Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Now He looked up and saw the wealthy putting their gifts into the temple treasury.

²And He saw a poor widow putting in two lepta coins.

³And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them;

⁴for they allcontributed to theoffering from theirsurplus; but she, from her poverty, put in allthat she had to live on.”

⁵And while some were talking about the temple, that it was decorated with beautiful stones and vowed gifts, He said,

⁶“As for these things which you are observing, the days will come when there will not be left one stone uponanother, which will not be torn down.”

⁷They asked Him questions, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?”

⁸And He said, “See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them.

⁹And when you hear of wars and revolts, do not be alarmed; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.”

¹⁰Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,

¹¹and there will bemassive earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrible sights and greatsigns from heaven.

¹²“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, turning you over to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors on account of My name.

¹³It will lead toan opportunity for your testimony.

¹⁴Somake up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves;

¹⁵for I will provide youeloquence and wisdom which none of your adversaries will be able to oppose or refute.

¹⁶But you will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, other relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death,

¹⁷and you will be hated by all people because of My name.

¹⁸And yet not a hair of your head will perish.

¹⁹By your endurance you will gain yourlives.

²⁰“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near.

²¹Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are insidethe city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enterthe city;

²²because these are days of punishment, so that all things which have been written will be fulfilled.

²³Woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon theland, and wrath to this people;

²⁴and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

²⁵“There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,

²⁶people fainting from fear and the expectation of the things that are coming upon theworld; for the powers ofthe heavens will be shaken.

²⁷And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

²⁸But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

²⁹And He told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees:

³⁰as soon as they put forth leaves, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near.

³¹So you too, when you see these things happening,recognize that the kingdom of God is near.

³²Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.

³³Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

³⁴“But be on your guard, so that your hearts will not be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that this day will not come on you suddenly, like a trap;

³⁵for it will come upon all those who live on the face of all the earth.

³⁶But stay alert at all times, praying that you will have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

³⁷Now during the day He was teaching in the temple, but at evening He would go out and spend the night on the mountain that is called Olivet.

³⁸And all the people would get up very early in the morning to come to Him in the temple to listen to Him.

¹These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel across the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

²It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea.

³In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, in accordance with everything that the LORD had commanded him to declare to them,

⁴after he had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth and in Edrei.

⁵Across the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this Law, saying,

⁶“The LORD our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain.

⁷Turn and set out on your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the lowland, in the Negev, by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.

⁸See, I have placed the land before you; go in and take possession of the land which the LORD swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and their descendants after them.’

⁹“And I spoke to you at that time, saying, ‘I am not able to endure you alone.

¹⁰The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are this day like the stars of heaven in number.

¹¹May the LORD, the God of your fathers increase you a thousand times more than you are, and bless you, just as He has promised you!

¹²How can I alone endure the burden and weight of you and your strife?

¹³Obtain for yourselves men who are wise, discerning, and informed from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.’

¹⁴And you answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have said to do is good.’

¹⁵So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and informed men, and appointed them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and officers for your tribes.

¹⁶“Then I ordered your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your fellow countrymen and judge righteously between a person and his fellow countryman, or the stranger who is with him.

¹⁷You are not to show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You are not to be afraid of any person, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too difficult for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

¹⁸At that time I commanded you all the things that you were to do.

¹⁹“Then we set out from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness that you saw on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, just as the LORD our God had commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea.

²⁰And I said to you, ‘You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is about to give us.

²¹See, the LORD your God has placed the land before you; go up, take possession, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’

²²“Then all of you approached me and said, ‘Let us send men ahead of us, so that they may spy out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up, and the cities which we should enter.’

²³The plan pleased me, and I took twelve of your men, one man for each tribe.

²⁴Then they turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out.

²⁵And they took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us. They also brought us back a report and said, ‘The land that the LORD our God is about to give us is good.’

²⁶“Yet you were unwilling to go up; instead you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God;

²⁷and you grumbled in your tents and said, ‘Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to hand us over to the Amorites to destroy us.

²⁸Where can we go up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, by saying, “The people are bigger and taller than we; the cities are large and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we saw the sons of the Anakim there.” ’

²⁹But I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, nor fear them.

³⁰The LORD your God, who goes before you, will Himself fight for you, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,

³¹and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, on all of the road which you have walked until you came to this place.’

³²Yet in spite of all this, you did not trust the LORD your God,

³³who goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to make camp, in the fire by night to show you the way by which you should go, and in the cloud by day.

³⁴“Then the LORD heard the sound of your words, and He was angry and swore an oath, saying,

³⁵‘Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers,

³⁶except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him I will give the land on which he has set foot, and to his sons, because he has followed the LORD fully.’

³⁷The LORD was angry with me also on your account, saying, ‘Not even you shall enter there.

³⁸Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, shall himself enter there; encourage him, for he will give it to Israel as an inheritance.

³⁹Moreover, your little ones who, you said, would become plunder, and your sons, who this day have no knowledge of good and evil, shall enter there, and I will give it to them and they shall take possession of it.

⁴⁰But as for you, turn around and set out for the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.’

⁴¹“Then you replied to me, ‘We have sinned against the LORD; we ourselves will go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us.’ And every man of you strapped on his weapons of war, and you viewed it as easy to go up into the hill country.

⁴²But the LORD said to me, ‘Say to them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; otherwise you will be defeated by your enemies.” ’

⁴³So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. Instead, you rebelled against the command of the LORD, and acted presumptuously and went up into the hill country.

⁴⁴And the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do, and they scattered you from Seir to Hormah.

⁴⁵Then you returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD did not listen to your voice, nor pay attention to you.

⁴⁶So you remained at Kadesh for many days, the days that you spent there.

¹Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.

²For by it the people of old gained approval.

³By faith we understand that the world has been created by the word of God so that what is seen has not been made out of things that are visible.

⁴By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he was attested to be righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.

⁵By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for before he was taken up, he was attested to have been pleasing to God.

⁶And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him.

⁷By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

⁸By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he left, not knowing where he was going.

⁹By faith he lived as a stranger in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;

¹⁰for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

¹¹By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.

¹²Therefore even from one man, and one who was as good as dead at that, there were born descendants who were just as the stars of heaven in number, and as the innumerable grains of sand along the seashore.

¹³All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen and welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

¹⁴For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.

¹⁵And indeed if they had been thinking of that country which they left, they would have had opportunity to return.

¹⁶But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.

¹⁷By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and the one who had received the promises was offering up his only son;

¹⁸it was he to whom it was said, “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE NAMED.”

¹⁹He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.

²⁰By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.

²¹By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

²²By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.

²³By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

²⁴By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,

²⁵choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin,

²⁶considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

²⁷By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he persevered, as though seeing Him who is unseen.

²⁸By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch them.

²⁹By faith they passed through the Red Sea as through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.

³⁰By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after the Israelites had marched around them for seven days.

³¹By faith the prostitute Rahab did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

³²And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets,

³³who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,

³⁴quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

³⁵Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection;

³⁶and others experienced mocking and flogging, and further, chains and imprisonment.

³⁷They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented

³⁸(people of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts, on mountains, and sheltering in caves and holes in the ground.

³⁹And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,

⁴⁰because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

¹My brothers and sisters, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.

²For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in bright clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in,

³and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the bright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,”

⁴have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?

⁵Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters: did God not choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

⁶But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?

⁷Do they not blaspheme the good name by which you have been called?

⁸If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well.

⁹But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as violators.

¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole Law, yet stumbles in one point, has become guilty of all.

¹¹For He who said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do murder, you have become a violator of the Law.

¹²So speak, and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom.

¹³For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

¹⁴What use is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

¹⁵If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,

¹⁶and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

¹⁷In the same way, faith also, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

¹⁸But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

¹⁹You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

²⁰But are you willing to acknowledge, you foolish person, that faith without works is useless?

²¹Was our father Abraham not justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?

²²You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;

²³and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called a friend of God.

²⁴You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

²⁵In the same way, was Rahab the prostitute not justified by works also when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

²⁶For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

¹“But now those who are younger than I mock me, Whose fathers I refused to put with the dogs of my flock.

²Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me? Vigor had perished from them.

³From poverty and famine they are gaunt, They who gnaw at the dry ground by night in waste and desolation,

⁴Who pluck saltweed by the bushes, And whose food is the root of the broom shrub.

⁵They are driven from the community; They shout against them as against a thief,

⁶So that they live on the slopes of ravines, In holes in the ground and among the rocks.

⁷Among the bushes they cry out; Under the weeds they are gathered together.

⁸Worthless fellows, even those without a name, They were cast out from the land.

⁹“And now I have become their taunt, And I have become a byword to them.

¹⁰They loathe me and stand aloof from me, And they do not refrain from spitting in my face.

¹¹Because He has undone my bowstring and afflicted me, They have cast off the bridle before me.

¹²On the right hand their mob arises; They push aside my feet and pile up their ways of destruction against me.

¹³They break up my path, They promote my destruction; No one restrains them.

¹⁴As through a wide gap they come, Amid the storm they roll on.

¹⁵Sudden terrors are turned upon me; They chase away my dignity like the wind, And my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.

¹⁶“And now my soul is poured out within me; Days of misery have seized me.

¹⁷At night it pierces my bones within me, And my gnawing pains do not rest.

¹⁸By a great force my garment is distorted; It ties me up like the collar of my coat.

¹⁹He has thrown me into the mire, And I have become like dust and ashes.

²⁰I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me.

²¹You have become cruel to me; With the strength of Your hand You persecute me.

²²You lift me up to the wind and make me ride it; And You dissolve me in a storm.

²³For I know that You will bring me to death, And to the house of meeting for all living.

²⁴“Yet does one in a heap of ruins not reach out with his hand, Or in his disaster does he not cry out for help?

²⁵Have I not wept for the one whose life is hard? Was my soul not grieved for the needy?

²⁶When I expected good, evil came; When I waited for light, darkness came.

²⁷I am seething within and cannot rest; Days of misery confront me.

²⁸I go about mourning without comfort; I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.

²⁹I have become a brother to jackals, And a companion of ostriches.

³⁰My skin turns black on me, And my bones burn with fever.

³¹Therefore my harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the sound of those who weep.

¹Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

²You sons of man, how long will my honor be treated as an insult? How long will you love what is worthless and strive for a lie? Selah

³But know that the LORD has set apart the godly person for Himself; The LORD hears when I call to Him.

⁴Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah

⁵Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And trust in the LORD.

⁶Many are saying, “Who will show us anything good?” Lift up the light of Your face upon us, LORD!

⁷You have put joy in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine are abundant.

⁸In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, LORD, have me dwell in safety.

¹The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the pronouncement. The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:

²I am certainly more stupid than any man, And I do not have the understanding of a man;

³Nor have I learned wisdom, Nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One.

⁴Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His Son’s name? Surely you know!

⁵Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

⁶Do not add to His words Or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar.

⁷Two things I have asked of You; Do not refuse me before I die:

⁸Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion,

⁹So that I will not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the LORD?” And that I will not become impoverished and steal, And profane the name of my God.

¹⁰Do not slander a slave to his master, Or he will curse you and you will be found guilty.

¹¹There is a kind of person who curses his father And does not bless his mother.

¹²There is a kind who is pure in his own eyes, Yet is not washed from his filthiness.

¹³There is a kind—oh how lofty are his eyes! And his eyelids are raised in arrogance.

¹⁴There is a kind of person whose teeth are like swords And his jaw teeth like knives, To devour the poor from the earth And the needy from among mankind.

¹⁵The leech has two daughters: “Give” and “Give.” There are three things that will not be satisfied, Four that will not say, “Enough”:

¹⁶Sheol, the infertile womb, Earth that is never satisfied with water, And fire that never says, “Enough.”

¹⁷The eye that mocks a father And scorns a mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it.

¹⁸There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Four which I do not understand:

¹⁹The way of the eagle in the sky, The way of a snake on a rock, The way of a ship in the middle of the sea, And the way of a man with a virgin.

²⁰This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, “I have done no wrong.”

²¹Under three things the earth quakes, And under four, it cannot endure:

²²Under a slave when he becomes king, And a fool when he is satisfied with food,

²³Under an unloved woman when she gets a husband, And a female servant when she dispossesses her mistress.

²⁴Four things are small on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:

²⁵The ants are not a strong people, But they prepare their food in the summer;

²⁶The rock hyraxes are not a mighty people, Yet they make their houses in the rocks;

²⁷The locusts have no king, Yet all of them go out in ranks;

²⁸The lizard you may grasp with the hands, Yet it is in kings’ palaces.

²⁹There are three things which are stately in their march, Even four which are stately when they walk:

³⁰The lion, which is mighty among animals And does not retreat from anything,

³¹The strutting rooster or the male goat, And a king when his army is with him.

³²If you have been foolish in exalting yourself, Or if you have plotted evil, put your hand on your mouth.

³³For the churning of milk produces butter, And pressing the nose produces blood; So the churning of anger produces strife.

¹Now these were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: the firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second was Daniel, by Abigail the Carmelitess;

²the third was Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth was Adonijah the son of Haggith;

³the fifth was Shephatiah, by Abital; the sixth was Ithream, by his wife Eglah.

⁴Six were born to him in Hebron, and he reigned there for seven years and six months. And in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years.

⁵These were the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon, four by Bath-shua the daughter of Ammiel;

⁶and Ibhar, Elishama, Eliphelet,

⁷Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,

⁸Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine.

⁹All of these were the sons of David, besides the sons of the concubines; and Tamar was their sister.

¹⁰Now Solomon’s son was Rehoboam, then Abijah was his son, Asa, his son, Jehoshaphat, his son,

¹¹Joram, his son, Ahaziah, his son, Joash, his son,

¹²Amaziah, his son, Azariah, his son, Jotham, his son,

¹³Ahaz, his son, Hezekiah, his son, Manasseh, his son,

¹⁴Amon, his son, and Josiah, his son.

¹⁵The sons of Josiah were Johanan, the firstborn, the second was Jehoiakim, the third, Zedekiah, and the fourth, Shallum.

¹⁶The sons of Jehoiakim were his son Jeconiah and his son Zedekiah.

¹⁷The sons of Jeconiah, the prisoner, were his son Shealtiel

¹⁸and Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.

¹⁹The sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel and Shimei. And the sons of Zerubbabel were Meshullam and Hananiah, and Shelomith was their sister;

²⁰and Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-hesed, five.

²¹The sons of Hananiah were Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shecaniah.

²²The descendants of Shecaniah were Shemaiah, and the sons of Shemaiah: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat, six.

²³The sons of Neariah were Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam, three.

²⁴The sons of Elioenai were Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani, seven.

¹In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

²“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes, ‘Whom are you like in your greatness?

³Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon With beautiful branches and forest shade, And very high, And its top was among the clouds.

⁴The waters made it grow, the deep made it high. With its rivers it continually extended all around its planting place, And sent out its channels to all the trees of the field.

⁵Therefore its height was loftier than all the trees of the field And its boughs became many and its branches long Because of many waters as it spread them out.

⁶All the birds of the sky nested in its twigs, And under its branches all the animals of the field gave birth, And all great nations lived under its shade.

⁷So it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches; For its roots extended to many waters.

⁸The cedars in God’s garden could not match it; The junipers could not compare with its branches, And the plane trees could not match its branches. No tree in God’s garden could compare with it in its beauty.

⁹I made it beautiful with the multitude of its branches, And all the trees of Eden, which were in the garden of God, were jealous of it.

¹⁰‘Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: “Because it is tall in stature and has put its top among the clouds, and its heart is haughty in its loftiness,

¹¹I will hand it over to a ruler of the nations; he will thoroughly deal with it. In accordance with its wickedness I have driven it out.

¹²Foreign tyrants of the nations have cut it down and left it; on the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its branches have been broken in all the ravines of the land. And all the peoples of the earth have gone down from its shade and left it.

¹³All the birds of the sky will nest on its fallen trunk, and all the animals of the field will rest on its fallen branches,

¹⁴so that all the trees by the waters will not be exalted in their stature, nor put their tops among the clouds, nor will any of their well-watered mighty ones stand straight in their height. For they have all been turned over to death, to the earth beneath, among mankind, with those who go down to the pit.”

¹⁵‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “On the day when it went down to Sheol I caused mourning; I closed the deep over it and held back its rivers. And its many waters were stopped up, and I made Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted away on account of it.

¹⁶I made the nations quake from the sound of its fall when I made it go down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit; and all the well-watered trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, were comforted in the earth beneath.

¹⁷They also went down with it to Sheol to those who were slain by the sword; and those who were its strength lived in its shade among the nations.

¹⁸“To which among the trees of Eden are you so alike in glory and greatness? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth beneath; you will lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with those who were killed by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his hordes!” ’ declares the Lord GOD.”

¹In Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a way that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks.

²But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brothers.

³Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be performed by their hands.

⁴But the people of the city were divided; and some sided with the Jews, while others, with the apostles.

⁵And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers, to treat them abusively and to stone them,

⁶they became aware of it and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the surrounding region;

⁷and there they continued to preach the gospel.

⁸In Lystra a man was sitting whose feet were incapacitated. He had been disabled from his mother’s womb, and had never walked.

⁹This man was listening to Paul as he spoke. Paul looked at him intently and saw that he had faith to be made well,

¹⁰and he said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” And the man leaped up and began to walk.

¹¹When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have become like men and have come down to us!”

¹²And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, since he was the chief speaker.

¹³Moreover, the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.

¹⁴But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out

¹⁵and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men, of the same nature as you, preaching the gospel to you, to turn from these useless things to a living God, who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND EVERYTHING THAT IS IN THEM.

¹⁶In past generations He permitted all the nations to go their own ways;

¹⁷yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”

¹⁸And even by saying these things, only with difficulty did they restrain the crowds from offering sacrifices to them.

¹⁹But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking that he was dead.

²⁰But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

²¹And after they had preached the gospel to that city and had made a good number of disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch,

²²strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “It is through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of God.”

²³When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

²⁴They passed through Pisidia and came into Pamphylia.

²⁵When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

²⁶From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been entrusted to the grace of God for the work that they had accomplished.

²⁷When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all the things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

²⁸And they spent a long time with the disciples.