Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹When they approached Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples [ahead],

²saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and at once you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me.

³If anyone says anything to you, you should say, 'The Lord needs them,' and without delay the owner will send them [with you]."

⁴This happened so that what was spoken by the prophet would be fulfilled, saying:

⁵"Tell the daughter of Zion (the people of Jerusalem), 'Behold, your King is coming to you, Gentle and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'"

⁶Then the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them,

⁷and they brought the donkey and the colt, and placed their coats on them; and Jesus sat on the coats.

⁸Most of the crowd spread their coats on the road [as before a king], while others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road.

⁹The crowds that went ahead of Him, and those that followed Him, were shouting [in praise and adoration], " Hosanna to the Son of David (Messiah); Blessed [praised, glorified] is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest [heaven]!"

¹⁰When He entered Jerusalem, all the city was trembling [with excitement], saying, "Who is this?"

¹¹And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee."

¹²And Jesus entered the temple [grounds] and drove out [with force] all who were buying and selling [birds and animals for sacrifice] in the temple area, and He turned over the tables of the moneychangers [who made a profit exchanging foreign money for temple coinage] and the chairs of those who were selling doves [for sacrifice].

¹³Jesus said to them, "It is written [in Scripture], 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a robbers' den."

¹⁴And the blind and the lame came to Him in [the porticoes and courts of] the temple area, and He healed them.

¹⁵But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful and miraculous things that Jesus had done, and heard the boys who were shouting in [the porticoes and courts of] the temple [in praise and adoration], "Hosanna to the Son of David (the Messiah)," they became indignant

¹⁶and they said to Him, "Do You hear what these children are saying?" And Jesus replied to them, "Yes; have you never read [in the Scripture], 'Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies You have prepared and provided praise for Yourself'?"

¹⁷Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

¹⁸Now early in the morning, as Jesus was coming back to the city, He was hungry.

¹⁹Seeing a lone fig tree at the roadside, He went to it and found nothing but leaves on it; and He said to it, "Never again will fruit come from you." And at once the fig tree withered.

²⁰When the disciples saw it, they were astonished and asked, "How is it that the fig tree has withered away all at once?"

²¹Jesus replied to them, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, if you have faith [personal trust and confidence in Me] and do not doubt or allow yourself to be drawn in two directions, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen [if God wills it].

²²And whatever you ask for in prayer, believing, you will receive."

²³When He entered the temple area, the chief priests and elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching and said, "By what [kind of] authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority [to exercise this power]?"

²⁴Jesus replied to them, "I will also ask you a question, and if you tell Me the answer, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

²⁵The baptism of John—from where did it come? From heaven [that is, ordained by God] or from men?" And they began debating among themselves [considering the implications of their answer], saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe John?'

²⁶But if we say, 'From men,' we are afraid of the [response of the] crowd; for they all regard John as a prophet."

²⁷So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what [kind of] authority I do these things."

²⁸"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.'

²⁹And he answered, 'I will not'; but afterward he regretted it and changed his mind and went.

³⁰Then the man came to the second son and said the same thing; and he replied, 'I will, sir'; but he did not go.

³¹Which of the two did the will of the father?" The chief priests and elders replied, "The first one." Jesus said to them, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you.

³²For John came to you [walking] in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even change your mind afterward and believe him [accepting what he proclaimed to you].

³³"Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and rented it out to tenant farmers and went on a journey [to another country].

³⁴When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his [share of the] fruit.

³⁵But the tenants took his servants and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third.

³⁶Again he sent other servants, more than the first time; and they treated them the same way.

³⁷Finally he sent his own son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son and have regard for him.'

³⁸But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This [man] is the heir; come on, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'

³⁹So they took the son and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

⁴⁰Now when the owner of the vineyard comes back, what will he do to those tenants?"

⁴¹They said to Him, "He will put those despicable men to a miserable end, and rent out the vineyard to other tenants [of good character] who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons."

⁴²Jesus asked them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The [very]Stone which the builders rejected and threw away, Has become the chief Cornerstone; This is the Lord's doing, And it is marvelous and wonderful in our eyes'?

⁴³Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to [another] people who will produce the fruit of it.

⁴⁴And he who falls on this Stone will be broken to pieces; but he on whom it falls will be crushed."

⁴⁵When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was talking about them.

⁴⁶And although they were trying to arrest Him, they feared the people, because they regarded Jesus as a prophet.

¹Now [in Haran] the LORD had said to Abram, "Go away from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you;

²And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you [abundantly], And make your name great (exalted, distinguished); And you shall be a blessing [a source of great good to others];

³And I will bless (do good for, benefit) those who bless you, And I will curse [that is, subject to My wrath and judgment] the one who curses (despises, dishonors, has contempt for) you. And in you all the families (nations) of the earth will be blessed."

⁴So Abram departed [in faithful obedience] as the LORD had directed him; and Lot [his nephew] left with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

⁵Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had acquired, and the people (servants) which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,

⁶Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the [great] terebinth (oak) tree of Moreh. Now the Canaanites were in the land at that time.

⁷Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your descendants." So Abram built an altar there to [honor] the LORD who had appeared to him.

⁸Then he moved on from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD [in worship through prayer, praise, and thanksgiving].

⁹Then Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev (the South country of Judah).

¹⁰Now there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to live temporarily, for the famine in the land was oppressive and severe.

¹¹And when he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, "Listen: I know that you are a beautiful woman;

¹²so when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me [to acquire you], but they will let you live.

¹³Please tell them that you are my sister so that things will go well for me for your sake, and my life will be spared because of you."

¹⁴And when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was very beautiful.

¹⁵Pharaoh's princes (officials) also saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken [for the purpose of marriage] into Pharaoh's house (harem).

¹⁶Therefore Pharaoh treated Abram well for her sake; he acquired sheep, oxen, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.

¹⁷But the LORD punished Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.

¹⁸Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?

¹⁹Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her and go!"

²⁰So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him on his way, with his wife and all that he had.

¹I wish you would bear with me [while I indulge] in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me [as you read this].

²I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy because I have promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

³But I am afraid that, even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, your minds may be corrupted and led away from the simplicity of [your sincere and] pure devotion to Christ.

⁴For [you seem willing to allow it] if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted. You tolerate all this beautifully [welcoming the deception].

⁵Yet I consider myself in no way inferior to the [so-called] super-apostles.

⁶But even if I am unskilled in speaking, yet I am not [untrained] in knowledge [I know what I am talking about]; but we have made this evident to you in every way, in all things.

⁷Or did I [perhaps] sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted and honored, because I preached God's gospel to you free of charge?

⁸I robbed other churches by accepting [more than their share of] financial support for my ministry to you.

⁹And when I was with you and ran short [financially], I did not burden any of you; for what I needed was fully supplied by the brothers (Silas and Timothy) who came from Macedonia (the church at Philippi). So I kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.

¹⁰As the truth of Christ is in me, my boast [of independence] will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia (southern Greece).

¹¹Why? Because I do not love you [or wish you well, or have regard for your welfare]? God knows [that I do]!

¹²But what I am doing I will keep doing, [for I am determined to keep this independence] in order to cut off the claim of those who want an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things they brag about.

¹³For such men are counterfeit apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.

¹⁴And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

¹⁵So it is no great surprise if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, but their end will correspond with their deeds.

¹⁶I repeat then, let no one think that I am foolish; but even if you do, at least accept me as foolish, so that I too may boast a little.

¹⁷What I say in this confident boasting, I say not as the Lord would [with His authority], but foolishly.

¹⁸Since many boast [of worldly things and brag] about human accomplishments, I will boast too.

¹⁹For you, being so wise, gladly tolerate and accept the foolish [like me]!

²⁰For you tolerate it if anyone makes you his slave; or devours you and your possessions; or takes advantage of you; or acts presumptuously; or hits you in the face.

²¹To my shame, I must say, we have been too weak [in comparison to those pseudo-apostles who take advantage of you]. But in whatever anyone else dares to boast—I am speaking foolishly—I also dare to boast.

²²Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.

²³Are they [self-proclaimed] servants of Christ?—I am speaking as if I were out of my mind—I am more so [for I exceed them]; with far more labors, with far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, and often in danger of death.

²⁴Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.

²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent adrift on the sea;

²⁶many times on journeys, [exposed to] danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own countrymen, danger from the Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger on the sea, danger among those posing as believers;

²⁷in labor and hardship, often unable to sleep, in hunger and thirst, often [driven to] fasting [for lack of food], in cold and exposure [without adequate clothing].

²⁸Besides those external things, there is the daily [inescapable] pressure of my concern for all the churches.

²⁹Who is weak, and I do not feel [his] weakness? Who is made to sin, and I am not on fire [with sorrow and concern]?

³⁰If I must boast, I will boast of the things that reveal my weakness [the things by which I am made weak in the eyes of my opponents].

³¹The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed and to be praised forevermore, knows that I am not lying.

³²In Damascus the governor (ethnarch) under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order to arrest me,

³³and I was [actually] let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and slipped through his fingers.

¹[Job continued:] "Behold, my eye has seen all this, My ear has heard and understood it.

²"What you know I also know; I am not inferior to you.

³"But I wish to speak to the Almighty, And I desire to argue with God.

⁴"But you smear me with lies [you defame my character most untruthfully]; You are all worthless physicians and have no remedy to offer.

⁵"Oh, that you would be completely silent, And that silence would be your wisdom!

⁶"Please hear my argument And listen to the pleadings of my lips.

⁷"Will you speak what is unjust for God, And speak what is deceitful for Him?

⁸"Will you show partiality for Him [and be unjust to me so that you may gain favor with Him]? Will you contend and plead for God?

⁹"Will it be well for you when He investigates you [and your tactics against me]? Or will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?

¹⁰"He will surely reprimand you If you secretly show partiality.

¹¹"Will not His majesty terrify you, And will not the dread of Him fall upon you?

¹²"Your memorable sayings are [worthless, merely] proverbs of ashes; Your defenses are defenses of [crumbling] clay.

¹³"Be silent before me so that I may speak; And let happen to me what may.

¹⁴"Why should I take my flesh in my teeth And put my life in my hands [incurring the wrath of God]?

¹⁵"Even though He kills me; I will hope in Him. Nevertheless, I will argue my ways to His face.

¹⁶"This also will be my salvation, For a godless man may not come before Him.

¹⁷"Listen diligently to my speech, And let my declaration fill your ears.

¹⁸"Behold now, I have prepared my case; I know that I will be vindicated.

¹⁹"Who will argue and contend with me? For then I would be silent and die.

²⁰"Only [O Lord,] do not do two things to me, And then I will not hide myself from Your face:

²¹Withdraw Your hand from me and remove this bodily suffering, And let not the dread of You terrify me.

²²"Then [Lord,] call, and I will answer; Or let me speak, and then reply to me.

²³"How many are my iniquities and sins [that so much sorrow should come to me]? Make me recognize and understand my transgression and my sin.

²⁴"Why do You hide Your face [as if offended] And consider me Your enemy?

²⁵"Will You cause a windblown leaf to tremble? Will You pursue the chaff of the dry stubble?

²⁶"For You write bitter things against me [in Your indictment] And make me inherit and suffer for the iniquities of my youth.

²⁷"You also put my feet in the stocks [as punishment] And [critically] observe all my paths; You set a circle and limit around the soles of my feet [which I must not overstep],

²⁸While I waste away like a rotten thing, Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

¹To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Hear this, all peoples; Listen carefully, all inhabitants of the world,

²Both low and high, Rich and poor together:

³My mouth will speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart will be understanding.

⁴I will incline my ear and consent to a proverb; On the lyre I will unfold my riddle.

⁵Why should I fear in the days of evil, When the wickedness of those who would betray me surrounds me [on every side],

⁶Even those who trust in and rely on their wealth And boast of the abundance of their riches?

⁷None of them can by any means redeem [either himself or] his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him—

⁸For the ransom of his soul is too costly, And he should cease trying forever—

⁹So that he should live on eternally, That he should never see the pit (grave) and undergo decay.

¹⁰For he sees that even wise men die; The fool and the stupid alike perish And leave their wealth to others.

¹¹Their inward thought is that their houses will continue forever, And their dwelling places to all generations; They have named their lands after their own names [ignoring God].

¹²But man, with all his [self] honor and pomp, will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.

¹³This is the fate of those who are foolishly confident, And of those after them who approve [and are influenced by] their words. Selah.

¹⁴Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead); Death will be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning, And their form and beauty shall be for Sheol to consume, So that they have no dwelling [on earth].

¹⁵But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah.

¹⁶Be not afraid when [an ungodly] man becomes rich, When the wealth and glory of his house are increased;

¹⁷For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him.

¹⁸Though while he lives he counts himself happy and prosperous— And though people praise you when you do well for yourself—

¹⁹He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never again see the light.

²⁰A man [who is held] in honor, Yet who lacks [spiritual] understanding and a teachable heart, is like the beasts that perish.

¹A wise son heeds and accepts [and is the result of] his father's discipline and instruction, But a scoffer does not listen to reprimand and does not learn from his errors.

²From the fruit of his mouth a [wise] man enjoys good, But the desire of the treacherous is for violence.

³The one who guards his mouth [thinking before he speaks] protects his life; The one who opens his lips wide [and chatters without thinking] comes to ruin.

⁴The soul (appetite) of the lazy person craves and gets nothing [for lethargy overcomes ambition], But the soul (appetite) of the diligent [who works willingly] is rich and abundantly supplied.

⁵A righteous man hates lies, But a wicked man is loathsome, and he acts shamefully.

⁶Righteousness (being in right standing with God) guards the one whose way is blameless, But wickedness undermines and overthrows the sinner.

⁷There is one who pretends to be rich, yet has nothing at all; Another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

⁸The ransom for a man's life is his wealth, But the poor man does not even have to listen to a rebuke or threats [from the envious].

⁹The light of the righteous [within him—grows brighter and] rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked [is a temporary light and] goes out.

¹⁰Through pride and presumption come nothing but strife, But [skillful and godly] wisdom is with those who welcome [well-advised] counsel.

¹¹Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, But he who gathers gradually by [honest] labor will increase [his riches].

¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

¹³Whoever despises the word and counsel [of God] brings destruction upon himself, But he who [reverently] fears and respects the commandment [of God] will be rewarded.

¹⁴The teaching of the wise is a fountain and source of life, So that one may avoid the snares of death.

¹⁵Good understanding wins favor [from others], But the way of the unfaithful is hard [like barren, dry soil].

¹⁶Every prudent and self-disciplined man acts with knowledge, But a [closed-minded] fool [who refuses to learn] displays his foolishness [for all to see].

¹⁷A wicked messenger falls into hardship, But a faithful ambassador brings healing.

¹⁸Poverty and shame will come to him who refuses instruction and discipline, But he who accepts and learns from reproof or censure is honored.

¹⁹Desire realized is sweet to the soul; But it is detestable to fools to turn away from evil [which they have planned].

²⁰He who walks [as a companion] with wise men will be wise, But the companions of [conceited, dull-witted] fools [are fools themselves and] will experience harm.

²¹Adversity pursues sinners, But the [consistently] upright will be rewarded with prosperity.

²²A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for [the hands of] the righteous.

²³Abundant food is in the fallow (uncultivated) ground of the poor, But [without protection] it is swept away by injustice.

²⁴He who withholds the rod [of discipline] hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines and trains him diligently and appropriately [with wisdom and love].

²⁵The [consistently] righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, But the stomach of the wicked is in need [of bread].

¹Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned safely to his house (palace) in Jerusalem.

²Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the ungodly and love those who hate the LORD and in doing so bring wrath from the LORD on yourself?

³But there are some good things found in you, for you have removed the Asherim (idols) from the land and you have set your heart to seek God [with all your soul's desire]."

⁴So Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and brought them back to the LORD, the God of their fathers.

⁵He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,

⁶and he said to the judges, "Be careful what you do, for you do not judge for man, but for the LORD who is with you in the matter of judgment.

⁷So now let the fear (reverent awe) of the LORD be on you [to keep you from making unjust decisions]; be careful in what you do, for there is no injustice with the LORD our God, or partiality, or acceptance of a bribe."

⁸In Jerusalem also Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites, priests, and heads of the fathers' households of Israel to render the judgment of the LORD and to judge disputes among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

⁹Then the king commanded them, "Do this in the fear of the LORD, faithfully and wholeheartedly.

¹⁰Whenever any dispute comes to you from your brothers (relatives) who live in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, or between statutes and judgments, you are to warn [and instruct] them so that they may not be guilty before the LORD; otherwise [God's] wrath will come on you and your brothers. Do this and you will not be guilty.

¹¹Behold, Amariah the chief priest will be over you in all matters of the LORD, and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the governor of the house of Judah, in all the king's matters; and the Levites will serve you as officers. Deal courageously, and may the LORD be with the upright."

¹Blow the trumpet in Zion [warning of impending judgment], Sound an alarm on My holy mountain [Zion]! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble and shudder in fear, For the [judgment] day of the LORD is coming; It is close at hand,

²A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and of thick [dark] mist, Like the dawn spread over the mountains; There is a [pagan, hostile] people numerous and mighty, The like of which has never been before Nor will be again afterward Even for years of many generations.

³Before them a fire devours, And behind them a flame burns; Before them the land is like the Garden of Eden, But behind them a desolate wilderness; And nothing at all escapes them.

⁴Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, And they run like war horses.

⁵Like the noise of chariots They leap on the tops of the mountains, Like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, Like a mighty people set in battle formation.

⁶Before them the people are in anguish; All faces become pale [with terror].

⁷They run like warriors; They climb the wall like soldiers. They each march [straight ahead] in line, And they do not deviate from their paths.

⁸They do not crowd each other; Each one marches in his path. When they burst through the defenses (weapons), They do not break ranks.

⁹They rush over the city, They run on the wall; They climb up into the houses, They enter at the windows like a thief.

¹⁰The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness.

¹¹The LORD utters His voice before His army, For His camp is very great, Because strong and powerful is he who [obediently] carries out His word. For the day of the LORD is indeed great and very terrible [causing dread]; Who can endure it?

¹²"Even now," says the LORD, "Turn and come to Me with all your heart [in genuine repentance], With fasting and weeping and mourning [until every barrier is removed and the broken fellowship is restored];

¹³Rip your heart to pieces [in sorrow and contrition] and not your garments." Now return [in repentance] to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness [faithful to His covenant with His people]; And He relents [His sentence of] evil [when His people genuinely repent].

¹⁴Who knows whether He will relent [and revoke your sentence], And leave a blessing behind Him, Even a grain offering and a drink offering [from the bounty He provides you] For the LORD your God?

¹⁵Blow a trumpet in Zion [warning of impending judgment], Dedicate a fast [as a day of restraint and humility], call a solemn assembly.

¹⁶Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom come out of his room And the bride out of her bridal chamber. [No one is excused from the assembly.]

¹⁷Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, Weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, "Have compassion and spare Your people, O LORD, And do not make Your inheritance (Israel) an object of ridicule, Or a [humiliating] byword among the [Gentile] nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"

¹⁸Then the LORD will be jealous for His land [ready to defend it since it is rightfully and uniquely His] And will have compassion on His people [and will spare them].

¹⁹The LORD will answer and say to His people, "Behold, I am going to send you grain and new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied in full with them; And I will never again make you an object of ridicule among the [Gentile] nations.

²⁰"But I will remove the northern army far away from you, And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, With its forward guard into the eastern sea (Dead Sea) And with its rear guard into the western sea (Mediterranean Sea). And its stench will arise and its foul odor of decay will come up [this is the fate of the northern army in the final day of the LORD], For He has done great things."

²¹Do not fear, O land; be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done great things!

²²Do not be afraid, you animals of the field, For the pastures of the wilderness have turned green; The tree has produced its fruit, And the fig tree and the vine have yielded in full.

²³So rejoice, O children of Zion, And delight in the LORD, your God; For He has given you the early [autumn] rain in vindication And He has poured down the rain for you, The early [autumn] rain and the late [spring] rain, as before.

²⁴And the threshing floors shall be full of grain, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

²⁵"And I will compensate you for the years That the swarming locust has eaten, The creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust— My great army which I sent among you.

²⁶"You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied And praise the name of the LORD your God Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame.

²⁷"And you shall know [without any doubt] that I am in the midst of Israel [to protect and bless you], And that I am the LORD your God, And there is no other; My people will never be put to shame.

²⁸"It shall come about after this That I shall pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions.

²⁹"Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

³⁰"I will show signs and wonders [displaying My power] in the heavens and on the earth, Blood and fire and columns of smoke.

³¹"The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.

³²"And it shall come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Will be saved [from the coming judgment] For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the LORD has said, Even among the remnant [of survivors] whom the LORD calls.

¹Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.),

²and a man who had been unable to walk from birth was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at that gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, so that he could beg alms from those entering the temple.

³So when he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking [them] for coins.

⁴But Peter, along with John, stared at him intently and said, "Look at us!"

⁵And the man began to pay attention to them, eagerly expecting to receive something from them.

⁶But Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have; but what I do have I give to you: In the name (authority, power) of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—[begin now to] walk and go on walking!"

⁷Then he seized the man's right hand with a firm grip and raised him up. And at once his feet and ankles became strong and steady,

⁸and with a leap he stood up and began to walk; and he went into the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

⁹All the people saw him walking and praising God;

¹⁰and they recognized him as the very man who usually sat begging for coins at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement and were mystified at what had happened to him.

¹¹Now while he was still holding on to Peter and John, all the people, utterly amazed, ran together and crowded around them at the covered porch called Solomon's portico.

¹²And Peter, seeing this, said to the people, "You men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Why are you staring at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?

¹³The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His Servant and Son Jesus [doing Him this honor], the One whom you handed over and disowned and rejected before Pilate, when he had decided to release Him.

¹⁴But you disowned and denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for [the pardon of] a murderer to be granted to you.

¹⁵But you killed the Prince (Author, Originator, Source) of life, whom God raised [bodily] from the dead. To this [fact] we are witnesses [for we have seen the risen Christ].

¹⁶And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health and complete wholeness in your presence.

¹⁷"Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance [not fully aware of what you were doing], just as your rulers did also.

¹⁸And so God has fulfilled what He foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ (Messiah, Anointed) would suffer.

¹⁹So repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God—seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day];

²⁰and that He may send [to you] Jesus, the Christ, who has been appointed for you,

²¹whom heaven must keep until the time for the [complete] restoration of all things about which God promised through the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

²²Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophetlike me from your countrymen; you shall listen to Him and obey everything He tells you.

²³And it will be that every person that does not listen to and heed that Prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.'

²⁴Indeed, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also announced these days.

²⁵You are the sons (descendants) of the prophets and [heirs] of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed (descendant) all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'

²⁶It was for you first of all that God raised up His Servant and Son [Jesus], and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways."