Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹When they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus then sent two disciples,

²telling them, “Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied there with her foal. Untie them and bring them to me.

³If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them at once.”

⁴This took place so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:

⁵Tell Daughter Zion, “See, your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

⁶The disciples went and did just as Jesus directed them.

⁷They brought the donkey and its foal; then they laid their clothes on them, and he sat on them.

⁸A very large crowd spread their clothes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road.

⁹Then the crowds who went ahead of him and those who followed shouted: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!

¹⁰When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar, saying, “Who is this?”

¹¹The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

¹²Jesus went into the temple and threw out all those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves.

¹³He said to them, “It is written, my house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves!”

¹⁴The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.

¹⁵When the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonders that he did and the children shouting in the temple,” Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant

¹⁶and said to him, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” Jesus replied, “Yes, have you never read: You have prepared praise from the mouths of infants and nursing babies?”

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

¹⁸Early in the morning, as he was returning to the city, he was hungry.

¹⁹Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, he went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” At once the fig tree withered.

²⁰When the disciples saw it, they were amazed and said, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”

²¹Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you tell this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done.

²²And if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

²³When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority?”

²⁴Jesus answered them, “I will also ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

²⁵Did John’s baptism come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” They discussed it among themselves, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him? ’

²⁶But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we’re afraid of the crowd, because everyone considers John to be a prophet.”

²⁷So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

²⁸“What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go work in the vineyard today.’

²⁹“He answered, ‘I don’t want to’ but later he changed his mind and went.

³⁰Then the man went to the other and said the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he answered, but he didn’t go.

³¹Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.

³²For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you didn’t believe him. Tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; but you, when you saw it, didn’t even change your minds then and believe him.

³³“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner, who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. He leased it to tenant farmers and went away.

³⁴When the time came to harvest fruit, he sent his servants to the farmers to collect his fruit.

³⁵The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.

³⁶Again, he sent other servants, more than the first group, and they did the same to them.

³⁷Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

³⁸“But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’

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

⁴⁰Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?”

⁴¹“He will completely destroy those terrible men,” they told him, “and lease his vineyard to other farmers who will give him his fruit at the harvest.”

⁴²Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is what the Lord has done and it is wonderful in our eyes?

⁴³Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit.

⁴⁴Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will shatter him.”

⁴⁵When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew he was speaking about them.

⁴⁶Although they were looking for a way to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because the people regarded him as a prophet.

¹The LORD said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

²I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

³I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

⁴So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

⁵He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,

⁶Abram passed through the land to the site of Shechem, at the oak of Moreh. (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.)

⁷The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.

⁸From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. He built an altar to the LORD there, and he called on the name of the LORD.

⁹Then Abram journeyed by stages to the Negev.

¹⁰There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to stay there for a while because the famine in the land was severe.

¹¹When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know what a beautiful woman you are.

¹²When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will kill me but let you live.

¹³Please say you’re my sister so it will go well for me because of you, and my life will be spared on your account.”

¹⁴When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

¹⁵Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh, so the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s household.

¹⁶He treated Abram well because of her, and Abram acquired flocks and herds, male and female donkeys, male and female slaves, and camels.

¹⁷But the LORD struck Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai.

¹⁸So Pharaoh sent for Abram and said, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?

¹⁹Why did you say, ‘She’s my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take her and go!”

²⁰Then Pharaoh gave his men orders about him, and they sent him away with his wife and all he had.

¹I wish you would put up with a little foolishness from me. Yes, do put up with me!

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

³But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

⁴For if a person comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit, which you had not received, or a different gospel, which you had not accepted, you put up with it splendidly!

⁵Now I consider myself in no way inferior to those “super-apostles.”

⁶Even if I am untrained in public speaking, I am certainly not untrained in knowledge. Indeed, we have in every way made that clear to you in everything.

⁷Or did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge?

⁸I robbed other churches by taking pay from them to minister to you.

⁹When I was present with you and in need, I did not burden anyone, since the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my needs. I have kept myself, and will keep myself, from burdening you in any way.

¹⁰As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia.

¹¹Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows I do!

¹²But I will continue to do what I am doing, in order to deny an opportunity to those who want to be regarded as our equals in what they boast about.

¹³For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

¹⁴And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

¹⁵So it is no great surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will be according to their works.

¹⁶I repeat: Let no one consider me a fool. But if you do, at least accept me as a fool so that I can also boast a little.

¹⁷What I am saying in this matter of boasting, I don’t speak as the Lord would, but as it were, foolishly.

¹⁸Since many boast according to the flesh, I will also boast.

¹⁹For you, being so wise, gladly put up with fools!

²⁰In fact, you put up with it if someone enslaves you, if someone exploits you, if someone takes advantage of you, if someone is arrogant toward you, if someone slaps you in the face.

²¹I say this to our shame: We have been too weak for that! But in whatever anyone dares to boast — I am talking foolishly — I also dare:

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

²³Are they servants of Christ? I’m talking like a madman — I’m a better one: with far more labors, many more imprisonments, far worse beatings, many times near death.

²⁴Five times I received the forty lashes minus one from the Jews.

²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea.

²⁶On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, and dangers among false brothers;

²⁷toil and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and without clothing.

²⁸Not to mention other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my concern for all the churches.

²⁹Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?

³⁰If boasting is necessary, I will boast about my weaknesses.

³¹The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows I am not lying.

³²In Damascus, a ruler under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order to arrest me.

³³So I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped from his hands.

¹Look, my eyes have seen all this; my ears have heard and understood it.

²Everything you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you.

³Yet I prefer to speak to the Almighty and argue my case before God.

⁴You use lies like plaster; you are all worthless healers.

⁵If only you would shut up and let that be your wisdom!

⁶Hear now my argument, and listen to my defense.

⁷Would you testify unjustly on God’s behalf or speak deceitfully for him?

⁸Would you show partiality to him or argue the case in his defense?

⁹Would it go well if he examined you? Could you deceive him as you would deceive a man?

¹⁰Surely he would rebuke you if you secretly showed partiality.

¹¹Would God’s majesty not terrify you? Would his dread not fall on you?

¹²Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ash; your defenses are made of clay.

¹³Be quiet, and I will speak. Let whatever comes happen to me.

¹⁴I will put myself at risk and take my life in my own hands.

¹⁵Even if he kills me, I will hope in him. I will still defend my ways before him.

¹⁶Yes, this will result in my deliverance, for no godless person can appear before him.

¹⁷Pay close attention to my words; let my declaration ring in your ears.

¹⁸Now then, I have prepared my case; I know that I am right.

¹⁹Can anyone indict me? If so, I will be silent and die.

²⁰Only grant these two things to me, God, so that I will not have to hide from your presence:

²¹remove your hand from me, and do not let your terror frighten me.

²²Then call, and I will answer, or I will speak, and you can respond to me.

²³How many iniquities and sins have I committed? Reveal to me my transgression and sin.

²⁴Why do you hide your face and consider me your enemy?

²⁵Will you frighten a wind-driven leaf? Will you chase after dry straw?

²⁶For you record bitter accusations against me and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.

²⁷You put my feet in the stocks and stand watch over all my paths, setting a limit for the soles of my feet.

²⁸A person wears out like something rotten, like a moth-eaten garment.

¹For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah. [1] Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who inhabit the world,

²both low and high, rich and poor together.

³My mouth speaks wisdom; my heart’s meditation brings understanding.

⁴I turn my ear to a proverb; I explain my riddle with a lyre.

⁵Why should I fear in times of trouble? The iniquity of my foes surrounds me.

⁶They trust in their wealth and boast of their abundant riches.

⁷Yet these cannot redeem a person or pay his ransom to God  —

⁸since the price of redeeming him is too costly, one should forever stop trying  —

⁹so that he may live forever and not see the Pit.

¹⁰For one can see that the wise die; the foolish and stupid also pass away. Then they leave their wealth to others.

¹¹Their graves are their permanent homes, their dwellings from generation to generation, though they have named estates after themselves.

¹²But despite his assets, mankind will not last; he is like the animals that perish.

¹³This is the way of those who are arrogant, and of their followers, who approve of their words. Selah

¹⁴Like sheep they are headed for Sheol; Death will shepherd them. The upright will rule over them in the morning, and their form will waste away in Sheol, far from their lofty abode.

¹⁵But God will redeem me from the power of Sheol, for he will take me. Selah

¹⁶Do not be afraid when a person gets rich, when the wealth of his house increases.

¹⁷For when he dies, he will take nothing at all; his wealth will not follow him down.

¹⁸Though he blesses himself during his lifetime — and you are acclaimed when you do well for yourself  —

¹⁹he will go to the generation of his fathers; they will never see the light.

²⁰Mankind, with his assets but without understanding, is like the animals that perish.

¹A wise son responds to his father’s discipline, but a mocker doesn’t listen to rebuke.

²From the fruit of his mouth, a person will enjoy good things, but treacherous people have an appetite for violence.

³The one who guards his mouth protects his life; the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.

⁴The slacker craves, yet has nothing, but the diligent is fully satisfied.

⁵The righteous hate lying, but the wicked bring disgust and shame.

⁶Righteousness guards people of integrity, but wickedness undermines the sinner.

⁷One person pretends to be rich but has nothing; another pretends to be poor but has abundant wealth.

⁸Riches are a ransom for a person’s life, but a poor person hears no threat.

⁹The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is put out.

¹⁰Arrogance leads to nothing but strife, but wisdom is gained by those who take advice.

¹¹Wealth obtained by fraud will dwindle, but whoever earns it through labor will multiply it.

¹²Hope delayed makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

¹³The one who has contempt for instruction will pay the penalty, but the one who respects a command will be rewarded.

¹⁴A wise person’s instruction is a fountain of life, turning people away from the snares of death.

¹⁵Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous never changes.

¹⁶Every sensible person acts knowledgeably, but a fool displays his stupidity.

¹⁷A wicked envoy falls into trouble, but a trustworthy courier brings healing.

¹⁸Poverty and disgrace come to those who ignore discipline, but the one who accepts correction will be honored.

¹⁹Desire fulfilled is sweet to the taste, but to turn from evil is detestable to fools.

²⁰The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.

²¹Disaster pursues sinners, but good rewards the righteous.

²²A good man leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.

²³The uncultivated field of the poor yields abundant food, but without justice, it is swept away.

²⁴The one who will not use the rod hates his son, but the one who loves him disciplines him diligently.

²⁵A righteous person eats until he is satisfied, but the stomach of the wicked is empty.

¹King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned to his home in Jerusalem in peace.

²Then Jehu son of the seer Hanani went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Do you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the LORD’s wrath is on you.

³However, some good is found in you, for you have eradicated the Asherah poles from the land and have decided to seek God.”

⁴Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and once again he went out among the people from Beer-sheba to the hill country of Ephraim and brought them back to the LORD, the God of their ancestors.

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

⁶Then he said to the judges, “Consider what you are doing, for you do not judge for a mere mortal, but for the LORD, who is with you in the matter of judgment.

⁷And now, may the terror of the LORD be on you. Watch what you do, for there is no injustice or partiality or taking bribes with the LORD our God.”

⁸Jehoshaphat also appointed in Jerusalem some of the Levites and priests and some of the Israelite family heads for deciding the LORD’s will and for settling disputes of the residents of Jerusalem.

⁹He commanded them, saying, “In the fear of the LORD, with integrity, and wholeheartedly, you are to do the following:

¹⁰For every dispute that comes to you from your brothers who dwell in their cities — whether it regards differences of bloodguilt, law, commandment, statutes, or judgments  — you are to warn them, so they will not incur guilt before the LORD and wrath will not come on you and your brothers. Do this, and you will not incur guilt.

¹¹“Note that Amariah, the chief priest, is over you in all matters related to the LORD, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all matters related to the king, and the Levites are officers in your presence. Be strong; may the LORD be with those who do what is good.”

¹Blow the horn in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the residents of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; in fact, it is near —

²a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and total darkness, like the dawn spreading over the mountains; a great and strong people appears, such as never existed in ages past and never will again in all the generations to come.

³A fire devours in front of them, and behind them a flame blazes. The land in front of them is like the garden of Eden, but behind them, it is like a desert wasteland; there is no escape from them.

⁴Their appearance is like that of horses, and they gallop like war horses.

⁵They bound on the tops of the mountains. Their sound is like the sound of chariots, like the sound of fiery flames consuming stubble, like a mighty army deployed for war.

⁶Nations writhe in horror before them; all faces turn pale.

⁷They attack as warriors attack; they scale walls as men of war do. Each goes on his own path, and they do not change their course.

⁸They do not push each other; each proceeds on his own path. They dodge the arrows, never stopping.

⁹They storm the city; they run on the wall; they climb into the houses; they enter through the windows like thieves.

¹⁰The earth quakes before them; the sky shakes. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars cease their shining.

¹¹The LORD makes his voice heard in the presence of his army. His camp is very large; those who carry out his command are powerful. Indeed, the day of the LORD is terrible and dreadful  — who can endure it?

¹²Even now — this is the LORD’s declaration — turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.

¹³Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the LORD your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he relents from sending disaster.

¹⁴Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave a blessing behind him, so you can offer grain and wine to the LORD your God.

¹⁵Blow the horn in Zion! Announce a sacred fast; proclaim an assembly.

¹⁶Gather the people; sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the infants, even babies nursing at the breast. Let the groom leave his bedroom, and the bride her honeymoon chamber.

¹⁷Let the priests, the LORD’s ministers, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say: “Have pity on your people, LORD, and do not make your inheritance a disgrace, an object of scorn among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

¹⁸Then the LORD became jealous for his land and spared his people.

¹⁹The LORD answered his people: Look, I am about to send you grain, new wine, and fresh oil. You will be satiated with them, and I will no longer make you a disgrace among the nations.

²⁰I will drive the northerner far from you and banish him to a dry and desolate land, his front ranks into the Dead Sea, and his rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea. His stench will rise; yes, his rotten smell will rise, for he has done astonishing things.

²¹Don’t be afraid, land; rejoice and be glad, for the LORD has done astonishing things.

²²Don’t be afraid, wild animals, for the wilderness pastures have turned green, the trees bear their fruit, and the fig tree and grapevine yield their riches.

²³Children of Zion, rejoice and be glad in the LORD your God, because he gives you the autumn rain for your vindication. He sends showers for you, both autumn and spring rain as before.

²⁴The threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with new wine and fresh oil.

²⁵I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust ate, the young locust, the destroying locust, and the devouring locust — my great army that I sent against you.

²⁶You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied. You will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. My people will never again be put to shame.

²⁷You will know that I am present in Israel and that I am the LORD your God, and there is no other. My people will never again be put to shame.

²⁸After this I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions.

²⁹I will even pour out my Spirit on the male and female slaves in those days.

³⁰I will display wonders in the heavens and on the earth: blood, fire, and columns of smoke.

³¹The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.

³²Then everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved, for there will be an escape for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as the LORD promised, among the survivors the LORD calls.

¹Now Peter and John were going up to the temple for the time of prayer at three in the afternoon.

²A man who was lame from birth was being carried there. He was placed each day at the temple gate called Beautiful, so that he could beg from those entering the temple.

³When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked for money.

⁴Peter, along with John, looked straight at him and said, “Look at us.”

⁵So he turned to them, expecting to get something from them.

⁶But Peter said, “I don’t have silver or gold, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”

⁷Then, taking him by the right hand he raised him up, and at once his feet and ankles became strong.

⁸So he jumped up and started to walk, and he entered the temple with them — walking, leaping, and praising God.

⁹All the people saw him walking and praising God,

¹⁰and they recognized that he was the one who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. So they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him.

¹¹While he was holding on to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astonished, ran toward them in what is called Solomon’s Colonnade.

¹²When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Fellow Israelites, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us, as though we had made him walk by our own power or godliness?

¹³The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied before Pilate, though he had decided to release him.

¹⁴You denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer released to you.

¹⁵You killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this.

¹⁶By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. So the faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in front of all of you.

¹⁷“And now, brothers and sisters, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your leaders also did.

¹⁸In this way God fulfilled what he had predicted through all the prophets — that his Messiah would suffer.

¹⁹Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out,

²⁰that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Jesus, who has been appointed for you as the Messiah.

²¹Heaven must receive him until the time of the restoration of all things, which God spoke about through his holy prophets from the beginning.

²²Moses said: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers and sisters. You must listen to everything he tells you.

²³And everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be completely cut off from the people.

²⁴“In addition, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, have also foretold these days.

²⁵You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, saying to Abraham, And all the families of the earth will be blessed through your offspring.

²⁶God raised up his servant and sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your evil ways.”