Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹While He was passing by, He noticed a man [who had been] blind from birth.

²His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi (Teacher), who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?"

³Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but it was so that the works of God might be displayed and illustrated in him.

⁴We must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.

⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world [giving guidance through My word and works]."

⁶When He had said this, He spat on the ground and made mud with His saliva, and He spread the mud [like an ointment] on the man's eyes.

⁷And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing.

⁸So the neighbors, and those who used to know him as a beggar, said, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?"

⁹Some said, "It is he." Still others said, "No, but he looks like him." But he kept saying, "I am the man."

¹⁰So they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?"

¹¹He replied, "The Man called Jesus made mud and smeared it on my eyes and told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received my sight!"

¹²They asked him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know."

¹³Then they brought the man who was formerly blind to the Pharisees.

¹⁴Now it was on a Sabbath day that Jesus made the mud and opened the man's eyes.

¹⁵So the Pharisees asked him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, "He smeared mud on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see."

¹⁶Then some of the Pharisees said, "This Man [Jesus] is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner (a non-observant Jew) do such signs and miracles?" So there was a difference of opinion among them.

¹⁷Accordingly they said to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?" And he said, "[It must be that] He is a prophet!"

¹⁸However, the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the man's parents.

¹⁹They asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?"

²⁰His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;

²¹but as to how he now sees, we do not know; or who has opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him [and stop asking us]; he is of age, he will speak for himself and give his own account of it."

²²His parents said this because they were afraid of [the leaders of] the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged Jesus to be the Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue (excommunicated).

²³Because of this his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

²⁴So a second time they called the man who had been [born] blind, and said to him, "Give God glory and praise [for your sight]! We know this Man [Jesus] is a sinner [separated from God]."

²⁵Then he answered, "I do not know whether He is a sinner [separated from God]; but one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see."

²⁶So they said to him, "What did He [actually] do to you? How did He open your eyes?"

²⁷He answered, "I already told you and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again and again? Do you want to become His disciples, too?"

²⁸And [at that remark] they stormed at him and jeered, "You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses!

²⁹We know [for certain] that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this Man, we do not know where He is from."

³⁰The man replied, "Well, this is astonishing! You do not know where He comes from, and yet He opened my eyes!

³¹We know [according to your tradition] that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone fears God and does His will, He hears him.

³²Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.

³³If this Man were not from God, He would not be able to do anything [like this because God would not hear His prayer]."

³⁴They answered him, "You were born entirely in sins [from head to foot], and you [presume to] teach us?" Then they threw him out [of the synagogue].

³⁵Jesus heard that they had put him out [of the synagogue], and finding him, He asked, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

³⁶He answered, "Who is He, Sir? Tell me so that I may believe in Him."

³⁷Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him, and [in fact] He is the one who is talking with you."

³⁸And he said, "Lord, I believe [in You and Your word]!" And he worshiped Him [with reverence and awe].

³⁹Then Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment [to separate those who believe in Me from those who reject Me—to declare judgment on those who choose to be separated from God], so that the sightless would see, and those who see would become blind."

⁴⁰Some Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, "Are we also blind?"

⁴¹Jesus said to them, "If you were blind [to spiritual things], you would have no sin [and would not be blamed for your unbelief]; but since you claim to have [spiritual] sight, [you have no excuse so] your sin and guilt remain.

¹"If a prophet arises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder,

²and the sign or the wonder which he spoke (foretold) to you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us follow after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve and worship them,'

³you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and mind and all your soul [your entire being].

⁴You shall walk after the LORD your God and you shall fear [and worship] Him [with awe-filled reverence and profound respect], and you shall keep His commandments and you shall listen to His voice, and you shall serve Him, and cling to Him.

⁵But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to draw you away from the way in which the LORD your God has commanded you to walk. So you shall remove the evil from among you.

⁶"If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as [precious to you as] your own life (soul), entices you secretly, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods' (gods whom neither you nor your fathers have known,

⁷of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other),

⁸you shall not consent to him or listen to him; and your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him.

⁹Instead, you shall most certainly execute him; your hand shall be first [to be raised] against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

¹⁰So you shall stone him to death with stones, because he has tried to draw you away from the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

¹¹Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such a wicked thing among you.

¹²"If you hear [it said] in one of your cities, which the LORD your God gives you to live in,

¹³that some worthless and evil men have gone out from among you and have tempted the inhabitants of their city [to sin], saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods' (whom you have not known),

¹⁴then you shall investigate and search out [witnesses] and ask thorough questions. If it is true and the matter is established that this loathsome thing has been done among you,

¹⁵you shall most certainly strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it and all that is in it, even its livestock with the edge of the sword.

¹⁶Then you shall collect all its spoil (plunder) into the middle of its open square and burn the city and set fire to the spoil as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It shall be a ruin forever. It shall not be built again.

¹⁷Nothing from that which is put under the ban (designated for destruction) shall cling to your hand, so that the LORD may turn away from His burning anger and show mercy to you, and have compassion on you and make you increase, just as He swore to your fathers,

¹⁸because you have listened to and obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, keeping all His commandments which I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD your God.

¹Brothers and sisters, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for Israel is for their salvation.

²For I testify about them that they have a certain enthusiasm for God, but not in accordance with [correct and vital] knowledge [about Him and His purposes].

³For not knowing about God's righteousness [which is based on faith], and seeking to establish their own [righteousness based on works], they did not submit to God's righteousness.

⁴For Christ is the end of the law [it leads to Him and its purpose is fulfilled in Him], for [granting] righteousness to everyone who believes [in Him as Savior].

⁵For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law [with all its intricate demands] shall live by it.

⁶But the righteousness based on faith [which produces a right relationship with Him] says the following: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into Heaven?' that is, to bring Christ down;

⁷or, 'Who will descend into the abyss?' that is, to bring Christ up from the dead [as if we had to be saved by our own efforts, doing the impossible]."

⁸But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart"—that is, the word [the message, the basis] of faith which we preach—

⁹because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

¹⁰For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation.

¹¹For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] will not be disappointed [in his expectations]."

¹²For there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile; for the same Lord is Lord over all [of us], and [He is] abounding in riches (blessings) for all who call on Him [in faith and prayer].

¹³For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord [in prayer] will be saved."

¹⁴But how will people call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher (messenger)?

¹⁵And how will they preach unless they are commissioned and sent [for that purpose]? Just as it is written and forever remains written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!"

¹⁶But they did not all pay attention to the good news [of salvation]; for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?"

¹⁷So faith comes from hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the [preaching of the] message concerning Christ.

¹⁸But I say, did they not hear? Indeed they have; "Their voice [that of creation bearing God's message] has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the [farthest] ends of the world."

¹⁹But I say, did Israel fail to understand [that the gospel was to go also to the Gentiles]? First Moses says, "I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation (Gentiles); With a nation that lacks understanding I will make you angry."

²⁰Then Isaiah is very bold and says, "I have been found by those who did not seek Me; I have shown Myself to those who did not [consciously] ask for Me."

²¹But of Israel he says, "All day long I have stretched out My hands [in compassion] to a disobedient and obstinate people."

¹[I am writing about] what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life [the One who existed even before the beginning of the world, Christ]—

²and the Life [an aspect of His being] was manifested, and we have seen [it as eyewitnesses] and testify and declare to you [the Life], the eternal Life who was [already existing] with the Father and was [actually] made visible to us [His followers]—

³what we have seen and heard we also proclaim to you, so that you too may have fellowship [as partners] with us. And indeed our fellowship [which is a distinguishing mark of born-again believers] is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

⁴We are writing these things to you so that our joy [in seeing you included] may be made complete [by having you share in the joy of salvation].

⁵This is the message [of God's promised revelation] which we have heard from Him and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection].

⁶If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness [of sin], we lie and do not practice the truth;

⁷but if we [really] walk in the Light [that is, live each and every day in conformity with the precepts of God], as He Himself is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another [He with us, and we with Him], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin [by erasing the stain of sin, keeping us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations].

⁸If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude ourselves and the truth is not in us. [His word does not live in our hearts.]

⁹If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].

¹⁰If we say that we have not sinned [refusing to admit acts of sin], we make Him [out to be] a liar [by contradicting Him] and His word is not in us.

¹Then Job answered the LORD and said,

²"I know that You can do all things, And that no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained.

³"[You said to me] 'Who is this that darkens and obscures counsel [by words] without knowledge?' Therefore [I now see] I have [rashly] uttered that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

⁴'Hear, please, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct [and answer] me.'

⁵"I had heard of You [only] by the hearing of the ear, But now my [spiritual] eye sees You.

⁶"Therefore I retract [my words and hate myself] And I repent in dust and ashes."

⁷It came about that after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.

⁸Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him [and his prayer] so that I may not deal with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has."

⁹So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job's prayer.

¹⁰The LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

¹¹Then all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him over all the [distressing] adversities that the LORD had brought on him. And each one gave him a piece of money, and each a ring of gold.

¹²And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.

¹³He had seven sons and three daughters.

¹⁴And he called the name of the first [daughter] Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch.

¹⁵In all the land there were found no women so fair as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.

¹⁶After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations.

¹⁷So Job died, an old man and full of days.

¹A Mikhtam of David [probably intended to record memorable thoughts]. Keep and protect me, O God, for in You I have placed my trust and found refuge.

²I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good besides You."

³As for the saints (godly people) who are in the land, They are the majestic and the noble and the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.

⁴The sorrows [pain and suffering] of those who have chosen another god will be multiplied [because of their idolatry]; I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood, Nor will I take their names upon my lips.

⁵The LORD is the portion of my inheritance, my cup [He is all I need]; You support my lot.

⁶The [boundary] lines [of the land] have fallen for me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.

⁷I will bless the LORD who has counseled me; Indeed, my heart (mind) instructs me in the night.

⁸I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

⁹Therefore my heart is glad and my glory [my innermost self] rejoices; My body too will dwell [confidently] in safety,

¹⁰For You will not abandon me to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

¹¹You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

¹A false balance and dishonest business practices are extremely offensive to the LORD, But an accurate scale is His delight.

²When pride comes [boiling up with an arrogant attitude of self-importance], then come dishonor and shame, But with the humble [the teachable who have been chiseled by trial and who have learned to walk humbly with God] there is wisdom and soundness of mind.

³The integrity and moral courage of the upright will guide them, But the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.

⁴Riches will not provide security in the day of wrath and judgment, But righteousness rescues from death.

⁵The righteousness of the blameless will smooth their way and keep it straight, But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.

⁶The righteousness of the upright will rescue them, But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.

⁷When the wicked man dies, his expectation will perish; And the hope of [godless] strong men perishes.

⁸The righteous is rescued from trouble, And the wicked takes his place.

⁹With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge and discernment the righteous will be rescued.

¹⁰When it goes well for the righteous, the city rejoices, And when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

¹¹By the blessing [of the influence] of the upright the city is exalted, But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.

¹²He who despises his neighbor lacks sense, But a man of understanding keeps silent.

¹³He who goes about as a gossip reveals secrets, But he who is trustworthy and faithful keeps a matter hidden.

¹⁴Where there is no [wise, intelligent] guidance, the people fall [and go off course like a ship without a helm], But in the abundance of [wise and godly] counselors there is victory.

¹⁵He who puts up security and guarantees a debt for an outsider will surely suffer [for his foolishness], But he who hates (declines) being a guarantor is secure [from its penalties].

¹⁶A gracious and good woman attains honor, And ruthless men attain riches [but not respect].

¹⁷The merciful and generous man benefits his soul [for his behavior returns to bless him], But the cruel and callous man does himself harm.

¹⁸The wicked man earns deceptive wages, But he who sows righteousness and lives his life with integrity will have a true reward [that is both permanent and satisfying].

¹⁹He who is steadfast in righteousness attains life, But he who pursues evil attains his own death.

²⁰The perverse in heart are repulsive and shamefully vile to the LORD, But those who are blameless and above reproach in their walk are His delight!

²¹Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished, But the descendants of the righteous will be freed.

²²As a ring of gold in a swine's snout, So is a beautiful woman who is without discretion [her lack of character mocks her beauty].

²³The desire of the righteous brings only good, But the expectation of the wicked brings wrath.

²⁴There is the one who [generously] scatters [abroad], and yet increases all the more; And there is the one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want and poverty.

²⁵The generous man [is a source of blessing and] shall be prosperous and enriched, And he who waters will himself be watered [reaping the generosity he has sown].

²⁶The people curse him who holds back grain [when the public needs it], But a blessing [from God and man] is upon the head of him who sells it.

²⁷He who diligently seeks good seeks favor and grace, But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.

²⁸He who leans on and trusts in and is confident in his riches will fall, But the righteous [who trust in God's provision] will flourish like a green leaf.

²⁹He who troubles (mismanages) his own house will inherit the wind (nothing), And the foolish will be a servant to the wise-hearted.

³⁰The fruit of the [consistently] righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise captures and wins souls [for God—he gathers them for eternity].

³¹If the righteous will be rewarded on the earth [with godly blessings], How much more [will] the wicked and the sinner [be repaid with punishment]!

¹David built houses for himself in the City of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

²Then David said, "No one is to carry the ark of God except the Levites; for the LORD chose them to carry the ark of God and to minister to Him forever."

³And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to the place which he had prepared for it.

⁴David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites:

⁵of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, with 120 of his relatives;

⁶of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, with 220 of his relatives;

⁷of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, with 130 of his relatives;

⁸of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, with 200 of his relatives;

⁹of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, with 80 of his relatives;

¹⁰of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, with 112 of his relatives.

¹¹Then David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites—Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab,

¹²and he said to them, "You are the heads of the fathers' households of the Levites; consecrate yourselves, both you and your relatives, so that you may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it.

¹³Because you did not [carry it as God directed] the first time, the LORD our God made an [angry] outburst against us, for we did not seek Him in accordance with the ordinance."

¹⁴So the priests and the Levites consecrated (dedicated) themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.

¹⁵The Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD.

¹⁶Then David told the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their relatives as the singers, with instruments of music—harps, lyres, and cymbals—to play loudly and to raise sounds of joy [with their voices].

¹⁷So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel, and from his relatives, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and from the sons of Merari their relatives, Ethan the son of Kushaiah,

¹⁸and with them their relatives of the second rank: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers.

¹⁹So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were appointed to sound aloud the bronze cymbals;

²⁰and Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah [were to play] with harps tuned to Alamoth [that is, a high pitch];

²¹and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead with lyres set to Sheminith [that is, the eighth string, a low pitch].

²²Chenaniah, leader of the Levites, was in charge of the singing; he gave instruction in singing because he was skilled.

²³Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark.

²⁴Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer the priests blew the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah (Jeiel) were also gatekeepers for the ark.

²⁵So David, with the elders of Israel and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-edom with joy.

²⁶Because God was helping the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD [to do it carefully and safely], they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.

²⁷David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who carried the ark, and the singers and Chenaniah, director of the music of the singers. David also wore an ephod (a priestly upper garment) of linen.

²⁸Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the horn, with trumpets, with loud-sounding cymbals, with harps and lyres.

²⁹It happened that as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the City of David, Michal [David's wife] the daughter of Saul, looking down through a window, saw King David leaping and dancing [in celebration]; and she despised him in her heart.

¹Then he (the angel) led me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east.

²And behold, the glory and brilliance of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east; and His voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with His glory.

³And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, like the vision I saw when He came to destroy the city. And the visions were like the vision I saw beside the River Chebar [near Babylon]; and I fell face downward.

⁴And the glory and brilliance of the LORD entered the temple by way of the gate facing toward the east.

⁵Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner courtyard; and behold, the glory and brilliance of the LORD filled the temple.

⁶And I heard One speaking to me from the temple, while a man was standing beside me.

⁷And He [the LORD] said to me, "Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the sons (descendants) of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their [idolatrous] prostitution and by the corpses and monuments of their kings in their graves,

⁸by setting their threshold by My threshold and their doorpost beside My doorpost, with [only] the wall between Me and them. They have defiled and desecrated My holy name by the vile atrocities which they have committed. So I have consumed them in My anger.

⁹Now let them put far away from Me their [idolatrous] prostitution and the corpses and monuments of their kings, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

¹⁰"As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, so that they will be ashamed of their sins; and let them measure its plan [in detail].

¹¹If they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple (house), its layout, its exits, its entrances, all its designs, all its statutes, and all its laws. And write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its statutes and do them.

¹²This is the law of the temple: Its entire area all around on the top of the mountain(Mount Moriah) shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

¹³"And these are the measurements of the altar [of burnt offering] in cubits (the cubit being a [long] cubit [the length of a forearm] and a hand width): the base shall be a cubit [long] and a cubit wide, with its border on its edge all around it of a span [in width]. And this shall be the height of the base of the altar.

¹⁴From the base on the ground to the lower ledge shall be two cubits and the width one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge shall be four cubits and the width one cubit.

¹⁵The altar hearth shall be four cubits high, and from the altar hearth shall extend upwards four horns [one from each corner, each one cubit high].

¹⁶Now the altar hearth shall be twelve cubits long by twelve wide, square in its four sides.

¹⁷The ledge shall be fourteen cubits long by fourteen wide on its four sides, and the border around it shall be half a cubit; and its base shall be a cubit all around, and its steps shall face the east."

¹⁸And He [the LORD] said to me, "Son of man, thus says the Lord GOD, 'These are the statutes and regulations for [the use of] the altar on the day that it is built, to offer burnt offerings on it and to sprinkle blood on it.

¹⁹You shall give to the priests, the Levites who are from the descendants of Zadok, who are close to Me to minister to Me,' says the Lord GOD, 'a young bull for a sin offering [as a memorial to Christ's sacrifice].

²⁰And you shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns [of the altar of burnt offering] and on the four corners of the ledge and on the border all around; thus you shall cleanse it (from sin) and make atonement for it.

²¹You shall also take the bull for the sin offering, and it shall be burned in the appointed place of the temple, outside the sanctuary.

²²'On the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering, and they shall cleanse the altar as they cleansed it with the bull.

²³When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without blemish and a ram from the flock without blemish.

²⁴You shall present them before the LORD, and the priests shall throw salt on them, and they shall offer them up as a burnt offering to the LORD.

²⁵For seven days you shall prepare daily a goat for a sin offering; also a young bull and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be prepared.

²⁶For seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it; so the priests shall consecrate it [to receive offerings].

²⁷When they have completed these days, on the eighth day and from then onward, the priests shall offer your burnt offerings on the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you,' says the Lord GOD."

¹Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You are [now] permitted to speak on your own behalf." At that, Paul stretched out his hand [as an orator] and made his defense [as follows]:

²"I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, since it is before you that I am to make my defense today regarding all the charges brought against me by the Jews,

³especially because you are an expert [fully knowledgeable, experienced and unusually conversant] in all the Jewish customs and controversial issues; therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.

⁴"So then, all the Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation [the Jewish people], and in Jerusalem.

⁵They have known me for a long time, if they are willing to testify to it, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I have lived as a Pharisee.

⁶And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers.

⁷Which hope [of the Messiah and the resurrection] our twelve tribes [confidently] expect to realize as they serve and worship God in earnest night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews!

⁸Why is it thought incredible by [any of] you that God raises the dead?

⁹"So then, I [once] thought to myself that it was my duty to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

¹⁰And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; I not only locked up many of the saints (God's people) in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being condemned to death, I cast my vote against them.

¹¹And I often punished them [making them suffer] in all the synagogues and tried to force them to blaspheme; and in my extreme rage at them, I kept hunting them even to foreign cities [harassing and persecuting them].

¹²"While so engaged, as I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and commission and full power of the chief priests,

¹³at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven surpassing the brightness of the sun, shining all around me and those who were traveling with me.

¹⁴And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice in the Hebrew dialect (Jewish Aramaic) saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick [repeatedly] against the goads [offering pointless resistance].'

¹⁵And I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

¹⁶Get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you [to serve] as a minister and as a witness [to testify, with authority,] not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you,

¹⁷[choosing you for Myself and] rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,

¹⁸to open their [spiritual] eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness and release from their sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified (set apart, made holy) by faith in Me.'

¹⁹"So, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

²⁰but I openly proclaimed first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent [change their inner self—their old way of thinking] and turn to God, doing deeds and living lives which are consistent with repentance.

²¹Because of this some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

²²But I have had help from God to this day, and I stand [before people] testifying to small and great alike, stating nothing except what the Prophets and Moses said would come to pass—

²³that the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) was to suffer, and that He by being the first to rise from the dead [with an incorruptible body] would proclaim light (salvation) both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."

²⁴While Paul was making this defense, Festus said loudly, "Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great education is turning you toward madness."

²⁵But Paul replied, "I am not out of my mind, most excellent and noble Festus, but [with a sound mind] I am uttering rational words of truth and reason.

²⁶For [your majesty] the king understands these things, and [therefore] I am also speaking to him with confidence and boldness, since I am convinced that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner [hidden from view, in secret].

²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe the [writings of the] Prophets [their messages and words]? I know that you do."

²⁸Then Agrippa said to Paul, "In a short time [and with so little effort] you [almost] persuade me to become a Christian."

²⁹And Paul replied, "Whether in a short time or long, I wish to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become such as I am, except for these chains."

³⁰Then the king stood up, and [with him] the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them;

³¹and after they had gone out, they began saying to one another, "This man is not doing anything worthy of death or [even] of imprisonment."

³²And Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar (Emperor Nero)."