³²So those who were sent left and found the colt just as He had told them.

³³As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?"

³⁴They said, "The Lord needs it."

³⁵They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their robes over the colt and put Jesus on it.

³⁶As He rode along, people were spreading their coats on the road [as an act of homage before a king].

³⁷As soon as He was approaching [Jerusalem], near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the entire multitude of the disciples [all those who were or claimed to be His followers] began praising God [adoring Him enthusiastically and] joyfully with loud voices for all the miracles and works of power that they had seen,

³⁸shouting, "Blessed (celebrated, praised) is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory (majesty, splendor) in the highest [heaven]!"

³⁹Some of the Pharisees from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples [for shouting these Messianic praises]."

⁴⁰Jesus replied, "I tell you, if these [people] keep silent, the stones will cry out [in praise]!"

⁴¹As He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it [and the spiritual ignorance of its people],

⁴²saying, "If [only] you had known on this day [of salvation], even you, the things which make for peace [and on which peace depends]! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.

⁴³For a time [of siege] is coming when your enemies will put up a barricade [with pointed stakes] against you, and surround you [with armies] and hem you in on every side,

⁴⁴and they will level you to the ground, you [Jerusalem] and your children within you. They will not leave in you one stone on another, all because you did not [come progressively to] recognize [from observation and personal experience] the time of your visitation [when God was gracious toward you and offered you salvation]."

⁴⁵Jesus went into the temple [enclosure] and began driving out those who were selling,

⁴⁶saying to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer'; but you have made it a robbers' den."

⁴⁷He was teaching day after day in the temple [porches and courts]; but the chief priests and scribes and the leading men among the people were seeking [a way] to put Him to death,

⁴⁸and they could not find anything that they could do, for all the people [stayed close to Him and] were hanging on to every word He said.

¹Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan [across from] Jericho, saying,

²"Command the Israelites to give to the Levites cities to live in from the inheritance of their possession; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around the cities.

³The cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their livestock.

⁴"The pasture lands around the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits (1,500 ft.) around.

⁵You shall also measure outside the city on the east, south, west, and north sides two thousand cubits (3,000 ft.), with the city in the center. This shall belong to the Levites as pasture lands for the cities.

⁶[Among] the cities which you give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall provide for the one who commits manslaughter to flee to; and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities [to the Levites].

⁷So you shall give to the Levites forty-eight cities in all, together with their pasture lands.

⁸As for the cities which you shall give from the possession of the Israelites, from the larger tribes you shall take many and from the smaller tribes few; each tribe shall give [at least some] of its cities to the Levites in proportion to [the size of] its inheritance which it possesses."

⁹Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

¹⁰"Tell the Israelites, 'When you cross the Jordan [River] into the land of Canaan,

¹¹then you shall select for yourselves cities to be cities of refuge, so that the one who kills any person unintentionally may escape there.

¹²The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the one who has caused the death of another will not be killed until he has had a [fair] trial before the congregation.

¹³The cities which you are to provide shall be your six cities of refuge.

¹⁴You shall provide three cities on this [east] side of the Jordan [River], and three [more] cities in the land of Canaan; they are to be the cities of refuge.

¹⁵These six cities shall be a refuge for the Israelites and for the stranger and the resident alien among them; so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may escape there.

¹⁶'But if he struck his victim down [intentionally] with an iron object so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall certainly be put to death.

¹⁷If he struck his victim down [intentionally] with a stone in hand, which may cause a person to die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall certainly be put to death.

¹⁸Or if he struck his victim down [intentionally] with a wooden object in hand, which may cause a person to die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall certainly be put to death.

¹⁹The blood avenger shall himself put the murderer to death; he shall put him to death when he meets him.

²⁰But if he pushed his victim out of hatred or threw something at him with malicious intent, and he died,

²¹or if, in enmity, he struck the victim down with his hand, and he died, the one that struck the victim shall certainly be put to death; he is a murderer. The blood avenger shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

²²'But if he pushed the victim suddenly, not in enmity, or threw anything at him without malicious intent,

²³or without seeing him hit him [accidentally] with a stone object that could kill him, and he died, and [the offender] was not his enemy nor intending to harm him,

²⁴then the congregation shall judge between the offender and the blood avenger according to these ordinances.

²⁵The congregation shall rescue the offender from the hand of the blood avenger and return him to his city of refuge, [the place] to which he had escaped; and he shall live there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the sacred oil.

²⁶But if at any time the one guilty of manslaughter comes outside the border of his city of refuge to which he fled,

²⁷and the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge and kills the offender, the blood avenger will not be guilty of murder,

²⁸because the offender should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the high priest's death the offender shall return to the land of his possession.

²⁹'These things shall be a statute for you throughout your generations wherever you may be.

³⁰'If anyone kills a person [intentionally], the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of [two or more] witnesses; but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of [only] one witness.

³¹Moreover, you shall not accept a ransom [in exchange] for the life of a murderer guilty and sentenced to death; but he shall certainly be put to death.

³²You shall not accept a ransom for him who has escaped to his city of refuge, so that he may return to live in his [own] land before the death of the high priest.

³³So you shall not pollute and defile the land in which you live; for [the shedding of innocent] blood pollutes and defiles the land. No atonement (expiation) can be made for the land for the [innocent] blood shed in it, except by the blood (execution) of him who shed it.

³⁴You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I live, for I, the LORD, live among the people of Israel.'"

¹Now even the first covenant had regulations for divine worship and for the earthly sanctuary.

²A tabernacle (sacred tent) was put up, the outer one or first section, in which were the lampstand and the table with [its loaves of] the sacred showbread; this is called the Holy Place.

³Behind the second veil there was another tabernacle [the inner one or second section] known as the Holy of Holies,

⁴having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered entirely with gold. This contained a golden jar which held the manna, and the rod of Aaron that sprouted, and the [two stone] tablets of the covenant [inscribed with the Ten Commandments];

⁵and above the ark were the [golden] cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but we cannot now go into detail about these things.

⁶Now when these things have been prepared in this way, the priests continually enter the outer [or first section of the] tabernacle [that is, the Holy Place] performing [their ritual acts of] the divine worship,

⁷but into the second [inner tabernacle, the Holy of Holies], only the high priest enters [and then only] once a year, and never without [bringing a sacrifice of] blood, which he offers [as a substitutionary atonement] for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

⁸By this the Holy Spirit signifies that the way into the Holy Place [the true Holy of Holies and the presence of God] has not yet been disclosed as long as the first or outer tabernacle is still standing [that is, as long as the Levitical system of worship remains a recognized institution],

⁹for this [first or outer tabernacle] is a symbol [that is, an archetype or paradigm] for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which are incapable of perfecting the conscience and renewing the [inner self of the] worshiper.

¹⁰For they [the gifts, sacrifices, and ceremonies] deal only with [clean and unclean] food and drink and various ritual washings, [mere] external regulations for the body imposed [to help the worshipers] until the time of reformation [that is, the time of the new order when Christ will establish the reality of what these things foreshadow—a better covenant].

¹¹But when Christ appeared as a High Priest of the good things to come [that is, true spiritual worship], He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not a part of this [material] creation.

¹²He went once for all into the Holy Place [the Holy of Holies of heaven, into the presence of God], and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, having obtained and secured eternal redemption [that is, the salvation of all who personally believe in Him as Savior].

¹³For if the sprinkling of [ceremonially] defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a [burnt] heifer is sufficient for the cleansing of the body,

¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal [Holy] Spirit willingly offered Himself unblemished [that is, without moral or spiritual imperfection as a sacrifice] to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works and lifeless observances to serve the ever living God?

¹⁵For this reason He is the Mediator and Negotiator of a new covenant [that is, an entirely new agreement uniting God and man], so that those who have been called [by God] may receive [the fulfillment of] the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has taken place [as the payment] which redeems them from the sins committed under the obsolete first covenant.

¹⁶For where there is a will and testament involved, the death of the one who made it must be established,

¹⁷for a will and testament takes effect [only] at death, since it is never in force as long as the one who made it is alive.

¹⁸So even the first covenant was not put in force without [the shedding of] blood.

¹⁹For when every commandment in the Law had been read by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of the calves and goats [which had been sacrificed], together with water and scarlet wool and with a bunch of hyssop, and he sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people,

²⁰saying, "This is the blood of the covenant [that seals and ratifies the agreement] which God ordained and commanded [me to deliver to] you."

²¹And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the containers and sacred utensils of worship with the blood.

²²In fact under the Law almost everything is cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness [neither release from sin and its guilt, nor cancellation of the merited punishment].

²³Therefore it was necessary for the [earthly] copies of the heavenly things to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves required far better sacrifices than these.

²⁴For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but [He entered] into heaven itself, now to appear in the very presence of God on our behalf;

²⁵nor did He [enter into the heavenly sanctuary to] offer Himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.

²⁶Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer over and over since the foundation of the world; but now once for all at the consummation of the ages He has appeared and been publicly manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

²⁷And just as it is appointed and destined for all men to die once and after this [comes certain] judgment,

²⁸so Christ, having been offered once and once for all to bear [as a burden] the sins of many, will appear a second time [when he returns to earth], not to deal with sin, but to bring salvation to those who are eagerly and confidently waiting for Him.

¹Paul, a prisoner [for the sake] of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), and our brother Timothy, To Philemon our dearly beloved friend and fellow worker,

²and to [your wife] Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier [in ministry], and to the church that meets in your house:

³Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,

⁵because I hear of your love and of your faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints (God's people).

⁶I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective and powerful because of your accurate knowledge of every good thing which is ours in Christ.

⁷For I have had great joy and comfort and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints (God's people) have been refreshed through you, my brother.

⁸Therefore [on the basis of these facts], though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is appropriate,

⁹yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner [for the sake] of Christ Jesus—

¹⁰I appeal to you for my [own spiritual] child Onesimus, whom I have fathered [in the faith] while a captive in these chains.

¹¹Once he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you as well as to me.

¹²I have sent him back to you in person, that is, like sending my very heart.

¹³I would have chosen to keep him with me, so that he might minister to me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel;

¹⁴but I did not want to do anything without first getting your consent, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will.

¹⁵Perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a while, so that you would have him back forever,

¹⁶no longer as a slave, but [as someone] more than a slave, as a brother [in Christ], especially dear to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh [as a servant] and in the Lord [as a fellow believer].

¹⁷So if you consider me a partner, welcome and accept him as you would me.

¹⁸But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account;

¹⁹I, Paul, write this with my own hand, I will repay it in full (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well).

²⁰Yes, brother, let me have some benefit and joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

²¹I write to you [perfectly] confident of your obedient compliance, since I know that you will do even more than I ask.

²²At the same time also prepare a guest room for me [in expectation of a visit], for I hope that through your prayers I will be [granted the gracious privilege of] coming to you [at Colossae].

²³Greetings to you from Epaphras, my fellow prisoner here in [the cause of] Christ Jesus,

²⁴and from Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

²⁵The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

¹"Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place where they refine gold.

²"Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is smelted from the stone ore.

³"Man puts an end to darkness [by bringing in a light], And to the farthest bounds he searches out The rock buried in gloom and deep shadow.

⁴"He breaks open (mine) shafts far away from where people live, [In places] forgotten by the [human] foot; They dangle [in the mines] and hang away from men.

⁵"[As for] the earth, out of it comes food, But underneath [its surface, down deep] it is turned over as fire.

⁶"Its stones are the bed of sapphires; It holds dust of gold.

⁷"The path [deep within] no bird of prey knows, And the falcon's eye has not caught sight of it.

⁸"The proud beasts [and their young] have not walked on it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.

⁹"Man puts his hand on [and tears apart] the flinty rock; He overturns the mountains at the base [looking for treasure].

¹⁰"He cuts out channels and passages among the rocks; And his eye sees every precious thing.

¹¹"Man dams up the streams from flowing [so that they do not trickle into the mine], And what is hidden he brings out to the light.

¹²"But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

¹³"Man does not know the value of it; Nor is it found in the land of the living.

¹⁴"The deep says, 'It is not in me'; And the sea says, 'It is not with me.'

¹⁵"It cannot be obtained for pure gold, Nor can silver be weighed as its price.

¹⁶"It cannot be valued in [terms of] the gold of Ophir, In the precious onyx or beryl, or the sapphire.

¹⁷"Gold and glass cannot equal wisdom, Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.

¹⁸"No mention of coral and crystal can be made; For the possession of wisdom is even above [that of] rubies or pearls.

¹⁹"The topaz of Ethiopia cannot compare with it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold.

²⁰"From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?

²¹"It is hidden from the eyes of all the living And concealed from the birds of the heavens.

²²"Abaddon (the place of destruction) and Death say, 'We have [only] heard a report of it with our ears.'

²³"God understands the way [to wisdom] And He knows its place [for wisdom is with God alone].

²⁴"For He looks to the ends of the earth And sees everything under the heavens.

²⁵"When He gave weight and pressure to the wind And allotted the waters by measure,

²⁶When He made a limit for the rain And a way for the thunderbolt,

²⁷Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He established it and searched it out.

²⁸"But to man He said, 'Behold, the reverential and worshipful fear of the Lord—that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.'"

¹Why are the nations in an uproar [in turmoil against God], And why do the people devise a vain and hopeless plot?

²The kings of the earth take their stand; And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and His Anointed (the Davidic King, the Messiah, the Christ), saying,

³"Let us break apart their [divine] bands [of restraint] And cast away their cords [of control] from us."

⁴He who sits [enthroned] in the heavens laughs [at their rebellion]; The [Sovereign] Lord scoffs at them [and in supreme contempt He mocks them].

⁵Then He will speak to them in His [profound] anger And terrify them with His displeasure, saying,

⁶"Yet as for Me, I have anointed and firmly installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain."

⁷"I will declare the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son; This day [I proclaim] I have begotten You.

⁸'Ask of Me, and I will assuredly give [You] the nations as Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth as Your possession.

⁹'You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall shatter them [in pieces] like earthenware.'"

¹⁰Now therefore, O kings, act wisely; Be instructed and take warning, O leaders (judges, rulers) of the earth.

¹¹Worship the LORD and serve Him with reverence [with awe-inspired fear and submissive wonder]; Rejoice [yet do so] with trembling.

¹²Kiss (pay respect to) the Son, so that He does not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled and set aflame. How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] are all those who take refuge in Him!

¹The wicked flee when no one pursues them, But the righteous are as bold as a lion.

²When a land does wrong, it has many princes, But when the ruler is a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability endures.

³A poor man who oppresses and exploits the lowly Is like a sweeping rain which leaves no food.

⁴Those who set aside the law [of God and man] praise the wicked, But those who keep the law [of God and man] struggle with them.

⁵Evil men do not understand justice, But they who long for and seek the LORD understand it fully.

⁶Better is the poor who walks in his integrity Than he who is crooked and two-faced though he is rich.

⁷He who keeps the law [of God and man] is a wise and discerning son, But he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father [and himself].

⁸He who increases his wealth by interest and usury (excessive interest) Gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor.

⁹He who turns his ear away from listening to the law [of God and man], Even his prayer is repulsive [to God].

¹⁰He who leads the upright astray on an evil path Will himself fall into his own pit, But the blameless will inherit good.

¹¹The rich man [who is conceited and relies on his wealth instead of God] is wise in his own eyes, But the poor man who has understanding [because he relies on God] is able to see through him.

¹²When the righteous triumph, there is great glory and celebration; But when the wicked rise [to prominence], men hide themselves.

¹³He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But whoever confesses and turns away from his sins will find compassion and mercy.

¹⁴Blessed and favored by God is the man who fears [sin and its consequence] at all times, But he who hardens his heart [and is determined to sin] will fall into disaster.

¹⁵Like a roaring lion and a charging bear Is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

¹⁶A leader who is a great oppressor lacks understanding and common sense [and his wickedness shortens his days], But he who hates unjust gain will [be blessed and] prolong his days.

¹⁷A man who is burdened with the guilt of human blood (murder) Will be a fugitive until death; let no one support him or give him refuge.

¹⁸He who walks blamelessly and uprightly will be kept safe, But he who is crooked (perverse) will suddenly fall.

¹⁹He who cultivates his land will have plenty of bread, But he who follows worthless people and frivolous pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

²⁰A faithful (right-minded) man will abound with blessings, But he who hurries to be rich will not go unpunished.

²¹To have regard for one person over another and to show favoritism is not good, Because for a piece of bread a man will transgress.

²²He who has an evil and envious eye hurries to be rich And does not know that poverty will come upon him.

²³He who [appropriately] reprimands a [wise] man will afterward find more favor Than he who flatters with the tongue.

²⁴He who robs his father or his mother And says, "This is no sin," Is [not only a thief but also] the companion of a man who destroys.

²⁵An arrogant and greedy man stirs up strife, But he who trusts in the LORD will be blessed and prosper.

²⁶He who trusts confidently in his own heart is a [dull, thickheaded] fool, But he who walks in [skillful and godly] wisdom will be rescued.

²⁷He who gives to the poor will never want, But he who shuts his eyes [from their need] will have many curses.

²⁸When the wicked rise [to power], men hide themselves; But when the wicked perish, the [consistently] righteous increase and become great.

¹Adam [his genealogical line], Seth, Enosh,

²Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared,

³Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech,

⁴Noah, [and his sons] Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

⁵The sons (descendants) of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

⁶The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Diphath, and Togarmah.

⁷The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.

⁸The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.

⁹The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.

¹⁰Cush became the father of Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one upon the earth.

¹¹Mizraim became the father of the people of Lud, Anam, Lehab, Naphtuh,

¹²Pathrus, and Casluh, from whom came the Philistines, and Caphtor.

¹³Canaan became the father of Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,

¹⁴the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites,

¹⁵Hivites, Arkites, Sinites,

¹⁶Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites.

¹⁷The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.

¹⁸Arpachshad became the father of Shelah, and Shelah became the father of Eber.

¹⁹To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, because in his days [the population of] the earth was divided [according to its languages], and his brother's name was Joktan.

²⁰Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,

²¹Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,

²²Ebal, Abimael, Sheba,

²³Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.

²⁴Shem [his genealogical line], Arpachshad, Shelah,

²⁵Eber, Peleg, Reu,

²⁶Serug, Nahor, Terah,

²⁷Abram, the same as Abraham.

²⁸The sons of Abraham: Isaac [by his wife Sarah] and Ishmael [by Hagar her maid].

²⁹These are their descendants: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

³⁰Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema,

³¹Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael.

³²Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: she gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan.

³³The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these are the sons [and grandsons] of Keturah.

³⁴Abraham became the father of Isaac. The sons of Isaac: Esau and Israel (Jacob).

³⁵The sons of Esau: Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

³⁶The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek.

³⁷The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

³⁸The sons of Seir: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.

³⁹The sons of Lotan: Hori and Homam; and Timna was Lotan's sister.

⁴⁰The sons of Shobal: Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah.

⁴¹The son of Anah: Dishon. The sons of Dishon: Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.

⁴²The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

⁴³These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the sons (descendants) of Israel (Jacob): Bela the son of Beor; the name of his city was Dinhabah.

⁴⁴When Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah became king in his place.

⁴⁵When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites became king in his place.

⁴⁶When Husham died, Hadad [I of Edom] the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the field of Moab, became king in his place; the name of his city was Avith.

⁴⁷When Hadad [I] died, Samlah of Masrekah became king in his place.

⁴⁸When Samlah died, Shaul of Rehoboth on the River [Euphrates] became king in his place.

⁴⁹When Shaul died, Baal-hanan the son of Achbor became king in his place.

⁵⁰When Baal-hanan died, Hadad [II] became king in his place; the name of his city was Pai; his wife's name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.

⁵¹Hadad died also. The chiefs of Edom were: chiefs Timna, Aliah, Jetheth,

⁵²Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,

⁵³Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,

⁵⁴Magdiel, and Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom.

¹In the tenth year [of the captivity of King Jehoiachin by the king of Babylon], in the tenth month, on the twelfth of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

²"Son of man, set your face toward Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.

³Speak and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, The great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers, [Boastfully] declaring, 'My Nile is my own, and I have made it for myself.'

⁴"I will put hooks in your jaws And [I will] make the fish of your rivers stick to your scales. And I will pull you up from the midst of your rivers, And all the fish of your rivers will stick to your scales.

⁵"I will abandon you to the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers; You will fall on the open field; and you will not be gathered up or buried. I have given you as food to the [wild] animals of the earth and the birds of the sky.

⁶"And all the inhabitants of Egypt will know [without any doubt] that I am the LORD, Because they have been [only] a staff made of [fragile] reeds to the house of Israel.

⁷"When they (Israel) grasped you (Egypt) by the hand, You broke and tore apart their hands; When they leaned on you, You broke and strained their backs."

⁸'Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am going to bring a sword on you and cut off (destroy) both man and animal,

⁹and the land of Egypt will be a desolation and a wasteland. And they will know [without any doubt] that I am the LORD. "Because you said, 'The Nile is mine and I have made it,'

¹⁰behold (hear this), therefore, I am against you and against your rivers (the Nile, its tributaries), and I will make the land of Egypt a complete waste and a desolation, from [northern] Migdol to [southern] Syene, even as far as the border of Ethiopia (Cush).

¹¹No man's foot will pass through it, no animal's foot will pass through it, and it will not be inhabited for forty years.

¹²So I will make the land of Egypt a desolation [plundered and ruined] among desolated lands; and her cities, among cities that are laid waste, will be desolate forty years. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and [I will] disperse them through the lands."

¹³'For thus says the Lord GOD, "At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations among whom they were scattered.

¹⁴I will reverse the fortunes of Egypt [as I will that of Israel] and cause them to return to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin, and there they will be a lowly kingdom.

¹⁵It will be the lowliest of the kingdoms, and it will never again exalt itself above the nations; I will diminish the Egyptians so they will never again rule over the nations.

¹⁶And Egypt will never again have the confidence of the house of Israel; their wickedness will be remembered whenever Israel looks toward them [for help]. Then they will know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord GOD."'"

¹⁷In the twenty-seventh year [after King Jehoiachin was taken to Babylon], in the first month, on the first of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

¹⁸"Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army work hard [at My command] against Tyre; every [soldier's] head became bald and every shoulder was worn and peeled [from carrying loads of dirt and stones for siege works]. Yet he had no wages from Tyre [in proportion to the time and labor expended during the siege], either for himself or his army, for the work that he had done against it [for Me]."

¹⁹Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And he will carry off her wealth and capture her spoil and seize her plunder; and it shall be the wages for his army.

²⁰I have given him the land of Egypt for the hard work which he did [against Tyre], because they did it for Me," says the Lord GOD.

²¹"In that day I will make a horn sprout for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth among them, and they will know [without any doubt] that I am the LORD [when I renew their strength]."

¹Now at that time Herod [Agrippa I] the king [of the Jews] arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to harm them.

²And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword;

³and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to have Peter arrested as well. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread [the Passover week].

⁴When he had seized Peter, he put him in prison, turning him over to four squads of soldiers of four each to guard him [in rotation throughout the night], planning after the Passover to bring him out before the people [for execution].

⁵So Peter was kept in prison, but fervent and persistent prayer for him was being made to God by the church.

⁶The very night before Herod was to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries were in front of the door guarding the prison.

⁷Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared [beside him] and a light shone in the cell. The angel struck Peter's side and awakened him, saying, "Get up quickly!" And the chains fell off his hands.

⁸The angel said to him, "Prepare yourself and strap on your sandals [to get ready for whatever may happen]." And he did so. Then the angel told him, "Put on your robe and follow me."

⁹And Peter went out following the angel. He did not realize that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

¹⁰When they had passed the first guard and the second, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city. Of its own accord it swung open for them; and they went out and went along one street, and at once the angel left him.

¹¹When Peter came to his senses, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel and has rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting [to do to me]."

¹²When he realized what had happened, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, who was also called Mark, where many [believers] were gathered together and were praying continually [and had been praying all night].

¹³When he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer.

¹⁴Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she failed to open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gateway.

¹⁵They said to her, "You are out of your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, "It is his angel!"

¹⁶But [meanwhile] Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were completely amazed.

¹⁷But motioning to them with his hand to be quiet and listen, he described how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, "Report these things to James and the brothers and sisters." Then he left and went to another place.

¹⁸Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter.

¹⁹When Herod had searched for him and could not find him, he interrogated the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea [Maritima] and spent some time there.

²⁰Now Herod [Agrippa I] was extremely angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and their delegates came to him in a united group, and after persuading Blastus, the king's chamberlain [to support their cause], they asked for peace, because their country was fed by [imports of grain and other goods from] the king's country.

²¹On an appointed day Herod dressed himself in his royal robes, sat on his throne (tribunal, rostrum) and began delivering a speech to the people.

²²The assembled people kept shouting, "It is the voice of a god and not of a man!"

²³And at once an angel of the Lord struck him down because he did not give God the glory [and instead permitted himself to be worshiped], and he was eaten by worms and died [five days later].

²⁴But the word of the Lord [the good news about salvation through Christ] continued to grow and spread [increasing in effectiveness].

²⁵Barnabas and Saul came back from Jerusalem when they had completed their mission, bringing with them John, who was also called Mark.