Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying,

²"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.

³And he sent his servants to call those who had [previously] been invited to the wedding feast, but they refused to come.

⁴Then he sent out some other servants, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Look, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened calves are butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast."'

⁵But they paid no attention [they disregarded the invitation, treating it with contempt] and went away, one to his farm, another to his business.

⁶The rest [of the invited guests] seized his servants and mistreated them [insulting and humiliating them] and killed them.

⁷The king was enraged [when he heard this], and sent his soldiers and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

⁸Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding [feast] is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

⁹So go to the main highways that lead out of the city, and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.'

¹⁰Those servants went out into the streets and gathered together all the people they could find, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests [sitting at the banquet table].

¹¹"But when the king came in to see the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed [appropriately] in wedding clothes,

¹²and he said, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wearing the wedding clothes [that were provided for you]?' And the man was speechless and without excuse.

¹³Then the king said to the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the darkness outside; in that place there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger].'

¹⁴For many are called (invited, summoned), but few are chosen."

¹⁵Then the Pharisees went and conspired together plotting how to trap Him by [distorting] what He said.

¹⁶They sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are sincere and that You teach the way of God truthfully, without concerning Yourself about [what] anyone [thinks or says of Your teachings]; for You are impartial and do not seek anyone's favor [and You treat all people alike, regardless of status].

¹⁷Tell us then, what do You think? Is it permissible [according to Jewish law and tradition] to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?"

¹⁸But Jesus, aware of their malice, asked, "Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?

¹⁹Show me the coin used for the poll-tax." And they brought Him a denarius [a day's wage].

²⁰And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?"

²¹They said, "[ The Emperor Tiberius] Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's."

²²When they heard this, they were caught off guard, and they left Him and went away.

²³On that day some Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection [of the dead], came to Him and asked Him a question,

²⁴saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies, leaving no children, his brother as next of kin shallmarry his widow, and raise children for his brother.'

²⁵Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother.

²⁶The second also [died childless], and the third, down to the seventh.

²⁷Last of all, the woman died.

²⁸So in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her."

²⁹But Jesus replied to them, "You are all wrong because you know neither the Scriptures [which teach the resurrection] nor the power of God [for He is able to raise the dead].

³⁰For in the resurrection neither do men marry nor are women given in marriage, but they are like angels in heaven [who do not marry nor produce children].

³¹But as to the resurrection of the dead—have you not read [in the Scripture] what God said to you:

³²'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

³³When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

³⁴Now when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced (muzzled) the Sadducees, they gathered together.

³⁵One of them, a lawyer [an expert in Mosaic Law], asked Jesus a question, to test Him:

³⁶"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

³⁷And Jesus replied to him, " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'

³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment.

³⁹The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].'

⁴⁰The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments."

⁴¹Now while the Pharisees were [still] gathered together, Jesus asked them a question:

⁴²"What do you [Pharisees] think of the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)? Whose Son is He?" They said to Him, "The son of David."

⁴³Jesus asked them, "How is it then that David by the inspiration of the Spirit, calls Him 'Lord,' saying,

⁴⁴'The Lord (the Father) said to my Lord (the Son, the Messiah), "Sit at My right hand, Until I put Your enemies under Your feet"'?

⁴⁵So then, if David calls Him (the Son, the Messiah) 'Lord,' how is He David's son?"

⁴⁶No one was able to say a word to Him in answer, nor from that day on did anyone dare to question Him again.

¹So Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot [his nephew] with him, into the Negev (the South country of Judah).

²Now Abram was extremely rich in livestock and in silver and in gold.

³He journeyed on from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,

⁴where he had first built an altar; and there Abram called on the name of the LORD [in prayer].

⁵But Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents.

⁶Now the land was not able to support them [that is, sustain all their grazing and water needs] while they lived near one another, for their possessions were too great for them to stay together.

⁷And there was strife and quarreling between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle. Now the Canaanite and the Perizzite were living in the land at that same time [making grazing of the livestock difficult].

⁸So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife and disagreement between you and me, nor between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, because we are relatives.

⁹Is not the entire land before you? Please separate [yourself] from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or if you choose the right, then I will go to the left."

¹⁰So Lot looked and saw that the valley of the Jordan was well watered everywhere—this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah; [it was all] like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar [at the south end of the Dead Sea].

¹¹Then Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and he traveled east. So they separated from each other.

¹²Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot settled in the cities of the valley and camped as far as Sodom and lived there.

¹³But the men of Sodom were extremely wicked and sinful against the LORD [unashamed in their open sin before Him].

¹⁴The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had left him, "Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are standing, northward and southward and eastward and westward;

¹⁵for all the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants forever.

¹⁶I will make your descendants [as numerous] as the dust of the earth, so that if a man could count the [grains of] dust of the earth, then your descendants could also be counted.

¹⁷Arise, walk (make a thorough reconnaissance) around in the land, through its length and its width, for I will give it to you."

¹⁸Then Abram broke camp and moved his tent, and came and settled by the [grove of the great] terebinths (oak trees) of Mamre [the Amorite], which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to [honor] the LORD.

¹It is necessary to boast, though nothing is gained by it; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.

²I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, [only] God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven.

³And I know that such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, [only] God knows—

⁴was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words which man is not permitted to speak [words too sacred to tell].

⁵On behalf of such a man [and his experiences] I will boast; but in my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses.

⁶If I wish to boast, I will not be foolish, because I will be speaking the truth. But I abstain [from it], so that no one will credit me with more than [is justified by what] he sees in me or hears from me.

⁷Because of the surpassing greatness and extraordinary nature of the revelations [which I received from God], for this reason, to keep me from thinking of myself as important, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan, to torment and harass me—to keep me from exalting myself!

⁸Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me;

⁹but He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness." Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.

¹⁰So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God's strength].

¹¹Now I have become foolish; you have forced me [by questioning my apostleship]. Actually I should have been commended by you [instead of being treated disdainfully], for I was not inferior to those super-apostles, even if I am nobody.

¹²The signs that indicate a genuine apostle were performed among you fully and most patiently—signs and wonders and miracles.

¹³For in what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches, except [for the fact] that I did not burden you [with my financial support]? Forgive me [for doing you] this injustice!

¹⁴Now for the third time I am ready to visit you. I will not burden you [financially], because I do not want what is yours [not your money or your possessions], but you. For children are not responsible to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

¹⁵But I will very gladly spend [my own resources] and be utterly spent for your souls. If I love you greatly, am I to be loved less [by you]?

¹⁶But be that as it may, I did not burden you [with my support]. But [some say that] I was sly and took you by trickery.

¹⁷Did I take advantage of you or make any money off you through any of the messengers I sent you? [Certainly not!]

¹⁸I urged Titus to go, and I sent the brother with him. Titus did not take advantage of you, did he? [No!] Did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit and walk in the same steps? [Of course!]

¹⁹All this time you have been thinking that we are [merely] defending ourselves to you. It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking [as one] in Christ; and everything, dearly beloved, is to strengthen you [spiritually].

²⁰For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you not to be as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder;

²¹I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality and decadence which they formerly practiced.

¹"Man, who is born of a woman, Is short-lived and full of turmoil.

²"Like a flower he comes forth and withers; He also flees like a shadow and does not remain.

³"You also open Your eyes upon him And bring him into judgment with Yourself.

⁴"Who can make a clean thing out of the unclean? No one!

⁵"Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You [in Your control], And You have made his limits so he cannot pass [his allotted time].

⁶"[O God] turn your gaze from him so that he may rest, Until he fulfills his day [on earth] like a hired man.

⁷"For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And that the shoots of it will not cease nor fail, [but there is no such hope for man].

⁸"Though its roots grow old in the earth And its stump dies in the dry soil,

⁹Yet at the scent of water [the stump of the tree] will flourish And bring forth sprigs and shoots like a seedling.

¹⁰"But [the brave, strong] man must die and lie face down; Man breathes his last, and where is he?

¹¹"As water evaporates from the sea, And a river drains and dries up,

¹²So man lies down and does not rise [again]. Until the heavens are no longer, The dead will not awake nor be raised from their sleep.

¹³"Oh, that You would hide me in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, That You would set a definite time and then remember me [and in Your lovingkindness imprint me on your heart]!

¹⁴"If a man dies, will he live again? I will wait all the days of my struggle Until my change and release will come.

¹⁵"[Then] You will call, and I will answer You; You will long for [me] the work of Your hands.

¹⁶"But now You number [each of] my steps; You do not observe nor take note of my sin.

¹⁷"My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And You cover my wickedness [from Your view].

¹⁸"But as a mountain, if it falls, crumbles into nothing, And as the rock is moved from its place,

¹⁹Water wears away the stones, Its floods and torrents wash away the soil of the earth, So You [O Lord] destroy the hope of man.

²⁰"You prevail forever against him and overpower him, and he passes on; You change his appearance and send him away [from the presence of the living].

²¹"His sons achieve honor, and he does not know it; They become insignificant, and he is not aware of it.

²²"But his body [lamenting its decay] grieves in pain over it, And his soul mourns over [the loss of] himself."

¹A Psalm of Asaph The mighty One, God, the LORD, has spoken, And summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting [from east to west].

²Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth.

³May our God come and not keep silent; Fire devours before Him, And around Him a mighty tempest rages.

⁴He summons the heavens above, And the earth, to judge His people:

⁵"Gather My godly ones to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice."

⁶And the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself is judge. Selah.

⁷"Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you: I am God, your God.

⁸"I do not reprove you for your sacrifices; Your burnt offerings are continually before Me.

⁹"I will accept no young bull from your house Nor male goat from your folds.

¹⁰"For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills.

¹¹"I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine.

¹²"If I were hungry, I would not tell you, For the world and all it contains are Mine.

¹³"Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats?

¹⁴"Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High;

¹⁵Call on Me in the day of trouble; I will rescue you, and you shall honor and glorify Me."

¹⁶But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to recite My statutes Or to take My covenant on your lips?

¹⁷"For you hate instruction and discipline And cast My words behind you [discarding them].

¹⁸"When you see a thief, you are pleased with him and condone his behavior, And you associate with adulterers.

¹⁹"You give your mouth to evil And your tongue frames deceit.

²⁰"You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother's son.

²¹"These things you have done and I kept silent; You thought that I was just like you. Now I will reprimand and denounce you and state the case in order before your eyes.

²²"Now consider this, you who forget God, Or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be no one to rescue [you].

²³"He who offers a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way rightly [who follows the way that I show him], I shall show the salvation of God."

¹The wise woman builds her house [on a foundation of godly precepts, and her household thrives], But the foolish one [who lacks spiritual insight] tears it down with her own hands [by ignoring godly principles].

²He who walks in uprightness [reverently] fears the LORD [and obeys and worships Him with profound respect], But he who is devious in his ways despises Him.

³In the mouth of the [arrogant] fool [who rejects God] is a rod for his back, But the lips of the wise [when they speak with godly wisdom] will protect them.

⁴Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, But much revenue [because of good crops] comes by the strength of the ox.

⁵A faithful and trustworthy witness will not lie, But a false witness speaks lies.

⁶A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none [for his ears are closed to wisdom], But knowledge is easy for one who understands [because he is willing to learn].

⁷Leave the presence of a [shortsighted] fool, For you will not find knowledge or hear godly wisdom from his lips.

⁸The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, But the foolishness of [shortsighted] fools is deceit.

⁹Fools mock sin [but sin mocks the fools], But among the upright there is good will and the favor and blessing of God.

¹⁰The heart knows its own bitterness, And no stranger shares its joy.

¹¹The house of the wicked will be overthrown, But the tent of the upright will thrive.

¹²There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, But its end is the way of death.

¹³Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, And the end of joy may be grief.

¹⁴The backslider in heart will have his fill with his own [rotten] ways, But a good man will be satisfied with his ways [the godly thought and action which his heart pursues and in which he delights].

¹⁵The naive or inexperienced person [is easily misled and] believes every word he hears, But the prudent man [is discreet and astute and] considers well where he is going.

¹⁶A wise man suspects danger and cautiously avoids evil, But the fool is arrogant and careless.

¹⁷A quick-tempered man acts foolishly and without self-control, And a man of wicked schemes is hated.

¹⁸The naive [are unsophisticated and easy to exploit and] inherit foolishness, But the sensible [are thoughtful and far-sighted and] are crowned with knowledge.

¹⁹The evil will bow down before the good, And the wicked [will bow down] at the gates of the righteous.

²⁰The poor man is hated even by his neighbor, But those who love the rich are many.

²¹He who despises his neighbor sins [against God and his fellow man], But happy [blessed and favored by God] is he who is gracious and merciful to the poor.

²²Do they not go astray who devise evil and wander from the way of righteousness? But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.

²³In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty.

²⁴The crown of the wise is their wealth [of wisdom], But the foolishness of [closed-minded] fools is [nothing but] folly.

²⁵A truthful witness saves lives, But he who speaks lies is treacherous.

²⁶In the [reverent] fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And His children will [always] have a place of refuge.

²⁷The [reverent] fear of the LORD [that leads to obedience and worship] is a fountain of life, So that one may avoid the snares of death.

²⁸In a multitude of people is a king's glory, But in a lack of people is a [pretentious] prince's ruin.

²⁹He who is slow to anger has great understanding [and profits from his self-control], But he who is quick-tempered exposes and exalts his foolishness [for all to see].

³⁰A calm and peaceful and tranquil heart is life and health to the body, But passion and envy are like rottenness to the bones.

³¹He who oppresses the poor taunts and insults his Maker, But he who is kind and merciful and gracious to the needy honors Him.

³²The wicked is overthrown through his wrongdoing, But the righteous has hope and confidence and a refuge [with God] even in death.

³³Wisdom rests [silently] in the heart of one who has understanding, But what is in the heart of [shortsighted] fools is made known.

³⁴Righteousness [moral and spiritual integrity and virtuous character] exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people.

³⁵The king's favor and good will are toward a servant who acts wisely and discreetly, But his anger and wrath are toward him who acts shamefully.

¹Now it happened after this that the Moabites and the Ammonites, together with some of the Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat.

²Then it was reported to Jehoshaphat, "A great multitude has come against you from beyond the [Dead] Sea, out of Aram (Syria); and behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar (that is, Engedi)."

³Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set himself [determinedly, as his vital need] to seek the LORD; and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

⁴So [the people of] Judah gathered together to seek help from the LORD; indeed they came from all the cities of Judah to seek the LORD [longing for Him with all their heart].

⁵Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD in front of the new courtyard,

⁶and said, "O LORD, God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven? And do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, there is no one able to take a stand against You.

⁷O our God, did You not drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Your friend Abraham?

⁸They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your Name, saying,

⁹'If evil comes on us, or the sword of judgment, or plague, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your Name and Your Presence is in this house) and we will cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear and save us.'

¹⁰Now behold, the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom You would not allow Israel to invade when they came from the land of Egypt (for they turned away from them and did not destroy them),

¹¹here they are, rewarding us by coming to drive us out of Your possession which You have given us as an inheritance.

¹²O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless against this great multitude which is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You."

¹³So all Judah stood before the LORD, with their infants, their wives, and their children.

¹⁴Then in the midst of the assembly the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph.

¹⁵He said, "Listen carefully, all [you people of] Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. The LORD says this to you: 'Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.

¹⁶Go down against them tomorrow. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the river valley, in front of the Wilderness of Jeruel.

¹⁷You need not fight in this battle; take your positions, stand and witness the salvation of the LORD who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.'"

¹⁸Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping Him.

¹⁹The Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

²⁰So they got up early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, O Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe and trust in the LORD your God and you will be established (secure). Believe and trust in His prophets and succeed."

²¹When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who praised Him in their holy (priestly) attire, as they went out before the army and said, "Praise and give thanks to the LORD, for His mercy and lovingkindness endure forever."

²²When they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were struck down [in defeat].

²³For the sons of Ammon and Moab [suspecting betrayal] rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, completely destroying them; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

²⁴When [the men of] Judah came to the lookout tower of the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude, and behold, they were dead bodies lying on the ground, and no one had escaped.

²⁵When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found much among them, including equipment, garments, and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry away; so much that they spent three days gathering the spoil.

²⁶Then on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, for it was there that they blessed the LORD. For that reason they named that place "The Valley of Beracah (blessing)" until today.

²⁷Then they returned to Jerusalem with joy, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, led by Jehoshaphat, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies.

²⁸They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets to the house (temple) of the LORD.

²⁹And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.

³⁰So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest on all sides.

³¹Now Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five-years. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

³²He walked in the way of his father Asa and did not depart from it, doing what was right in the sight of the LORD.

³³Only the high places [for pagan sacrifices] were not removed, for the people had not yet set their hearts firmly on the God of their fathers.

³⁴Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the records of Jehu the son of Hanani, which are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

³⁵After [all] this Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, and he acted wickedly in doing so.

³⁶He joined him in building ships to go to Tarshish [for trade], and they built them in Ezion-geber.

³⁷Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has broken down what you have built." So the ships were wrecked and were unable to go to Tarshish.

¹"For behold, in those [climactic] days and at that time, When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

²I will gather together all the [Gentile] nations [that were hostile to My people] And bring them down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat (the LORD has judged). And there I will deal with them and enter into judgment with them there For [their treatment of] My people, My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations, And [because] they have encroached on My land and divided it up.

³"They have also cast lots for My people, And have traded a boy for a prostitute And have sold a girl for wine that they may drink.

⁴Moreover, what are you to Me, O Tyre and Sidon and all the [five small] regions of Philistia? Will you pay Me back for something [I have supposedly done to you]? Even if you do pay Me back, I will swiftly and speedily return your deed [of retaliation] on your own head.

⁵"Because you have taken My silver and My gold and have carried My precious treasures to your temples and palaces,

⁶and have sold the children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem to the Greeks, so that you may send them far away from their territory,

⁷behold, I am going to stir them up from the place where you have sold them [and return them to their land], and I shall return your action [of retaliation] on your own head.

⁸Also I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a distant nation," for the LORD has spoken.

⁹Proclaim this among the [pagan] nations: Prepare a war! Stir up the mighty men! Let all the men of war come near, let them come up!

¹⁰Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, "I am strong!"

¹¹Hurry and come, all you surrounding nations, And gather yourselves there; Bring down, O LORD, Your mighty ones (Your warriors).

¹²Let the nations be stirred [to action] And come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, For there I will sit to judge and punish All the surrounding nations.

¹³Put in the sickle [of judgment], for the harvest is ripe; Come, tread [the grapes], for the wine press is full; The vats overflow, for the wickedness [of the people] is great.

¹⁴Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision (judgment)! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision [when judgment is executed].

¹⁵The sun and the moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness.

¹⁶The LORD thunders and roars from Zion And utters His voice from Jerusalem [in judgment of His enemies], And the heavens and the earth tremble and shudder; But the LORD is a refuge for His people And a stronghold [of protection] to the children of Israel.

¹⁷Then you will know and understand fully that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem will be holy, And strangers [who do not belong] will no longer pass through it.

¹⁸And in that day The mountains will drip with sweet wine And the hills will flow with milk; And all the brooks and riverbeds of Judah will flow with water, And a fountain will go out from the house of the LORD To water the [desert] Valley of Shittim.

¹⁹Egypt will become a waste, And Edom will become a desolate wilderness, Because of their violence against the children of Judah, In whose land they have shed innocent blood.

²⁰But Judah shall be inhabited forever And Jerusalem from generation to generation.

²¹And I shall avenge their blood which I have not avenged, For the LORD dwells in Zion.

¹And while Peter and John were talking to the people, the priests and the captain [who was in charge of the temple area and] of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,

²being extremely disturbed and thoroughly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in [the case of] Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

³So they arrested them and put them in jail until the next day, because it was evening.

⁴But many of those who heard the message [of salvation] believed [in Jesus and accepted Him as the Christ]. And the number of the men came to be about 5,000.

⁵On the next day, their magistrates and elders and scribes (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) were gathered together in Jerusalem;

⁶and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all others who were of high-priestly descent.

⁷When they had put the men in front of them, they repeatedly asked, "By what sort of power, or in what name [that is, by what kind of authority], did you do this [healing]?"

⁸Then Peter, filled with [the power of] the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers and elders of the people [members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Court],

⁹if we are being put on trial today [to interrogate us] for a good deed done to [benefit] a disabled man, as to how this man has been restored to health,

¹⁰let it be known and clearly understood by all of you, and by all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you [demanded be] crucified [by the Romans and], whom God raised from the dead—in this name [that is, by the authority and power of Jesus] this man stands here before you in good health.

¹¹This Jesus is the stone which was despised and rejected by you, the builders, but which became thechief Cornerstone.

¹²And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among people by which we must be saved [for God has provided the world no alternative for salvation]."

¹³Now when the men of the Sanhedrin (Jewish High Court) saw the confidence and boldness of Peter and John, and grasped the fact that they were uneducated and untrained [ordinary] men, they were astounded, and began to recognize that they had been with Jesus.

¹⁴And seeing the man who had been healed standing there with them, they had nothing to say in reply.

¹⁵But after ordering them to step out of the Council [chamber], they began to confer among themselves,

¹⁶saying, "What are we to do with these men? For the fact that an extraordinary miracle has taken place through them is public knowledge and clearly evident to all the residents of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

¹⁷But to keep it from spreading further among the people and the nation, let us [sternly] warn them not to speak again to anyone in this name."

¹⁸So they sent for them, and commanded them not to speak [as His representatives] or teach at all in the name of Jesus [using Him as their authority].

¹⁹But Peter and John replied to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you and obey you rather than God, you must judge [for yourselves];

²⁰for we, on our part, cannot stop telling [people] about what we have seen and heard."

²¹When the rulers and Council members had threatened them further, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because [of their fear] of the people, for they were all praising and glorifying and honoring God for what had happened;

²²for the man to whom this sign (attesting miracle) of healing had happened was more than forty years old.

²³After Peter and John were released, they returned to their own [people] and reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them.

²⁴And when they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, "O Sovereign Lord [having complete power and authority], it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them,

²⁵who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David, Your servant, said, 'Why did the nations (Gentiles) become arrogant and rage, And the peoples devise futile things [against the Lord]?

²⁶'The kings of the earth took their stand [to attack], And the rulers were assembled together Against the Lord and against His Anointed (the Christ, the Messiah).'

²⁷For in this city there were gathered together against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,

²⁸to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined [before the creation of the world] to occur [and so without knowing it, they served Your own purpose].

²⁹And now, Lord, observe their threats [take them into account] and grant that Your bond-servants may declare Your message [of salvation] with great confidence,

³⁰while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders (attesting miracles) take place through the name [and the authority and power] of Your holy Servant and Son Jesus."

³¹And when they had prayed, the place where they were meeting together was shaken [a sign of God's presence]; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness and courage.

³²Now the company of believers was of one heart and soul, and not one [of them] claimed that anything belonging to him was [exclusively] his own, but everything was common property and for the use of all.

³³And with great ability and power the apostles were continuously testifying to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace [God's remarkable lovingkindness and favor and goodwill] rested richly upon them all.

³⁴There was not a needy person among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them, and bringing the proceeds of the sales

³⁵and placing the money down at the apostles' feet. Then it was distributed to each as anyone had need.

³⁶Now Joseph, a Levite and native of Cyprus, who was surnamed Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement),

³⁷sold a field belonging to him and brought the money and set it at the apostles' feet.