Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Having said these things, Jesus left with His disciples and went across the ravine of the Kidron. There was a garden there, which He and His disciples entered.

²Now Judas, who was betraying Him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with His disciples.

³So Judas, having obtained the Roman cohort and some officers from the high priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.

⁴Then Jesus, knowing all that was about to happen to Him, went to them and asked, "Whom do you want?"

⁵They answered Him, "Jesus the Nazarene." Jesus said, "I am He." And Judas, who was betraying Him, was also standing with them.

⁶When Jesus said, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground.

⁷Again He asked them, "Whom do you want?" And they said, "Jesus the Nazarene."

⁸Jesus answered, "I told you that I am He; so if you want Me, let these men go on their way."

⁹This was to fulfill and verify the words He had spoken, "Of those whom You have given Me, I have not lost even one."

¹⁰Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.

¹¹So Jesus said to Peter, "Put the sword [back] in its sheath! Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?"

¹²So the cohort and their commander and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him,

¹³and led Him to Annas first; for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.

¹⁴It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people.

¹⁵Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, so he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the [residence of the] high priest;

¹⁶but Peter was standing outside at the door. So the other disciple (John), who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter inside.

¹⁷Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not one of this Man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not."

¹⁸Now the servants and the officers had made a fire of coals, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. And Peter was with them, standing and warming himself.

¹⁹Then the high priest questioned Jesus about His disciples and about His teaching.

²⁰Jesus answered him, "I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in a synagogue and in the temple [area], where all the Jews habitually congregate; and I said nothing in secret.

²¹Why question Me? Question those who have heard what I said to them. They know what I said."

²²But when He said this, one of the officers who was standing nearby struck Jesus [in the face], saying, "Is that how You answer the high priest?"

²³Jesus replied, "If I have said anything wrong, make a formal statement about the wrong; but if [I spoke] properly, why did you strike Me?"

²⁴So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

²⁵Now Simon Peter was [still] standing and warming himself. So they said to him, "You are not one of His disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not."

²⁶One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you with Him in the garden?"

²⁷So Peter denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.

²⁸Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium (governor's palace). Now it was early and the Jews did not enter the Praetorium so that they would not be [ceremonially] unclean, but might [be able to] eat [and participate in the Feast of Unleavened Bread which began after] the Passover [supper].

²⁹So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"

³⁰They answered, "If He were not a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you [for judgment]."

³¹Then Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves and judge Him according to your own law." The Jews said, "We are not permitted to put anyone to death."

³²This was to fulfill the word which Jesus had spoken to indicate by what manner of death He was going to die.

³³So Pilate went into the Praetorium again, and called Jesus and asked Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"

³⁴Jesus replied, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?"

³⁵Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own people and their chief priests have handed You over to me. What have You done [that is worthy of death]?"

³⁶Jesus replied, "My kingdom is not of this world [nor does it have its origin in this world]. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting [hard] to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this world."

³⁷So Pilate said to Him, "Then You are a King?" Jesus answered, "You say [correctly] that I am a King. This is why I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth [who is a friend of the truth and belongs to the truth] hears and listens carefully to My voice."

³⁸Pilate said to Him [scornfully], "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, "I find no guilt in Him [no crime, no cause for an accusation].

³⁹But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. So shall I release for you the King of the Jews?"

⁴⁰Then they all shouted back again, "Not this Man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a robber.

¹"You shall not see your countryman's ox or his sheep straying away or being stolen, and ignore [your duty to help] them; you shall certainly take them back to him.

²If your countryman is not nearby or you do not know him, you shall bring the animal to your house, and it shall stay with you until he searches for it; then you shall return it to him.

³You shall do this with his donkey or with his garment or with anything that your countryman has lost and you have found. You are not allowed to ignore [your duty to help] them.

⁴You shall not see your countryman's donkey or his ox fall down along the road, and ignore [your duty to help] them; you shall certainly help him lift it up.

⁵"A woman shall not wear a man's clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman's clothing; for whoever does these things is utterly repulsive to the LORD your God.

⁶"If you happen to come upon a bird's nest along the road, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the mother [bird] is sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young.

⁷You shall certainly let the mother go, but you may take the young for yourself, so that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days.

⁸"When you build a new house, you shall make a railing (parapet) around your [flat] roof, so that you do not bring the guilt of [innocent] blood on your house if someone falls from it.

⁹"You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, or everything produced by the seed which you have sown and the yield of the vineyard will become defiled [and banned for use].

¹⁰"You shall not plow with an ox [a clean animal] and a donkey [an unclean animal] together.

¹¹"You shall not wear a fabric made of wool and linen blended together [a fabric pagans believed to be magical].

¹²"You shall make tassels for yourself on the four corners of your outer garment with which you cover yourself.

¹³"If any man takes a wife and goes in to her and then scorns and hates her,

¹⁴and charges her [without cause] with shameful behavior and publicly defames her, and says, 'I took this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find in her evidence of virginity,'

¹⁵then the young woman's father and her mother shall get and bring out the evidence of her virginity to the elders of the city at the gate [where court is held].

¹⁶The father of the young woman shall say to the elders, 'I gave my daughter to this man as a wife, but he hates her and has turned against her;

¹⁷and behold, he has made baseless charges against her, saying, "I did not find in your daughter the evidence of her virginity." But this is the evidence of my daughter's virginity.' And they shall spread out the garment before the elders of the city.

¹⁸"Then the elders of that city shall take the man and reprimand him,

¹⁹and they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give it to the father of the young woman, because he publicly defamed a virgin of Israel. And she shall remain his wife; he is not allowed to divorce her as long as he lives.

²⁰"But if this charge is true that the evidence of virginity was not found in the young woman,

²¹then they shall bring her out to the doorway of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death because she has committed a deliberate sin in Israel by playing the prostitute in her father's house. So you shall remove the evil from among you.

²²"If a man is intimate with a woman who is another man's wife, they shall both be put to death, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall remove the evil from Israel.

²³"If a young woman who is a virgin is engaged (legally betrothed) to a man, and another man finds her in the city and is intimate with her,

²⁴then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city and stone them to death—the young woman because she did not cry out for help [though she was] in the city, and the man because he has violated his neighbor's [promised] wife. So you shall remove the evil from among you.

²⁵"However, if the man finds the girl who is engaged (legally betrothed) in the [open] field, and seizes her and is intimate with her [by force], then only the man who lies with her shall be put to death.

²⁶But you shall do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no sin worthy of death, for this is the same as when a man attacks his neighbor and murders him.

²⁷When he found her in the [open] field, the engaged girl [may have] cried out for help, but there was no one to [hear and] save her.

²⁸"If a man finds a girl who is a virgin, who is not engaged, and seizes her and is intimate with her and they are discovered,

²⁹then the man who was intimate with her shall give fifty shekels of silver to the girl's father, and she shall become his wife because he has violated her; he can never divorce her.

³⁰" A man shall not take his father's [former] wife, so that he will not expose his father's wife.

¹However, brothers and sisters, I could not talk to you as to spiritual people, but [only] as to worldly people [dominated by human nature], mere infants [in the new life] in Christ!

²I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Even now you are still not ready.

³You are still worldly [controlled by ordinary impulses, the sinful capacity]. For as long as there is jealousy and strife and discord among you, are you not unspiritual, and are you not walking like ordinary men [unchanged by faith]?

⁴For when one of you says, "I am [a disciple] of Paul," and another, "I am [a disciple] of Apollos," are you not [proving yourselves unchanged, just] ordinary people?

⁵What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Just servants through whom you believed [in Christ], even as the Lord appointed to each his task.

⁶I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all the while] was causing the growth.

⁷So neither is the one who plants nor the one who waters anything, but [only] God who causes the growth.

⁸He who plants and he who waters are one [in importance and esteem, working toward the same purpose]; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

⁹For we are God's fellow workers [His servants working together]; you are God's cultivated field [His garden, His vineyard], God's building.

¹⁰According to the [remarkable] grace of God which was given to me [to prepare me for my task], like a skillful master builder I laid a foundation, and now another is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it,

¹¹for no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ.

¹²But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,

¹³each one's work will be clearly shown [for what it is]; for the day [of judgment] will disclose it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality and character and worth of each person's work.

¹⁴If any person's work which he has built [on this foundation, that is, any outcome of his effort] remains [and survives this test], he will receive a reward.

¹⁵But if any person's work is burned up [by the test], he will suffer the loss [of his reward]; yet he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has barely escaped] through fire.

¹⁶Do you not know and understand that you [the church] are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells [permanently] in you [collectively and individually]?

¹⁷If anyone destroys the temple of God [corrupting it with false doctrine], God will destroy the destroyer; for the temple of God is holy (sacred), and that is what you are.

¹⁸Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool [discarding his worldly pretensions and acknowledging his lack of wisdom], so that he may become [truly] wise.

¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness (absurdity, stupidity) before God; for it is written [in Scripture], "[He is] The one who catches the wise and clever in their craftiness;"

²⁰and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the [humanly] wise, that they are useless."

²¹So let no one boast in men [about their wisdom, or of having this or that one as a leader]. For all things are yours,

²²whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas (Peter) or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things are yours,

²³and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.

¹"To the angel (divine messenger) of the church in Ephesus write: "These are the words of the One who holds [firmly] the seven stars [which are the angels or messengers of the seven churches] in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands (the seven churches):

²'I know your deeds and your toil, and your patient endurance, and that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and have tested and critically appraised those who call themselves apostles (special messengers, personally chosen representatives, of Christ), and [in fact] are not, and have found them to be liars and impostors;

³and [I know that] you [who believe] are enduring patiently and are bearing up for My name's sake, and that you have not grown weary [of being faithful to the truth].

⁴But I have this [charge] against you, that you have left your first love [you have lost the depth of love that you first had for Me].

⁵So remember the heights from which you have fallen, and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God's will] and do the works you did at first [when you first knew Me]; otherwise, I will visit you and remove your lampstand (the church, its impact) from its place—unless you repent.

⁶Yet you have this [to your credit], that you hate the works and corrupt teachings of the Nicolaitans [that mislead and delude the people], which I also hate.

⁷He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will grant [the privilege] to eat [the fruit] from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.'

⁸"And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church in Smyrna write: "These are the words of the First and the Last [absolute Deity, the Son of God] who died and came to life [again]:

⁹'I know your suffering and your poverty (but you are rich), and how you are blasphemed and slandered by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan [they are Jews only by blood, and do not believe and truly honor the God whom they claim to worship].

¹⁰Fear nothing that you are about to suffer. Be aware that the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested [in your faith], and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful to the point of death [if you must die for your faith], and I will give you the crown [consisting] of life.

¹¹He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God] will not be hurt by the second death ( the lake of fire).'

¹²"And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church in Pergamum write: "These are the words of Him who has and wields the sharp two-edged sword [in judgment]:

¹³'I know where you dwell, [a place] where Satan sits enthroned. Yet you are holding fast to My name, and you did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed (martyred) among you, where Satan dwells.

¹⁴But I have a few things against you, because you have there some [among you] who are holding to the [corrupt] teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, [enticing them] to eat things that had been sacrificed to idols and to commit [acts of sexual] immorality.

¹⁵You also have some who in the same way are holding to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

¹⁶Therefore repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God's will]; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war and fight against them with the sword of My mouth [in judgment].

¹⁷He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], to him I will give [the privilege of eating] some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone with a new name engraved on the stone which no one knows except the one who receives it.'

¹⁸"And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church in Thyatira write: "These are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes [that flash] like a flame of fire [in righteous judgment], and whose feet are like burnished [white-hot] bronze:

¹⁹'I know your deeds, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your last deeds are more numerous and greater than the first.

²⁰But I have this [charge] against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess [claiming to be inspired], and she teaches and misleads My bond-servants so that they commit [acts of sexual] immorality and eat food sacrificed to idols.

²¹I gave her time to repent [to change her inner self and her sinful way of thinking], but she has no desire to repent of her immorality and refuses to do so.

²² Listen carefully, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her [I will bring] into great anguish, unless they repent of her deeds.

²³And I will kill her children (followers) with pestilence [thoroughly annihilating them], and all the churches will know [without any doubt] that I am He who searches the minds and hearts [the innermost thoughts, purposes]; and I will give to each one of you [a reward or punishment] according to your deeds.

²⁴But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not explored and known the depths of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you,

²⁵except to hold tightly to what you have until I come.

²⁶And he who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God] and he who keeps My deeds [doing things that please Me] until the [very] end, to him I will give authority and power over the nations;

²⁷and he shall shepherd and rule them with a rod of iron, as the earthen pots are broken in pieces, as I also have received authority [and power to rule them] from My Father;

²⁸and I will give him the Morning Star.

²⁹He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.'

¹For I have taken all this to heart, exploring and examining it all, how the righteous (those in right standing with God) and the wise and their deeds are in the hands of God. No man knows whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him.

²It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers sacrifices and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as he who swears an oath is, so is he who is afraid to swear an oath.

³This evil is in all that is done under the sun, that one fate comes to all. Also, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and afterwards they go to the dead.

⁴[There is no exemption,] but whoever is joined with all the living, has hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion.

⁵For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they no longer have a reward [here], for the memory of them is forgotten.

⁶Indeed their love, their hatred and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share [in this age] in anything that is done under the sun.

⁷Go your way, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a cheerful heart [if you are righteous, wise, and in the hands of God]; for God has already approved and accepted your works.

⁸Let your clothes always be white [with purity], and do not let the oil [of gladness] be lacking on your head.

⁹Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given you under the sun—all the days of vanity and futility. For this is your reward in life and in your work in which you have labored under the sun.

¹⁰Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) where you are going.

¹¹I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the strong, and neither is bread to the wise nor riches to those of intelligence and understanding nor favor to men of ability; but time and chance overtake them all.

¹²For man also does not know his time [of death]; like fish caught in a treacherous net, and birds caught in the snare, so the sons of men are ensnared in an evil time when a dark cloud suddenly falls on them.

¹³This [illustration of] wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and great it was to me:

¹⁴There was a little city with few men in it and a great king came against it and besieged it and built great battlements against it.

¹⁵But there was found in it a poor wise man, and by his wisdom he rescued the city. Yet no man [seriously] remembered that poor man.

¹⁶But I say that wisdom is better than strength, though the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heeded.

¹⁷The words of wise men heard in quietness are better than the shouting of one who rules among fools.

¹⁸Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.

¹A Psalm of David. To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.

²O my God, in You I [have unwavering] trust [and I rely on You with steadfast confidence], Do not let me be ashamed or my hope in You be disappointed; Do not let my enemies triumph over me.

³Indeed, none of those who [expectantly] wait for You will be ashamed; Those who turn away from what is right and deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed (humiliated, embarrassed).

⁴Let me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths.

⁵Guide me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You [and only You] I wait [expectantly] all the day long.

⁶Remember, O LORD, Your [tender] compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, For they have been from of old.

⁷Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; According to Your lovingkindness remember me, For Your goodness' sake, O LORD.

⁸Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.

⁹He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way.

¹⁰All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and goodness and truth and faithfulness To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.

¹¹For Your name's sake, O LORD, Pardon my wickedness and my guilt, for they are great.

¹²Who is the man who fears the LORD [with awe-inspired reverence and worships Him with submissive wonder]? He will teach him [through His word] in the way he should choose.

¹³His soul will dwell in prosperity and goodness, And his descendants will inherit the land.

¹⁴The secret [of the wise counsel] of the LORD is for those who fear Him, And He will let them know His covenant and reveal to them [through His word] its [deep, inner] meaning.

¹⁵My eyes are continually toward the LORD, For He will bring my feet out of the net.

¹⁶Turn to me [LORD] and be gracious to me, For I am alone and afflicted.

¹⁷The troubles of my heart are multiplied; Bring me out of my distresses.

¹⁸Look upon my affliction and my trouble, And forgive all my sins.

¹⁹Look upon my enemies, for they are many; They hate me with cruel and violent hatred.

²⁰Guard my soul and rescue me; Do not let me be ashamed or disappointed, For I have taken refuge in You.

²¹Let integrity and uprightness protect me, For I wait [expectantly] for You.

²²O God, redeem Israel, Out of all his troubles.

¹Wine is a mocker, strong drink a riotous brawler; And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.

²The terror of a king is like the roaring of a lion; Whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his own life.

³It is an honor for a man to keep away from strife [by handling situations with thoughtful foresight], But any fool will [start a] quarrel [without regard for the consequences].

⁴The lazy man does not plow when the winter [planting] season arrives; So he begs at the [next] harvest and has nothing [to reap].

⁵A plan (motive, wise counsel) in the heart of a man is like water in a deep well, But a man of understanding draws it out.

⁶Many a man proclaims his own loyalty and goodness, But who can find a faithful and trustworthy man?

⁷The righteous man who walks in integrity and lives life in accord with his [godly] beliefs— How blessed [happy and spiritually secure] are his children after him [who have his example to follow].

⁸A [discerning] king who sits on the throne of judgment Sifts all evil [like chaff] with his eyes [and cannot be easily fooled].

⁹Who can say, "I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin?"

¹⁰Differing weights [one for buying and another for selling] and differing measures, Both of them are detestable and offensive to the LORD.

¹¹Even a boy is known and distinguished by his acts, Whether his conduct is pure and right.

¹²The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The [omnipotent] LORD has made both of them.

¹³Do not love [excessive] sleep, or you will become poor; Open your eyes [so that you can do your work] and you will be satisfied with bread.

¹⁴"It is [almost] worthless, it is [almost] worthless," says the buyer [as he negotiates the price]; But when he goes his way, then he boasts [about his bargain].

¹⁵There is gold, and an abundance of pearls, But the lips of knowledge are a vessel of preciousness [the most precious of all].

¹⁶[The judge tells the creditor], "Take the clothes of one who is surety for a stranger; And hold him in pledge [when he guarantees a loan] for foreigners."

¹⁷Food gained by deceit is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel [just as sin may be sweet at first, but later its consequences bring despair].

¹⁸Plans are established by counsel; So make war [only] with wise guidance.

¹⁹He who goes about as a gossip reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with a gossip [who talks freely or flatters].

²⁰Whoever curses his father or his mother, His lamp [of life] will be extinguished in time of darkness.

²¹An inheritance hastily gained [by greedy, unjust means] at the beginning Will not be blessed in the end.

²²Do not say, "I will repay evil"; Wait [expectantly] for the LORD, and He will rescue and save you.

²³Differing weights are detestable and offensive to the LORD, And fraudulent scales are not good.

²⁴Man's steps are ordered and ordained by the LORD. How then can a man [fully] understand his way?

²⁵It is a trap for a man to [ speak a vow of consecration and] say rashly, "It is holy!" And [not until] afterward consider [whether he can fulfill it].

²⁶A wise king sifts out the wicked [from among the good] And drives the [threshing] wheel over them [to separate the chaff from the grain].

²⁷The spirit (conscience) of man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching and examining all the innermost parts of his being.

²⁸Loyalty and mercy, truth and faithfulness, protect the king, And he upholds his throne by lovingkindness.

²⁹The glory of young men is their [physical] strength, And the honor of aged men is their gray head [representing wisdom and experience].

³⁰Blows that wound cleanse away evil, And strokes reach to the innermost parts.

¹The divisions of the descendants of Aaron were these: the sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

²But Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no sons; therefore Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.

³David, with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their offices for their assigned duties.

⁴Since there were more chief men found among the descendants of Eleazar than among the descendants of Ithamar [because of Eli's misfortunes, and Saul's massacre of the priests at Nob], they were divided in this way: sixteen heads of fathers' households of the descendants of Eleazar and eight of the descendants of Ithamar, corresponding to their fathers' households.

⁵So they were divided by lot, one group with the other; for they were officers of the sanctuary and officers (high priests) of God, both from the descendants of Eleazar and from the descendants of Ithamar.

⁶Shemaiah, the son of Nethanel the scribe, from the Levites, recorded them in the presence of the king, the officers, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar [the priest who escaped Saul's massacre at Nob], and the heads of the fathers' households of the priests and of the Levites; one father's household taken for Eleazar and one taken for Ithamar.

⁷The lots fell, the first one to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,

⁸the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim,

⁹the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin,

¹⁰the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,

¹¹the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah,

¹²the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim,

¹³the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,

¹⁴the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer,

¹⁵the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez,

¹⁶the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel,

¹⁷the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul,

¹⁸the twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.

¹⁹These were their offices and positions for their service in the house of the LORD according to the ordinance given to them by their father (ancestor) Aaron, just as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.

²⁰Now as for the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram: Shubael; of the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah.

²¹Of Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah: Isshiah the first.

²²Of the Izharites: Shelomoth; of the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath.

²³The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth.

²⁴Of the sons of Uzziel, Micah; of the sons of Micah, Shamir.

²⁵The brother of Micah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah.

²⁶The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi; the sons of Jaaziah, Beno.

²⁷The sons of Merari: by Jaaziah were Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.

²⁸By Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.

²⁹By Kish: the sons of Kish, Jerahmeel.

³⁰The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites according to their fathers' households.

³¹These also cast lots as did their relatives the sons of Aaron in the presence of David the king, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the fathers' households of the priests and of the Levites—the head of father's households as well as those of his younger brother.

¹Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all the peoples, nations, and speakers of every language that live in all the earth: "May your peace abound!

²It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me.

³"How great are His signs And how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom And His dominion is from generation to generation.

⁴"I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house and prospering in my palace.

⁵I saw a dream and it made me afraid; and the fantasies and thoughts and the visions [that appeared] in my mind as I lay on my bed kept alarming me.

⁶So I gave orders to bring in before me all the wise men of Babylon, so that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.

⁷Then the magicians, the enchanters (Magi), the Chaldeans [who were the master astrologers] and the diviners came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it and make known its meaning to me.

⁸But at last Daniel came in before me, whose name is Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and I told the dream to him, saying,

⁹'O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that a spirit of the holy gods is in you and no mystery baffles or troubles you, tell me the visions of my dream which I have seen, along with its interpretation.

¹⁰'The visions that passed through my mind as I lay on my bed were these: I was looking, and behold, there was a tree in the middle of the earth, and its height was great.

¹¹'The tree grew large and became strong And its height reached to heaven, And it was visible to the end of the earth.

¹²'Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, And in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, And the birds of the sky nested in its branches, And all living creatures fed themselves from it.

¹³'And behold, I saw in the visions of my mind as I lay on my bed, an angelic watcher, a holy one, descended from heaven.

¹⁴'He shouted aloud and said this: "Cut down the tree and cut off its branches; Shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit; Let the living creatures run from under it And the birds fly from its branches.

¹⁵"Nevertheless leave the stump with its roots in the ground, Bound with a band of iron and bronze In the new grass of the field; And let him be wet with the dew of heaven, And let him feed with the animals in the grass of the earth.

¹⁶"Let his mind and nature be changed from a man's And let an animal's mind and nature be given to him, And let seven periods of time pass over him.

¹⁷"This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers And the decision is a command of the holy ones, So that the living may know [without any doubt] That the Most High [God] rules over the kingdom of mankind And He bestows it on whomever He desires And sets over it the humblest and lowliest of men."

¹⁸This is the dream which I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, explain its meaning, since none of the wise men of my kingdom are able to reveal its interpretation to me; but you are able, for a spirit of the holy gods is in you.'

¹⁹"Then Daniel, whose [Babylonian] name was Belteshazzar, was appalled and speechless for a while [because he was deeply concerned about the destiny of the king], and his thoughts alarmed him. The king said, 'Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation frighten you.' Belteshazzar answered, 'My lord, may the dream be [meant] for those who hate you and its message for your enemies!

²⁰The tree that you saw, which became great and grew strong, whose height reached to heaven and which was visible to all the earth,

²¹whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and on which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field lived, and in whose branches the birds of the sky nested—

²²it is you, O king, who have become great and grown strong; your greatness has increased and it reaches to heaven, and your dominion [reaches] to the ends of the earth.

²³In that the king saw an angelic watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven and saying, "Cut the tree down and destroy it; but leave the stump with its roots in the earth, but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him feed with the beasts of the field until seven periods of time pass over him,"

²⁴this is the interpretation, O king: It is the decree of the Most High [God], which has come upon my lord the king:

²⁵that you shall be driven from mankind and your dwelling place shall be with the beasts of the field; and that you be given grass to eat like the cattle and be wet with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know [without any doubt] that the Most High [God] rules over the kingdom of mankind and He bestows it to whomever He desires.

²⁶And in that it was commanded to leave the stump with the roots of the tree [in the earth], your kingdom shall be restored to you after you recognize (understand fully) that Heaven rules.

²⁷Therefore, O king, let my advice to you be [considered and found] acceptable; break away now from your sins and exhibit your repentance by doing what is right, and from your wickedness by showing mercy to the poor, so that [if you repent] there may possibly be a continuance of your prosperity and tranquility and a healing of your error.'

²⁸"All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king.

²⁹Twelve months later he was walking on the upper level of the royal palace of Babylon.

³⁰The king said thoughtfully, 'Is not this the great Babylon which I myself have built as the royal residence and seat of government by the might of my power and for the honor and glory of my majesty?'

³¹While the words were still in the king's mouth, a voice came [as if falling] from heaven, saying, 'O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: "The kingdom has been removed from you,

³²and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the animals of the field. You will be given grass to eat like the cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you know [without any doubt] that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of mankind and He bestows it on whomever He desires."'

³³Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails were like birds' claws.

³⁴"But at the end of the days [that is, at the seven periods of time], I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my understanding and reason returned to me; and I blessed the Most High [God] and I praised and honored and glorified Him who lives forever, For His dominion is an everlasting dominion; And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.

³⁵"All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing. But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth; And no one can hold back His hand Or say to Him, 'What have You done?'

³⁶Now at the same time my reason returned to me; and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor were returned to me, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was re-established in my kingdom, and still more greatness [than before] was added to me.

³⁷Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and faithful and His ways are just, and He is able to humiliate and humble those who walk in [self-centered, self-righteous] pride."

¹Now the high priest asked [Stephen], "Are these charges true?"

²And he answered, "Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory [the Shekinah, the radiance of God] appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

³and He said to him, 'Leave your country and your relatives, and come to the land that I will show you.'

⁴Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, God sent him to this country in which you now live.

⁵But He did not give him inheritable property, not even enough ground to take a step on, yet He promised that He would give it to Him as a possession, and to his descendants after him.

⁶And this is, in effect, what God spoke [to him]: That his descendants would be aliens (strangers) in a foreign land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years.

⁷'And I will judge any nation to whom they will be in bondage,' said God, 'and after that they will come out and serve Me [in worship] in this place.'

⁸And God gave Abraham a covenant [a formal agreement to be strictly observed] of [which] circumcision [was the sign]; and so [under these circumstances] Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac [became the father] of Jacob, and Jacob [became the father] of the twelve patriarchs.

⁹"The [ten elder] patriarchs, overwhelmed with jealousy, sold [their younger brother] Joseph into [slavery in] Egypt; but God was with him,

¹⁰and He rescued him from all his suffering, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made Joseph governor over Egypt and over his entire household.

¹¹"Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great distress and our fathers could not find food [for their households and livestock].

¹²But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time.

¹³And on the second visit Joseph identified himself to his brothers, and Joseph's family and background were revealed to Pharaoh.

¹⁴Then Joseph sent and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all.

¹⁵And Jacob (Israel) went down into Egypt, and there he died, as did our fathers;

¹⁶and [from Egypt] their bodies were taken back to Shechem and placed in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

¹⁷"But as the time [for the fulfillment] of the promise which God had made to Abraham was approaching, the [Hebrew] people increased and multiplied in Egypt,

¹⁸until [the time when] there arose another king over egypt who did not know joseph [nor his history and the merit of his service to Egypt].

¹⁹He shrewdly exploited our race and mistreated our fathers, forcing them to expose their [male] babies so that they would die.

²⁰It was at this [critical] time that Moses was born; and he was lovely in the sight of God, and for three months he was nourished in his father's house.

²¹Then when he was set outside [to die], Pharaoh's daughter rescued him and claimed him for herself, and cared for him as her own son.

²²So Moses was educated in all the wisdom and culture of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds.

²³But when he reached the age of forty, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel.

²⁴And when he saw one [of them] being treated unfairly, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking and killing the Egyptian.

²⁵He expected his countrymen to understand that God was granting them freedom through him [assuming that they would accept him], but they did not understand.

²⁶Then on the next day he suddenly appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, 'Men, you are brothers; why do you wrong one another?'

²⁷But the man who was injuring his neighbor pushed Moses away, saying, 'Who appointed you ruler and judge over us?

²⁸Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?'

²⁹At this remark Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he fathered two sons.

³⁰"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush.

³¹When Moses saw it, he was astonished at the sight; but as he went near to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came [to him, saying]:

³²'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.' Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.

³³Then the Lord said to him, 'Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground [worthy of reverence and respect].

³⁴I have most certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Now come, and I will send you to Egypt [as My messenger].'

³⁵"This Moses whom they rejected, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?' is the very one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer, with the [protecting and helping] hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush.

³⁶This man led them out [of Egypt] after performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.

³⁷This is the Moses who said to the children of Israel, 'God will raise up for you a Prophetlike me from your countrymen.'

³⁸This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles [divine words that still live] to be handed down to you.

³⁹Our fathers were unwilling to be subject to him [and refused to listen to him]. They rejected him, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.

⁴⁰They said to Aaron, 'Make for us gods who will go before us; for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.'

⁴¹In those days they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced and celebrated over the works of their hands.

⁴²But God turned away [from them] and handed them over to serve the host of heaven. As it is written and forever remains written in the book of the prophets, 'It was not [really] to Me that you offered victims and sacrifices for forty years in the wilderness, was it, O house of Israel?

⁴³You also took along the tabernacle (portable temple) of Moloch and the star of the god Rompha, the images which you made to worship; and I will remove you beyond Babylon [carrying you away into exile].'

⁴⁴"Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as God directed Moses to make it according to the pattern which he had seen.

⁴⁵Our fathers also brought it in [with them into the land] with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations whom God drove out before our fathers, [and so it remained here] until the time of David,

⁴⁶who found favor (grace, spiritual blessing) in the sight of God and asked that he might [be allowed to] find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.

⁴⁷But it was Solomon who built a house for Him.

⁴⁸However, the Most High [the One infinitely exalted above humanity] does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet [Isaiah] says,

⁴⁹'Heaven is My throne, And the earth is the footstool for My feet; What kind of house will you build for Me?' says the Lord, 'Or what place is there for My rest?

⁵⁰'Was it not My hand that made all these things?'

⁵¹"You stiff-necked and stubborn people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are always actively resisting the Holy Spirit. You are doing just as your fathers did.

⁵²Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who proclaimed beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become;

⁵³you who received the law as ordained and delivered to you by angels, and yet you did not obey it!"

⁵⁴Now when they heard this [accusation and understood its implication], they were cut to the heart, and they began grinding their teeth [in rage] at him.

⁵⁵But he, being full of the Holy Spirit and led by Him, gazed into heaven and saw the glory [the great splendor and majesty] of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God;

⁵⁶and he said, "Look! I see the heavens opened up [in welcome] and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"

⁵⁷But they shouted with loud voices, and covered their ears and together rushed at him [considering him guilty of blasphemy].

⁵⁸Then they drove him out of the city and began stoning him; and the witnesses placed their outer robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

⁵⁹They continued stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive and accept and welcome my spirit!"

⁶⁰Then falling on his knees [in worship], he cried out loudly, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them [do not charge them]!" When he had said this, he fell asleep [in death].