Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him,

²and they declared, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?”

³But He replied to them, “I will also ask you aquestion, and you tell Me:

⁴Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”

⁵They discussed among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’

⁶But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, since they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

⁷And so they answered that they did not know where it came from.

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

⁹But He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and leased it tovine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time.

¹⁰At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him his share of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

¹¹And he proceeded to send another slave; but they beat him also and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.

¹²And he proceeded to send a third; but this one too they wounded and threw out.

¹³Now theowner of the vineyard said, ‘What am I to do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’

¹⁴But when the vine-growers saw him, they discussed with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let’s kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’

¹⁵And so they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will theowner of the vineyard do to them?

¹⁶He will come and put these vine-growers to death, and will give the vineyard to others.” However, when they heard this, they said, “May it never happen!”

¹⁷But Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what is this statement that has been written: ‘A STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS HAS BECOME THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE’?

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

¹⁹The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and yet they feared the people; for they were aware that He had spoken this parable against them.

²⁰And so they watched Him closely, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could hand Him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor.

²¹And the spies questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to anyone, but You teach the way of God on the basis of truth.

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

²³But He saw through their trickery and said to them,

²⁴“Show Me adenarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.”

²⁵And He said to them, “Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

²⁶And they were unable to catch Him in a statement in the presence of the people; and they were amazed at His answer, and said nothing.

²⁷Now some of the Sadducees (who maintain that there is no resurrection) came to Him,

²⁸and they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife, and he is childless, that his brother is to marry the wife and raise up children for his brother.

²⁹So then, there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died childless;

³⁰and the second

³¹and the third married her; and in the same way all seven died, leaving no children.

³²Finally the woman also died.

³³Therefore, in the resurrection, which one’s wife does the woman become? For all seven married her.”

³⁴Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and the women are given in marriage,

³⁵but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage;

³⁶for they cannot even die anymore, for they are like angels, and are sons of God, beingsons of the resurrection.

³⁷But as for the fact that the dead are raised, even Moses revealed this in the passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB.

³⁸Now He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to Him.”

³⁹Some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.”

⁴⁰For they did not have the courage to question Him any longer about anything.

⁴¹But He said to them, “How is it that they say theChrist is David’s son?

⁴²For David himself says in the book of Psalms, ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,

⁴³UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.” ’

⁴⁴Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord,’ and so how is He his son?”

⁴⁵And while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples,

⁴⁶“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love personal greetings in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets,

⁴⁷whodevour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”

¹Now the heads of the fathers’ households of the family of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came forward and spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the heads of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel,

²and they said, “The LORD commanded my lord to give the land by lot to the sons of Israel as an inheritance, and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters.

³But if they marry one of the sons of the other tribes of the sons of Israel, their inheritance will be withdrawn from the inheritance of our fathers and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong; so it will be withdrawn from our allotted inheritance.

⁴And when the jubilee of the sons of Israel takes place, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong; so their inheritance will be withdrawn from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”

⁵Then Moses commanded the sons of Israel in accordance with the word of the LORD, saying, “The tribe of the sons of Joseph is right in its statements.

⁶This is what the LORD has commanded regarding the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, ‘Let them marry whomever they wish; only they must marry within the family of the tribe of their father.’

⁷So no inheritance of the sons of Israel will be transferred from tribe to tribe, for the sons of Israel shall each retain possession of the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.

⁸And every daughter who comes into possession of an inheritance of any tribe of the sons of Israel shall marry one of the family of the tribe of her father, so that the sons of Israel may each possess the inheritance of his fathers.

⁹So no inheritance will be transferred from one tribe to another tribe, for the tribes of the sons of Israel shall each retain possession of its own inheritance.”

¹⁰Just as the LORD had commanded Moses, so the daughters of Zelophehad did:

¹¹Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad married their uncles’ sons.

¹²They married those from the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained with the tribe of the family of their father.

¹³These are the commandments and the ordinances which the LORD commanded to the sons of Israel through Moses in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan opposite Jericho.

¹For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the form of those things itself, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually every year, make those who approach perfect.

²Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?

³But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.

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

⁵Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED SACRIFICE AND OFFERING, BUT YOU HAVE PREPARED A BODY FOR ME;

⁶YOU HAVE NOT TAKEN PLEASURE IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND offerings for sin.

⁷THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IT IS WRITTEN OF ME IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’ ”

⁸After saying above, “SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND offerings for sin YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them” (which are offered according to the Law),

⁹then He said, “BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL.” He takes away the first in order 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 daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;

¹²but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD,

¹³waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES ARE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET.

¹⁴For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

¹⁵And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,

¹⁶“THIS IS THE COVENANT WHICH I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, DECLARES THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEARTS, AND WRITE THEM ON THEIR MIND,” He then says,

¹⁷“AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL NO LONGER REMEMBER.”

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

¹⁹Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,

²⁰by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, through His flesh,

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

²²let’s approach God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

²³Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;

²⁴and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds,

²⁵not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

²⁶For if we go on sinning willfully 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 WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.

²⁸Anyone who has ignored the Law of Moses is put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

²⁹How much more severe punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

³⁰For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, 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.

³²But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings,

³³partly by being made a public spectacle through insults and distress, and partly by becoming companions with those who were so treated.

³⁴For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better and lasting possession.

³⁵Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

³⁶For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

³⁷FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY.

³⁸BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE WILL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.

³⁹But we are not among those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith for the safekeeping of the soul.

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

²Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials,

³knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

⁴And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

⁶But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

⁷For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,

⁸being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

⁹Now the brother or sister of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;

¹⁰but the rich person is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.

¹¹For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so also the rich person, in the midst of his pursuits, will die out.

¹²Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

¹³No one is to say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.

¹⁴But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

¹⁵Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death.

¹⁶Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters.

¹⁷Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

¹⁸In the exercise of His will He gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

¹⁹You know this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;

²⁰for a man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness of God.

²¹Therefore, ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

²²But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves.

²³For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;

²⁴for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

²⁵But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed in what he does.

²⁶If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

²⁷Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

¹Job again took up his discourse and said,

²“Oh that I were as in months gone by, As in the days when God watched over me;

³When His lamp shone over my head, And by His light I walked through darkness;

⁴Just as I was in the days of my youth, When the protection of God was over my tent;

⁵When the Almighty was still with me, And my children were around me;

⁶When my steps were bathed in cream, And the rock poured out streams of oil for me!

⁷When I went out to the gate of the city, When I took my seat in the public square,

⁸The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the old men arose and stood.

⁹The leaders stopped talking And put their hands on their mouths;

¹⁰The voices of the prominent people were hushed, And their tongues stuck to their palates.

¹¹For when an ear heard, it called me blessed, And when an eye saw, it testified in support of me,

¹²Because I saved the poor who cried for help, And the orphan who had no helper.

¹³The blessing of the one who was about to perish came upon me, And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.

¹⁴I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a headband.

¹⁵I was eyes to those who were blind, And feet to those who could not walk.

¹⁶I was a father to the poor, And I investigated the case which I did not know.

¹⁷I broke the jaws of the wicked And rescued the prey from his teeth.

¹⁸Then I thought, ‘I will die with my family, And I will multiply my days as the sand.

¹⁹My root is spread out to the waters, And dew lies on my branch all night.

²⁰My glory is ever new with me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.’

²¹“To me they listened and waited, And they kept silent for my advice.

²²After my words they did not speak again, And my speech dropped on them.

²³They waited for me as for the rain, And opened their mouths as for the late rain.

²⁴I smiled at them when they did not believe, And they did not look at my kindness ungraciously.

²⁵I chose a way for them and sat as chief, And lived as a king among the troops, As one who comforted the mourners.

¹LORD, how my enemies have increased! Many are rising up against me.

²Many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah

³But You, LORD, are a shield around me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.

⁴I was crying out to the LORD with my voice, And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah

⁵I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me.

⁶I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around.

⁷Arise, LORD; save me, my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.

⁸Salvation belongs to the LORD; May Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah

¹A person often rebuked who becomes obstinate Will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.

²When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, But when a wicked person rules, people groan.

³A man who loves wisdom makes his father glad, But he who involves himself with prostitutes wastes his wealth.

⁴The king gives stability to the land by justice, But a person who takes bribes ruins it.

⁵A man who flatters his neighbor Is spreading a net for his steps.

⁶By wrongdoing an evil person is ensnared, But the righteous sings and rejoices.

⁷The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor; The wicked does not understand such concern.

⁸Arrogant people inflame a city, But wise people turn away anger.

⁹When a wise person has a controversy with a foolish person, The foolish person either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.

¹⁰People of bloodshed hate the blameless person, But the upright are concerned for his life.

¹¹A fool always loses his temper, But a wise person holds it back.

¹²If a ruler pays attention to falsehood, All his ministers become wicked.

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

¹⁴If a king judges the poor with truth, His throne will be established forever.

¹⁵The rod and a rebuke give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.

¹⁶When the wicked increase, wrongdoing increases; But the righteous will see their downfall.

¹⁷Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; He will also delight your soul.

¹⁸Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is one who keeps the Law.

¹⁹A slave will not be instructed by words alone; For though he understands, there will be no response.

²⁰Do you see a person who is hasty with his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

²¹One who pampers his slave from childhood Will in the end find him to be rebellious.

²²An angry person stirs up strife, And a hot-tempered person abounds in wrongdoing.

²³A person’s pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.

²⁴One who is a partner with a thief hates his own life; He hears the oath but tells nothing.

²⁵The fear of man brings a snare, But one who trusts in the LORD will be protected.

²⁶Many seek the ruler’s favor, But justice for mankind comes from the LORD.

²⁷An unjust person is an abomination to the righteous, And one who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.

¹These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,

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

³The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, and Shelah; these three were born to him by Bath-shua the Canaanitess. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the LORD, so He put him to death.

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

⁵The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

⁶The sons of Zerah were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara; five of them in all.

⁷The son of Carmi was Achar, the one who brought disaster on Israel by violating the ban.

⁸The son of Ethan was Azariah.

⁹Now the sons of Hezron who were born to him were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai.

¹⁰Ram fathered Amminadab, and Amminadab fathered Nahshon, leader of the sons of Judah;

¹¹Nahshon fathered Salma, Salma fathered Boaz,

¹²Boaz fathered Obed, and Obed fathered Jesse;

¹³and Jesse fathered Eliab his firstborn, then Abinadab, the second, Shimea, the third,

¹⁴Nethanel, the fourth, Raddai, the fifth,

¹⁵Ozem, the sixth, and David, the seventh.

¹⁶Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the three sons of Zeruiah were Abshai, Joab, and Asahel.

¹⁷Abigail gave birth to Amasa, and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite.

¹⁸Now Caleb the son of Hezron had sons by Azubah his wife, and by Jerioth; and these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.

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

²⁰Hur fathered Uri, and Uri fathered Bezalel.

²¹Later, Hezron had relations with the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old; and she bore to him Segub.

²²Segub fathered Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead.

²³But Geshur and Aram took the villages of Jair from them, with Kenath and its villages, sixty settlements. All of these were the sons of Machir, the father of Gilead.

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

²⁵Now the sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron, were Ram the firstborn, then Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.

²⁶Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam.

²⁷The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.

²⁸The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. And the sons of Shammai were Nadab and Abishur.

²⁹The name of Abishur’s wife was Abihail, and she bore to him Ahban and Molid.

³⁰The sons of Nadab were Seled and Appaim, and Seled died without sons.

³¹The son of Appaim was Ishi. And the son of Ishi was Sheshan, and the son of Sheshan, Ahlai.

³²The sons of Jada the brother of Shammai were Jether and Jonathan, and Jether died without sons.

³³The sons of Jonathan were Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.

³⁴Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. Sheshan also had an Egyptian servant, whose name was Jarha.

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

³⁶Attai fathered Nathan, Nathan fathered Zabad,

³⁷Zabad fathered Ephlal, Ephlal fathered Obed,

³⁸Obed fathered Jehu, Jehu fathered Azariah,

³⁹Azariah fathered Helez, Helez fathered Eleasah,

⁴⁰Eleasah fathered Sismai, Sismai fathered Shallum,

⁴¹Shallum fathered Jekamiah, and Jekamiah fathered Elishama.

⁴²Now the sons of Caleb, the brother of Jerahmeel, were Mesha his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph; and his son was Mareshah, the father of Hebron.

⁴³The sons of Hebron were Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.

⁴⁴Shema fathered Raham, the father of Jorkeam; and Rekem fathered Shammai.

⁴⁵The son of Shammai was Maon, and Maon was the father of Bethzur.

⁴⁶Ephah, Caleb’s concubine, gave birth to Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran fathered Gazez.

⁴⁷The sons of Jahdai were Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.

⁴⁸Maacah, Caleb’s concubine, gave birth to Sheber and Tirhanah.

⁴⁹She also gave birth to Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbena and the father of Gibea; and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah.

⁵⁰These were the sons of Caleb. The sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, were Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim,

⁵¹Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth-gader.

⁵²Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim had sons: Haroeh, half of the Manahathites,

⁵³and the families of Kiriath-jearim: the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; from these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites.

⁵⁴The sons of Salma were Bethlehem and the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab, and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites.

⁵⁵The families of scribes who lived at Jabez were the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Sucathites. Those are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.

¹The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,

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

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

⁴A sword will come upon Egypt, And there will be trembling in Cush; When the slain fall in Egypt, They will take away her wealth, And her foundations will be torn down.

⁵Cush, Put, Lud, all Arabia, Libya and the people of the land that is in league will fall with them by the sword.”

⁶‘This is what the LORD says: “Indeed, those who support Egypt will fall And the pride of her power will come down; From Migdol to Syene They will fall within her by the sword,” Declares the Lord GOD.

⁷“They will be desolate In the midst of the desolated lands; And her cities will be In the midst of the devastated cities.

⁸And they will know that I am the LORD, When I set a fire in Egypt And all her helpers are broken.

⁹On that day messengers will go out from Me in ships to frighten carefree Cush; and trembling will come on them as on the day of Egypt; for behold, it is coming!”

¹⁰‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “I will also make the hordes of Egypt cease By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

¹¹He and his people with him, The most ruthless of the nations, Will be brought in to destroy the land; And they will draw their swords against Egypt And fill the land with the slain.

¹²Moreover, I will make the Nile canals dry And sell the land into the hands of evil men. And I will make the land desolate And all that is in it, By the hand of strangers; I the LORD have spoken.”

¹³‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “I will also destroy the idols And make the images cease from Memphis. And there will no longer be a prince in the land of Egypt; And I will put fear in the land of Egypt.

¹⁴I will make Pathros desolate, Set a fire in Zoan And execute judgments on Thebes.

¹⁵I will pour out My wrath on Sin, The stronghold of Egypt; I will also eliminate the hordes of Thebes.

¹⁶I will set a fire in Egypt; Sin will writhe in anguish, Thebes will be breached And Memphis will have distresses daily.

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

¹⁸In Tehaphnehes the day will be dark When I break there the yoke bars of Egypt. Then the pride of her power will cease in her; A cloud will cover her, And her daughters will go into captivity.

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

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

²¹“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, behold, it has not been bound up for healing or wrapped with a bandage, so that it may be strong to wield the sword.

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

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

²⁴For I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand; and I will break the arms of Pharaoh, so that he will groan before him with the groans of a wounded man.

²⁵So I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fail. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he reaches out with it against the land of Egypt.

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

¹Now there were prophets and teachers at Antioch, in the church that was there: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

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

³Then, when they had fasted, prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

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

⁵When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper.

⁶When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus,

⁷who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.

⁸But Elymas the magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

⁹But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, stared at him,

¹⁰and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not stop making crooked the straight ways of the Lord?

¹¹Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.

¹²Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.

¹³Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but John left them and returned to Jerusalem.

¹⁴But going on from Perga, they arrived at Pisidian Antioch, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.

¹⁵After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue officials sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.”

¹⁶Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:

¹⁷The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out from it.

¹⁸For a period of about forty years He put up with them in the wilderness.

¹⁹When He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land as an inheritance—all of which took about 450 years.

²⁰After these things 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 He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’

²³From the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus,

²⁴after John had proclaimed, before His coming, a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

²⁵And while John was completing his course, he kept saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, one is coming after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

²⁶“Brothers, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent.

²⁷For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the declarations of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him.

²⁸And though they found no grounds for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed.

²⁹When they had carried out everything that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb.

³⁰But God raised Him from the dead;

³¹and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people.

³²And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers,

³³that God has fulfilled this promise to those of us who are the descendants by raising Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘YOU ARE MY SON; TODAY I HAVE FATHERED YOU.’

³⁴As for the fact that He raised Him from the dead, never again to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘I WILL GIVE YOU THE HOLY and faithful mercies of DAVID.’

³⁵Therefore, He also says in another Psalm: ‘YOU WILL NOT ALLOW YOUR HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY.’

³⁶For David, after he had served God’s purpose in his own generation, fell asleep, and was buried among his fathers and underwent decay;

³⁷but He whom God raised did not undergo decay.

³⁸Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,

³⁹and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.

⁴⁰Therefore, see that the thing spoken of in the Prophets does not come upon you:

⁴¹‘LOOK, YOU SCOFFERS, AND BE ASTONISHED, AND PERISH; FOR I AM ACCOMPLISHING A WORK IN YOUR DAYS, A WORK WHICH YOU WILL NEVER BELIEVE, THOUGH SOMEONE SHOULD DESCRIBE IT TO YOU.’ ”

⁴²As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people repeatedly begged to have these things spoken to them the next Sabbath.

⁴³Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking to them and urging them to continue in the grace of God.

⁴⁴The next Sabbath nearly all the city assembled to hear the word of the Lord.

⁴⁵But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming.

⁴⁶Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first. Since you repudiate it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.

⁴⁷For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I HAVE APPOINTED YOU AS A LIGHT TO THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.’ ”

⁴⁸When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and all who had been appointed to eternal life believed.

⁴⁹And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region.

⁵⁰But the Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their region.

⁵¹But they shook off the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.

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