Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Jesus left the temple area and was going on His way when His disciples came up to Him to call His attention to the [magnificent and massive] buildings of the temple.

²And He said to them, "Do you see all these things? I assure you and most solemnly say to you, not one stone here will be left on another, which will not be torn down."

³While Jesus was seated on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, and said, "Tell us, when will this [destruction of the temple] take place, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end (completion, consummation) of the age?"

⁴Jesus answered, "Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error].

⁵For many will come in My name [misusing it, and appropriating the strength of the name which belongs to Me], saying, 'I am the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed),' and they will mislead many.

⁶You will continually hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end [of the age].

⁷For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

⁸But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish and the time of unprecedented trouble].

⁹"Then they will hand you over to [endure] tribulation, and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

¹⁰At that time many will be offended and repelled [by their association with Me] and will fall away [from the One whom they should trust] and will betray one another [handing over believers to their persecutors] and will hate one another.

¹¹Many false prophets will appear and mislead many.

¹²Because lawlessness is increased, the love of most people will grow cold.

¹³But the one who endures and bears up [under suffering] to the end will be saved.

¹⁴This good news of the kingdom [the gospel] will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end [of the age] will come.

¹⁵"So when you see theabomination of desolation [the appalling sacrilege that astonishes and makes desolate], spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place (let the reader understand),

¹⁶then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains [for refuge].

¹⁷"Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things that are in his house [because there will not be enough time].

¹⁸"Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his coat.

¹⁹And woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

²⁰Pray that your flight [from persecution and suffering] will not be in winter, or on a Sabbath [when Jewish laws prohibit travel].

²¹For at that time there will be a great tribulation (pressure, distress, oppression), such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will [again].

²²And if those days [of tribulation] had not been cut short, no human life would be saved; but for the sake of the elect (God's chosen ones) those days will be shortened.

²³Then if anyone says to you [during the great tribulation], 'Look! Here is the Christ,' or 'There He is,' do not believe it.

²⁴For false Christs and false prophets will appear and they will provide great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect (God's chosen ones).

²⁵Listen carefully, I have told you in advance.

²⁶So if they say to you, 'Look! He is in the wilderness,' do not go out there, or, 'Look! He is in the inner rooms [of a house],' do not believe it.

²⁷For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming [in glory] of the Son of Man [everyone will see Him clearly].

²⁸Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will flock together.

²⁹"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not provide its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

³⁰And at that time the sign of the Son of Man [coming in His glory] will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth [and especially Israel] will mourn [regretting their rebellion and rejection of the Messiah], and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory [in brilliance and splendor].

³¹And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet and they will gather together His elect (God's chosen ones) from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

³²"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its young shoots become tender and it puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near;

³³so you, too, when you see all these things [taking place], know for certain that He is near, right at the door.

³⁴I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this generation [the people living when these signs and events begin] will not pass away until all these things take place.

³⁵Heaven and earth [as now known] will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

³⁶"But of that [exact] day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son [in His humanity], but the Father alone.

³⁷For the coming of the Son of Man (the Messiah) will be just like the days of Noah.

³⁸For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the [very] day when Noah entered the ark,

³⁹and they did not know or understand until the flood came and swept them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be [unexpected judgment].

⁴⁰At that time two men will be in the field; one will be taken [for judgment] and one will be left.

⁴¹Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken [for judgment] and one will be left.

⁴²"So be alert [give strict attention, be cautious and active in faith], for you do not know which day [whether near or far] your Lord is coming.

⁴³But understand this: If the head of the house had known what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

⁴⁴Therefore, you [who follow Me] must also be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.

⁴⁵"Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has put in charge of his household to give the others [in the house] their food and supplies at the proper time?

⁴⁶Blessed is that [faithful] servant when his master returns and finds him doing so.

⁴⁷I assure you and most solemnly say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

⁴⁸But if that servant is evil and says in his heart, 'My master is taking his time [he will not return for a long while],'

⁴⁹and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards;

⁵⁰the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour of which he is not aware,

⁵¹and will cut him in two and put him with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger].

¹After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; Your reward [for obedience] shall be very great."

²Abram said, "Lord GOD, what reward will You give me, since I am [leaving this world] childless, and he who will be the owner and heir of my house is this [servant] Eliezer from Damascus?"

³And Abram continued, "Since You have given no child to me, one (a servant) born in my house is my heir."

⁴Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This man [Eliezer] will not be your heir but he who shall come from your own body shall be your heir."

⁵And the LORD brought Abram outside [his tent into the night] and said, "Look now toward the heavens and count the stars—if you are able to count them." Then He said to him, "So [numerous] shall your descendants be."

⁶Then Abram believed in (affirmed, trusted in, relied on, remained steadfast to) the LORD; and He counted (credited) it to him as righteousness (doing right in regard to God and man).

⁷And He said to him, "I am the [same] LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land as an inheritance."

⁸But Abram said, "Lord GOD, by what [proof] will I know that I will inherit it?"

⁹So God said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."

¹⁰So Abram brought all these to Him and cut them down the middle, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds.

¹¹The birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

¹²When the sun was setting, a deep sleep overcame Abram; and a horror (terror, shuddering fear, nightmare) of great darkness overcame him.

¹³God said to Abram, "Know for sure that your descendants will be strangers [living temporarily] in a land (Egypt) that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years.

¹⁴But on that nation whom your descendants will serve I will bring judgment, and afterward they will come out [of that land] with great possessions.

¹⁵As for you, you shall [die and] go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.

¹⁶Then in the fourth generation your descendants shall return here [to Canaan, the land of promise], for the wickedness and guilt of the Amorites is not yet complete (finished)."

¹⁷When the sun had gone down and a [deep] darkness had come, there appeared a smoking brazier and a flaming torch which passed between the [divided] pieces [of the animals].

¹⁸On the same day the LORD made a covenant (promise, pledge) with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates—

¹⁹[the land of] the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites

²⁰and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim,

²¹the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebusites."

¹Paul, an apostle (not commissioned and sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ—the Messiah—and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead),

²and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:

³Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

⁴who gave Himself [as a sacrifice to atone] for our sins [to save and sanctify us] so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, in accordance with the will and purpose and plan of our God and Father—

⁵to Him be [ascribed all] the glory through the ages of the ages. Amen.

⁶I am astonished and extremely irritated that you are so quickly shifting your allegiance and deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different [even contrary] gospel;

⁷which is really not another [gospel]; but there are [obviously] some [people masquerading as teachers] who are disturbing and confusing you [with a misleading, counterfeit teaching] and want to distort the gospel of Christ [twisting it into something which it absolutely is not].

⁸But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we [originally] preached to you, let him be condemned to destruction!

⁹As we have said before, so I now say again, if anyone is preaching to you a gospel different from that which you received [from us], let him be condemned to destruction!

¹⁰Am I now trying to win the favor and approval of men, or of God? Or am I seeking to please someone? If I were still trying to be popular with men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

¹¹For I want you to know, believers, that the gospel which was preached by me is not man's gospel [it is not a human invention, patterned after any human concept].

¹²For indeed I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a [direct] revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹³You have heard of my career and former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to hunt down and persecute the church of God extensively and [with fanatical zeal] tried [my best] to destroy it.

¹⁴And [you have heard how] I surpassed many of my contemporaries among my countrymen in [my advanced study of the laws of] Judaism, as I was extremely loyal to the traditions of my ancestors.

¹⁵But when God, who had chosen me and set me apart before I was born, and called me through His grace, was pleased

¹⁶to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles [as the good news—the way of salvation], I did not immediately consult with anyone [for guidance regarding God's call and His revelation to me].

¹⁷Nor did I [even] go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia and stayed awhile, and afterward returned once more to Damascus.

¹⁸Then three years later I did go up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas (Peter), and I stayed with him fifteen days.

¹⁹But I did not see any other apostle except James, the [half] brother of the Lord.

²⁰(Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you as if I were standing before God that I am not lying.)

²¹Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

²²And I was still unknown by sight to the churches which were in Christ in Judea (Jerusalem and the surrounding region);

²³they only kept hearing, "He who used to persecute us is now preaching the [good news of the] faith which he once was trying to destroy."

²⁴And they were glorifying God [as the Author and Source of what had taken place and all that had been accomplished] in me.

¹Then Job answered and said,

²"I have heard many such things; Wearisome and miserable comforters are you all.

³"Is there no end to [your futile] words of wind? Or what plagues you [so much] that you [so boldly] answer [me like this]?

⁴"I also could speak like you, If you were in my place; I could compose and join words together against you And shake my head at you.

⁵"[But instead] I could strengthen and encourage you with [the words of] my mouth, And the consolation and solace of my lips would soothe your suffering and lessen your anguish.

⁶"If I speak [to you miserable comforters], my pain is not relieved; And if I refrain [from speaking], what [pain or anguish] leaves me?

⁷"But now God has exhausted me. You [O Lord] have destroyed all my family and my household.

⁸"You have taken a firm hold on me and have shriveled me up, It has become a witness [against me]; And my leanness [and infirmity] rises up [as evidence] against me, It testifies to my face [about my guilt].

⁹"His wrath has torn me and hunted me down, He has gnashed at me with his teeth; My adversary sharpens His gaze and glares [with piercing eyes] at me.

¹⁰"They have gaped at me with their mouths, With contempt they have struck me on the cheek; They massed themselves together [and conspired] against me.

¹¹"God hands me over to criminals And tosses me [headlong] into the hands of the wicked.

¹²"I was [living] at ease, but He crushed me and broke me apart, And He has seized me by the neck and has shaken me to pieces; He has also set me up as His target.

¹³"His arrows surround me. He pierces my kidneys (vital organs) without mercy; He pours out my gall on the ground.

¹⁴"He attacks me, making wound after wound; He runs at me like a warrior.

¹⁵"I have sewed sackcloth over my skin [as a sign of mourning] And have defiled my horn (symbol of strength) in the dust.

¹⁶"My face is red and swollen with weeping, And on my eyelids is the shadow of death [my eyes are dimmed],

¹⁷Although there is no violence or wrongdoing in my hands, And my prayer is pure.

¹⁸"O earth, do not cover my blood, And let there be no [resting] place for my cry [where it will cease being heard].

¹⁹"Even now, behold, my Witness is in heaven, And my Advocate [who vouches and testifies for me] is on high.

²⁰"My friends are scoffers [who ridicule]; My eye pours out tears to God.

²¹"Oh, that a man would mediate and plead with God [for me] Just as a man [mediates and pleads] with his neighbor and friend.

²²"For when a few years are past, I shall go the way of no return.

¹To the Chief Musician. A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem. A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, "David has come to the house of Ahimelech." Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The lovingkindness of God endures all day long.

²Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

³You love evil more than good, And falsehood more than speaking what is right. Selah.

⁴You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.

⁵But God will break you down forever; He will take you away and tear you away from your tent, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah.

⁶The righteous will see it and fear, And will [scoffingly] laugh, saying,

⁷"Look, [this is] the man who would not make God his strength [his stronghold and fortress], But trusted in the abundance of his riches, Taking refuge in his wealth."

⁸But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust [confidently] in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.

⁹I will thank You forever, because You have done it, [You have rescued me and kept me safe]. I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.

¹The plans and reflections of the heart belong to man, But the [wise] answer of the tongue is from the LORD.

²All the ways of a man are clean and innocent in his own eyes [and he may see nothing wrong with his actions], But the LORD weighs and examines the motives and intents [of the heart and knows the truth].

³Commit your works to the LORD [submit and trust them to Him], And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance].

⁴The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked [according to their role] for the day of evil.

⁵Everyone who is proud and arrogant in heart is disgusting and exceedingly offensive to the LORD; Be assured he will not go unpunished.

⁶By mercy and lovingkindness and truth [not superficial ritual] wickedness is cleansed from the heart, And by the fear of the LORD one avoids evil.

⁷When a man's ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

⁸Better is a little with righteousness Than great income [gained] with injustice.

⁹A man's mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the LORD directs his steps and establishes them.

¹⁰A divine decision [given by God] is on the lips of the king [as His representative]; His mouth should not be unfaithful or unjust in judgment.

¹¹A just balance and [honest] scales are the Lord's; All the weights of the bag are His concern [established by His eternal principles].

¹²It is repulsive [to God and man] for kings to behave wickedly, For a throne is established on righteousness (right standing with God).

¹³Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And he who speaks right is loved.

¹⁴The wrath of a king is like a messenger of death, But a wise man will appease it.

¹⁵In the light of the king's face is life, And his favor is like a cloud bringing the spring rain.

¹⁶How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.

¹⁷The highway of the upright turns away and departs from evil; He who guards his way protects his life (soul).

¹⁸Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

¹⁹It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly Than to divide the spoil with the proud (haughty, arrogant).

²⁰He who pays attention to the word [of God] will find good, And blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) is he who trusts [confidently] in the LORD.

²¹The wise in heart will be called understanding, And sweet speech increases persuasiveness and learning [in both speaker and listener].

²²Understanding (spiritual insight) is a [refreshing and boundless] wellspring of life to those who have it, But to give instruction and correction to fools is foolishness.

²³The heart of the wise instructs his mouth [in wisdom] And adds persuasiveness to his lips.

²⁴Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweet and delightful to the soul and healing to the body.

²⁵There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, But its end is the way of death.

²⁶The appetite of a worker works for him, For his hunger urges him on.

²⁷A worthless man devises and digs up evil, And the words on his lips are like a scorching fire.

²⁸A perverse man spreads strife, And one who gossips separates intimate friends.

²⁹A violent and exceedingly covetous man entices his neighbor [to sin], And leads him in a way that is not good.

³⁰He who [slyly] winks his eyes does so to plot perverse things; And he who compresses his lips [as if in a secret signal] brings evil to pass.

³¹The silver-haired head is a crown of splendor and glory; It is found in the way of righteousness.

³²He who is slow to anger is better and more honorable than the mighty [soldier], And he who rules and controls his own spirit, than he who captures a city.

³³The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD.

¹Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, because the band of men (raiders) who came with the Arabs to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign.

²Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri.

³He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his adviser [and she encouraged him] to act wickedly.

⁴So he did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab, for they were his advisers after the death of his father, resulting in his destruction.

⁵He also walked in accordance with their advice, and he went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to wage war against Hazael king of Aram (Syria) at Ramoth-gilead. And the Arameans wounded Joram (Jehoram).

⁶Then he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds they had inflicted on him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. And Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

⁷But the downfall of Ahaziah was ordained by God, in that he went to Joram (Jehoram). For when he arrived there he went out [as an ally] with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.

⁸It came about that when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the leaders of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's [murdered] brothers ministering to Ahaziah, and he killed them.

⁹Jehu also searched for Ahaziah, who was hiding in Samaria; he was captured, brought to Jehu, and put to death. They buried him, for they said, "After all, he is the grandson of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart." So the house of Ahaziah had no one left to retain the power to rule over the kingdom.

¹⁰Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose and destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah.

¹¹But Jehoshabeath, the king's daughter, took Joash the [infant] son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king's sons who were being put to death, and she placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram [of Judah] and wife of Jehoiada the priest, hid Joash from [his grandmother] Athaliah so that she did not murder him (for Jehoshabeath was the sister of Ahaziah).

¹²Joash was hidden with them in the house (temple) of God for six years, and Athaliah reigned over the land.

¹Thus says the LORD, "For three transgressions of Moab and for four (multiplied delinquencies) I will not reverse its punishment or revoke My word concerning it, Because he burned the bones of the king of Edom [Esau's descendant] into lime [and used it to plaster a Moabite house].

²"So I will send a fire [of war, conquest, and destruction] upon Moab And it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth; And Moab shall die amid tumult and uproar, With war cries and shouts of alarm and the sound of the trumpet.

³"I will also cut off and destroy the ruler from its midst And slay all the princes with him," says the LORD.

⁴Thus says the LORD, "For three transgressions of Judah and for four (multiplied delinquencies) I will not reverse its punishment or revoke My word concerning it, Because they have rejected the law of the LORD [the sum of God's instruction to His people] And have not kept His commandments; But their lies [and their idols], after which their fathers walked, Caused them to go astray.

⁵"So I will send a fire [of war, conquest, and destruction by the Babylonians] upon Judah And it will devour the strongholds of Jerusalem."

⁶Thus says the LORD, "For three transgressions of Israel and for four (multiplied delinquencies) I will not reverse its punishment or revoke My word concerning it, Because they sell the righteous and innocent for silver And the needy for the price of a pair of sandals.

⁷"These who pant after (long to see) the dust of the earth on the head of the helpless [as sign of their grief and distress] Also turn aside the way of the humble; And a man and his father will go to the same girl So that My holy name is profaned.

⁸"They stretch out beside every [pagan] altar on clothes taken in pledge [to secure a loan, disregarding God's command], And in the house of their God [in contempt of Him] they frivolously drink the wine [which has been] taken from those who have been fined.

⁹"Yet it was I [not the false gods] who destroyed the Amorite before them, Though his height was like the height of the cedars, And he was as strong as the oaks; I even destroyed his fruit above and his root below.

¹⁰"Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, And I led you forty years through the wilderness That you might possess the land of the Amorite.

¹¹"Then I raised up some of your sons to be prophets [who gave you My revelation], And some of your young men to be Nazirites (dedicated ones). Is this not true, O you children of Israel?" says the LORD.

¹²"But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink [despite their vows] And commanded the prophets, saying, 'You shall not prophesy!'

¹³"Behold, I am weighted down beneath you As a cart that is weighted down when it is full of sheaves.

¹⁴"Flight will be lost to the swift [so they will be unable to escape], And the strong shall not strengthen nor maintain his power, Nor shall the mighty man save his own life.

¹⁵"He who handles the bow will not stand his ground, The one who is swift of foot will not escape, Nor will he who rides the horse save his life [from the invading army].

¹⁶"Even the bravest among the warriors shall flee naked on that day," says the LORD.

¹Now about this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, a complaint was made by the Hellenists (Greek-speaking Jews) against the [ native] Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.

²So the Twelve called the disciples together and said, "It is not appropriate for us to neglect [teaching] the word of God in order to serve tables and manage the distribution of food.

³Therefore, brothers, choose from among you seven men with good reputations [men of godly character and moral integrity], full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.

⁴But we will [continue to] devote ourselves [steadfastly] to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

⁵The suggestion pleased the whole congregation; and they selected Stephen, a man full of faith [in Christ Jesus], and [filled with and led by] the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas (Nikolaos), a proselyte (Gentile convert) from Antioch.

⁶They brought these men before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them [to dedicate and commission them for this service].

⁷And the message of God kept on growing and spreading, and the number of disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem; and a large number of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith [accepting Jesus as Messiah and acknowledging Him as the Source of eternal salvation].

⁸Now Stephen, full of grace (divine blessing, favor) and power, was doing great wonders and signs (attesting miracles) among the people.

⁹However, some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (freed Jewish slaves), both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and [the province of] Asia, rose up and questioned and argued with Stephen.

¹⁰But they were not able to successfully withstand and cope with the wisdom and the intelligence [and the power and inspiration] of the Spirit by whom he was speaking.

¹¹Then [to attack him another way] they secretly instructed men to say, "We have heard this man [Stephen] speak blasphemous (slanderous, sacrilegious, abusive) words against Moses and against God."

¹²And they provoked and incited the people, as well as the elders and the scribes, and they came up to Stephen and seized him and brought him before the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court).

¹³They presented false witnesses who said, "This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the Law [of Moses];

¹⁴for we have heard him say that this Jesus the Nazarene will tear down this place and will change the traditions and customs which Moses handed down to us."

¹⁵Then all those who were sitting in the Council, stared [intently] at him, and they saw that Stephen's face was like the face of an angel.