Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

²And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.

³Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

⁴But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

⁵Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,

⁶and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

⁷Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’ ”

⁸Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

⁹And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

¹⁰Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

¹¹Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

¹²Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.

¹³And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,

¹⁴that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

¹⁵“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:

¹⁶The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”

¹⁷From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

¹⁸And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

¹⁹Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

²⁰They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

²¹Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,

²²and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

²³And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

²⁴Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.

²⁵Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

¹These are the words of the covenant which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He made with them in Horeb.

²Now Moses called all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land—

³the great trials which your eyes have seen, the signs, and those great wonders.

⁴Yet the LORD has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day.

⁵And I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn out on your feet.

⁶You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or similar drink, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.

⁷And when you came to this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out against us to battle, and we conquered them.

⁸We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh.

⁹Therefore keep the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.

¹⁰“All of you stand today before the LORD your God: your leaders and your tribes and your elders and your officers, all the men of Israel,

¹¹your little ones and your wives—also the stranger who is in your camp, from the one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water—

¹²that you may enter into covenant with the LORD your God, and into His oath, which the LORD your God makes with you today,

¹³that He may establish you today as a people for Himself, and that He may be God to you, just as He has spoken to you, and just as He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

¹⁴“I make this covenant and this oath, not with you alone,

¹⁵but with him who stands here with us today before the LORD our God, as well as with him who is not here with us today

¹⁶(for you know that we dwelt in the land of Egypt and that we came through the nations which you passed by,

¹⁷and you saw their abominations and their idols which were among them—wood and stone and silver and gold);

¹⁸so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood;

¹⁹and so it may not happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart’— as though the drunkard could be included with the sober.

²⁰“The LORD would not spare him; for then the anger of the LORD and His jealousy would burn against that man, and every curse that is written in this book would settle on him, and the LORD would blot out his name from under heaven.

²¹And the LORD would separate him from all the tribes of Israel for adversity, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this Book of the Law,

²²so that the coming generation of your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, would say, when they see the plagues of that land and the sicknesses which the LORD has laid on it:

²³‘The whole land is brimstone, salt, and burning; it is not sown, nor does it bear, nor does any grass grow there, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His anger and His wrath.’

²⁴“All nations would say, ‘Why has the LORD done so to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean?’

²⁵Then people would say: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt;

²⁶for they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods that they did not know and that He had not given to them.

²⁷Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against this land, to bring on it every curse that is written in this book.

²⁸And the LORD uprooted them from their land in anger, in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.’

²⁹“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

¹Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,

²all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,

³all ate the same spiritual food,

⁴and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

⁵But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

⁶Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.

⁷And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”

⁸Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell;

⁹nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;

¹⁰nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

¹¹Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

¹²Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

¹³No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

¹⁴Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

¹⁵I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say.

¹⁶The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

¹⁷For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.

¹⁸Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?

¹⁹What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything?

²⁰Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.

²¹You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.

²²Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

²³All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

²⁴Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.

²⁵Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake;

²⁶for “the earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness.”

²⁷If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake.

²⁸But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake; for “the earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness.”

²⁹“Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience?

³⁰But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks?

³¹Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

³²Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,

³³just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

¹Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.

²And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit.

³Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

⁴They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

⁵And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.

⁶In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.

⁷The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men.

⁸They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.

⁹And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle.

¹⁰They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months.

¹¹And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.

¹²One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.

¹³Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

¹⁴saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

¹⁵So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.

¹⁶Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.

¹⁷And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone.

¹⁸By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths.

¹⁹For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.

²⁰But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.

²¹And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

¹Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats, Going down from Mount Gilead.

²Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep Which have come up from the washing, Every one of which bears twins, And none is barren among them.

³Your lips are like a strand of scarlet, And your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil Are like a piece of pomegranate.

⁴Your neck is like the tower of David, Built for an armory, On which hang a thousand bucklers, All shields of mighty men.

⁵Your two breasts are like two fawns, Twins of a gazelle, Which feed among the lilies.

⁶Until the day breaks And the shadows flee away, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh And to the hill of frankincense.

⁷You are all fair, my love, And there is no spot in you.

⁸Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, With me from Lebanon. Look from the top of Amana, From the top of Senir and Hermon, From the lions’ dens, From the mountains of the leopards.

⁹You have ravished my heart, My sister, my spouse; You have ravished my heart With one look of your eyes, With one link of your necklace.

¹⁰How fair is your love, My sister, my spouse! How much better than wine is your love, And the scent of your perfumes Than all spices!

¹¹Your lips, O my spouse, Drip as the honeycomb; Honey and milk are under your tongue; And the fragrance of your garments Is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

¹²A garden enclosed Is my sister, my spouse, A spring shut up, A fountain sealed.

¹³Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates With pleasant fruits, Fragrant henna with spikenard,

¹⁴Spikenard and saffron, Calamus and cinnamon, With all trees of frankincense, Myrrh and aloes, With all the chief spices—

¹⁵A fountain of gardens, A well of living waters, And streams from Lebanon.

¹⁶Awake, O north wind, And come, O south! Blow upon my garden, That its spices may flow out. Let my beloved come to his garden And eat its pleasant fruits.

¹A Psalm of David. A Contemplation. [1] Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.

²Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

³When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long.

⁴For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah

⁵I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

⁶For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him.

⁷You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

⁸I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

⁹Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you.

¹⁰Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.

¹¹Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

¹Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

²Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.

³A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, But a fool’s wrath is heavier than both of them.

⁴Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent, But who is able to stand before jealousy?

⁵Open rebuke is better Than love carefully concealed.

⁶Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

⁷A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

⁸Like a bird that wanders from its nest Is a man who wanders from his place.

⁹Ointment and perfume delight the heart, And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel.

¹⁰Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, Nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

¹¹My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, That I may answer him who reproaches me.

¹²A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; The simple pass on and are punished.

¹³Take the garment of him who is surety for a stranger, And hold it in pledge when he is surety for a seductress.

¹⁴He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It will be counted a curse to him.

¹⁵A continual dripping on a very rainy day And a contentious woman are alike;

¹⁶Whoever restrains her restrains the wind, And grasps oil with his right hand.

¹⁷As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

¹⁸Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit; So he who waits on his master will be honored.

¹⁹As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man.

²⁰Hell and Destruction are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied.

²¹The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, And a man is valued by what others say of him.

²²Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.

²³Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds;

²⁴For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations.

²⁵When the hay is removed, and the tender grass shows itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,

²⁶The lambs will provide your clothing, And the goats the price of a field;

²⁷You shall have enough goats’ milk for your food, For the food of your household, And the nourishment of your maidservants.

¹Then Solomon determined to build a temple for the name of the LORD, and a royal house for himself.

²Solomon selected seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.

³Then Solomon sent to Hiram king of Tyre, saying: As you have dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me.

⁴Behold, I am building a temple for the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to Him, to burn before Him sweet incense, for the continual showbread, for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the New Moons, and on the set feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel.

⁵And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.

⁶But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?

⁷Therefore send me at once a man skillful to work in gold and silver, in bronze and iron, in purple and crimson and blue, who has skill to engrave with the skillful men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.

⁸Also send me cedar and cypress and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and indeed my servants will be with your servants,

⁹to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the temple which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.

¹⁰And indeed I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, twenty thousand kors of ground wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.

¹¹Then Hiram king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon: Because the LORD loves His people, He has made you king over them.

¹²Hiram also said: Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, for He has given King David a wise son, endowed with prudence and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal house for himself!

¹³And now I have sent a skillful man, endowed with understanding, Huram my master craftsman

¹⁴(the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre), skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple and blue, fine linen and crimson, and to make any engraving and to accomplish any plan which may be given to him, with your skillful men and with the skillful men of my lord David your father.

¹⁵Now therefore, the wheat, the barley, the oil, and the wine which my lord has spoken of, let him send to his servants.

¹⁶And we will cut wood from Lebanon, as much as you need; we will bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, and you will carry it up to Jerusalem.

¹⁷Then Solomon numbered all the aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census in which David his father had numbered them; and there were found to be one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred.

¹⁸And he made seventy thousand of them bearers of burdens, eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountain, and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.

¹“Also in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him.)

²And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.

³Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.

⁴And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.

⁵“Also the king of the South shall become strong, as well as one of his princes; and he shall gain power over him and have dominion. His dominion shall be a great dominion.

⁶And at the end of some years they shall join forces, for the daughter of the king of the South shall go to the king of the North to make an agreement; but she shall not retain the power of her authority, and neither he nor his authority shall stand; but she shall be given up, with those who brought her, and with him who begot her, and with him who strengthened her in those times.

⁷But from a branch of her roots one shall arise in his place, who shall come with an army, enter the fortress of the king of the North, and deal with them and prevail.

⁸And he shall also carry their gods captive to Egypt, with their princes and their precious articles of silver and gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the North.

⁹“Also the king of the North shall come to the kingdom of the king of the South, but shall return to his own land.

¹⁰However his sons shall stir up strife, and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one shall certainly come and overwhelm and pass through; then he shall return to his fortress and stir up strife.

¹¹“And the king of the South shall be moved with rage, and go out and fight with him, with the king of the North, who shall muster a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into the hand of his enemy.

¹²When he has taken away the multitude, his heart will be lifted up; and he will cast down tens of thousands, but he will not prevail.

¹³For the king of the North will return and muster a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come at the end of some years with a great army and much equipment.

¹⁴“Now in those times many shall rise up against the king of the South. Also, violent men of your people shall exalt themselves in fulfillment of the vision, but they shall fall.

¹⁵So the king of the North shall come and build a siege mound, and take a fortified city; and the forces of the South shall not withstand him. Even his choice troops shall have no strength to resist.

¹⁶But he who comes against him shall do according to his own will, and no one shall stand against him. He shall stand in the Glorious Land with destruction in his power.

¹⁷“He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do. And he shall give him the daughter of women to destroy it; but she shall not stand with him, or be for him.

¹⁸After this he shall turn his face to the coastlands, and shall take many. But a ruler shall bring the reproach against them to an end; and with the reproach removed, he shall turn back on him.

¹⁹Then he shall turn his face toward the fortress of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.

²⁰“There shall arise in his place one who imposes taxes on the glorious kingdom; but within a few days he shall be destroyed, but not in anger or in battle.

²¹And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue.

²²With the force of a flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant.

²³And after the league is made with him he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people.

²⁴He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time.

²⁵“He shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South with a great army. And the king of the South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand, for they shall devise plans against him.

²⁶Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain.

²⁷Both these kings’ hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time.

²⁸While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own land.

²⁹“At the appointed time he shall return and go toward the south; but it shall not be like the former or the latter.

³⁰For ships from Cyprus shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. “So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant.

³¹And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation.

³²Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.

³³And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering.

³⁴Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue.

³⁵And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time.

³⁶“Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done.

³⁷He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all.

³⁸But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things.

³⁹Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.

⁴⁰“At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through.

⁴¹He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon.

⁴²He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

⁴³He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels.

⁴⁴But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.

⁴⁵And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.

¹Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed.

²But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren.

³Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

⁴But the multitude of the city was divided: part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles.

⁵And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to abuse and stone them,

⁶they became aware of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region.

⁷And they were preaching the gospel there.

⁸And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked.

⁹This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed,

¹⁰said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.

¹¹Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”

¹²And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

¹³Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.

¹⁴But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out

¹⁵and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them,

¹⁶who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.

¹⁷Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”

¹⁸And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.

¹⁹Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.

²⁰However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.

²¹And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,

²²strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”

²³So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

²⁴And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.

²⁵Now when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

²⁶From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed.

²⁷Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

²⁸So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.