Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber!

²But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.

³The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

⁴After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.

⁵They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”

⁶Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant,

⁷so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.

⁸All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them.

⁹Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.

¹⁰The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

¹¹“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.

¹²A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock.

¹³The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.

¹⁴“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me,

¹⁵just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.

¹⁶I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.

¹⁷“The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again.

¹⁸No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”

¹⁹When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him.

²⁰Some said, “He’s demon possessed and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?”

²¹Others said, “This doesn’t sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

²²It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication.

²³He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade.

²⁴The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

²⁵Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name.

²⁶But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep.

²⁷My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

²⁸I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me,

²⁹for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.

³⁰The Father and I are one.”

³¹Once again the people picked up stones to kill him.

³²Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?”

³³They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.”

³⁴Jesus replied, “It is written in your own Scriptures that God said to certain leaders of the people, ‘I say, you are gods!’

³⁵And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people who received God’s message were called ‘gods,’

³⁶why do you call it blasphemy when I say, ‘I am the Son of God’? After all, the Father set me apart and sent me into the world.

³⁷Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work.

³⁸But if I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don’t believe me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.”

³⁹Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them.

⁴⁰He went beyond the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile.

⁴¹And many followed him. “John didn’t perform miraculous signs,” they remarked to one another, “but everything he said about this man has come true.”

⁴²And many who were there believed in Jesus.

¹“Since you are the people of the LORD your God, never cut yourselves or shave the hair above your foreheads in mourning for the dead.

²You have been set apart as holy to the LORD your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.

³“You must not eat any detestable animals that are ceremonially unclean.

⁴These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,

⁵the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the addax, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.

⁶“You may eat any animal that has completely split hooves and chews the cud,

⁷but if the animal doesn’t have both, it may not be eaten. So you may not eat the camel, the hare, or the hyrax. They chew the cud but do not have split hooves, so they are ceremonially unclean for you.

⁸And you may not eat the pig. It has split hooves but does not chew the cud, so it is ceremonially unclean for you. You may not eat the meat of these animals or even touch their carcasses.

⁹“Of all the marine animals, you may eat whatever has both fins and scales.

¹⁰You may not, however, eat marine animals that do not have both fins and scales. They are ceremonially unclean for you.

¹¹“You may eat any bird that is ceremonially clean.

¹²These are the birds you may not eat: the griffon vulture, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,

¹³the kite, the falcon, buzzards of all kinds,

¹⁴ravens of all kinds,

¹⁵the eagle owl, the short-eared owl, the seagull, hawks of all kinds,

¹⁶the little owl, the great owl, the barn owl,

¹⁷the desert owl, the Egyptian vulture, the cormorant,

¹⁸the stork, herons of all kinds, the hoopoe, and the bat.

¹⁹“All winged insects that walk along the ground are ceremonially unclean for you and may not be eaten.

²⁰But you may eat any winged bird or insect that is ceremonially clean.

²¹“You must not eat anything that has died a natural death. You may give it to a foreigner living in your town, or you may sell it to a stranger. But do not eat it yourselves, for you are set apart as holy to the LORD your God. “You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

²²“You must set aside a tithe of your crops — one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year.

²³Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship — the place the LORD your God chooses for his name to be honored — and eat it there in his presence. This applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn males of your flocks and herds. Doing this will teach you always to fear the LORD your God.

²⁴“Now when the LORD your God blesses you with a good harvest, the place of worship he chooses for his name to be honored might be too far for you to bring the tithe.

²⁵If so, you may sell the tithe portion of your crops and herds, put the money in a pouch, and go to the place the LORD your God has chosen.

²⁶When you arrive, you may use the money to buy any kind of food you want — cattle, sheep, goats, wine, or other alcoholic drink. Then feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and celebrate with your household.

²⁷And do not neglect the Levites in your town, for they will receive no allotment of land among you.

²⁸“At the end of every third year, bring the entire tithe of that year’s harvest and store it in the nearest town.

²⁹Give it to the Levites, who will receive no allotment of land among you, as well as to the foreigners living among you, the orphans, and the widows in your towns, so they can eat and be satisfied. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all your work.

¹I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.

²No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said,

³“LORD, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

⁴And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”

⁵It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace — his undeserved kindness in choosing them.

⁶And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is — free and undeserved.

⁷So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have — the ones God has chosen — but the hearts of the rest were hardened.

⁸As the Scriptures say, “God has put them into a deep sleep. To this day he has shut their eyes so they do not see, and closed their ears so they do not hear.”

⁹Likewise, David said, “Let their bountiful table become a snare, a trap that makes them think all is well. Let their blessings cause them to stumble, and let them get what they deserve.

¹⁰Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and let their backs be bent forever.”

¹¹Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves.

¹²Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.

¹³I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this,

¹⁴for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them.

¹⁵For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead!

¹⁶And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy — just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.

¹⁷But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree — some of the people of Israel — have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree.

¹⁸But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.

¹⁹“Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.”

²⁰Yes, but remember — those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen.

²¹For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either.

²²Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.

²³And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree.

²⁴You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.

²⁵I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ.

²⁶And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, “The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness.

²⁷And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins.”

²⁸Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

²⁹For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.

³⁰Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead.

³¹Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy.

³²For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.

³³Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

³⁴For who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice?

³⁵And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back?

³⁶For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

¹My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.

²He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins — and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

³And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments.

⁴If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.

⁵But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.

⁶Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

⁷Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment — to love one another — is the same message you heard before.

⁸Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.

⁹If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness.

¹⁰Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble.

¹¹But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.

¹²I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.

¹³I am writing to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I am writing to you who are young in the faith because you have won your battle with the evil one.

¹⁴I have written to you who are God’s children because you know the Father. I have written to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I have written to you who are young in the faith because you are strong. God’s word lives in your hearts, and you have won your battle with the evil one.

¹⁵Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.

¹⁶For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

¹⁷And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

¹⁸Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come.

¹⁹These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.

²⁰But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth.

²¹So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies.

²²And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist.

²³Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

²⁴So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father.

²⁵And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.

²⁶I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray.

²⁷But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true — it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.

²⁸And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.

²⁹Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children.

¹These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem.

²“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!”

³What do people get for all their hard work under the sun?

⁴Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes.

⁵The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again.

⁶The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles.

⁷Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea.

⁸Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.

⁹History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.

¹⁰Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new.

¹¹We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.

¹²I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem.

¹³I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race.

¹⁴I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless — like chasing the wind.

¹⁵What is wrong cannot be made right. What is missing cannot be recovered.

¹⁶I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.”

¹⁷So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind.

¹⁸The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.

¹O LORD, hear my plea for justice. Listen to my cry for help. Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes from honest lips.

²Declare me innocent, for you see those who do right.

³You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night. You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong. I am determined not to sin in what I say.

⁴I have followed your commands, which keep me from following cruel and evil people.

⁵My steps have stayed on your path; I have not wavered from following you.

⁶I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray.

⁷Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways. By your mighty power you rescue those who seek refuge from their enemies.

⁸Guard me as you would guard your own eyes. Hide me in the shadow of your wings.

⁹Protect me from wicked people who attack me, from murderous enemies who surround me.

¹⁰They are without pity. Listen to their boasting!

¹¹They track me down and surround me, watching for the chance to throw me to the ground.

¹²They are like hungry lions, eager to tear me apart — like young lions hiding in ambush.

¹³Arise, O LORD! Stand against them, and bring them to their knees! Rescue me from the wicked with your sword!

¹⁴By the power of your hand, O LORD, destroy those who look to this world for their reward. But satisfy the hunger of your treasured ones. May their children have plenty, leaving an inheritance for their descendants.

¹⁵Because I am righteous, I will see you. When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.

¹To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.

²The LORD approves of those who are good, but he condemns those who plan wickedness.

³Wickedness never brings stability, but the godly have deep roots.

⁴A worthy wife is a crown for her husband, but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones.

⁵The plans of the godly are just; the advice of the wicked is treacherous.

⁶The words of the wicked are like a murderous ambush, but the words of the godly save lives.

⁷The wicked die and disappear, but the family of the godly stands firm.

⁸A sensible person wins admiration, but a warped mind is despised.

⁹Better to be an ordinary person with a servant than to be self-important but have no food.

¹⁰The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.

¹¹A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.

¹²Thieves are jealous of each other’s loot, but the godly are well rooted and bear their own fruit.

¹³The wicked are trapped by their own words, but the godly escape such trouble.

¹⁴Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.

¹⁵Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.

¹⁶A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.

¹⁷An honest witness tells the truth; a false witness tells lies.

¹⁸Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.

¹⁹Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed.

²⁰Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil; joy fills hearts that are planning peace!

²¹No harm comes to the godly, but the wicked have their fill of trouble.

²²The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth.

²³The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness.

²⁴Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.

²⁵Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.

²⁶The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.

²⁷Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find.

²⁸The way of the godly leads to life; that path does not lead to death.

¹They brought the Ark of God and placed it inside the special tent David had prepared for it. And they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to God.

²When he had finished his sacrifices, David blessed the people in the name of the LORD.

³Then he gave to every man and woman in all Israel a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, and a cake of raisins.

⁴David appointed the following Levites to lead the people in worship before the Ark of the LORD — to invoke his blessings, to give thanks, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel.

⁵Asaph, the leader of this group, sounded the cymbals. Second to him was Zechariah, followed by Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel. They played the harps and lyres.

⁶The priests, Benaiah and Jahaziel, played the trumpets regularly before the Ark of God’s Covenant.

⁷On that day David gave to Asaph and his fellow Levites this song of thanksgiving to the LORD:

⁸Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.

⁹Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.

¹⁰Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the LORD.

¹¹Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him.

¹²Remember the wonders he has performed, his miracles, and the rulings he has given,

¹³you children of his servant Israel, you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.

¹⁴He is the LORD our God. His justice is seen throughout the land.

¹⁵Remember his covenant forever — the commitment he made to a thousand generations.

¹⁶This is the covenant he made with Abraham and the oath he swore to Isaac.

¹⁷He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant:

¹⁸“I will give you the land of Canaan as your special possession.”

¹⁹He said this when you were few in number, a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.

²⁰They wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.

²¹Yet he did not let anyone oppress them. He warned kings on their behalf:

²²“Do not touch my chosen people, and do not hurt my prophets.”

²³Let the whole earth sing to the LORD! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.

²⁴Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.

²⁵Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.

²⁶The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the LORD made the heavens!

²⁷Honor and majesty surround him; strength and joy fill his dwelling.

²⁸O nations of the world, recognize the LORD, recognize that the LORD is glorious and strong.

²⁹Give to the LORD the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the LORD in all his holy splendor.

³⁰Let all the earth tremble before him. The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.

³¹Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Tell all the nations, “The LORD reigns!”

³²Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!

³³Let the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he is coming to judge the earth.

³⁴Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

³⁵Cry out, “Save us, O God of our salvation! Gather and rescue us from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you.”

³⁶Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting! And all the people shouted “Amen!” and praised the LORD.

³⁷David arranged for Asaph and his fellow Levites to serve regularly before the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant, doing whatever needed to be done each day.

³⁸This group included Obed-edom (son of Jeduthun), Hosah, and sixty-eight other Levites as gatekeepers.

³⁹Meanwhile, David stationed Zadok the priest and his fellow priests at the Tabernacle of the LORD at the place of worship in Gibeon, where they continued to minister before the LORD.

⁴⁰They sacrificed the regular burnt offerings to the LORD each morning and evening on the altar set aside for that purpose, obeying everything written in the Law of the LORD, as he had commanded Israel.

⁴¹David also appointed Heman, Jeduthun, and the others chosen by name to give thanks to the LORD, for “his faithful love endures forever.”

⁴²They used their trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments to accompany their songs of praise to God. And the sons of Jeduthun were appointed as gatekeepers.

⁴³Then all the people returned to their homes, and David turned and went home to bless his own family.

¹Then the man brought me back to the east gateway in the outer wall of the Temple area, but it was closed.

²And the LORD said to me, “This gate must remain closed; it will never again be opened. No one will ever open it and pass through, for the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered here. Therefore, it must always remain shut.

³Only the prince himself may sit inside this gateway to feast in the LORD’s presence. But he may come and go only through the entry room of the gateway.”

⁴Then the man brought me through the north gateway to the front of the Temple. I looked and saw that the glory of the LORD filled the Temple of the LORD, and I fell face down on the ground.

⁵And the LORD said to me, “Son of man, take careful notice. Use your eyes and ears, and listen to everything I tell you about the regulations concerning the LORD’s Temple. Take careful note of the procedures for using the Temple’s entrances and exits.

⁶And give these rebels, the people of Israel, this message from the Sovereign LORD: O people of Israel, enough of your detestable sins!

⁷You have brought uncircumcised foreigners into my sanctuary — people who have no heart for God. In this way, you defiled my Temple even as you offered me my food, the fat and blood of sacrifices. In addition to all your other detestable sins, you have broken my covenant.

⁸Instead of safeguarding my sacred rituals, you have hired foreigners to take charge of my sanctuary.

⁹“So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: No foreigners, including those who live among the people of Israel, will enter my sanctuary if they have not been circumcised and have not surrendered themselves to the LORD.

¹⁰And the men of the tribe of Levi who abandoned me when Israel strayed away from me to worship idols must bear the consequences of their unfaithfulness.

¹¹They may still be Temple guards and gatekeepers, and they may slaughter the animals brought for burnt offerings and be present to help the people.

¹²But they encouraged my people to worship idols, causing Israel to fall into deep sin. So I have taken a solemn oath that they must bear the consequences for their sins, says the Sovereign LORD.

¹³They may not approach me to minister as priests. They may not touch any of my holy things or the holy offerings, for they must bear the shame of all the detestable sins they have committed.

¹⁴They are to serve as the Temple caretakers, taking charge of the maintenance work and performing general duties.

¹⁵“However, the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok continued to minister faithfully in the Temple when Israel abandoned me for idols. These men will serve as my ministers. They will stand in my presence and offer the fat and blood of the sacrifices, says the Sovereign LORD.

¹⁶They alone will enter my sanctuary and approach my table to serve me. They will fulfill all my requirements.

¹⁷“When they enter the gateway to the inner courtyard, they must wear only linen clothing. They must wear no wool while on duty in the inner courtyard or in the Temple itself.

¹⁸They must wear linen turbans and linen undergarments. They must not wear anything that would cause them to perspire.

¹⁹When they return to the outer courtyard where the people are, they must take off the clothes they wear while ministering to me. They must leave them in the sacred rooms and put on other clothes so they do not endanger anyone by transmitting holiness to them through this clothing.

²⁰“They must neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow too long. Instead, they must trim it regularly.

²¹The priests must not drink wine before entering the inner courtyard.

²²They may choose their wives only from among the virgins of Israel or the widows of the priests. They may not marry other widows or divorced women.

²³They will teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is common, what is ceremonially clean and unclean.

²⁴“They will serve as judges to resolve any disagreements among my people. Their decisions must be based on my regulations. And the priests themselves must obey my instructions and decrees at all the sacred festivals, and see to it that the Sabbaths are set apart as holy days.

²⁵“A priest must not defile himself by being in the presence of a dead person unless it is his father, mother, child, brother, or unmarried sister. In such cases it is permitted.

²⁶Even then, he can return to his Temple duties only after being ceremonially cleansed and then waiting for seven days.

²⁷The first day he returns to work and enters the inner courtyard and the sanctuary, he must offer a sin offering for himself, says the Sovereign LORD.

²⁸“The priests will not have any property or possession of land, for I alone am their special possession.

²⁹Their food will come from the gifts and sacrifices brought to the Temple by the people — the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings. Whatever anyone sets apart for the LORD will belong to the priests.

³⁰The first of the ripe fruits and all the gifts brought to the LORD will go to the priests. The first batch of dough must also be given to the priests so the LORD will bless your homes.

³¹The priests may not eat meat from any bird or animal that dies a natural death or that dies after being attacked by another animal.

¹When the time came, we set sail for Italy. Paul and several other prisoners were placed in the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment.

²Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was also with us. We left on a ship whose home port was Adramyttium on the northwest coast of the province of Asia; it was scheduled to make several stops at ports along the coast of the province.

³The next day when we docked at Sidon, Julius was very kind to Paul and let him go ashore to visit with friends so they could provide for his needs.

⁴Putting out to sea from there, we encountered strong headwinds that made it difficult to keep the ship on course, so we sailed north of Cyprus between the island and the mainland.

⁵Keeping to the open sea, we passed along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, landing at Myra, in the province of Lycia.

⁶There the commanding officer found an Egyptian ship from Alexandria that was bound for Italy, and he put us on board.

⁷We had several days of slow sailing, and after great difficulty we finally neared Cnidus. But the wind was against us, so we sailed across to Crete and along the sheltered coast of the island, past the cape of Salmone.

⁸We struggled along the coast with great difficulty and finally arrived at Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

⁹We had lost a lot of time. The weather was becoming dangerous for sea travel because it was so late in the fall, and Paul spoke to the ship’s officers about it.

¹⁰“Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on — shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.”

¹¹But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul.

¹²And since Fair Havens was an exposed harbor — a poor place to spend the winter — most of the crew wanted to go on to Phoenix, farther up the coast of Crete, and spend the winter there. Phoenix was a good harbor with only a southwest and northwest exposure.

¹³When a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete.

¹⁴But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a “northeaster”) burst across the island and blew us out to sea.

¹⁵The sailors couldn’t turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it run before the gale.

¹⁶We sailed along the sheltered side of a small island named Cauda, where with great difficulty we hoisted aboard the lifeboat being towed behind us.

¹⁷Then the sailors bound ropes around the hull of the ship to strengthen it. They were afraid of being driven across to the sandbars of Syrtis off the African coast, so they lowered the sea anchor to slow the ship and were driven before the wind.

¹⁸The next day, as gale-force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard.

¹⁹The following day they even took some of the ship’s gear and threw it overboard.

²⁰The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone.

²¹No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss.

²²But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down.

²³For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me,

²⁴and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’

²⁵So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said.

²⁶But we will be shipwrecked on an island.”

²⁷About midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm, as we were being driven across the Sea of Adria, the sailors sensed land was near.

²⁸They dropped a weighted line and found that the water was 120 feet deep. But a little later they measured again and found it was only 90 feet deep.

²⁹At this rate they were afraid we would soon be driven against the rocks along the shore, so they threw out four anchors from the back of the ship and prayed for daylight.

³⁰Then the sailors tried to abandon the ship; they lowered the lifeboat as though they were going to put out anchors from the front of the ship.

³¹But Paul said to the commanding officer and the soldiers, “You will all die unless the sailors stay aboard.”

³²So the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and let it drift away.

³³Just as day was dawning, Paul urged everyone to eat. “You have been so worried that you haven’t touched food for two weeks,” he said.

³⁴“Please eat something now for your own good. For not a hair of your heads will perish.”

³⁵Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it.

³⁶Then everyone was encouraged and began to eat —

³⁷all 276 of us who were on board.

³⁸After eating, the crew lightened the ship further by throwing the cargo of wheat overboard.

³⁹When morning dawned, they didn’t recognize the coastline, but they saw a bay with a beach and wondered if they could get to shore by running the ship aground.

⁴⁰So they cut off the anchors and left them in the sea. Then they lowered the rudders, raised the foresail, and headed toward shore.

⁴¹But they hit a shoal and ran the ship aground too soon. The bow of the ship stuck fast, while the stern was repeatedly smashed by the force of the waves and began to break apart.

⁴²The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to make sure they didn’t swim ashore and escape.

⁴³But the commanding officer wanted to spare Paul, so he didn’t let them carry out their plan. Then he ordered all who could swim to jump overboard first and make for land.

⁴⁴The others held on to planks or debris from the broken ship. So everyone escaped safely to shore.