Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.

²But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

³Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

⁴And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.

⁵Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?

⁶He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,

⁷saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”

⁸And they remembered His words.

⁹Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

¹⁰It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.

¹¹And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.

¹²But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.

¹³Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.

¹⁴And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

¹⁵So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.

¹⁶But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.

¹⁷And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”

¹⁸Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”

¹⁹And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,

²⁰and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.

²¹But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

²²Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.

²³When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.

²⁴And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”

²⁵Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

²⁶Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”

²⁷And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

²⁸Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.

²⁹But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.

³⁰Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.

³¹Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

³²And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

³³So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,

³⁴saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”

³⁵And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.

³⁶Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.”

³⁷But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.

³⁸And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?

³⁹Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

⁴⁰When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

⁴¹But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?”

⁴²So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.

⁴³And He took it and ate in their presence.

⁴⁴Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”

⁴⁵And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

⁴⁶Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,

⁴⁷and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

⁴⁸And you are witnesses of these things.

⁴⁹Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

⁵⁰And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.

⁵¹Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.

⁵²And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

⁵³and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.

¹“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you.

²You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

³Your eyes have seen what the LORD did at Baal Peor; for the LORD your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor.

⁴But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive today, every one of you.

⁵“Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess.

⁶Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’

⁷“For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him?

⁸And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?

⁹Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,

¹⁰especially concerning the day you stood before the LORD your God in Horeb, when the LORD said to me, ‘Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’

¹¹“Then you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the midst of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.

¹²And the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice.

¹³So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone.

¹⁴And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might observe them in the land which you cross over to possess.

¹⁵“Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire,

¹⁶lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure: the likeness of male or female,

¹⁷the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air,

¹⁸the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth.

¹⁹And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.

²⁰But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day.

²¹Furthermore the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, and swore that I would not cross over the Jordan, and that I would not enter the good land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

²²But I must die in this land, I must not cross over the Jordan; but you shall cross over and possess that good land.

²³Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the LORD your God has forbidden you.

²⁴For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

²⁵“When you beget children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land, and act corruptly and make a carved image in the form of anything, and do evil in the sight of the LORD your God to provoke Him to anger,

²⁶I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed.

²⁷And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will drive you.

²⁸And there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.

²⁹But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

³⁰When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice

³¹(for the LORD your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.

³²“For ask now concerning the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether any great thing like this has happened, or anything like it has been heard.

³³Did any people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live?

³⁴Or did God ever try to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

³⁵To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD Himself is God; there is none other besides Him.

³⁶Out of heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire.

³⁷And because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them; and He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, with His mighty power,

³⁸driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is this day.

³⁹Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.

⁴⁰You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the LORD your God is giving you for all time.”

⁴¹Then Moses set apart three cities on this side of the Jordan, toward the rising of the sun,

⁴²that the manslayer might flee there, who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without having hated him in time past, and that by fleeing to one of these cities he might live:

⁴³Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.

⁴⁴Now this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel.

⁴⁵These are the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which Moses spoke to the children of Israel after they came out of Egypt,

⁴⁶on this side of the Jordan, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel defeated after they came out of Egypt.

⁴⁷And they took possession of his land and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, who were on this side of the Jordan, toward the rising of the sun,

⁴⁸from Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, even to Mount Sion (that is, Hermon),

⁴⁹and all the plain on the east side of the Jordan as far as the Sea of the Arabah, below the slopes of Pisgah.

¹Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God

²which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,

³concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,

⁴and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

⁵Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,

⁶among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

⁷To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁸First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

⁹For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,

¹⁰making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.

¹¹For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—

¹²that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

¹³Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.

¹⁴I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.

¹⁵So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.

¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

¹⁷For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

¹⁸For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

¹⁹because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.

²⁰For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

²¹because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

²²Professing to be wise, they became fools,

²³and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

²⁴Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,

²⁵who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

²⁶For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.

²⁷Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

²⁸And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

²⁹being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,

³⁰backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

³¹undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;

³²who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

¹Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!

²Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.

³Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.

⁴Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

⁵You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.

⁶You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.

⁷Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.

⁸You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

⁹Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!

¹⁰My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.

¹¹Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

¹²But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.

¹³Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.

¹⁴Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

¹⁵And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

¹⁶Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

¹⁷Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.

¹⁸And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

¹⁹Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,

²⁰let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

¹“But please, Job, hear my speech, And listen to all my words.

²Now, I open my mouth; My tongue speaks in my mouth.

³My words come from my upright heart; My lips utter pure knowledge.

⁴The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

⁵If you can answer me, Set your words in order before me; Take your stand.

⁶Truly I am as your spokesman before God; I also have been formed out of clay.

⁷Surely no fear of me will terrify you, Nor will my hand be heavy on you.

⁸“Surely you have spoken in my hearing, And I have heard the sound of your words, saying,

⁹‘I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me.

¹⁰Yet He finds occasions against me, He counts me as His enemy;

¹¹He puts my feet in the stocks, He watches all my paths.’

¹²“Look, in this you are not righteous. I will answer you, For God is greater than man.

¹³Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.

¹⁴For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it.

¹⁵In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds,

¹⁶Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction.

¹⁷In order to turn man from his deed, And conceal pride from man,

¹⁸He keeps back his soul from the Pit, And his life from perishing by the sword.

¹⁹“Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, And with strong pain in many of his bones,

²⁰So that his life abhors bread, And his soul succulent food.

²¹His flesh wastes away from sight, And his bones stick out which once were not seen.

²²Yes, his soul draws near the Pit, And his life to the executioners.

²³“If there is a messenger for him, A mediator, one among a thousand, To show man His uprightness,

²⁴Then He is gracious to him, and says, ‘Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom’;

²⁵His flesh shall be young like a child’s, He shall return to the days of his youth.

²⁶He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, He shall see His face with joy, For He restores to man His righteousness.

²⁷Then he looks at men and says, ‘I have sinned, and perverted what was right, And it did not profit me.’

²⁸He will redeem his soul from going down to the Pit, And his life shall see the light.

²⁹“Behold, God works all these things, Twice, in fact, three times with a man,

³⁰To bring back his soul from the Pit, That he may be enlightened with the light of life.

³¹“Give ear, Job, listen to me; Hold your peace, and I will speak.

³²If you have anything to say, answer me; Speak, for I desire to justify you.

³³If not, listen to me; Hold your peace, and I will teach you wisdom.”

¹A Meditation of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite. [1] O LORD my God, in You I put my trust; Save me from all those who persecute me; And deliver me,

²Lest they tear me like a lion, Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

³O LORD my God, if I have done this: If there is iniquity in my hands,

⁴If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me, Or have plundered my enemy without cause,

⁵Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; Yes, let him trample my life to the earth, And lay my honor in the dust. Selah

⁶Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies; Rise up for me to the judgment You have commanded!

⁷So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You; For their sakes, therefore, return on high.

⁸The LORD shall judge the peoples; Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, And according to my integrity within me.

⁹Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.

¹⁰My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart.

¹¹God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day.

¹²If he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready.

¹³He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.

¹⁴Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.

¹⁵He made a pit and dug it out, And has fallen into the ditch which he made.

¹⁶His trouble shall return upon his own head, And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.

¹⁷I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

¹My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you,

²So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding;

³Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding,

⁴If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures;

⁵Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God.

⁶For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;

⁷He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;

⁸He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints.

⁹Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path.

¹⁰When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,

¹¹Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you,

¹²To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things,

¹³From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness;

¹⁴Who rejoice in doing evil, And delight in the perversity of the wicked;

¹⁵Whose ways are crooked, And who are devious in their paths;

¹⁶To deliver you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words,

¹⁷Who forsakes the companion of her youth, And forgets the covenant of her God.

¹⁸For her house leads down to death, And her paths to the dead;

¹⁹None who go to her return, Nor do they regain the paths of life—

²⁰So you may walk in the way of goodness, And keep to the paths of righteousness.

²¹For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will remain in it;

²²But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.

¹The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

²The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

³The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. And the sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

⁴Eleazar begot Phinehas, and Phinehas begot Abishua;

⁵Abishua begot Bukki, and Bukki begot Uzzi;

⁶Uzzi begot Zerahiah, and Zerahiah begot Meraioth;

⁷Meraioth begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub;

⁸Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Ahimaaz;

⁹Ahimaaz begot Azariah, and Azariah begot Johanan;

¹⁰Johanan begot Azariah (it was he who ministered as priest in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem);

¹¹Azariah begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub;

¹²Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Shallum;

¹³Shallum begot Hilkiah, and Hilkiah begot Azariah;

¹⁴Azariah begot Seraiah, and Seraiah begot Jehozadak.

¹⁵Jehozadak went into captivity when the LORD carried Judah and Jerusalem into captivity by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

¹⁶The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

¹⁷These are the names of the sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei.

¹⁸The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

¹⁹The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. Now these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers:

²⁰Of Gershon were Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son,

²¹Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, and Jeatherai his son.

²²The sons of Kohath were Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son,

²³Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son,

²⁴Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son.

²⁵The sons of Elkanah were Amasai and Ahimoth.

²⁶As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah were Zophai his son, Nahath his son,

²⁷Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his son.

²⁸The sons of Samuel were Joel the firstborn, and Abijah the second.

²⁹The sons of Merari were Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son,

³⁰Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his son.

³¹Now these are the men whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after the ark came to rest.

³²They were ministering with music before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they served in their office according to their order.

³³And these are the ones who ministered with their sons: Of the sons of the Kohathites were Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,

³⁴the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,

³⁵the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,

³⁶the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,

³⁷the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,

³⁸the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.

³⁹And his brother Asaph, who stood at his right hand, was Asaph the son of Berachiah, the son of Shimea,

⁴⁰the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah,

⁴¹the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,

⁴²the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei,

⁴³the son of Jahath, the son of Gershon, the son of Levi.

⁴⁴Their brethren, the sons of Merari, on the left hand, were Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,

⁴⁵the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,

⁴⁶the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shamer,

⁴⁷the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.

⁴⁸And their brethren, the Levites, were appointed to every kind of service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

⁴⁹But Aaron and his sons offered sacrifices on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense, for all the work of the Most Holy Place, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

⁵⁰Now these are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son,

⁵¹Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son,

⁵²Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son,

⁵³Zadok his son, and Ahimaaz his son.

⁵⁴Now these are their dwelling places throughout their settlements in their territory, for they were given by lot to the sons of Aaron, of the family of the Kohathites:

⁵⁵They gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, with its surrounding common-lands.

⁵⁶But the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

⁵⁷And to the sons of Aaron they gave one of the cities of refuge, Hebron; also Libnah with its common-lands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its common-lands,

⁵⁸Hilen with its common-lands, Debir with its common-lands,

⁵⁹Ashan with its common-lands, and Beth Shemesh with its common-lands.

⁶⁰And from the tribe of Benjamin: Geba with its common-lands, Alemeth with its common-lands, and Anathoth with its common-lands. All their cities among their families were thirteen.

⁶¹To the rest of the family of the tribe of the Kohathites they gave by lot ten cities from half the tribe of Manasseh.

⁶²And to the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, they gave thirteen cities from the tribe of Issachar, from the tribe of Asher, from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

⁶³To the sons of Merari, throughout their families, they gave twelve cities from the tribe of Reuben, from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun.

⁶⁴So the children of Israel gave these cities with their common-lands to the Levites.

⁶⁵And they gave by lot from the tribe of the children of Judah, from the tribe of the children of Simeon, and from the tribe of the children of Benjamin these cities which are called by their names.

⁶⁶Now some of the families of the sons of Kohath were given cities as their territory from the tribe of Ephraim.

⁶⁷And they gave them one of the cities of refuge, Shechem with its common-lands, in the mountains of Ephraim, also Gezer with its common-lands,

⁶⁸Jokmeam with its common-lands, Beth Horon with its common-lands,

⁶⁹Aijalon with its common-lands, and Gath Rimmon with its common-lands.

⁷⁰And from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Aner with its common-lands and Bileam with its common-lands, for the rest of the family of the sons of Kohath.

⁷¹From the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh the sons of Gershon were given Golan in Bashan with its common-lands and Ashtaroth with its common-lands.

⁷²And from the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh with its common-lands, Daberath with its common-lands,

⁷³Ramoth with its common-lands, and Anem with its common-lands.

⁷⁴And from the tribe of Asher: Mashal with its common-lands, Abdon with its common-lands,

⁷⁵Hukok with its common-lands, and Rehob with its common-lands.

⁷⁶And from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its common-lands, Hammon with its common-lands, and Kirjathaim with its common-lands.

⁷⁷From the tribe of Zebulun the rest of the children of Merari were given Rimmon with its common-lands and Tabor with its common-lands.

⁷⁸And on the other side of the Jordan, across from Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, they were given from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness with its common-lands, Jahzah with its common-lands,

⁷⁹Kedemoth with its common-lands, and Mephaath with its common-lands.

⁸⁰And from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with its common-lands, Mahanaim with its common-lands,

⁸¹Heshbon with its common-lands, and Jazer with its common-lands.

¹And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

²“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

³You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock.

⁴The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them.

⁵So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered.

⁶My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.”

⁷‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

⁸“As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock”—

⁹therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD!

¹⁰Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”

¹¹‘For thus says the Lord GOD: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.

¹²As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.

¹³And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country.

¹⁴I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.

¹⁵I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord GOD.

¹⁶“I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”

¹⁷‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats.

¹⁸Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet?

¹⁹And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.”

²⁰‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep.

²¹Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad,

²²therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.

²³I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them— My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd.

²⁴And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.

²⁵“I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.

²⁶I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing.

²⁷Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.

²⁸And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid.

²⁹I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore.

³⁰Thus they shall know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people,” says the Lord GOD.’

³¹“You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord GOD.

¹Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.

²Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

³explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”

⁴And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.

⁵But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.

⁶But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.

⁷Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.”

⁸And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things.

⁹So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

¹⁰Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.

¹¹These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

¹²Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.

¹³But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds.

¹⁴Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there.

¹⁵So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.

¹⁶Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.

¹⁷Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.

¹⁸Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.

¹⁹And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak?

²⁰For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.”

²¹For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.

²²Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;

²³for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:

²⁴“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.

²⁵Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.

²⁶And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,

²⁷so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

²⁸for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’

²⁹Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.

³⁰Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,

³¹because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

³²And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.”

³³So Paul departed from among them.

³⁴However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.