Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.

²And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich.

³Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and he was unable due to the crowd, because he was short in stature.

⁴So he ran on ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree in order to see Him, because He was about to pass through that way.

⁵And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”

⁶And he hurried and came down, and received Him joyfully.

⁷When the people saw this, they all began to complain, saying, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner!”

⁸But Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I am giving to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I am giving back four times as much.”

⁹And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.

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

¹¹Now while they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem and they thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately.

¹²So He said, “A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then to return.

¹³And he called ten of his own slaves and gave them tenminas, and said to them, ‘Do business with this moneyuntil I come back.’

¹⁴But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’

¹⁵When he returned after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be summoned to him so that he would learn how much they had made by the business they had done.

¹⁶The first slave appeared, saying, ‘Master, yourmina has made ten minas more.’

¹⁷And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave; since you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to have authority over ten cities.’

¹⁸The second one came, saying, ‘Yourmina,master, has made five minas.’

¹⁹And he said to him also, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

²⁰And then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I kept tucked away in a handkerchief;

²¹for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.’

²²He *said to him, ‘From your own lips I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am a demanding man, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow?

²³And so why did you not put my money in the bank, and when I came back, I would have collected it with interest?’

²⁴And then he said to the other slaves who were present, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’

²⁵And they said to him, ‘Master, he already has ten minas.’

²⁶‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.

²⁷But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.’ ”

²⁸After Jesus said these things, He was going on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

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

³⁰saying, “Go into the villageahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here.

³¹And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ”

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

³³And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

³⁴They said, “The Lord has need of it.”

³⁵And they brought it to Jesus, and they threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.

³⁶Now as He was going, they were spreading their cloaks on the road.

³⁷And as soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen,

³⁸shouting: “BLESSED IS the King, THE ONE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

³⁹And yet some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!”

⁴⁰Jesus replied, “I tell you, if these stop speaking, the stones will cry out!”

⁴¹When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it,

⁴²saying, “If you had known on this day, even you, the conditions for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.

⁴³For the days will come upon youwhen your enemies will put up abarricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side,

⁴⁴and they will level you to the ground, and throw down your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone uponanother, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

⁴⁵And Jesus entered the temple grounds and began to drive out those who were selling,

⁴⁶saying to them, “It is written: ‘AND MY HOUSE WILL BE A HOUSE OF PRAYER,’ but you have made it a DEN OF ROBBERS.”

⁴⁷And He was teaching daily in the temple; but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to put Him to death,

⁴⁸and yet they could not find anything that they might do, for all the people were hanging on to every word He said.

¹Now the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying,

²“Command the sons of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to live in; 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 equipment and for all their other animals.

⁴“The pasture lands of the cities which you are to give to the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits around.

⁵You shall also measure outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, on the south side two thousand cubits, on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, with the city in the center. This shall become theirs as pasture lands for the cities.

⁶The cities which you shall 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.

⁷The total number of the cities which you are to give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, together with their pasture lands.

⁸As for the cities which you shall give them from the possession of the sons of Israel, you shall take more from the larger, and you shall take fewer from the smaller; each shall give some of his cities to the Levites in proportion to his inheritance which he possesses.”

⁹Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

¹⁰“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

¹¹then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, so that the one who commits manslaughter by killing a person unintentionally may flee there.

¹²The cities shall serve you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the one who commits manslaughter does not die until he stands before the congregation for trial.

¹³So the cities which you are to provide shall be six cities of refuge for you.

¹⁴You shall provide three cities across the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan; they are to be cities of refuge.

¹⁵These six cities shall be a refuge for the sons of Israel, for the stranger, and for the foreign resident among them; so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.

¹⁶‘But if he struck him with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death.

¹⁷And if he struck him with a stone in the hand, by which he would die, and as a result he did die, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death.

¹⁸Or if he struck him with a wooden object in the hand, by which he would die, and as a result he did die, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death.

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

²⁰Now if he pushed him in hatred, or he threw something at him with malicious intent, and as a result he died,

²¹or if he struck him with his hand with hostility, and as a result he died, the one who struck him must 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 him suddenly, without hostility, or threw any object at him without malicious intent,

²³or had any deadly stone, and without looking he dropped it on him so that he died, while he was not his enemy nor was he seeking to harm him,

²⁴then the congregation shall judge between the one who fatally struck the victim and the blood avenger in accordance with these ordinances.

²⁵And the congregation shall save the one who committed manslaughter from the hand of the blood avenger, and the congregation shall return him to his city of refuge to which he fled; and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.

²⁶But if at any time he goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he flees,

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

²⁸because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the one who committed manslaughter may return to the land of his property.

²⁹‘These things shall be a statutory ordinance for you throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.

³⁰‘If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.

³¹Moreover, you shall not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is condemned to death, but he must be put to death.

³²And you shall not accept a ransom for one who has fled to his city of refuge, so that he may return to live in the land before the death of the priest.

³³So you shall not defile the land in which you live; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

³⁴So you shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.’ ”

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

²For a tabernacle was equipped, the outer sanctuary, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the sacred bread; this is called the Holy Place.

³Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Most Holy Place,

⁴having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, Aaron’s staff which budded, and the tablets of the covenant;

⁵and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the atoning cover; but about these things we cannot now speak in detail.

⁶Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle, performing the divine worship,

⁷but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

⁸The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,

⁹which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,

¹⁰since they relate only to food, drink, and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.

¹¹But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things having come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by hands, that is, not of this creation;

¹²and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all time, having obtained eternal redemption.

¹³For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,

¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

¹⁵For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the violations that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

¹⁶For where there is a covenant, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.

¹⁷For a covenant is valid only when people are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.

¹⁸Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood.

¹⁹For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,

²⁰saying, “THIS IS THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT WHICH GOD COMMANDED YOU.”

²¹And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood.

²²And almost all things are cleansed with blood, according to the Law, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

²³Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these things, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

²⁴For Christ did not enter a holy place made by hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

²⁵nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year by year with blood that is not his own.

²⁶Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

²⁷And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment,

²⁸so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

¹Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker,

²and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:

³Grace to you and peace 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 the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints;

⁶and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for the sake of Christ.

⁷For I have had great joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

⁸Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper,

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

¹⁰I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I fathered in my imprisonment,

¹¹who previously was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me.

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

¹³whom I wanted to keep with me, so that in your behalf he might be at my service in my imprisonment for the gospel;

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

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

¹⁶no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

¹⁷If then you regard me as a partner, 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, have written this with my own hand, I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well).

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

²¹Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say.

²²At the same time also prepare me a guest room, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you.

²³Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,

²⁴as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

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

¹“Certainly there is a mine for silver And a place for refining gold.

²Iron is taken from the dust, And copper is smelted from rock.

³Man puts an end to darkness, And to the farthest limit he searches out The rock in gloom and deep shadow.

⁴He sinks a shaft away from inhabited areas, Forgotten by the foot; They hang and swing, away from people.

⁵From the earth comes food, And underneath, it is turned over like fire.

⁶Its rocks are the source of sapphires, And its dust contains gold.

⁷No bird of prey knows the path, Nor has the falcon’s eye caught sight of it.

⁸The proud animals have not trodden it, Nor has the lion passed over it.

⁹He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the base.

¹⁰He carves out channels through the rocks, And his eye sees anything precious.

¹¹He dams up the streams from flowing, And brings to light what is hidden.

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

¹³Mankind does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living.

¹⁴The ocean depth says, ‘It is not in me’; And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

¹⁵Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, Nor can silver be weighed as its price.

¹⁶It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx, or sapphire.

¹⁷Gold or glass cannot equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for articles of pure gold.

¹⁸Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned; And the acquisition of wisdom is more valuable than pearls.

¹⁹The topaz of Cush cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold.

²⁰Where then does wisdom come from? And where is this place of understanding?

²¹It is hidden from the eyes of every living creature, And concealed from the birds of the sky.

²²Abaddon and Death say, ‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’

²³“God understands its way, And He knows its place.

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

²⁵When He imparted weight to the wind, And assessed the waters by measure,

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

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

²⁸And to mankind He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to turn away from evil is understanding.’ ”

¹Why are the nations restless And the peoples plotting in vain?

²The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers conspire together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,

³“Let’s tear their shackles apart And throw their ropes away from us!”

⁴He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.

⁵Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying,

⁶“But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

⁷“I will announce the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have fathered You.

⁸Ask it of Me, and I will certainly give the nations as Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth as Your possession.

⁹You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’ ”

¹⁰Now then, you kings, use insight; Let yourselves be instructed, you judges of the earth.

¹¹Serve the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling.

¹²Kiss the Son, that He not be angry and you perish on the way, For His wrath may be kindled quickly. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

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

²Due to a wrongdoing of a land its leaders are many, But by a person of understanding and knowledge, so it endures.

³A poor man who oppresses the helpless Is like a driving rain which leaves no food.

⁴Those who abandon the Law praise the wicked, But those who keep the Law strive against them.

⁵Evil people do not understand justice, But those who seek the LORD understand everything.

⁶Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity, Than a person who is crooked, though he is rich.

⁷He who keeps the Law is a discerning son, But he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father.

⁸One who increases his wealth by interest of any kind, Collects it for one who is gracious to the poor.

⁹One who turns his ear away from listening to the Law, Even his prayer is an abomination.

¹⁰One who leads the upright astray in an evil way Will himself fall into his own pit, But the blameless will inherit good.

¹¹The rich person is wise in his own eyes, But the poor who has understanding sees through him.

¹²When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, But when the wicked rise, people hide themselves.

¹³One who conceals his wrongdoings will not prosper, But one who confesses and abandons them will find compassion.

¹⁴How blessed is the person who fears always, But one who hardens his heart will fall into disaster.

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

¹⁶A leader who is a great oppressor lacks understanding, But a person who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

¹⁷A person who is burdened with the guilt of human blood Will be a fugitive until death; no one is to support him!

¹⁸One who walks blamelessly will receive help, But one who is crooked will fall all at once.

¹⁹One who works his land will have plenty of food, But one who follows empty pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

²⁰A faithful person will abound with blessings, But one who hurries to be rich will not go unpunished.

²¹To show partiality is not good, Because for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.

²²A person with an evil eye hurries after wealth And does not know that poverty will come upon him.

²³One who rebukes a person will afterward find more favor Than one who flatters with the tongue.

²⁴He who robs his father or his mother And says, “There is no wrong done,” Is the companion of a person who destroys.

²⁵An arrogant person stirs up strife, But one who trusts in the LORD will prosper.

²⁶One who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But one who walks wisely will flee to safety.

²⁷One who gives to the poor will never lack anything, But one who shuts his eyes will have many curses.

²⁸When the wicked rise, people hide themselves; But when they perish, the righteous increase.

¹Adam, Seth, Enosh,

²Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared,

³Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech,

⁴Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

⁵The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

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

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

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

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

¹⁰Cush fathered Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth.

¹¹Mizraim fathered the people of Lud, Anam, Lehab, Naphtuh,

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

¹³Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,

¹⁴and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,

¹⁵the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,

¹⁶the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.

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

¹⁸Arpachshad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber.

¹⁹Two sons were born to Eber: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.

²⁰Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,

²¹Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,

²²Ebal, Abimael, Sheba,

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

²⁴Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah,

²⁵Eber, Peleg, Reu,

²⁶Serug, Nahor, Terah,

²⁷and Abram, that is Abraham.

²⁸The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael.

²⁹These are their genealogies: the firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

³⁰Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema,

³¹Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah; these were the sons of Ishmael.

³²The sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, to whom she gave birth, were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan.

³³The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah.

³⁴Abraham fathered Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel.

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

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

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

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

³⁹The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna.

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

⁴¹The son of Anah was Dishon. And the sons of Dishon were Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.

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

⁴³Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king from the sons of Israel reigned. Bela was the son of Beor, and 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 the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the field of Moab, became king in his place; and the name of his city was Avith.

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

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

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

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

⁵¹Then Hadad died. Now the tribal chiefs of Edom were chief Timna, chief Aliah, chief Jetheth,

⁵²chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon,

⁵³chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar,

⁵⁴chief Magdiel, and chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.

¹In the tenth year, 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 against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.

³Speak and say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, The great monster that lies in the midst of his canals, That has said, ‘My Nile is mine, and I myself have made it.’

⁴I will put hooks in your jaws And make the fish of your canals cling to your scales. And I will bring you up out of the midst of your canals, And all the fish of your canals will cling to your scales.

⁵I will abandon you to the wilderness, you and all the fish of your canals; You will fall on the open field; you will not be brought together or gathered. I have given you for food to the animals of the earth and to the birds of the sky.

⁶Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the LORD, Because they have been only a staff made of reed to the house of Israel.

⁷When they took hold of you with the hand, You broke and tore all their hands; And when they leaned on you, You broke and made all their hips shake.”

⁸‘Therefore the Lord GOD says this: “Behold, I am going to bring upon you a sword, and I will cut off from you human and animal life.

⁹The land of Egypt will become a desolation and place of ruins. Then they will know that I am the LORD. “Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine, and I have made it,’

¹⁰therefore, behold, I am against you and against your canals, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from Migdol to Syene and as far as the border of Cush.

¹¹A human foot will not pass through it, nor will the foot of an animal pass through it, and it will not be inhabited for forty years.

¹²So I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of deserted lands. And her cities, in the midst of cities that are laid waste, will be desolate for forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands.”

¹³‘For this is what the Lord GOD says: “At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered.

¹⁴And I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they will be a lowly kingdom.

¹⁵It will be the lowest of the kingdoms, and it will not raise itself above the nations again. And I will make them small so that they will not rule over the nations.

¹⁶And it will no longer be a kingdom on which the house of Israel relies, bringing to mind the guilt of their having turned to Egypt. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.” ’ ”

¹⁷Now in the twenty-seventh year, 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 labor hard against Tyre; every head had a bald spot and every shoulder was rubbed raw. But he and his army acquired no wages from Tyre for the labor that he had performed against it.”

¹⁹Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I am going to give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And he will carry off her wealth and capture her spoils and seize her plunder; and it will be wages for his army.

²⁰I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor which he performed, because they acted for Me,” declares the Lord GOD.

²¹“On that day I will make a horn sprout for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

¹Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, to do them harm.

²And he had James the brother of John executed with a sword.

³When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter as well. (Now these were the days of Unleavened Bread.)

⁴When he had arrested him, he put him in prison, turning him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending only after the Passover to bring him before the people.

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

⁶On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison.

⁷And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near Peter, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands.

⁸And the angel said to him, “Put on your belt and strap on your sandals.” And he did so. And he *said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”

⁹And he went out and continued to follow, and yet he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

¹⁰Now when they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

¹¹When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

¹²And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.

¹³When he knocked at the door of the gate, a slave woman named Rhoda came to answer.

¹⁴When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

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

¹⁶But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed.

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

¹⁸Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter.

¹⁹When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and was spending time there.

²⁰Now he was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and with one mind they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king’s chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because their country was supported with grain from the king’s country.

²¹On an appointed day, after putting on his royal apparel, Herod took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them.

²²The people repeatedly cried out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!”

²³And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.

²⁴But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.

²⁵And Barnabas and Saul returned when they had fulfilled their mission to Jerusalem, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark.