Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias.

²A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick.

³Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him.

⁴(It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.)

⁵Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?”

⁶He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.

⁷Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”

⁸Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up.

⁹“There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?”

¹⁰“Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.)

¹¹Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted.

¹²After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.”

¹³So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.

¹⁴When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!”

¹⁵When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself.

¹⁶That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him.

¹⁷But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum.

¹⁸Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough.

¹⁹They had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified,

²⁰but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here! ”

²¹Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination!

²²The next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them.

²³Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten.

²⁴So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him.

²⁵They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

²⁶Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs.

²⁷But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”

²⁸They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”

²⁹Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

³⁰They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do?

³¹After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

³²Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven.

³³The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

³⁴“Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.”

³⁵Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

³⁶But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me.

³⁷However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.

³⁸For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.

³⁹And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day.

⁴⁰For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

⁴¹Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

⁴²They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

⁴³But Jesus replied, “Stop complaining about what I said.

⁴⁴For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.

⁴⁵As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.

⁴⁶(Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)

⁴⁷“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life.

⁴⁸Yes, I am the bread of life!

⁴⁹Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died.

⁵⁰Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die.

⁵¹I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”

⁵²Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.

⁵³So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you.

⁵⁴But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day.

⁵⁵For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

⁵⁶Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.

⁵⁷I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me.

⁵⁸I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.”

⁵⁹He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

⁶⁰Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”

⁶¹Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you?

⁶²Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again?

⁶³The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

⁶⁴But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.)

⁶⁵Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.”

⁶⁶At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.

⁶⁷Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”

⁶⁸Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.

⁶⁹We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God. ”

⁷⁰Then Jesus said, “I chose the twelve of you, but one is a devil.”

⁷¹He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who would later betray him.

¹“At that time the LORD said to me, ‘Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones. Also make a wooden Ark — a sacred chest to store them in. Come up to me on the mountain,

²and I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the ones you smashed. Then place the tablets in the Ark.’

³“So I made an Ark of acacia wood and cut two stone tablets like the first two. Then I went up the mountain with the tablets in my hand.

⁴Once again the LORD wrote the Ten Commandments on the tablets and gave them to me. They were the same words the LORD had spoken to you from the heart of the fire on the day you were assembled at the foot of the mountain.

⁵Then I turned and came down the mountain and placed the tablets in the Ark of the Covenant, which I had made, just as the LORD commanded me. And the tablets are still there in the Ark.”

⁶(The people of Israel set out from the wells of the people of Jaakan and traveled to Moserah, where Aaron died and was buried. His son Eleazar ministered as high priest in his place.

⁷Then they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from there to Jotbathah, a land with many brooks and streams.

⁸At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant, and to stand before the LORD as his ministers, and to pronounce blessings in his name. These are their duties to this day.

⁹That is why the Levites have no share of property or possession of land among the other Israelite tribes. The LORD himself is their special possession, as the LORD your God told them.)

¹⁰“As for me, I stayed on the mountain in the LORD’s presence for forty days and nights, as I had done the first time. And once again the LORD listened to my pleas and agreed not to destroy you.

¹¹Then the LORD said to me, ‘Get up and resume the journey, and lead the people to the land I swore to give to their ancestors, so they may take possession of it.’

¹²“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul.

¹³And you must always obey the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.

¹⁴“Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the LORD your God.

¹⁵Yet the LORD chose your ancestors as the objects of his love. And he chose you, their descendants, above all other nations, as is evident today.

¹⁶Therefore, change your hearts and stop being stubborn.

¹⁷“For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed.

¹⁸He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing.

¹⁹So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.

²⁰You must fear the LORD your God and worship him and cling to him. Your oaths must be in his name alone.

²¹He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes.

²²When your ancestors went down into Egypt, there were only seventy of them. But now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky!

¹Now, dear brothers and sisters — you who are familiar with the law — don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living?

²For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her.

³So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.

⁴So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.

⁵When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death.

⁶But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

⁷Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”

⁸But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power.

⁹At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life,

¹⁰and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead.

¹¹Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me.

¹²But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.

¹³But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.

¹⁴So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.

¹⁵I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.

¹⁶But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good.

¹⁷So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

¹⁸And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.

¹⁹I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.

²⁰But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

²¹I have discovered this principle of life — that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.

²²I love God’s law with all my heart.

²³But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.

²⁴Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?

²⁵Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

¹This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.

²May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.

³By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

⁴And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

⁵In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge,

⁶and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness,

⁷and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

⁸The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

¹⁰So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.

¹¹Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

¹²Therefore, I will always remind you about these things — even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught.

¹³And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live.

¹⁴For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life,

¹⁵so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone.

¹⁶For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes

¹⁷when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

¹⁸We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.

¹⁹Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place — until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.

²⁰Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding,

²¹or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.

¹“Do you know when the wild goats give birth? Have you watched as deer are born in the wild?

²Do you know how many months they carry their young? Are you aware of the time of their delivery?

³They crouch down to give birth to their young and deliver their offspring.

⁴Their young grow up in the open fields, then leave home and never return.

⁵“Who gives the wild donkey its freedom? Who untied its ropes?

⁶I have placed it in the wilderness; its home is the wasteland.

⁷It hates the noise of the city and has no driver to shout at it.

⁸The mountains are its pastureland, where it searches for every blade of grass.

⁹“Will the wild ox consent to being tamed? Will it spend the night in your stall?

¹⁰Can you hitch a wild ox to a plow? Will it plow a field for you?

¹¹Given its strength, can you trust it? Can you leave and trust the ox to do your work?

¹²Can you rely on it to bring home your grain and deliver it to your threshing floor?

¹³“The ostrich flaps her wings grandly, but they are no match for the feathers of the stork.

¹⁴She lays her eggs on top of the earth, letting them be warmed in the dust.

¹⁵She doesn’t worry that a foot might crush them or a wild animal might destroy them.

¹⁶She is harsh toward her young, as if they were not her own. She doesn’t care if they die.

¹⁷For God has deprived her of wisdom. He has given her no understanding.

¹⁸But whenever she jumps up to run, she passes the swiftest horse with its rider.

¹⁹“Have you given the horse its strength or clothed its neck with a flowing mane?

²⁰Did you give it the ability to leap like a locust? Its majestic snorting is terrifying!

²¹It paws the earth and rejoices in its strength when it charges out to battle.

²²It laughs at fear and is unafraid. It does not run from the sword.

²³The arrows rattle against it, and the spear and javelin flash.

²⁴It paws the ground fiercely and rushes forward into battle when the ram’s horn blows.

²⁵It snorts at the sound of the horn. It senses the battle in the distance. It quivers at the captain’s commands and the noise of battle.

²⁶“Is it your wisdom that makes the hawk soar and spread its wings toward the south?

²⁷Is it at your command that the eagle rises to the heights to make its nest?

²⁸It lives on the cliffs, making its home on a distant, rocky crag.

²⁹From there it hunts its prey, keeping watch with piercing eyes.

³⁰Its young gulp down blood. Where there’s a carcass, there you’ll find it.”

¹O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?

²How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?

³Turn and answer me, O LORD my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.

⁴Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.

⁵But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.

⁶I will sing to the LORD because he is good to me.

¹Listen as Wisdom calls out! Hear as understanding raises her voice!

²On the hilltop along the road, she takes her stand at the crossroads.

³By the gates at the entrance to the town, on the road leading in, she cries aloud,

⁴“I call to you, to all of you! I raise my voice to all people.

⁵You simple people, use good judgment. You foolish people, show some understanding.

⁶Listen to me! For I have important things to tell you. Everything I say is right,

⁷for I speak the truth and detest every kind of deception.

⁸My advice is wholesome. There is nothing devious or crooked in it.

⁹My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those with knowledge.

¹⁰Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold.

¹¹For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it.

¹²“I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment.

¹³All who fear the LORD will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech.

¹⁴Common sense and success belong to me. Insight and strength are mine.

¹⁵Because of me, kings reign, and rulers make just decrees.

¹⁶Rulers lead with my help, and nobles make righteous judgments.

¹⁷“I love all who love me. Those who search will surely find me.

¹⁸I have riches and honor, as well as enduring wealth and justice.

¹⁹My gifts are better than gold, even the purest gold, my wages better than sterling silver!

²⁰I walk in righteousness, in paths of justice.

²¹Those who love me inherit wealth. I will fill their treasuries.

²²“The LORD formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else.

²³I was appointed in ages past, at the very first, before the earth began.

²⁴I was born before the oceans were created, before the springs bubbled forth their waters.

²⁵Before the mountains were formed, before the hills, I was born —

²⁶before he had made the earth and fields and the first handfuls of soil.

²⁷I was there when he established the heavens, when he drew the horizon on the oceans.

²⁸I was there when he set the clouds above, when he established springs deep in the earth.

²⁹I was there when he set the limits of the seas, so they would not spread beyond their boundaries. And when he marked off the earth’s foundations,

³⁰I was the architect at his side. I was his constant delight, rejoicing always in his presence.

³¹And how happy I was with the world he created; how I rejoiced with the human family!

³²“And so, my children, listen to me, for all who follow my ways are joyful.

³³Listen to my instruction and be wise. Don’t ignore it.

³⁴Joyful are those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates, waiting for me outside my home!

³⁵For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD.

³⁶But those who miss me injure themselves. All who hate me love death.”

¹The following men joined David at Ziklag while he was hiding from Saul son of Kish. They were among the warriors who fought beside David in battle.

²All of them were expert archers, and they could shoot arrows or sling stones with their left hand as well as their right. They were all relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin.

³Their leader was Ahiezer son of Shemaah from Gibeah; his brother Joash was second-in-command. These were the other warriors: Jeziel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu from Anathoth;

⁴Ishmaiah from Gibeon, a famous warrior and leader among the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad from Gederah;

⁵Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah from Haruph;

⁶Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, who were Korahites;

⁷Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham from Gedor.

⁸Some brave and experienced warriors from the tribe of Gad also defected to David while he was at the stronghold in the wilderness. They were expert with both shield and spear, as fierce as lions and as swift as deer on the mountains.

⁹Ezer was their leader. Obadiah was second. Eliab was third.

¹⁰Mishmannah was fourth. Jeremiah was fifth.

¹¹Attai was sixth. Eliel was seventh.

¹²Johanan was eighth. Elzabad was ninth.

¹³Jeremiah was tenth. Macbannai was eleventh.

¹⁴These warriors from Gad were army commanders. The weakest among them could take on a hundred regular troops, and the strongest could take on a thousand!

¹⁵These were the men who crossed the Jordan River during its seasonal flooding at the beginning of the year and drove out all the people living in the lowlands on both the east and west banks.

¹⁶Others from Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold.

¹⁷David went out to meet them and said, “If you have come in peace to help me, we are friends. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when I am innocent, then may the God of our ancestors see it and punish you.”

¹⁸Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, the leader of the Thirty, and he said, “We are yours, David! We are on your side, son of Jesse. Peace and prosperity be with you, and success to all who help you, for your God is the one who helps you.” So David let them join him, and he made them officers over his troops.

¹⁹Some men from Manasseh defected from the Israelite army and joined David when he set out with the Philistines to fight against Saul. But as it turned out, the Philistine rulers refused to let David and his men go with them. After much discussion, they sent them back, for they said, “It will cost us our heads if David switches loyalties to Saul and turns against us.”

²⁰Here is a list of the men from Manasseh who defected to David as he was returning to Ziklag: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. Each commanded 1,000 troops from the tribe of Manasseh.

²¹They helped David chase down bands of raiders, for they were all brave and able warriors who became commanders in his army.

²²Day after day more men joined David until he had a great army, like the army of God.

²³These are the numbers of armed warriors who joined David at Hebron. They were all eager to see David become king instead of Saul, just as the LORD had promised.

²⁴From the tribe of Judah, there were 6,800 warriors armed with shields and spears.

²⁵From the tribe of Simeon, there were 7,100 brave warriors.

²⁶From the tribe of Levi, there were 4,600 warriors.

²⁷This included Jehoiada, leader of the family of Aaron, who had 3,700 under his command.

²⁸This also included Zadok, a brave young warrior, with 22 members of his family who were all officers.

²⁹From the tribe of Benjamin, Saul’s relatives, there were 3,000 warriors. Most of the men from Benjamin had remained loyal to Saul until this time.

³⁰From the tribe of Ephraim, there were 20,800 brave warriors, each highly respected in his own clan.

³¹From the half-tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan, 18,000 men were designated by name to help David become king.

³²From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.

³³From the tribe of Zebulun, there were 50,000 skilled warriors. They were fully armed and prepared for battle and completely loyal to David.

³⁴From the tribe of Naphtali, there were 1,000 officers and 37,000 warriors armed with shields and spears.

³⁵From the tribe of Dan, there were 28,600 warriors, all prepared for battle.

³⁶From the tribe of Asher, there were 40,000 trained warriors, all prepared for battle.

³⁷From the east side of the Jordan River — where the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh lived — there were 120,000 troops armed with every kind of weapon.

³⁸All these men came in battle array to Hebron with the single purpose of making David the king over all Israel. In fact, everyone in Israel agreed that David should be their king.

³⁹They feasted and drank with David for three days, for preparations had been made by their relatives for their arrival.

⁴⁰And people from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. Vast supplies of flour, fig cakes, clusters of raisins, wine, olive oil, cattle, sheep, and goats were brought to the celebration. There was great joy throughout the land of Israel.

¹On April 28, during the twenty-fifth year of our captivity — fourteen years after the fall of Jerusalem — the LORD took hold of me.

²In a vision from God he took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain. From there I could see toward the south what appeared to be a city.

³As he brought me nearer, I saw a man whose face shone like bronze standing beside a gateway entrance. He was holding in his hand a linen measuring cord and a measuring rod.

⁴He said to me, “Son of man, watch and listen. Pay close attention to everything I show you. You have been brought here so I can show you many things. Then you will return to the people of Israel and tell them everything you have seen.”

⁵I could see a wall completely surrounding the Temple area. The man took a measuring rod that was 10 1⁄2 feet long and measured the wall, and the wall was 10 1⁄2 feet thick and 10 1⁄2 feet high.

⁶Then he went over to the eastern gateway. He climbed the steps and measured the threshold of the gateway; it was 10 1⁄2 feet front to back.

⁷There were guard alcoves on each side built into the gateway passage. Each of these alcoves was 10 1⁄2 feet square, with a distance between them of 8 3⁄4 feet along the passage wall. The gateway’s inner threshold, which led to the entry room at the inner end of the gateway passage, was 10 1⁄2 feet front to back.

⁸He also measured the entry room of the gateway.

⁹It was 14 feet across, with supporting columns 3 1⁄2 feet thick. This entry room was at the inner end of the gateway structure, facing toward the Temple.

¹⁰There were three guard alcoves on each side of the gateway passage. Each had the same measurements, and the dividing walls separating them were also identical.

¹¹The man measured the gateway entrance, which was 17 1⁄2 feet wide at the opening and 22 3⁄4 feet wide in the gateway passage.

¹²In front of each of the guard alcoves was a 21-inch curb. The alcoves themselves were 10 1⁄2 feet on each side.

¹³Then he measured the entire width of the gateway, measuring the distance between the back walls of facing guard alcoves; this distance was 43 3⁄4 feet.

¹⁴He measured the dividing walls all along the inside of the gateway up to the entry room of the gateway; this distance was 105 feet.

¹⁵The full length of the gateway passage was 87 1⁄2 feet from one end to the other.

¹⁶There were recessed windows that narrowed inward through the walls of the guard alcoves and their dividing walls. There were also windows in the entry room. The surfaces of the dividing walls were decorated with carved palm trees.

¹⁷Then the man brought me through the gateway into the outer courtyard of the Temple. A stone pavement ran along the walls of the courtyard, and thirty rooms were built against the walls, opening onto the pavement.

¹⁸This pavement flanked the gates and extended out from the walls into the courtyard the same distance as the gateway entrance. This was the lower pavement.

¹⁹Then the man measured across the Temple’s outer courtyard between the outer and inner gateways; the distance was 175 feet.

²⁰The man measured the gateway on the north just like the one on the east.

²¹Here, too, there were three guard alcoves on each side, with dividing walls and an entry room. All the measurements matched those of the east gateway. The gateway passage was 87 1⁄2 feet long and 43 3⁄4 feet wide between the back walls of facing guard alcoves.

²²The windows, the entry room, and the palm tree decorations were identical to those in the east gateway. There were seven steps leading up to the gateway entrance, and the entry room was at the inner end of the gateway passage.

²³Here on the north side, just as on the east, there was another gateway leading to the Temple’s inner courtyard directly opposite this outer gateway. The distance between the two gateways was 175 feet.

²⁴Then the man took me around to the south gateway and measured its various parts, and they were exactly the same as in the others.

²⁵It had windows along the walls as the others did, and there was an entry room where the gateway passage opened into the outer courtyard. And like the others, the gateway passage was 87 1⁄2 feet long and 43 3⁄4 feet wide between the back walls of facing guard alcoves.

²⁶This gateway also had a stairway of seven steps leading up to it, and an entry room at the inner end, and palm tree decorations along the dividing walls.

²⁷And here again, directly opposite the outer gateway, was another gateway that led into the inner courtyard. The distance between the two gateways was 175 feet.

²⁸Then the man took me to the south gateway leading into the inner courtyard. He measured it, and it had the same measurements as the other gateways.

²⁹Its guard alcoves, dividing walls, and entry room were the same size as those in the others. It also had windows along its walls and in the entry room. And like the others, the gateway passage was 87 1⁄2 feet long and 43 3⁄4 feet wide.

³⁰(The entry rooms of the gateways leading into the inner courtyard were 14 feet across and 43 3⁄4 feet wide.)

³¹The entry room to the south gateway faced into the outer courtyard. It had palm tree decorations on its columns, and there were eight steps leading to its entrance.

³²Then he took me to the east gateway leading to the inner courtyard. He measured it, and it had the same measurements as the other gateways.

³³Its guard alcoves, dividing walls, and entry room were the same size as those of the others, and there were windows along the walls and in the entry room. The gateway passage measured 87 1⁄2 feet long and 43 3⁄4 feet wide.

³⁴Its entry room faced into the outer courtyard. It had palm tree decorations on its columns, and there were eight steps leading to its entrance.

³⁵Then he took me around to the north gateway leading to the inner courtyard. He measured it, and it had the same measurements as the other gateways.

³⁶The guard alcoves, dividing walls, and entry room of this gateway had the same measurements as in the others and the same window arrangements. The gateway passage measured 87 1⁄2 feet long and 43 3⁄4 feet wide.

³⁷Its entry room faced into the outer courtyard, and it had palm tree decorations on the columns. There were eight steps leading to its entrance.

³⁸A door led from the entry room of one of the inner gateways into a side room, where the meat for sacrifices was washed.

³⁹On each side of this entry room were two tables, where the sacrificial animals were slaughtered for the burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings.

⁴⁰Outside the entry room, on each side of the stairs going up to the north entrance, were two more tables.

⁴¹So there were eight tables in all — four inside and four outside — where the sacrifices were cut up and prepared.

⁴²There were also four tables of finished stone for preparation of the burnt offerings, each 31 1⁄2 inches square and 21 inches high. On these tables were placed the butchering knives and other implements for slaughtering the sacrificial animals.

⁴³There were hooks, each 3 inches long, fastened all around the foyer walls. The sacrificial meat was laid on the tables.

⁴⁴Inside the inner courtyard were two rooms, one beside the north gateway, facing south, and the other beside the south gateway, facing north.

⁴⁵And the man said to me, “The room beside the north inner gate is for the priests who supervise the Temple maintenance.

⁴⁶The room beside the south inner gate is for the priests in charge of the altar — the descendants of Zadok — for they alone of all the Levites may approach the LORD to minister to him.”

⁴⁷Then the man measured the inner courtyard, and it was a square, 175 feet wide and 175 feet across. The altar stood in the courtyard in front of the Temple.

⁴⁸Then he brought me to the entry room of the Temple. He measured the walls on either side of the opening to the entry room, and they were 8 3⁄4 feet thick. The entrance itself was 24 1⁄2 feet wide, and the walls on each side of the entrance were an additional 5 1⁄4 feet long.

⁴⁹The entry room was 35 feet wide and 21 feet deep. There were ten steps leading up to it, with a column on each side.

¹Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: “Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!”

²Instantly Ananias the high priest commanded those close to Paul to slap him on the mouth.

³But Paul said to him, “God will slap you, you corrupt hypocrite! What kind of judge are you to break the law yourself by ordering me struck like that?”

⁴Those standing near Paul said to him, “Do you dare to insult God’s high priest?”

⁵“I’m sorry, brothers. I didn’t realize he was the high priest,” Paul replied, “for the Scriptures say, ‘You must not speak evil of any of your rulers.’ ”

⁶Paul realized that some members of the high council were Sadducees and some were Pharisees, so he shouted, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, as were my ancestors! And I am on trial because my hope is in the resurrection of the dead!”

⁷This divided the council — the Pharisees against the Sadducees —

⁸for the Sadducees say there is no resurrection or angels or spirits, but the Pharisees believe in all of these.

⁹So there was a great uproar. Some of the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees jumped up and began to argue forcefully. “We see nothing wrong with him,” they shouted. “Perhaps a spirit or an angel spoke to him.”

¹⁰As the conflict grew more violent, the commander was afraid they would tear Paul apart. So he ordered his soldiers to go and rescue him by force and take him back to the fortress.

¹¹That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.”

¹²The next morning a group of Jews got together and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.

¹³There were more than forty of them in the conspiracy.

¹⁴They went to the leading priests and elders and told them, “We have bound ourselves with an oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵So you and the high council should ask the commander to bring Paul back to the council again. Pretend you want to examine his case more fully. We will kill him on the way.”

¹⁶But Paul’s nephew — his sister’s son — heard of their plan and went to the fortress and told Paul.

¹⁷Paul called for one of the Roman officers and said, “Take this young man to the commander. He has something important to tell him.”

¹⁸So the officer did, explaining, “Paul, the prisoner, called me over and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”

¹⁹The commander took his hand, led him aside, and asked, “What is it you want to tell me?”

²⁰Paul’s nephew told him, “Some Jews are going to ask you to bring Paul before the high council tomorrow, pretending they want to get some more information.

²¹But don’t do it! There are more than forty men hiding along the way ready to ambush him. They have vowed not to eat or drink anything until they have killed him. They are ready now, just waiting for your consent.”

²²“Don’t let anyone know you told me this,” the commander warned the young man.

²³Then the commander called two of his officers and ordered, “Get 200 soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o’clock tonight. Also take 200 spearmen and 70 mounted troops.

²⁴Provide horses for Paul to ride, and get him safely to Governor Felix.”

²⁵Then he wrote this letter to the governor:

²⁶“From Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings!

²⁷“This man was seized by some Jews, and they were about to kill him when I arrived with the troops. When I learned that he was a Roman citizen, I removed him to safety.

²⁸Then I took him to their high council to try to learn the basis of the accusations against him.

²⁹I soon discovered the charge was something regarding their religious law — certainly nothing worthy of imprisonment or death.

³⁰But when I was informed of a plot to kill him, I immediately sent him on to you. I have told his accusers to bring their charges before you.”

³¹So that night, as ordered, the soldiers took Paul as far as Antipatris.

³²They returned to the fortress the next morning, while the mounted troops took him on to Caesarea.

³³When they arrived in Caesarea, they presented Paul and the letter to Governor Felix.

³⁴He read it and then asked Paul what province he was from. “Cilicia,” Paul answered.

³⁵“I will hear your case myself when your accusers arrive,” the governor told him. Then the governor ordered him kept in the prison at Herod’s headquarters.