Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

Matthew 1; Genesis 1; Romans 1; 1 Thessalonians 1; Job 1; Psalms 1; Proverbs 1; Joshua 1; Isaiah 1; Acts 1

Matthew 1

1The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

3and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,

4and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,

5and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,

6and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,

7and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,

8and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah,

9and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

10and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah,

11and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

13and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor,

14and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud,

15and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,

16and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

17So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

18Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

19And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

20But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

21She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

24When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,

25but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Genesis 1

1In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

2The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

4And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.

5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

6And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”

7And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so.

8And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

9And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.

10God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so.

12The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

13And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

14And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,

15and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.

16And God made the two great lights — the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night — and the stars.

17And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,

18to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

20And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.”

21So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

22And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

23And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

24And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds — livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.

25And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

28And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

29And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

30And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

31And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Romans 1

1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

2which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,

3concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh

4and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

5through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,

6including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

7To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.

9For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you

10always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.

11For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you —

12that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.

13I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.

14I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.

15So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

19For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

20For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

21For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

22Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,

25because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;

27and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

29They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,

30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,

31foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

32Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

1 Thessalonians 1

1Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

2We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,

3remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

4For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you,

5because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

6And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,

7so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

8For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.

9For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Job 1

1There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.

2There were born to him seven sons and three daughters.

3He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.

4His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.

5And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

6Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.

7The LORD said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

8And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”

9Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason?

10Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

11But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.”

12And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

13Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,

14and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,

15and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

16While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

17While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

18While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,

19and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

20Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.

21And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”

22In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

Psalms 1

1Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

2but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

3He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

4The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

6for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Proverbs 1

1The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

2To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight,

3to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;

4to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth —

5Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,

6to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.

7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

8Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching,

9for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.

10My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

11If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason;

12like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

13we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder;

14throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse” —

15my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths,

16for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.

17For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird,

18but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives.

19Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.

20Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice;

21at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

22“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?

23If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.

24Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,

25because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,

26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you,

27when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.

28Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

29Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,

30would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,

31therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.

32For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;

33but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

Joshua 1

1After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant,

2“Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.

3Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.

4From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.

5No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.

6Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.

7Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.

8This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

10And Joshua commanded the officers of the people,

11“Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.’”

12And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said,

13“Remember the word that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, ‘The LORD your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’

14Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them,

15until the LORD gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”

16And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.

17Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you, as he was with Moses!

18Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”

Isaiah 1

1The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

2Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the LORD has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.

3The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”

4Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.

5Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

6From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds; they are not pressed out or bound up or softened with oil.

7Your country lies desolate; your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence foreigners devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.

8And the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, like a lodge in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.

9If the LORD of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.

10Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!

11“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.

12“When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts?

13Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations — I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.

14Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.

15When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.

16Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil,

17learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

18“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

19If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;

20but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

21How the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.

22Your silver has become dross, your best wine mixed with water.

23Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow's cause does not come to them.

24Therefore the Lord declares, the LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: “Ah, I will get relief from my enemies and avenge myself on my foes.

25I will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy.

26And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”

27Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness.

28But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

29For they shall be ashamed of the oaks that you desired; and you shall blush for the gardens that you have chosen.

30For you shall be like an oak whose leaf withers, and like a garden without water.

31And the strong shall become tinder, and his work a spark, and both of them shall burn together, with none to quench them.

Acts 1

1In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,

2until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

3He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

4And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;

5for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

6So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.

8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

9And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

10And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,

11and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away.

13And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.

14All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

15In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said,

16“Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.

17For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.”

18(Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.

19And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

20“For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “‘Let another take his office.’

21So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

22beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us — one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”

23And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias.

24And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen

25to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

26And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.