Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

Matthew 1; Deuteronomy 26; 1 Corinthians 7; Revelation 6; Song of Solomon 1; Psalms 29; Proverbs 24; 1 Chronicles 28; Daniel 8; Acts 11

Matthew 1

1The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

2Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.

3Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.

4Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.

5Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,

6and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.

7Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.

8Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah.

9Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah.

10Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.

11Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.

12And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.

13Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.

14Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.

15Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.

16And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.

17So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.

18Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

20But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

21And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”

22So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:

23“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

24Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,

25and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

Deuteronomy 26

1“And it shall be, when you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell in it,

2that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground, which you shall bring from your land that the LORD your God is giving you, and put it in a basket and go to the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide.

3And you shall go to the one who is priest in those days, and say to him, ‘I declare today to the LORD your God that I have come to the country which the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.’

4“Then the priest shall take the basket out of your hand and set it down before the altar of the LORD your God.

5And you shall answer and say before the LORD your God: ‘My father was a Syrian, about to perish, and he went down to Egypt and dwelt there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous.

6But the Egyptians mistreated us, afflicted us, and laid hard bondage on us.

7Then we cried out to the LORD God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and looked on our affliction and our labor and our oppression.

8So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders.

9He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, “a land flowing with milk and honey”;

10and now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land which you, O LORD, have given me.’ “Then you shall set it before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God.

11So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the LORD your God has given to you and your house, you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you.

12“When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year— the year of tithing—and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled,

13then you shall say before the LORD your God: ‘I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them.

14I have not eaten any of it when in mourning, nor have I removed any of it for an unclean use, nor given any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that You have commanded me.

15Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land which You have given us, just as You swore to our fathers, “a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’

16“This day the LORD your God commands you to observe these statutes and judgments; therefore you shall be careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.

17Today you have proclaimed the LORD to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will obey His voice.

18Also today the LORD has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments,

19and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to the LORD your God, just as He has spoken.”

1 Corinthians 7

1Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

2Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.

3Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.

4The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

5Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

6But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment.

7For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.

8But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am;

9but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

10Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband.

11But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.

12But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her.

13And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.

14For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

15But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.

16For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?

17But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches.

18Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised.

19Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.

20Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called.

21Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it.

22For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave.

23You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

24Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.

25Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment from the Lord; yet I give judgment as one whom the Lord in His mercy has made trustworthy.

26I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress— that it is good for a man to remain as he is:

27Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife.

28But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you.

29But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none,

30those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess,

31and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.

32But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord.

33But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife.

34There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband.

35And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.

36But if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin; let them marry.

37Nevertheless he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own will, and has so determined in his heart that he will keep his virgin, does well.

38So then he who gives her in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better.

39A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.

40But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment—and I think I also have the Spirit of God.

Revelation 6

1Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.”

2And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

3When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.”

4Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

5When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.

6And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”

7When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.”

8So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

9When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.

10And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

11Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

12I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.

13And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.

14Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

15And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,

16and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!

17For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Song of Solomon 1

1The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.

2Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— For your love is better than wine.

3Because of the fragrance of your good ointments, Your name is ointment poured forth; Therefore the virgins love you.

4Draw me away! We will run after you. The king has brought me into his chambers. We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will remember your love more than wine. Rightly do they love you.

5I am dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, Like the tents of Kedar, Like the curtains of Solomon.

6Do not look upon me, because I am dark, Because the sun has tanned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me the keeper of the vineyards, But my own vineyard I have not kept.

7Tell me, O you whom I love, Where you feed your flock, Where you make it rest at noon. For why should I be as one who veils herself By the flocks of your companions?

8If you do not know, O fairest among women, Follow in the footsteps of the flock, And feed your little goats Beside the shepherds’ tents.

9I have compared you, my love, To my filly among Pharaoh’s chariots.

10Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, Your neck with chains of gold.

11We will make you ornaments of gold With studs of silver.

12While the king is at his table, My spikenard sends forth its fragrance.

13A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, That lies all night between my breasts.

14My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blooms In the vineyards of En Gedi.

15Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes.

16Behold, you are handsome, my beloved! Yes, pleasant! Also our bed is green.

17The beams of our houses are cedar, And our rafters of fir.

Psalms 29

1A Psalm of David. [1] Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, Give unto the LORD glory and strength.

2Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

3The voice of the LORD is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The LORD is over many waters.

4The voice of the LORD is powerful; The voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

5The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars, Yes, the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon.

6He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.

7The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire.

8The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.

9The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth, And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”

10The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood, And the LORD sits as King forever.

11The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.

Proverbs 24

1Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them;

2For their heart devises violence, And their lips talk of troublemaking.

3Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established;

4By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.

5A wise man is strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength;

6For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.

7Wisdom is too lofty for a fool; He does not open his mouth in the gate.

8He who plots to do evil Will be called a schemer.

9The devising of foolishness is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

10If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small.

11Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.

12If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?

13My son, eat honey because it is good, And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste;

14So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; If you have found it, there is a prospect, And your hope will not be cut off.

15Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Do not plunder his resting place;

16For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.

17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;

18Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him.

19Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked;

20For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.

21My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those given to change;

22For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin those two can bring?

23These things also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment.

24He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,” Him the people will curse; Nations will abhor him.

25But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, And a good blessing will come upon them.

26He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.

27Prepare your outside work, Make it fit for yourself in the field; And afterward build your house.

28Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, For would you deceive with your lips?

29Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.”

30I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;

31And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; Its stone wall was broken down.

32When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction:

33A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest;

34So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.

1 Chronicles 28

1Now David assembled at Jerusalem all the leaders of Israel: the officers of the tribes and the captains of the divisions who served the king, the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with the officials, the valiant men, and all the mighty men of valor.

2Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Hear me, my brethren and my people: I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made preparations to build it.

3But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.’

4However the LORD God of Israel chose me above all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever, for He has chosen Judah to be the ruler. And of the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father, He was pleased with me to make me king over all Israel.

5And of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons) He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.

6Now He said to me, ‘It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father.

7Moreover I will establish his kingdom forever, if he is steadfast to observe My commandments and My judgments, as it is this day.’

8Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, be careful to seek out all the commandments of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance for your children after you forever.

9“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.

10Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it.”

11Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the vestibule, its houses, its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner chambers, and the place of the mercy seat;

12and the plans for all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, of all the chambers all around, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries for the dedicated things;

13also for the division of the priests and the Levites, for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and for all the articles of service in the house of the LORD.

14He gave gold by weight for things of gold, for all articles used in every kind of service; also silver for all articles of silver by weight, for all articles used in every kind of service;

15the weight for the lampstands of gold, and their lamps of gold, by weight for each lampstand and its lamps; for the lampstands of silver by weight, for the lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand.

16And by weight he gave gold for the tables of the showbread, for each table, and silver for the tables of silver;

17also pure gold for the forks, the basins, the pitchers of pure gold, and the golden bowls—he gave gold by weight for every bowl; and for the silver bowls, silver by weight for every bowl;

18and refined gold by weight for the altar of incense, and for the construction of the chariot, that is, the gold cherubim that spread their wings and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

19“All this,said David, “the LORD made me understand in writing, by His hand upon me, all the works of these plans.”

20And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

21Here are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God; and every willing craftsman will be with you for all manner of workmanship, for every kind of service; also the leaders and all the people will be completely at your command.”

Daniel 8

1In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me—to me, Daniel—after the one that appeared to me the first time.

2I saw in the vision, and it so happened while I was looking, that I was in Shushan, the citadel, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision that I was by the River Ulai.

3Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.

4I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward, so that no animal could withstand him; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, but he did according to his will and became great.

5And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.

6Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power.

7And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand.

8Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven.

9And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land.

10And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them.

11He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.

12Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.

13Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?”

14And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”

15Then it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.

16And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.”

17So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.”

18Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me, and stood me upright.

19And he said, “Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be.

20The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia.

21And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king.

22As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.

23“And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes.

24His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; He shall destroy fearfully, And shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.

25“Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means.

26“And the vision of the evenings and mornings Which was told is true; Therefore seal up the vision, For it refers to many days in the future.

27And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king’s business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it.

Acts 11

1Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.

2And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him,

3saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”

4But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying:

5“I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me.

6When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.

7And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’

8But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’

9But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’

10Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven.

11At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea.

12Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house.

13And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter,

14who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’

15And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.

16Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

17If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”

18When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”

19Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only.

20But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus.

21And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

22Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch.

23When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.

24For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.

25Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul.

26And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

27And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch.

28Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.

29Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.

30This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.