Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

²He called a little child and set him before them,

³and said, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent [that is, change your inner self—your old way of thinking, live changed lives] and become like children [trusting, humble, and forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

⁴Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

⁵Whoever receives and welcomes one child like this in My name receives Me;

⁶but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble and sin [by leading him away from My teaching], it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone [as large as one turned by a donkey] hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

⁷"Woe (judgment is coming) to the world because of stumbling blocks and temptations to sin! It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person on whose account or through whom the stumbling block comes!

⁸"If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble and sin, cut it off and throw it away from you [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into everlasting fire.

⁹If your eye causes you to stumble and sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; it is better for you to enter life with only one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fiery hell.

¹⁰"See that you do not despise or think less of one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven [are in the presence of and] continually look upon the face of My Father who is in heaven.

¹¹[For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.]

¹²"What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them gets lost, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountain and go in search of the one that is lost?

¹³And if it turns out that he finds it, I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not get lost.

¹⁴So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones be lost.

¹⁵"If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens and pays attention to you, you have won back your brother.

¹⁶But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two others, so that every word may be confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

¹⁷If he pays no attention to them [refusing to listen and obey], tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile (unbeliever) and a tax collector.

¹⁸I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth shall have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth shall have [already] been loosed in heaven.

¹⁹"Again I say to you, that if two believers on earth agree [that is, are of one mind, in harmony] about anything that they ask [within the will of God], it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.

²⁰For where two or three are gathered in My name [meeting together as My followers], I am there among them."

²¹Then Peter came to Him and asked, "Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? Up to seven times?"

²²Jesus answered him, "I say to you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven.

²³"Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.

²⁴When he began the accounting, one who owed him 10,000 talents was brought to him.

²⁵"But because he could not repay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and his children and everything that he possessed, and payment to be made.

²⁶So the slave fell on his knees and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.'

²⁷And his master's heart was moved with compassion and he released him and forgave him [canceling] the debt.

²⁸But that same slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began choking him, saying, 'Pay what you owe!'

²⁹So his fellow slave fell on his knees and begged him earnestly, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.'

³⁰But he was unwilling and he went and had him thrown in prison until he paid back the debt.

³¹When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and they went and reported to their master [with clarity and in detail] everything that had taken place.

³²Then his master called him and said to him, 'You wicked and contemptible slave, I forgave all that [great] debt of yours because you begged me.

³³Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave [who owed you little by comparison], as I had mercy on you?'

³⁴And in wrath his master turned him over to the torturers (jailers) until he paid all that he owed.

³⁵My heavenly Father will also do the same to [every one of] you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."

¹And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.

²The fear and the terror of you shall be [instinctive] in every animal of the land and in every bird of the air; and together with everything that moves on the ground, and with all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hand.

³Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; I give you everything, as I gave you the green plants and vegetables.

⁴But you shall not eat meat along with its life, that is, its blood.

⁵For your lifeblood I will most certainly require an accounting; from every animal [that kills a person] I will require it. And from man, from every man's brother [that is, anyone who murders] I will require the life of man.

⁶"Whoever sheds man's blood [unlawfully], By man (judicial government) shall his blood be shed, For in the image of God He made man.

⁷"As for you, be fruitful and multiply; Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it."

⁸Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,

⁹"Now behold, I am establishing My covenant (binding agreement, solemn promise) with you and with your descendants after you

¹⁰and with every living creature that is with you—the birds, the livestock, and the wild animals of the earth along with you, of everything that comes out of the ark—every living creature of the earth.

¹¹I will establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the water of a flood, nor shall there ever again be a flood to destroy and ruin the earth."

¹²And God said, "This is the token (visible symbol, memorial) of the [solemn] covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations;

¹³I set My rainbow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.

¹⁴It shall come about, when I bring clouds over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the clouds,

¹⁵and I will [compassionately] remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again will the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.

¹⁶When the rainbow is in the clouds and I look at it, I will [solemnly] remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."

¹⁷And God said to Noah, "This [rainbow] is the sign of the covenant (solemn pledge, binding agreement) which I have established between Me and all living things on the earth."

¹⁸The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth. Ham would become the father of Canaan.

¹⁹These are the three sons of Noah, and from these [men] the whole earth was populated and scattered with inhabitants.

²⁰And Noah began to farm and cultivate the ground and he planted a vineyard.

²¹He drank some of the wine and became drunk, and he was uncovered and lay exposed inside his tent.

²²Ham, the father of Canaan, saw [by accident] the nakedness of his father, and [to his father's shame] told his two brothers outside.

²³So Shem and Japheth took a robe and put it on both their shoulders, and walked backwards and covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away so that they did not see their father's nakedness.

²⁴When Noah awoke from his wine [induced stupor], he knew what his younger son [Ham] had done to him.

²⁵So he said, "Cursed be Canaan [the son of Ham]; A servant of servants He shall be to his brothers."

²⁶He also said, "Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.

²⁷"May God enlarge [the land of] Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant."

²⁸Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood.

²⁹So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

¹Now, brothers and sisters, we want to tell you about the grace of God which has been evident in the churches of Macedonia [awakening in them a longing to contribute];

²for during an ordeal of severe distress, their abundant joy and their deep poverty [together] overflowed in the wealth of their lavish generosity.

³For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave voluntarily,

⁴begging us insistently for the privilege of participating in the service for [the support of] the saints [in Jerusalem].

⁵Not only [did they give materially] as we had hoped, but first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us [as His representatives] by the will of God [disregarding their personal interests and giving as much as they possibly could].

⁶So we urged Titus that, as he began it, he should also complete this gracious work among you as well.

⁷But just as you excel in everything, [and lead the way] in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in genuine concern, and in your love for us, see that you excel in this gracious work [of giving] also.

⁸I am not saying this as a command [to dictate to you], but to prove, by [pointing out] the enthusiasm of others, the sincerity of your love as well.

⁹For you are recognizing [more clearly] the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [His astonishing kindness, His generosity, His gracious favor], that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich (abundantly blessed).

¹⁰I give you my opinion in this matter: this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to take action [to help the believers in Jerusalem], but also [the first] to desire to do it.

¹¹So now finish this, so that your eagerness in desiring it may be equaled by your completion of it, according to your ability.

¹²For if the eagerness [to give] is there, it is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

¹³For it is not [intended] that others be relieved [of their responsibility] and that you be burdened [unfairly], but that there be equality [in sharing the burden]—

¹⁴at this present time your surplus [over necessities] is going to supply their need, so that [at some other time] their surplus may be given to supply your need, that there may be equality;

¹⁵as it is written [in Scripture], "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not lack."

¹⁶But thanks be to God who puts the same genuine concern for you in the heart of Titus.

¹⁷For Titus not only accepted our appeal, but was so very interested in you that he has gone to visit you of his own accord.

¹⁸And we have sent along with him the brother who is praised in the gospel [ministry] throughout all the churches;

¹⁹and not only this, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in regard to this gracious offering which we are administering for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our eagerness [as believers to help one another].

²⁰We are taking precaution so that no one will [find anything with which to] discredit us in our administration of this generous gift.

²¹For we have regard for what is honorable [and above suspicion], not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

²²We have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found to be diligent in many things, but who is now even more diligent [than ever] because of his great confidence in you.

²³As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker in your service; and as for the [other two] brothers, they are [special] messengers of the churches, a glory and credit to Christ.

²⁴Therefore, show these men, in the sight of the churches, the proof of your love and our reason for being proud of you.

¹"I am disgusted with my life and loathe it! I will give free expression to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

²"I will say to God, 'Do not condemn me [and declare me guilty]! Show me why You contend and argue and struggle with me.

³'Does it indeed seem right to You to oppress, To despise and reject the work of Your hands, And to look with favor on the schemes of the wicked?

⁴'Do You have eyes of flesh? Do You see as a man sees?

⁵'Are Your days as the days of a mortal, Are Your years as man's years,

⁶That You seek my guilt And search for my sin?

⁷'Although You know that I am not guilty or wicked, Yet there is no one who can rescue me from Your hand.

⁸'Your hands have formed and made me altogether. Would You [turn around and] destroy me?

⁹'Remember now, that You have made me as clay; So will You turn me into dust again?

¹⁰'Have You not poured me out like milk And curdled me like cheese?

¹¹'[You have] clothed me with skin and flesh, And knit me together with bones and sinews.

¹²'You have granted me life and lovingkindness; And Your providence (divine care, supervision) has preserved my spirit.

¹³'Yet these [present evils] You have hidden in Your heart [since my creation]: I know that this was within You [in Your purpose and thought].

¹⁴'If I sin, then You would take note and observe me, And You would not acquit me of my guilt.

¹⁵'If I am wicked, woe to me [for judgment comes]! And if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head. For I am sated and filled with disgrace and the sight of my misery.

¹⁶'Should I lift my head up, You would hunt me like a lion; And again You would show Your marvelous power against me.

¹⁷'You renew Your witnesses against me And increase Your indignation and anger toward me; Hardship after hardship is with me [attacking me time after time].

¹⁸'Why then did You bring me out of the womb? Would that I had perished and no eye had seen me!

¹⁹'I should have been as though I had not existed; [I should have been] carried from the womb to the grave.'

²⁰"Would He not let my few days alone, Withdraw from me that I may have a little cheer

²¹Before I go—and I shall not return— To the land of darkness and the deep shadow [of death],

²²The [sunless] land of utter gloom as darkness itself, [The land] of the shadow of death, without order, And [where] it shines as [thick] darkness."

¹To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, set to soprano voices. A Song. God is our refuge and strength [mighty and impenetrable], A very present and well-proved help in trouble.

²Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains be shaken and slip into the heart of the seas,

³Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains tremble at its roaring. Selah.

⁴There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High.

⁵God is in the midst of her [His city], she will not be moved; God will help her when the morning dawns.

⁶The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered and were moved; He raised His voice, the earth melted.

⁷The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold [our refuge, our high tower]. Selah.

⁸Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has wrought desolations and wonders in the earth.

⁹He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow into pieces and snaps the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.

¹⁰"Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth."

¹¹The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold [our refuge, our high tower]. Selah.

¹The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish [stubborn] son [who refuses to learn] is a grief to his mother.

²Treasures of wickedness and ill-gotten gains do not profit, But righteousness and moral integrity in daily life rescues from death.

³The LORD will not allow the righteous to hunger [God will meet all his needs], But He will reject and cast away the craving of the wicked.

⁴Poor is he who works with a negligent and idle hand, But the hand of the diligent makes him rich.

⁵He who gathers during summer and takes advantage of his opportunities is a son who acts wisely, But he who sleeps during harvest and ignores the moment of opportunity is a son who acts shamefully.

⁶Blessings are on the head of the righteous [the upright, those in right standing with God], But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

⁷The memory of the righteous [person] is a [source of] blessing, But the name of the wicked will [be forgotten and] rot [like a corpse].

⁸The wise in heart [are willing to learn so they] will accept and obey commands (instruction), But the babbling fool [who is arrogant and thinks himself wise] will come to ruin.

⁹He who walks in integrity and with moral character walks securely, But he who takes a crooked way will be discovered and punished.

¹⁰He who [maliciously] winks the eye [of evil intent] causes trouble; And the babbling fool [who is arrogant and thinks himself wise] will come to ruin.

¹¹The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life and his words of wisdom are a source of blessing, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence and evil.

¹²Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers and overwhelms all transgressions [forgiving and overlooking another's faults].

¹³On the lips of the discerning, [skillful and godly] wisdom is found, But discipline and the rod are for the back of the one who is without common sense and understanding.

¹⁴Wise men store up and treasure knowledge [in mind and heart], But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.

¹⁵The rich man's wealth is his fortress; The ruin of the poor is their poverty.

¹⁶The wages of the righteous [the upright, those in right standing with God] is [a worthwhile, meaningful] life, The income of the wicked, punishment.

¹⁷He who learns from instruction and correction is on the [right] path of life [and for others his example is a path toward wisdom and blessing], But he who ignores and refuses correction goes off course [and for others his example is a path toward sin and ruin].

¹⁸He who hides hatred has lying lips, And he who spreads slander is a fool.

¹⁹When there are many words, transgression and offense are unavoidable, But he who controls his lips and keeps thoughtful silence is wise.

²⁰The tongue of the righteous is like precious silver (greatly valued); The heart of the wicked is worth little.

²¹The lips of the righteous feed and guide many, But fools [who reject God and His wisdom] die for lack of understanding.

²²The blessing of the LORD brings [true] riches, And He adds no sorrow to it [for it comes as a blessing from God].

²³Engaging in evil is like sport to the fool [who refuses wisdom and chases sin], But to a man of understanding [skillful and godly] wisdom brings joy.

²⁴What the wicked fears will come upon him, But the desire of the righteous [for the blessings of God] will be granted.

²⁵When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.

²⁶Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, So is the lazy one to those who send him to work.

²⁷The [reverent] fear of the LORD [worshiping, obeying, serving, and trusting Him with awe-filled respect] prolongs one's life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

²⁸The hope of the righteous [those of honorable character and integrity] is joy, But the expectation of the wicked [those who oppose God and ignore His wisdom] comes to nothing.

²⁹The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the upright, But it is ruin to those who do evil.

³⁰The [consistently] righteous will never be shaken, But the wicked will not inhabit the earth.

³¹The mouth of the righteous flows with [skillful and godly] wisdom, But the perverted tongue will be cut out.

³²The lips of the righteous know (speak) what is acceptable, But the mouth of the wicked knows (speaks) what is perverted (twisted).

¹In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to [meet with] Asa king of Judah.

²Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and from the king's house, and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Aram (Syria), who lived in Damascus, saying,

³"Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. Look, I am sending you silver and gold; go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me."

⁴Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they attacked and conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali.

⁵When Baasha heard about it, he ceased fortifying Ramah and stopped his work.

⁶Then King Asa brought all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had been building, and with them he fortified Geba and Mizpah.

⁷At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because you relied on the king of Aram (Syria) and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram (Syria) has escaped out of your hand.

⁸Were not the Ethiopians and Lubim a huge army with a great number of chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, He placed them in your hand.

⁹For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth so that He may support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this; therefore, from now on you will have wars."

¹⁰Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison [in the stocks], for he was enraged with him because of this. And at the same time Asa oppressed some of the people.

¹¹Now the acts of Asa, from the first to the last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

¹²In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa developed a disease in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his illness he did not seek the LORD, but [relied only on] the physicians.

¹³So Asa slept with his fathers [in death], dying in the forty-first year of his reign.

¹⁴They buried him in his own tomb which he had cut out for himself in the City of David, and they laid him on a bier which he had filled with various kinds of spices blended by the perfumers' art; and they made a very great fire in his honor.

¹When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling and terror. He exalted himself [above the other tribes] in Israel; But through [the worship of] Baal he became guilty and died [spiritually, and then came ruin, sealing Israel's doom as a nation].

²And now they sin more and more, And make for themselves molten images, Idols skillfully made from their silver [as it pleased them], All of them the work of the craftsmen. They say of these [very works of their hands], "Let those who sacrifice kiss and show respect to the calves [as if they were living gods]!"

³Therefore they will be [swiftly dissipated] like the morning cloud Or like dew which soon disappears, Like chaff which swirls with the whirlwind from the threshing floor, And like smoke from the chimney or through the window [worthless and without substance —they will vanish].

⁴Yet I have been the LORD your God Since [the time you became a nation in] the land of Egypt; And you were not to know any god except Me, For there is no savior besides Me.

⁵I knew and regarded you and cared for you in the wilderness, In the land of drought.

⁶When they had their pasture, they became satisfied, And being satisfied, their heart became proud (self-centered); Therefore they forgot Me.

⁷So I will be like a lion to them; Like a leopard I will watch and lie in wait [ready to attack] by the road [to Assyria].

⁸I will encounter them like a bear robbed of her cubs, And I will tear open their chests; There I will also devour them like a lioness, As a wild beast would tear them.

⁹It is your destruction, O Israel, Because you are against Me, [and have rebelled] against your help.

¹⁰Where now is your king That he may save you [when you are attacked] in all your cities? And your judges of whom you asked, "Give me a king and princes"?

¹¹I gave you a king in My anger, And I took him away in My wrath [as punishment].

¹²The wickedness of Ephraim [which is not yet completely punished] is bound up [as in a bag]; His sin is stored up [for judgment and destruction].

¹³The pains of childbirth come on him; But he is not a wise son, For it is not the time to delay [his chance at a new birth] as the womb opens [but he ignores the opportunity to change].

¹⁴Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol (the place of the dead)? Shall I redeem them from death? O death, where are your thorns? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from My eyes [because of their failure to repent].

¹⁵For though he flourishes among the reeds (his fellow tribes), An east wind (Assyria) will come, The breath of the LORD rising from the desert; And Ephraim's spring will become dry And his fountain will be dried up. Assyria will plunder his treasury of every precious object.

¹⁶Samaria will be found guilty [and become desolate], Because she rebelled against her God; They will fall by the sword, Their infants will be dashed in pieces, And their pregnant women will be ripped open.

¹After we were safe [on land], we found out that the island was called Malta.

²And the natives showed us extraordinary kindness and hospitality; for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, since it had begun to rain and was cold.

³But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper crawled out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.

⁴When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, "Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, Justice [the avenging goddess] has not permitted him to live."

⁵Then Paul [simply] shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.

⁶But they stood watching and expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began saying that he was a god.

⁷In the vicinity of that place there were estates belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed and entertained us hospitably for three days.

⁸And it happened that the father of Publius was sick [in bed] with recurring attacks of fever and dysentery; and Paul went to him, and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him.

⁹After this occurred, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and being healed.

¹⁰They also gave us many honors [gifts and courtesies expressing respect]; and when we were setting sail, they supplied us with all the things we needed.

¹¹At the end of three months we set sail on a ship which had wintered at the island, an Alexandrian ship with the Twin Brothers [Castor and Pollux] as its figurehead.

¹²We landed at Syracuse [on Sicily] and stayed there three days.

¹³From there we sailed around and arrived at Rhegium [on Italy's southern tip]; and a day later a south wind came up, and on the second day we arrived at Puteoli.

¹⁴There we found some believers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome.

¹⁵And the brothers and sisters, having heard news about us, came from as far away as the Forum of Appius and Three Inns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and was encouraged.

¹⁶When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself [in rented quarters] with the soldier who was guarding him.

¹⁷Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews; and when they had gathered, he said to them, "Kinsmen, though I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our fathers, yet I was turned over as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.

¹⁸After they had interrogated me, they were ready to release me because I was not guilty of any offense deserving death.

¹⁹But when the Jews objected [to my release], I was forced to appeal to Caesar (Emperor Nero), not because I had any charge to make against my nation.

²⁰For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you, since it is for the sake of the hope of Israel (the Messiah, the resurrection) that I am bound with this chain."

²¹They said to him, "We have not received [any] letters about you from Judea, nor have any of the [Jewish] brothers come here and reported or said anything bad about you.

²²But we would like to hear from you what your views are [that is, exactly what you believe]; for in regard to this sect (Christianity), we are fully aware that it is denounced everywhere."

²³When they had set a day for Paul, they came to his lodging in large numbers. And he carefully explained [Christianity] to them from morning until evening, solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, both from the Law of Moses and from the [writings of the] Prophets.

²⁴Some were persuaded by what he said, but others would not believe.

²⁵They disagreed among themselves and they began to leave after Paul had made one last statement: "The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying,

²⁶'Go to this people and say, "You will keep on hearing, but will not understand, You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;

²⁷"For the heart (the understanding, the soul) of this people has become dull (calloused), And with their ears they scarcely hear, And they have shut their eyes [to the truth]; Otherwise they might see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return [to Me], And I would heal them."'

²⁸Therefore let it be known to you that [this message of] the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they indeed will listen!"

²⁹[And when he had said these things, the Jews left, arguing among themselves.]

³⁰And Paul lived there for two full years [at his own expense] in his own rented lodging and welcomed all who came to him,

³¹preaching and proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness and boldness, unhindered and unrestrained.