Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.

²Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

⁵Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

⁷Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

⁸Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

¹²Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

¹³“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

¹⁵Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

¹⁶Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

¹⁷“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

¹⁸For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

¹⁹Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

²⁰For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

²¹“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’

²²But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.

²³Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

²⁴leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

²⁵Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

²⁶Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

²⁷“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’

²⁸But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

²⁹If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

³⁰And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

³¹“Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’

³²But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

³³“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’

³⁴But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;

³⁵nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

³⁶Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.

³⁷But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

³⁸“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’

³⁹But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

⁴⁰If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.

⁴¹And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

⁴²Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

⁴⁴But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

⁴⁵that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

⁴⁶For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

⁴⁷And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?

⁴⁸Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

¹“Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God drives you,

²and you return to the LORD your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul,

³that the LORD your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the LORD your God has scattered you.

⁴If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you.

⁵Then the LORD your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.

⁶And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

⁷“Also the LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you.

⁸And you will again obey the voice of the LORD and do all His commandments which I command you today.

⁹The LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the LORD will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers,

¹⁰if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

¹¹“For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off.

¹²It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’

¹³Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’

¹⁴But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

¹⁵“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil,

¹⁶in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.

¹⁷But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them,

¹⁸I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.

¹⁹I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

²⁰that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

¹Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

²Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you.

³But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

⁴Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.

⁵But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved.

⁶For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered.

⁷For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

⁸For man is not from woman, but woman from man.

⁹Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man.

¹⁰For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.

¹¹Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord.

¹²For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God.

¹³Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

¹⁴Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?

¹⁵But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering.

¹⁶But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.

¹⁷Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse.

¹⁸For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.

¹⁹For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.

²⁰Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.

²¹For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk.

²²What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.

²³For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;

²⁴and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

²⁵In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

²⁷Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

²⁸But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

²⁹For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

³⁰For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.

³¹For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

³²But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

³³Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

³⁴But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come.

¹I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.

²He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,

³and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.

⁴Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”

⁵The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven

⁶and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer,

⁷but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.

⁸Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.”

⁹So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.” And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”

¹⁰Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.

¹¹And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

¹I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends! Drink, yes, drink deeply, O beloved ones!

²I sleep, but my heart is awake; It is the voice of my beloved! He knocks, saying, “Open for me, my sister, my love, My dove, my perfect one; For my head is covered with dew, My locks with the drops of the night.”

³I have taken off my robe; How can I put it on again? I have washed my feet; How can I defile them?

⁴My beloved put his hand By the latch of the door, And my heart yearned for him.

⁵I arose to open for my beloved, And my hands dripped with myrrh, My fingers with liquid myrrh, On the handles of the lock.

⁶I opened for my beloved, But my beloved had turned away and was gone. My heart leaped up when he spoke. I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

⁷The watchmen who went about the city found me. They struck me, they wounded me; The keepers of the walls Took my veil away from me.

⁸I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, That you tell him I am lovesick!

⁹What is your beloved More than another beloved, O fairest among women? What is your beloved More than another beloved, That you so charge us?

¹⁰My beloved is white and ruddy, Chief among ten thousand.

¹¹His head is like the finest gold; His locks are wavy, And black as a raven.

¹²His eyes are like doves By the rivers of waters, Washed with milk, And fitly set.

¹³His cheeks are like a bed of spices, Banks of scented herbs. His lips are lilies, Dripping liquid myrrh.

¹⁴His hands are rods of gold Set with beryl. His body is carved ivory Inlaid with sapphires.

¹⁵His legs are pillars of marble Set on bases of fine gold. His countenance is like Lebanon, Excellent as the cedars.

¹⁶His mouth is most sweet, Yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, And this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem!

¹Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful.

²Praise the LORD with the harp; Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.

³Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

⁴For the word of the LORD is right, And all His work is done in truth.

⁵He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.

⁶By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

⁷He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses.

⁸Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

⁹For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.

¹⁰The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.

¹¹The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.

¹²Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

¹³The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.

¹⁴From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth;

¹⁵He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.

¹⁶No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.

¹⁷A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

¹⁸Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy,

¹⁹To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine.

²⁰Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

²¹For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name.

²²Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, Just as we hope in You.

¹The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.

²Because of the transgression of a land, many are its princes; But by a man of understanding and knowledge Right will be prolonged.

³A poor man who oppresses the poor Is like a driving rain which leaves no food.

⁴Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, But such as keep the law contend with them.

⁵Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the LORD understand all.

⁶Better is the poor who walks in his integrity Than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich.

⁷Whoever keeps the law is a discerning son, But a companion of gluttons shames his father.

⁸One who increases his possessions by usury and extortion Gathers it for him who will pity the poor.

⁹One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.

¹⁰Whoever causes the upright to go astray in an evil way, He himself will fall into his own pit; But the blameless will inherit good.

¹¹The rich man is wise in his own eyes, But the poor who has understanding searches him out.

¹²When the righteous rejoice, there is great glory; But when the wicked arise, men hide themselves.

¹³He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

¹⁴Happy is the man who is always reverent, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

¹⁵Like a roaring lion and a charging bear Is a wicked ruler over poor people.

¹⁶A ruler who lacks understanding is a great oppressor, But he who hates covetousness will prolong his days.

¹⁷A man burdened with bloodshed will flee into a pit; Let no one help him.

¹⁸Whoever walks blamelessly will be saved, But he who is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.

¹⁹He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, But he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough!

²⁰A faithful man will abound with blessings, But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.

²¹To show partiality is not good, Because for a piece of bread a man will transgress.

²²A man with an evil eye hastens after riches, And does not consider that poverty will come upon him.

²³He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward Than he who flatters with the tongue.

²⁴Whoever robs his father or his mother, And says, “It is no transgression,” The same is companion to a destroyer.

²⁵He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife, But he who trusts in the LORD will be prospered.

²⁶He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.

²⁷He who gives to the poor will not lack, But he who hides his eyes will have many curses.

²⁸When the wicked arise, men hide themselves; But when they perish, the righteous increase.

¹Now Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

²And he began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

³This is the foundation which Solomon laid for building the house of God: The length was sixty cubits (by cubits according to the former measure) and the width twenty cubits.

⁴And the vestibule that was in front of the sanctuary was twenty cubits long across the width of the house, and the height was one hundred and twenty. He overlaid the inside with pure gold.

⁵The larger room he paneled with cypress which he overlaid with fine gold, and he carved palm trees and chainwork on it.

⁶And he decorated the house with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was gold from Parvaim.

⁷He also overlaid the house—the beams and doorposts, its walls and doors—with gold; and he carved cherubim on the walls.

⁸And he made the Most Holy Place. Its length was according to the width of the house, twenty cubits, and its width twenty cubits. He overlaid it with six hundred talents of fine gold.

⁹The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold; and he overlaid the upper area with gold.

¹⁰In the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim, fashioned by carving, and overlaid them with gold.

¹¹The wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits in overall length: one wing of the one cherub was five cubits, touching the wall of the room, and the other wing was five cubits, touching the wing of the other cherub;

¹²one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, touching the wall of the room, and the other wing also was five cubits, touching the wing of the other cherub.

¹³The wings of these cherubim spanned twenty cubits overall. They stood on their feet, and they faced inward.

¹⁴And he made the veil of blue, purple, crimson, and fine linen, and wove cherubim into it.

¹⁵Also he made in front of the temple two pillars thirty-five cubits high, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.

¹⁶He made wreaths of chainwork, as in the inner sanctuary, and put them on top of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates, and put them on the wreaths of chainwork.

¹⁷Then he set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand and the other on the left; he called the name of the one on the right hand Jachin, and the name of the one on the left Boaz.

¹“At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book.

²And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.

³Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.

⁴“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

⁵Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank.

⁶And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?”

⁷Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.

⁸Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?”

⁹And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

¹⁰Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.

¹¹“And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.

¹²Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.

¹³“But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.”

¹And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

²Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.

³So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren.

⁴And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them.

⁵But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

⁶Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.

⁷And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

⁸So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,

⁹and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

¹⁰Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

¹¹But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”

¹²Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.

¹³And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me:

¹⁴Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.

¹⁵And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:

¹⁶‘After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up;

¹⁷So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things.’

¹⁸“Known to God from eternity are all His works.

¹⁹Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God,

²⁰but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.

²¹For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

²²Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.

²³They wrote this letter by them: The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings.

²⁴Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law” —to whom we gave no such commandment—

²⁵it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

²⁶men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁷We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth.

²⁸For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:

²⁹that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.

³⁰So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter.

³¹When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement.

³²Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words.

³³And after they had stayed there for a time, they were sent back with greetings from the brethren to the apostles.

³⁴However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there.

³⁵Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

³⁶Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.”

³⁷Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark.

³⁸But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.

³⁹Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus;

⁴⁰but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God.

⁴¹And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.