Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹One day as he was teaching the people in the temple and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the scribes, with the elders, came

²and said to him: “Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?”

³He answered them, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me,

⁴was the baptism of John from heaven or of human origin?”

⁵They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’

⁶But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

⁷So they answered that they did not know its origin.

⁸And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

⁹Now he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and went away for a long time.

¹⁰At harvest time he sent a servant to the farmers so that they might give him some fruit from the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

¹¹He sent yet another servant, but they beat that one too, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.

¹²And he sent yet a third, but they wounded this one too and threw him out.

¹³“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him.’

¹⁴“But when the tenant farmers saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so that the inheritance will be ours.’

¹⁵So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. “What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

¹⁶He will come and kill those farmers and give the vineyard to others.” But when they heard this they said, “That must never happen!”

¹⁷But he looked at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of this Scripture: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?

¹⁸Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it falls, it will shatter him.”

¹⁹Then the scribes and the chief priests looked for a way to get their hands on him that very hour, because they knew he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.

²⁰They watched closely and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, so that they could catch him in what he said, to hand him over to the governor’s rule and authority.

²¹They questioned him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach correctly, and you don’t show partiality but teach truthfully the way of God.

²²Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

²³But detecting their craftiness, he said to them,

²⁴“Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?” “Caesar’s,” they said.

²⁵“Well then,” he told them, “give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

²⁶They were not able to catch him in what he said in public, and being amazed at his answer, they became silent.

²⁷Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came up and questioned him:

²⁸“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother has a wife, and dies childless, his brother should take the wife and produce offspring for his brother.

²⁹Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died without children.

³⁰Also the second

³¹and the third took her. In the same way, all seven died and left no children.

³²Finally, the woman died too.

³³In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For all seven had married her.”

³⁴Jesus told them, “The children of this age marry and are given in marriage.

³⁵But those who are counted worthy to take part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.

³⁶For they can no longer die, because they are like angels and are children of God, since they are children of the resurrection.

³⁷Moses even indicated in the passage about the burning bush that the dead are raised, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.

³⁸He is not the God of the dead but of the living, because all are living to him.”

³⁹Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.”

⁴⁰And they no longer dared to ask him anything.

⁴¹Then he said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is the son of David?

⁴²For David himself says in the Book of Psalms: The Lord declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand

⁴³ until I make your enemies your footstool.’

⁴⁴David calls him ‘Lord’ how then can the Christ be his son?”

⁴⁵While all the people were listening, he said to his disciples,

⁴⁶“Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes and who love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets.

⁴⁷They devour widows’ houses and say long prayers just for show. These will receive harsher judgment.”

¹The family heads from the clan of the descendants of Gilead — the son of Machir, son of Manasseh  — who were from the clans of the sons of Joseph, approached and addressed Moses and the leaders who were heads of the Israelite families.

²They said, “The LORD commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance by lot to the Israelites. My lord was further commanded by the LORD to give our brother Zelophehad’s inheritance to his daughters.

³If they marry any of the men from the other Israelite tribes, their inheritance will be taken away from our fathers’ inheritance and added to that of the tribe into which they marry. Therefore, part of our allotted inheritance would be taken away.

⁴When the Jubilee comes for the Israelites, their inheritance will be added to that of the tribe into which they marry, and their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of our ancestral tribe.”

⁵So Moses commanded the Israelites at the word of the LORD, “What the tribe of Joseph’s descendants says is right.

⁶This is what the LORD has commanded concerning Zelophehad’s daughters: They may marry anyone they like provided they marry within a clan of their ancestral tribe.

⁷No inheritance belonging to the Israelites is to transfer from tribe to tribe, because each of the Israelites is to retain the inheritance of his ancestral tribe.

⁸Any daughter who possesses an inheritance from an Israelite tribe must marry someone from the clan of her ancestral tribe, so that each of the Israelites will possess the inheritance of his fathers.

⁹No inheritance is to transfer from one tribe to another, because each of the Israelite tribes is to retain its inheritance.”

¹⁰The daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD commanded Moses.

¹¹Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, married cousins on their father’s side.

¹²They married men from the clans of the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained within the tribe of their father’s clan.

¹³These are the commands and ordinances the LORD commanded the Israelites through Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.

¹Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the reality itself of those things, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year.

²Otherwise, wouldn’t they have stopped being offered, since the worshipers, purified once and for all, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?

³But in the sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year.

⁴For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵Therefore, as he was coming into the world, he said: You did not desire sacrifice and offering, but you prepared a body for me.

⁶You did not delight in whole burnt offerings and sin offerings.

⁷Then I said, “See — it is written about me in the scroll — I have come to do your will, O God.”

⁸After he says above, You did not desire or delight in sacrifices and offerings, whole burnt offerings and sin offerings (which are offered according to the law ),

⁹he then says, See, I have come to do your will. He takes away the first to establish the second.

¹⁰By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.

¹¹Every priest stands day after day ministering and offering the same sacrifices time after time, which can never take away sins.

¹²But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.

¹³He is now waiting until his enemies are made his footstool.

¹⁴For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified.

¹⁵The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. For after he says:

¹⁶This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, the Lord says, I will put my laws on their hearts and write them on their minds,

¹⁷andI will never again remember their sins and their lawless acts.

¹⁸Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

¹⁹Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus  —

²⁰he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh ) —

²¹and since we have a great high priest over the house of God,

²²let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.

²³Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.

²⁴And let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works,

²⁵not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.

²⁶For if we deliberately go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

²⁷but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries.

²⁸Anyone who disregarded the law of Moses died without mercy, based on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

²⁹How much worse punishment do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, who has regarded as profane the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?

³⁰For we know the one who has said, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, and again, The Lord will judge his people.

³¹It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³²Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings.

³³Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way.

³⁴For you sympathized with the prisoners and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, because you know that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession.

³⁵So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

³⁶For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised.

³⁷For yet in a very little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.

³⁸But my righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back, I have no pleasure in him.

³⁹But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.

¹James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: To the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings.

²Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials,

³because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

⁴And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

⁵Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God — who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly — and it will be given to him.

⁶But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

⁷That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord,

⁸being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.

⁹Let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his exaltation,

¹⁰but let the rich boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field.

¹¹For the sun rises and, together with the scorching wind, dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance perishes. In the same way, the rich person will wither away while pursuing his activities.

¹²Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

¹³No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone.

¹⁴But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire.

¹⁵Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.

¹⁶Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.

¹⁷Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

¹⁸By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

¹⁹My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,

²⁰for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.

²¹Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

²²But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

²³Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror.

²⁴For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was.

²⁵But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works — this person will be blessed in what he does.

²⁶If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless and he deceives himself.

²⁷Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

¹Job continued his discourse, saying:

²If only I could be as in months gone by, in the days when God watched over me,

³when his lamp shone above my head, and I walked through darkness by his light!

⁴I would be as I was in the days of my youth when God’s friendship rested on my tent,

⁵when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me,

⁶when my feet were bathed in curds and the rock poured out streams of oil for me!

⁷When I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the town square,

⁸the young men saw me and withdrew, while older men stood to their feet.

⁹City officials stopped talking and covered their mouths with their hands.

¹⁰The noblemen’s voices were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.

¹¹When they heard me, they blessed me, and when they saw me, they spoke well of me.

¹²For I rescued the poor who cried out for help, and the fatherless child who had no one to support him.

¹³The dying blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart rejoice.

¹⁴I clothed myself in righteousness, and it enveloped me; my just decisions were like a robe and a turban.

¹⁵I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame.

¹⁶I was a father to the needy, and I examined the case of the stranger.

¹⁷I shattered the fangs of the unjust and snatched the prey from his teeth.

¹⁸So I thought, “I will die in my own nest and multiply my days as the sand.

¹⁹My roots will have access to water, and the dew will rest on my branches all night.

²⁰My whole being will be refreshed within me, and my bow will be renewed in my hand.”

²¹Men listened to me with expectation, waiting silently for my advice.

²²After a word from me they did not speak again; my speech settled on them like dew.

²³They waited for me as for the rain and opened their mouths as for spring showers.

²⁴If I smiled at them, they couldn’t believe it; they were thrilled at the light of my countenance.

²⁵I directed their course and presided as chief. I lived as a king among his troops, like one who comforts those who mourn.

¹A psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom. [1] LORD, how my foes increase! There are many who attack me.

²Many say about me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah

³But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.

⁴I cry aloud to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy mountain. Selah

⁵I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the LORD sustains me.

⁶I will not be afraid of thousands of people who have taken their stand against me on every side.

⁷Rise up, LORD! Save me, my God! You strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.

⁸Salvation belongs to the LORD; may your blessing be on your people. Selah

¹One who becomes stiff-necked, after many reprimands will be shattered instantly — beyond recovery.

²When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, people groan.

³A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but one who consorts with prostitutes destroys his wealth.

⁴By justice a king brings stability to a land, but a person who demands “contributions” demolishes it.

⁵A person who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.

⁶An evil person is caught by sin, but the righteous one sings and rejoices.

⁷The righteous person knows the rights of the poor, but the wicked one does not understand these concerns.

⁸Mockers inflame a city, but the wise turn away anger.

⁹If a wise person goes to court with a fool, there will be ranting and raving but no resolution.

¹⁰Bloodthirsty men hate an honest person, but the upright care about him.

¹¹A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise person holds it in check.

¹²If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials will be wicked.

¹³The poor and the oppressor have this in common: the LORD gives light to the eyes of both.

¹⁴A king who judges the poor with fairness — his throne will be established forever.

¹⁵A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a youth left to himself is a disgrace to his mother.

¹⁶When the wicked increase, rebellion increases, but the righteous will see their downfall.

¹⁷Discipline your child, and it will bring you peace of mind and give you delight.

¹⁸Without revelation people run wild, but one who follows divine instruction will be happy.

¹⁹A servant cannot be disciplined by words; though he understands, he doesn’t respond.

²⁰Do you see someone who speaks too soon? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

²¹A servant pampered from his youth will become arrogant later on.

²²An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered one increases rebellion.

²³A person’s pride will humble him, but a humble spirit will gain honor.

²⁴To be a thief’s partner is to hate oneself; he hears the curse but will not testify.

²⁵The fear of mankind is a snare, but the one who trusts in the LORD is protected.

²⁶Many desire a ruler’s favor, but a person receives justice from the LORD.

²⁷An unjust person is detestable to the righteous, and one whose way is upright is detestable to the wicked.

¹These were Israel’s sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,

²Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

³Judah’s sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by Bath-shua the Canaanite woman. Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the LORD’s sight, so he put him to death.

⁴Judah’s daughter-in-law Tamar bore Perez and Zerah to him. Judah had five sons in all.

⁵Perez’s sons: Hezron and Hamul.

⁶Zerah’s sons: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara  — five in all.

⁷Carmi’s son: Achar, who brought trouble on Israel when he was unfaithful by taking the things set apart for destruction.

⁸Ethan’s son: Azariah.

⁹Hezron’s sons, who were born to him: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai.

¹⁰Ram fathered Amminadab, and Amminadab fathered Nahshon, a leader of Judah’s descendants.

¹¹Nahshon fathered Salma, and Salma fathered Boaz.

¹²Boaz fathered Obed, and Obed fathered Jesse.

¹³Jesse fathered Eliab, his firstborn; Abinadab was born second, Shimea third,

¹⁴Nethanel fourth, Raddai fifth,

¹⁵Ozem sixth, and David seventh.

¹⁶Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah’s three sons: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.

¹⁷Amasa’s mother was Abigail, and his father was Jether the Ishmaelite.

¹⁸Caleb son of Hezron had children by his wife Azubah and by Jerioth. These were Azubah’s sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.

¹⁹When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, and she bore Hur to him.

²⁰Hur fathered Uri, and Uri fathered Bezalel.

²¹After this, Hezron slept with the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead. Hezron had married her when he was sixty years old, and she bore Segub to him.

²²Segub fathered Jair, who possessed twenty-three towns in the land of Gilead.

²³But Geshur and Aram captured Jair’s Villages along with Kenath and its surrounding villages — sixty towns. All these were the descendants of Machir father of Gilead.

²⁴After Hezron’s death in Caleb-ephrathah, his wife Abijah bore Ashhur to him. He was the father of Tekoa.

²⁵The sons of Jerahmeel, Hezron’s firstborn: Ram, his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.

²⁶Jerahmeel had another wife named Atarah, who was the mother of Onam.

²⁷The sons of Ram, Jerahmeel’s firstborn: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.

²⁸Onam’s sons: Shammai and Jada. Shammai’s sons: Nadab and Abishur.

²⁹Abishur’s wife was named Abihail, who bore Ahban and Molid to him.

³⁰Nadab’s sons: Seled and Appaim. Seled died without children.

³¹Appaim’s son: Ishi. Ishi’s son: Sheshan. Sheshan’s descendant: Ahlai.

³²The sons of Jada, brother of Shammai: Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without children.

³³Jonathan’s sons: Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.

³⁴Sheshan had no sons, only daughters, but he did have an Egyptian servant whose name was Jarha.

³⁵Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to his servant Jarha, and she bore Attai to him.

³⁶Attai fathered Nathan, and Nathan fathered Zabad.

³⁷Zabad fathered Ephlal, and Ephlal fathered Obed.

³⁸Obed fathered Jehu, and Jehu fathered Azariah.

³⁹Azariah fathered Helez, and Helez fathered Elasah.

⁴⁰Elasah fathered Sismai, and Sismai fathered Shallum.

⁴¹Shallum fathered Jekamiah, and Jekamiah fathered Elishama.

⁴²The sons of Caleb brother of Jerahmeel: Mesha, his firstborn, fathered Ziph, and Mareshah, his second son, fathered Hebron.

⁴³Hebron’s sons: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.

⁴⁴Shema fathered Raham, who fathered Jorkeam, and Rekem fathered Shammai.

⁴⁵Shammai’s son was Maon, and Maon fathered Beth-zur.

⁴⁶Caleb’s concubine Ephah was the mother of Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran fathered Gazez.

⁴⁷Jahdai’s sons: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.

⁴⁸Caleb’s concubine Maacah was the mother of Sheber and Tirhanah.

⁴⁹She was also the mother of Shaaph, Madmannah’s father, and of Sheva, the father of Machbenah and Gibea. Caleb’s daughter was Achsah.

⁵⁰These were Caleb’s descendants. The sons of Hur, Ephrathah’s firstborn: Shobal fathered Kiriath-jearim;

⁵¹Salma fathered Bethlehem, and Hareph fathered Beth-gader.

⁵²These were the descendants of Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim: Haroeh, half of the Manahathites,

⁵³and the families of Kiriath-jearim — the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites, and Mishraites. The Zorathites and Eshtaolites descended from these.

⁵⁴Salma’s descendants: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab, and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites,

⁵⁵and the families of scribes who lived in Jabez — the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of Rechab’s family.

¹The word of the LORD came to me:

²“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: Wail, “Woe because of that day!”

³For a day is near; a day belonging to the LORD is near. It will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.

⁴A sword will come against Egypt, and there will be anguish in Cush when the slain fall in Egypt, and its wealth is taken away, and its foundations are demolished.

⁵Cush, Put, and Lud, and all the various foreign troops, plus Libya and the men of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with them.

⁶This is what the LORD says: Those who support Egypt will fall, and its proud strength will collapse. From Migdol to Syene they will fall within it by the sword. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.

⁷They will be desolate among desolate lands, and their cities will lie among ruined cities.

⁸They will know that I am the LORD when I set fire to Egypt and all its allies are shattered.

⁹On that day, messengers will go out from me in ships to terrify confident Cush. Anguish will come over them on the day of Egypt’s doom. For indeed it is coming.

¹⁰“‘This is what the Lord GOD says: I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt by the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

¹¹He along with his people, ruthless men from the nations, will be brought in to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain.

¹²I will make the streams dry and sell the land to evil men. I will bring desolation on the land and everything in it by the hands of foreigners. I, the LORD, have spoken.

¹³“‘This is what the Lord GOD says: I will destroy the idols and put an end to the false gods in Memphis. There will no longer be a prince from the land of Egypt. And I will instill fear in that land.

¹⁴I will make Pathros desolate, set fire to Zoan, and execute judgments on Thebes.

¹⁵I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and will wipe out the hordes of Thebes.

¹⁶I will set fire to Egypt; Pelusium will writhe in anguish, Thebes will be breached, and Memphis will face foes in broad daylight.

¹⁷The young men of On and Pi-beseth will fall by the sword, and those cities will go into captivity.

¹⁸The day will be dark in Tehaphnehes, when I break the yoke of Egypt there and its proud strength comes to an end in the city. A cloud will cover Tehaphnehes, and its surrounding villages will go into captivity.

¹⁹So I will execute judgments against Egypt, and they will know that I am the LORD.’”

²⁰In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:

²¹“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Look, it has not been bandaged — no medicine has been applied and no splint put on to bandage it so that it can grow strong enough to handle a sword.

²²Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: Look! I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong one and the one already broken, and will make the sword fall from his hand.

²³I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them among the countries.

²⁴I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and place my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him as a mortally wounded man.

²⁵I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king, but Pharaoh’s arms will fall. They will know that I am the LORD when I place my sword in the hand of Babylon’s king and he wields it against the land of Egypt.

²⁶When I disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them among the countries, they will know that I am the LORD.”

¹Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

²As they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

³Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.

⁴So being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

⁵Arriving in Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John as their assistant.

⁶When they had traveled the whole island as far as Paphos, they came across a sorcerer, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.

⁷He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God.

⁸But Elymas the sorcerer (that is the meaning of his name) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

⁹But Saul — also called Paul — filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at Elymas

¹⁰and said, “You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery, you son of the devil and enemy of all that is right. Won’t you ever stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord?

¹¹Now, look, the Lord’s hand is against you. You are going to be blind, and will not see the sun for a time.” Immediately a mist and darkness fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.

¹²Then, when he saw what happened, the proconsul believed, because he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

¹³Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John left them and went back to Jerusalem.

¹⁴They continued their journey from Perga and reached Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.

¹⁵After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, you can speak.”

¹⁶Paul stood up and motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites, and you who fear God, listen!

¹⁷The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors, made the people prosper during their stay in the land of Egypt, and led them out of it with a mighty arm.

¹⁸And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness;

¹⁹and after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance.

²⁰This all took about 450 years. After this, he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.

²¹Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

²²After removing him, he raised up David as their king and testified about him:’ I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after my own heart, who will carry out all my will.’

²³“From this man’s descendants, as he promised, God brought to Israel the Savior, Jesus.

²⁴Before his coming to public attention, John had previously proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

²⁵Now as John was completing his mission, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not the one. But one is coming after me, and I am not worthy to untie the sandals on his feet.’

²⁶“Brothers and sisters, children of Abraham’s race, and those among you who fear God, it is to us that the word of this salvation has been sent.

²⁷Since the residents of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize him or the sayings of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, they have fulfilled their words by condemning him.

²⁸Though they found no grounds for the death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him killed.

²⁹When they had carried out all that had been written about him, they took him down from the tree and put him in a tomb.

³⁰But God raised him from the dead,

³¹and he appeared for many days to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.

³²And we ourselves proclaim to you the good news of the promise that was made to our ancestors.

³³God has fulfilled this for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second Psalm: You are my Son; today I have become your Father.

³⁴As to his raising him from the dead, never to return to decay, he has spoken in this way, I will give you the holy and sure promises of David.

³⁵Therefore he also says in another passage, You will not let your Holy One see decay.

³⁶For David, after serving God’s purpose in his own generation, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and decayed,

³⁷but the one God raised up did not decay.

³⁸Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers and sisters, that through this man forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you.

³⁹Everyone who believes is justified through him from everything that you could not be justified from through the law of Moses.

⁴⁰So beware that what is said in the prophets does not happen to you:

⁴¹Look, you scoffers, marvel and vanish away, because I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will never believe, even if someone were to explain it to you.”

⁴²As they were leaving, the people urged them to speak about these matters the following Sabbath.

⁴³After the synagogue had been dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking with them and urging them to continue in the grace of God.

⁴⁴The following Sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of the Lord.

⁴⁵But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what Paul was saying, insulting him.

⁴⁶Paul and Barnabas boldly replied, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first. Since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we are turning to the Gentiles.

⁴⁷For this is what the Lord has commanded us: I have made you a light for the Gentiles to bring salvation to the end of the earth.”

⁴⁸When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and honored the word of the Lord, and all who had been appointed to eternal life believed.

⁴⁹The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.

⁵⁰But the Jews incited the prominent God-fearing women and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their district.

⁵¹But Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet against them and went to Iconium.

⁵²And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.