Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹When Jesus had finished saying these things, he departed from Galilee and went to the region of Judea across the Jordan.

²Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

³Some Pharisees approached him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife on any grounds?”

⁴“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that he who created them in the beginning made them male and female,”

⁵and he also said, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?

⁶So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

⁷“Why then,” they asked him, “did Moses command us to give divorce papers and to send her away?”

⁸He told them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of the hardness of your hearts, but it was not like that from the beginning.

⁹I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another commits adultery.”

¹⁰His disciples said to him, “If the relationship of a man with his wife is like this, it’s better not to marry.”

¹¹He responded, “Not everyone can accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given.

¹²For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs who were made by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept it should accept it.”

¹³Then children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.

¹⁴Jesus said, “Leave the children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to me, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

¹⁵After placing his hands on them, he went on from there.

¹⁶Just then someone came up and asked him, “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?”

¹⁷“Why do you ask me about what is good?” he said to him. “There is only one who is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

¹⁸“Which ones?” he asked him. Jesus answered: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness;

¹⁹honor your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as yourself.

²⁰“I have kept all these,” the young man told him. “What do I still lack?”

²¹“If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²²When the young man heard that, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.

²³Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.

²⁴Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁵When the disciples heard this, they were utterly astonished and asked, “Then who can be saved?”

²⁶Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

²⁷Then Peter responded to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you. So what will there be for us?”

²⁸Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

²⁹And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life.

³⁰But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

¹The two angels entered Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in Sodom’s gateway. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them. He bowed with his face to the ground

²and said, “My lords, turn aside to your servant’s house, wash your feet, and spend the night. Then you can get up early and go on your way.” “No,” they said. “We would rather spend the night in the square.”

³But he urged them so strongly that they followed him and went into his house. He prepared a feast and baked unleavened bread for them, and they ate.

⁴Before they went to bed, the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, the whole population, surrounded the house.

⁵They called out to Lot and said, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have sex with them!”

⁶Lot went out to them at the entrance and shut the door behind him.

⁷He said, “Don’t do this evil, my brothers.

⁸Look, I’ve got two daughters who haven’t been intimate with a man. I’ll bring them out to you, and you can do whatever you want to them. However, don’t do anything to these men, because they have come under the protection of my roof.”

⁹“Get out of the way!” they said, adding, “This one came here as an alien, but he’s acting like a judge! Now we’ll do more harm to you than to them.” They put pressure on Lot and came up to break down the door.

¹⁰But the angels reached out, brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.

¹¹They struck the men who were at the entrance of the house, both young and old, with blindness so that they were unable to find the entrance.

¹²Then the angels said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here: a son-in-law, your sons and daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of this place,

¹³for we are about to destroy this place because the outcry against its people is so great before the LORD, that the LORD has sent us to destroy it.”

¹⁴So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were going to marry his daughters. “Get up,” he said. “Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

¹⁵At daybreak the angels urged Lot on: “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.”

¹⁶But he hesitated. Because of the LORD’s compassion for him, the men grabbed his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters. They brought him out and left him outside the city.

¹⁷As soon as the angels got them outside, one of them said, “Run for your lives! Don’t look back and don’t stop anywhere on the plain! Run to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”

¹⁸But Lot said to them, “No, my lords  — please.

¹⁹Your servant has indeed found favor with you, and you have shown me great kindness by saving my life. But I can’t run to the mountains; the disaster will overtake me, and I will die.

²⁰Look, this town is close enough for me to flee to. It is a small place. Please let me run to it — it’s only a small place, isn’t it? — so that I can survive.”

²¹And he said to him, “All right, I’ll grant your request about this matter too and will not demolish the town you mentioned.

²²Hurry up! Run to it, for I cannot do anything until you get there.” Therefore the name of the city is Zoar.

²³The sun had risen over the land when Lot reached Zoar.

²⁴Then out of the sky the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah burning sulfur from the LORD.

²⁵He demolished these cities, the entire plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and whatever grew on the ground.

²⁶But Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt.

²⁷Early in the morning Abraham went to the place where he had stood before the LORD.

²⁸He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the plain, and he saw that smoke was going up from the land like the smoke of a furnace.

²⁹So it was, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham and brought Lot out of the middle of the upheaval when he demolished the cities where Lot had lived.

³⁰Lot departed from Zoar and lived in the mountains along with his two daughters, because he was afraid to live in Zoar. Instead, he and his two daughters lived in a cave.

³¹Then the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to sleep with us as is the custom of all the land.

³²Come, let’s get our father to drink wine so that we can sleep with him and preserve our father’s line.”

³³So they got their father to drink wine that night, and the firstborn came and slept with her father; he did not know when she lay down or when she got up.

³⁴The next day the firstborn said to the younger, “Look, I slept with my father last night. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight so you can go sleep with him and we can preserve our father’s line.”

³⁵That night they again got their father to drink wine, and the younger went and slept with him; he did not know when she lay down or when she got up.

³⁶So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.

³⁷The firstborn gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the father of the Moabites of today.

³⁸The younger also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites of today.

¹For my part, brothers and sisters, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ.

²I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, since you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready,

³because you are still worldly. For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not worldly and behaving like mere humans?

⁴For whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not acting like mere humans?

⁵What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given.

⁶I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

⁷So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

⁸Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

⁹For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

¹⁰According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one is to be careful how he builds on it.

¹¹For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ.

¹²If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw,

¹³each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.

¹⁴If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward.

¹⁵If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved  — but only as through fire.

¹⁶Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you?

¹⁷If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and that is what you are.

¹⁸Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool so that he can become wise.

¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, since it is written, He catches the wise in their craftiness;

²⁰and again, The Lord knows that the reasonings of the wise are futile.

²¹So let no one boast in human leaders, for everything is yours  —

²²whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come  — everything is yours,

²³and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

¹Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness,

²in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.

³In his own time he has revealed his word in the preaching with which I was entrusted by the command of God our Savior:

⁴To Titus, my true son in our common faith. Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

⁵The reason I left you in Crete was to set right what was left undone and, as I directed you, to appoint elders in every town.

⁶An elder must be blameless: the husband of one wife, with faithful children who are not accused of wildness or rebellion.

⁷As an overseer of God’s household, he must be blameless: not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not an excessive drinker, not a bully, not greedy for money,

⁸but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled,

⁹holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it.

¹⁰For there are many rebellious people, full of empty talk and deception, especially those from the circumcision party.

¹¹It is necessary to silence them; they are ruining entire households by teaching what they shouldn’t in order to get money dishonestly.

¹²One of their very own prophets said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”

¹³This testimony is true. For this reason, rebuke them sharply, so that they may be sound in the faith

¹⁴and may not pay attention to Jewish myths and the commands of people who reject the truth.

¹⁵To the pure, everything is pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; in fact, both their mind and conscience are defiled.

¹⁶They claim to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.

¹Then Job answered:

²How long will you torment me and crush me with words?

³You have humiliated me ten times now, and you mistreat me without shame.

⁴Even if it is true that I have sinned, my mistake concerns only me.

⁵If you really want to appear superior to me and would use my disgrace as evidence against me,

⁶then understand that it is God who has wronged me and caught me in his net.

⁷I cry out: “Violence!” but get no response; I call for help, but there is no justice.

⁸He has blocked my way so that I cannot pass through; he has veiled my paths with darkness.

⁹He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head.

¹⁰He tears me down on every side so that I am ruined. He uproots my hope like a tree.

¹¹His anger burns against me, and he regards me as one of his enemies.

¹²His troops advance together; they construct a ramp against me and camp around my tent.

¹³He has removed my brothers from me; my acquaintances have abandoned me.

¹⁴My relatives stop coming by, and my close friends have forgotten me.

¹⁵My house guests and female servants regard me as a stranger; I am a foreigner in their sight.

¹⁶I call for my servant, but he does not answer, even if I beg him with my own mouth.

¹⁷My breath is offensive to my wife, and my own family finds me repulsive.

¹⁸Even young boys scorn me. When I stand up, they mock me.

¹⁹All of my best friends despise me, and those I love have turned against me.

²⁰My skin and my flesh cling to my bones; I have escaped with only the skin of my teeth.

²¹Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy, for God’s hand has struck me.

²²Why do you persecute me as God does? Will you never get enough of my flesh?

²³I wish that my words were written down, that they were recorded on a scroll

²⁴or were inscribed in stone forever by an iron stylus and lead!

²⁵But I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the end he will stand on the dust.

²⁶Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet I will see God in my flesh.

²⁷I will see him myself; my eyes will look at him, and not as a stranger. My heart longs within me.

²⁸If you say, “How will we pursue him, since the root of the problem lies with him?”

²⁹then be afraid of the sword, because wrath brings punishment by the sword, so that you may know there is a judgment.

¹For the choir director. A psalm of David. [1] The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.

²Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge.

³There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard.

⁴Their message has gone out to the whole earth, and their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun.

⁵It is like a bridegroom coming from his home; it rejoices like an athlete running a course.

⁶It rises from one end of the heavens and circles to their other end; nothing is hidden from its heat.

⁷The instruction of the LORD is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise.

⁸The precepts of the LORD are right, making the heart glad; the command of the LORD is radiant, making the eyes light up.

⁹The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are reliable and altogether righteous.

¹⁰They are more desirable than gold — than an abundance of pure gold; and sweeter than honey dripping from a honeycomb.

¹¹In addition, your servant is warned by them, and in keeping them there is an abundant reward.

¹²Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

¹³Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed from blatant rebellion.

¹⁴May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

¹Better a poor person who lives with integrity than someone who has deceitful lips and is a fool.

²Even zeal is not good without knowledge, and the one who acts hastily sins.

³A person’s own foolishness leads him astray, yet his heart rages against the LORD.

⁴Wealth attracts many friends, but a poor person is separated from his friend.

⁵A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape.

⁶Many seek a ruler’s favor, and everyone is a friend of one who gives gifts.

⁷All the brothers of a poor person hate him; how much more do his friends keep their distance from him! He may pursue them with words, but they are not there.

⁸The one who acquires good sense loves himself; one who safeguards understanding finds success.

⁹A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies perishes.

¹⁰Luxury is not appropriate for a fool —  how much less for a slave to rule over princes!

¹¹A person’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.

¹²A king’s rage is like the roaring of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

¹³A foolish son is his father’s ruin, and a wife’s nagging is an endless dripping.

¹⁴A house and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.

¹⁵Laziness induces deep sleep, and a lazy person will go hungry.

¹⁶The one who keeps commands preserves himself; one who disregards his ways will die.

¹⁷Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and he will give a reward to the lender.

¹⁸Discipline your son while there is hope; don’t set your heart on being the cause of his death.

¹⁹A person with intense anger bears the penalty; if you rescue him, you’ll have to do it again.

²⁰Listen to counsel and receive instruction so that you may be wise later in life.

²¹Many plans are in a person’s heart, but the LORD’s decree will prevail.

²²What is desirable in a person is his fidelity; better to be a poor person than a liar.

²³The fear of the LORD leads to life; one will sleep at night without danger.

²⁴The slacker buries his hand in the bowl; he doesn’t even bring it back to his mouth!

²⁵Strike a mocker, and the inexperienced learn a lesson; rebuke the discerning, and he gains knowledge.

²⁶The one who plunders his father and evicts his mother is a disgraceful and shameful son.

²⁷If you stop listening to correction, my son, you will stray from the words of knowledge.

²⁸A worthless witness mocks justice, and a wicked mouth swallows iniquity.

²⁹Judgments are prepared for mockers, and beatings for the backs of fools.

¹The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of his descendants by their clans, but their inheritance was within the inheritance given to Judah’s descendants.

²Their inheritance included Beer-sheba (or Sheba ), Moladah,

³Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem,

⁴Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,

⁵Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah,

⁶Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen — thirteen cities, with their settlements;

⁷Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan — four cities, with their settlements;

⁸and all the settlements surrounding these cities as far as Baalath-beer (Ramah in the south ). This was the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon’s descendants by their clans.

⁹The inheritance of Simeon’s descendants was within the territory of Judah’s descendants, because the share for Judah’s descendants was too large. So Simeon’s descendants received an inheritance within Judah’s portion.

¹⁰The third lot came up for Zebulun’s descendants by their clans. The territory of their inheritance stretched as far as Sarid;

¹¹their border went up westward to Maralah, reached Dabbesheth, and met the brook east of Jokneam.

¹²From Sarid, it turned due east along the border of Chisloth-tabor, went to Daberath, and went up to Japhia.

¹³From there, it went due east to Gath-hepher and to Eth-kazin; it extended to Rimmon, curving around to Neah.

¹⁴The border then circled around Neah on the north to Hannathon and ended at Iphtah-el Valley,

¹⁵along with Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem — twelve cities, with their settlements.

¹⁶This was the inheritance of Zebulun’s descendants by their clans, these cities, with their settlements.

¹⁷The fourth lot came out for the tribe of Issachar’s descendants by their clans.

¹⁸Their territory went to Jezreel, and included Chesulloth, Shunem,

¹⁹Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,

²⁰Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,

²¹Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez.

²²The border reached Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, and ended at the Jordan — sixteen cities, with their settlements.

²³This was the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar’s descendants by their clans, the cities, with their settlements.

²⁴The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Asher’s descendants by their clans.

²⁵Their boundary included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,

²⁶Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal and reached westward to Carmel and Shihor-libnath.

²⁷It turned eastward to Beth-dagon, reached Zebulun and Iphtah-el Valley, north toward Beth-emek and Neiel, and went north to Cabul,

²⁸Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as greater Sidon.

²⁹The boundary then turned to Ramah as far as the fortified city of Tyre; it turned back to Hosah and ended at the Mediterranean Sea, including Mahalab, Achzib,

³⁰Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob — twenty-two cities, with their settlements.

³¹This was the inheritance of the tribe of Asher’s descendants by their clans, these cities with their settlements.

³²The sixth lot came out for Naphtali’s descendants by their clans.

³³Their boundary went from Heleph and from the oak in Zaanannim, including Adami-nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and ended at the Jordan.

³⁴To the west, the boundary turned to Aznoth-tabor and went from there to Hukkok, reaching Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah at the Jordan on the east.

³⁵The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth,

³⁶Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,

³⁷Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor,

³⁸Iron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh — nineteen cities, with their settlements.

³⁹This was the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali’s descendants by their clans, the cities with their settlements.

⁴⁰The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan’s descendants by their clans.

⁴¹The territory of their inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh,

⁴²Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,

⁴³Elon, Timnah, Ekron,

⁴⁴Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,

⁴⁵Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon,

⁴⁶Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, with the territory facing Joppa.

⁴⁷When the territory of the descendants of Dan slipped out of their control, they went up and fought against Leshem, captured it, and struck it down with the sword. So they took possession of it, lived there, and renamed Leshem after their ancestor Dan.

⁴⁸This was the inheritance of the tribe of Dan’s descendants by their clans, these cities with their settlements.

⁴⁹When they had finished distributing the land into its territories, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them.

⁵⁰By the LORD’s command, they gave him the city Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, which he requested. He rebuilt the city and lived in it.

⁵¹These were the portions that the priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads distributed to the Israelite tribes by lot at Shiloh in the LORD’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing up the land.

¹A pronouncement concerning Egypt: Look, the LORD rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. Egypt’s idols will tremble before him, and Egypt will lose heart.

²I will provoke Egyptians against Egyptians; each will fight against his brother and each against his friend, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.

³Egypt’s spirit will be disturbed within it, and I will frustrate its plans. Then they will inquire of idols, ghosts, and spiritists.

⁴I will hand over Egypt to harsh masters, and a strong king will rule it. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD of Armies.

⁵The water of the sea will dry up, and the river will be parched and dry.

⁶The channels will stink; they will dwindle, and Egypt’s canals will be parched. Reed and rush will wilt.

⁷The reeds by the Nile, by the mouth of the river, and all the cultivated areas of the Nile will wither, blow away, and vanish.

⁸Then the fishermen will mourn. All those who cast hooks into the Nile will lament, and those who spread nets on the water will give up.

⁹Those who work with flax will be dismayed; those combing it and weaving linen will turn pale.

¹⁰Egypt’s weavers will be dejected; all her wage earners will be demoralized.

¹¹The princes of Zoan are complete fools; Pharaoh’s wisest advisers give stupid advice! How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am one of the wise, a student of eastern kings”?

¹²Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you and reveal what the LORD of Armies has planned against Egypt.

¹³The princes of Zoan have been fools; the princes of Memphis are deceived. Her tribal chieftains have led Egypt astray.

¹⁴The LORD has mixed within her a spirit of confusion. The leaders have made Egypt stagger in all she does, as a drunkard staggers in his vomit.

¹⁵No head or tail, palm or reed, will be able to do anything for Egypt.

¹⁶On that day Egypt will be like women and will tremble with fear because of the threatening hand of the LORD of Armies when he raises it against them.

¹⁷The land of Judah will terrify Egypt; whenever Judah is mentioned, Egypt will tremble because of what the LORD of Armies has planned against it.

¹⁸On that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear loyalty to the LORD of Armies. One of the cities will be called the City of the Sun.

¹⁹On that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the center of the land of Egypt and a pillar to the LORD near her border.

²⁰It will be a sign and witness to the LORD of Armies in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and leader, and he will rescue them.

²¹The LORD will make himself known to Egypt, and Egypt will know the LORD on that day. They will offer sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the LORD and fulfill them.

²²The LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing. Then they will turn to the LORD and he will be receptive to their prayers and heal them.

²³On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. Assyria will go to Egypt, Egypt to Assyria, and Egypt will worship with Assyria.

²⁴On that day Israel will form a triple alliance with Egypt and Assyria — a blessing within the land.

²⁵The LORD of Armies will bless them, saying, “Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance are blessed.”

¹While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples

²and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” “No,” they told him, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

³“Into what then were you baptized?” he asked them. “Into John’s baptism,” they replied.

⁴Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.”

⁵When they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

⁶And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in other tongues and to prophesy.

⁷Now there were about twelve men in all.

⁸Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, arguing and persuading them about the kingdom of God.

⁹But when some became hardened and would not believe, slandering the Way in front of the crowd, he withdrew from them, taking the disciples, and conducted discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

¹⁰This went on for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.

¹¹God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands,

¹²so that even facecloths or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.

¹³Now some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I command you by the Jesus that Paul preaches!”

¹⁴Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.

¹⁵The evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul — but who are you?”

¹⁶Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded.

¹⁷When this became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, they became afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high esteem.

¹⁸And many who had become believers came confessing and disclosing their practices,

¹⁹while many of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. So they calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver.

²⁰In this way the word of the Lord flourished and prevailed.

²¹After these events, Paul resolved by the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem. “After I’ve been there,” he said, “It is necessary for me to see Rome as well.”

²²After sending to Macedonia two of those who assisted him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

²³About that time there was a major disturbance about the Way.

²⁴For a person named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, provided a great deal of business for the craftsmen.

²⁵When he had assembled them, as well as the workers engaged in this type of business, he said: “Men, you know that our prosperity is derived from this business.

²⁶You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this man Paul has persuaded and misled a considerable number of people by saying that gods made by hand are not gods.

²⁷Not only do we run a risk that our business may be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be despised and her magnificence come to the verge of ruin — the very one all of Asia and the world worship.”

²⁸When they had heard this, they were filled with rage and began to cry out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

²⁹So the city was filled with confusion, and they rushed all together into the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions.

³⁰Although Paul wanted to go in before the people, the disciples did not let him.

³¹Even some of the provincial officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent word to him, pleading with him not to venture into the amphitheater.

³²Some were shouting one thing and some another, because the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.

³³Some Jews in the crowd gave instructions to Alexander after they pushed him to the front. Motioning with his hand, Alexander wanted to make his defense to the people.

³⁴But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵When the city clerk had calmed the crowd down, he said, “People of Ephesus! What person is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple guardian of the great Artemis, and of the image that fell from heaven?

³⁶Therefore, since these things are undeniable, you must keep calm and not do anything rash.

³⁷For you have brought these men here who are not temple robbers or blasphemers of our goddess.

³⁸So if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a case against anyone, the courts are in session, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another.

³⁹But if you seek anything further, it must be decided in a legal assembly.

⁴⁰In fact, we run a risk of being charged with rioting for what happened today, since there is no justification that we can give as a reason for this disturbance.”

⁴¹After saying this, he dismissed the assembly.