Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Jesus returned to Capernaum, and a few days later the news went out that He was at home.

²So many people gathered together that there was no longer room [for them], not even near the door; and Jesus was discussing with them the word [of God].

³Then they came, bringing to Him a paralyzed man, who was being carried by four men.

⁴When they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Jesus; and when they had dug out an opening, they let down the mat on which the paralyzed man was lying.

⁵When Jesus saw their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], He said to the paralyzed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

⁶But some of the scribes were sitting there debating in their hearts [the implication of what He had said],

⁷"Why does this man talk that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins [remove guilt, nullify sin's penalty, and assign righteousness] except God alone?"

⁸Immediately Jesus, being fully aware [of their hostility] and knowing in His spirit that they were thinking this, said to them, "Why are you debating and arguing about these things in your hearts?

⁹Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven'; or to say, 'Get up, and pick up your mat and walk'?

¹⁰But so that you may know that the Son of Man has the authority and power on earth to forgive sins"—He said to the paralyzed man,

¹¹"I say to you, get up, pick up your mat and go home."

¹²And he got up and immediately picked up the mat and went out before them all, so that they all were astonished and they glorified and praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

¹³Jesus went out again along the [Galilean] seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.

¹⁴As He was passing by, He saw Levi (Matthew) the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax collector's booth, and He said to him, "Follow Me [as My disciple, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk]." And he got up and followed Him [becoming His disciple, believing and trusting in Him and following His example].

¹⁵And it happened that Jesus was reclining at the table in Levi's house, and many tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews] were eating with Him and His disciples; for there were many of them and they were following Him.

¹⁶When the scribes [belonging to the sect] of the Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with the sinners [including non-observant Jews] and tax collectors, they asked His disciples, "Why does He eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"

¹⁷When Jesus heard this, He said to them, "Those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but [only] those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners [who recognize their sin and humbly seek forgiveness]."

¹⁸Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting [as a ritual]; and they came and asked Jesus, "Why are John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fasting, but Your disciples are not doing so?"

¹⁹Jesus answered, "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast while the bridegroom is [still] with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

²⁰But the days will come when the bridegroom is [forcefully] taken away from them, and they will fast at that time.

²¹"No one sews a patch of unshrunk (new) cloth on an old garment; otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and the tear becomes worse.

²²No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the [fermenting] wine will [expand and] burst the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the wineskins. But new wine must be put into new wineskins."

²³One Sabbath He was walking along [with His disciples] through the grainfields, and as they went along, His disciples began picking the heads of grain.

²⁴The Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"

²⁵Jesus said to them, "Have you never read [in the Scriptures] what David did when he was in need and was hungry, he and his companions;

²⁶how he went into the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the sacred bread, which is not lawful for anyone but the priests to eat, and how he also gave it to the men who were with him?"

²⁷Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

²⁸So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath [and He has authority over it]."

¹The LORD graciously remembered and visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for her as He had promised.

²So Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.

³Abraham named his son Isaac (laughter), the son to whom Sarah gave birth.

⁴So Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, just as God had commanded him.

⁵Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born.

⁶Sarah said, "God has made me laugh; all who hear [about our good news] will laugh with me."

⁷And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have given birth to a son by him in his old age."

⁸The child [Isaac] grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

⁹Now [as time went on] Sarah saw [Ishmael] the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking [Isaac].

¹⁰Therefore she said to Abraham, "Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac."

¹¹The situation distressed Abraham greatly because of his son [Ishmael].

¹²God said to Abraham, "Do not let it distress you because of Ishmael and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her and do what she asks, for your descendants will be named through Isaac.

¹³And I will also make a nation of [Ishmael] the son of the maid, because he is your descendant."

¹⁴So Abraham got up early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she left [but lost her way] and wandered [aimlessly] in the Wilderness of Beersheba.

¹⁵When the water in the skin was all gone, Hagar abandoned the boy under one of the bushes.

¹⁶Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, "Do not let me see the boy die." And as she sat down opposite him, she raised her voice and wept.

¹⁷God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy from where he is [resting].

¹⁸Get up, help the boy up, and hold him by the hand, for I will make him a great nation."

¹⁹Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the [empty] skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

²⁰God was with Ishmael, and he grew and developed; and he lived in the wilderness and became an [expert] archer.

²¹He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

²²Now at that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, "God is with you in everything you do;

²³so now, swear to me here by God that you will not deal unfairly with me [by breaking any agreements we have] or with my son or with my descendants, but as I have treated you with kindness, you shall do the same to me and to the land in which you have sojourned (temporarily lived)."

²⁴And Abraham said, "I will swear."

²⁵Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water which the servants of Abimelech had [violently] seized [from him],

²⁶Abimelech said, "I do not know who did this thing. Indeed, you did not tell me, and I did not hear of it until today."

²⁷So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant (binding agreement).

²⁸Then Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs of the flock,

²⁹and Abimelech said to Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set apart?"

³⁰Abraham said, "You are to accept these seven ewe lambs from me as a witness for me, that I dug this well."

³¹Therefore that place was called Beersheba (Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), because there the two of them swore an oath.

³²So they made a covenant at Beersheba; then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, got up and returned to the land of the Philistines.

³³Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD [in prayer], the Eternal God.

³⁴And Abraham lived [as a resident alien] in the land of the Philistines for many days.

¹Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), by the will of God [that is, by His purpose and choice], To the saints (God's people) who are at Ephesus and are faithful and loyal and steadfast in Christ Jesus:

²Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ,

⁴just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love

⁵He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will—

⁶to the praise of His glorious grace and favor, which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved [His Son, Jesus Christ].

⁷In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace

⁸which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding [with practical insight]

⁹He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ,

¹⁰with regard to the fulfillment of the times [that is, the end of history, the climax of the ages]—to bring all things together in Christ, [both] things in the heavens and things on the earth.

¹¹In Him also we have received an inheritance [a destiny—we were claimed by God as His own], having been predestined (chosen, appointed beforehand) according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will,

¹²so that we who were the first to hope in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him as our Lord and Savior] would exist to the praise of His glory.

¹³In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God].

¹⁴The Spirit is the guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God's own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory.

¹⁵For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people,

¹⁶I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers;

¹⁷[I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son].

¹⁸And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God's people),

¹⁹and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength

²⁰which He produced in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places,

²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and world but also in the one to come.

²²And He put all things [in every realm] in subjection under Christ's feet, and appointed Him as [supreme and authoritative] head over all things in the church,

²³which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills and completes all things in all [believers].

¹Do not sharply reprimand an older man, but appeal to him as [you would to] a father, to younger men as brothers,

²to older women as mothers, to younger women as sisters, in all purity [being careful to maintain appropriate relationships].

³Honor and help those widows who are truly widowed [alone, and without support].

⁴But if a widow has children or grandchildren [who are adults], see to it that these first learn to show great respect to their own family [as their religious duty and natural obligation], and to compensate their parents or grandparents [for their upbringing]; for this is acceptable and pleasing in the sight of God.

⁵Now a woman who is really a widow and has been left [entirely] alone [without adequate income] trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day.

⁶Whereas she who lives for pleasure and self-indulgence is spiritually dead even while she still lives.

⁷Keep instructing [the people to do] these things as well, so that they may be blameless and beyond reproach.

⁸If anyone fails to provide for his own, and especially for those of his own family, he has denied the faith [by disregarding its precepts] and is worse than an unbeliever [who fulfills his obligation in these matters].

⁹A widow is to be put on the list [to receive regular assistance] only if she is over sixty years of age, [having been] the wife of one man,

¹⁰and has a reputation for good deeds; [she is eligible] if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the feet of the saints (God's people), if she has assisted the distressed, and has devoted herself to doing good in every way.

¹¹But refuse [to enroll the] younger widows, for when they feel their natural desires in disregard of Christ, they wish to marry again,

¹²and so they incur condemnation for having set aside their previous pledge.

¹³Now at the same time, they also learn to be idle as they go from house to house; and not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies [meddlers in things that do not concern them], talking about things they should not mention.

¹⁴So I want younger widows to get married, have children, manage their households, and not give opponents of the faith any occasion for slander.

¹⁵Some [widows] have already turned away [from the faith] to follow Satan.

¹⁶If any believing woman has [dependent] widows [in her household], she must assist them [according to her ability]; and the church must not be burdened [with them], so that it may assist those who are truly widows [those who are all alone and are dependent].

¹⁷The elders who perform their leadership duties well are to be considered worthy of double honor (financial support), especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching [the word of God concerning eternal salvation through Christ].

¹⁸For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain [to keep it from eating]," and, "The worker is worthy of his wages [he deserves fair compensation]."

¹⁹Do not accept an accusation against an elder unless it is based on [the testimony of at least] two or three witnesses.

²⁰As for those [elders] who continue in sin, reprimand them in the presence of all [the congregation], so that the rest will be warned.

²¹I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels that you guard and keep these rules without bias, doing nothing out of favoritism.

²²Do not hurry to lay hands on anyone [ordaining and approving someone for ministry or an office in the church, or in reinstating expelled offenders], and thereby share in the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.

²³No longer continue drinking [only] water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

²⁴The sins of some people are conspicuous, leading the way for them into judgment [so that they are clearly not qualified for ministry]; but the sins of others appear later [for they are hidden and follow behind them].

²⁵Likewise, good deeds are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be hidden [indefinitely].

¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

²"Can a vigorous man be of use to God, Or a wise man be useful to himself?

³"Is it any pleasure or joy to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or is it of benefit to Him that you make your ways perfect?

⁴"Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you, That He enters into judgment against you?

⁵"Is not your wickedness great, And your sins without end?

⁶"For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause, And stripped men naked.

⁷"You have not given water to the weary to drink, And you have withheld bread from the hungry.

⁸"But the land is possessed by the man with power, And the favored and honorable man dwells in it.

⁹"You have sent widows away empty-handed, And the arms (strength) of the fatherless have been broken.

¹⁰"Therefore snares surround you, And sudden dread terrifies and overwhelms you;

¹¹Or darkness, so that you cannot see, And a flood of water covers you.

¹²"Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the distant stars, how high they are!

¹³"You say, 'What does God know [about me]? Can He judge through the thick darkness?

¹⁴'Thick clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see, And He walks on the vault (circle) of the heavens.'

¹⁵"Will you keep to the ancient path That wicked men walked [in the time of Noah],

¹⁶Men who were snatched away before their time, Whose foundations were poured out like a river?

¹⁷"They said to God, 'Depart from us! What can the Almighty do for us or to us?'

¹⁸"Yet He filled their houses with good things; But the counsel of the wicked and ungodly is far from me.

¹⁹"The righteous see it and are glad; And the innocent mock and laugh at them, saying,

²⁰'Surely our adversaries are cut off and destroyed, And fire has consumed their abundance.'

²¹"Now yield and submit yourself to Him [agree with God and be conformed to His will] and be at peace; In this way [you will prosper and great] good will come to you.

²²"Please receive the law and instruction from His mouth And establish His words in your heart and keep them.

²³"If you return to the Almighty [and submit and humble yourself before Him], you will be built up [and restored]; If you remove unrighteousness far from your tents,

²⁴And place your gold in the dust, And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks [considering it of little value],

²⁵And make the Almighty your gold And your precious silver,

²⁶Then you will have delight in the Almighty, And you will lift up your face to God.

²⁷"You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, And you will pay your vows.

²⁸"You will also decide and decree a thing, and it will be established for you; And the light [of God's favor] will shine upon your ways.

²⁹"When you are cast down and humbled, you will speak with confidence, And the humble person He will lift up and save.

³⁰"He will even rescue the one [for whom you intercede] who is not innocent; And he will be rescued through the cleanness of your hands."

¹To the Chief Musician; set to [the tune of] "Do Not Destroy." A Mikhtam of David. [A record of memorable thoughts of David]. Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods (heavenly beings)? Do you judge fairly, O sons of men?

²No, in your heart you devise wrongdoing; On earth you deal out the violence of your hands.

³The wicked are estranged from the womb; These go astray from birth, speaking lies [even twisted partial truths].

⁴Their poison is like the venom of a serpent; They are like the deaf horned viper that stops up its ear,

⁵So that it does not listen to the voice of charmers, Or of the skillful enchanter casting [cunning] spells.

⁶O God, break their teeth in their mouth; Break out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD.

⁷Let them flow away like water that runs off; When he aims his arrows, let them be as headless shafts.

⁸Let them be as a snail which melts away (secretes slime) as it goes along, Like the miscarriage of a woman which never sees the sun.

⁹Before your cooking pots can feel the fire of thorns [burning under them as fuel], He will sweep them away with a whirlwind, the green and the burning ones alike.

¹⁰The [unyieldingly] righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance [of God]; He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

¹¹Men will say, "Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely there is a God who judges on the earth."

¹A good name [earned by honorable behavior, godly wisdom, moral courage, and personal integrity] is more desirable than great riches; And favor is better than silver and gold.

²The rich and poor have a common bond; The LORD is the Maker of them all.

³A prudent and far-sighted person sees the evil [of sin] and hides himself [from it], But the naive continue on and are punished [by suffering the consequences of sin].

⁴The reward of humility [that is, having a realistic view of one's importance] and the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the LORD Is riches, honor, and life.

⁵Thorns and snares are in the way of the obstinate [for their lack of honor and their wrong-doing traps them]; He who guards himself [with godly wisdom] will be far from them and avoid the consequences they suffer.

⁶Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God's wisdom and will for his abilities and talents], Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

⁷The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender.

⁸He who sows injustice will reap [a harvest of] trouble, And the rod of his wrath [with which he oppresses others] will fail.

⁹He who is generous will be blessed, For he gives some of his food to the poor.

¹⁰Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go away; Even strife and dishonor will cease.

¹¹He who loves purity of heart And whose speech is gracious will have the king as his friend.

¹²The eyes of the LORD keep guard over knowledge and the one who has it, But He overthrows the words of the treacherous.

¹³The lazy one [manufactures excuses and] says, "There is a lion outside! I will be killed in the streets [if I go out to work]!"

¹⁴The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit [deep and inescapable]; He who is cursed by the LORD [because of his adulterous sin] will fall into it.

¹⁵Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline [correction administered with godly wisdom and lovingkindness] will remove it far from him.

¹⁶He who oppresses or exploits the poor to get more for himself Or who gives to the rich [to gain influence and favor], will only come to poverty.

¹⁷Listen carefully and hear the words of the wise, And apply your mind to my knowledge;

¹⁸For it will be pleasant if you keep them in mind [incorporating them as guiding principles]; Let them be ready on your lips [to guide and strengthen yourself and others].

¹⁹So that your trust and reliance and confidence may be in the LORD, I have taught these things to you today, even to you.

²⁰Have I not written to you excellent things In counsels and knowledge,

²¹To let you know the certainty of the words of truth, That you may give a correct answer to him who sent you?

²²Do not rob the poor because he is poor [and defenseless], Nor crush the afflicted [by legal proceedings] at the gate [where the city court is held],

²³For the LORD will plead their case And take the life of those who rob them.

²⁴Do not even associate with a man given to angry outbursts; Or go [along] with a hot-tempered man,

²⁵Or you will learn his [undisciplined] ways And get yourself trapped [in a situation from which it is hard to escape].

²⁶Do not be among those who give pledges [involving themselves in others' finances], Or among those who become guarantors for others' debts.

²⁷If you have nothing with which to pay [another's debt when he defaults], Why should his creditor take your bed from under you?

²⁸Do not move the ancient landmark [at the boundary of the property] Which your fathers have set.

²⁹Do you see a man skillful and experienced in his work? He will stand [in honor] before kings; He will not stand before obscure men.

¹Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do right in the sight of the LORD, as his father (forefather) David had done.

²Instead he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and even made cast images for the Baals.

³And he burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom and burned his sons [as an offering], in accordance with the repulsive acts of the [pagan] nations whom the LORD had driven out before the sons (descendants) of Israel.

⁴He also sacrificed and burned incense on the high places [of pagan worship], on the hills and under every green tree.

⁵Therefore the LORD his God handed over Ahaz to the king of Aram (Syria), who defeated him and led away a great number [of the people] as captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also handed over to the king of Israel, who struck Judah with a great slaughter.

⁶For Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 in Judah in one day, all courageous men, because they had abandoned (turned away from) the LORD God of their fathers.

⁷And Zichri, a warrior of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah, who was second [in power] to the king.

⁸And the sons of Israel led away captive 200,000 of their kinsmen [of Judah]—women, sons, and daughters—and they also took a great quantity of spoil from them and brought it to Samaria.

⁹But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out to meet the army that was returning to Samaria and said to them, "Behold, because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, He handed them over to you; but you have killed them in a rage that has reached as far as heaven.

¹⁰And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem as male and female slaves for yourselves. But are you yourselves not guilty of transgressions against the LORD your God?

¹¹Now therefore, hear me and return the captives whom you have captured from your brothers (fellow descendants of Israel, i.e. Jacob), for the burning anger of the LORD is against you."

¹²Then some of the heads of the Ephraimites (Israel)—Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai—took a stand against those who were returning from the battle,

¹³and said to them, "You must not bring the captives in here; for we are guilty before the LORD already, and what you intend to do will add more to our sins and our guilt. For our guilt is so great that His burning anger is against Israel."

¹⁴So the armed men [of Israel] left the captives and the spoil [of Judah] before the officers and all the assembly.

¹⁵Then the men who were designated by name rose up and took the captives, and from the spoil they clothed all those who were naked; they clothed them and gave them sandals, and fed them and gave them [something to] drink, anointed them [with oil, as was a host's duty], and led all the feeble ones on donkeys, and they brought them to Jericho, the City of Palm Trees, to their brothers (fellow descendants of Israel, i.e. Jacob). Then they returned to Samaria.

¹⁶At that time King Ahaz sent word to the king of Assyria [to ask him] for help.

¹⁷For the Edomites had come again and attacked Judah and led away captives.

¹⁸The Philistines had also invaded the cities of the low country and of the Negev (the South country) of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, and Soco with their villages, and also Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages, and they settled there.

¹⁹For the LORD humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for Ahaz had allowed unrestrained and undisciplined behavior in Judah and had been very unfaithful to the LORD.

²⁰So Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came against him and harassed him instead of strengthening and supporting him.

²¹Although Ahaz took a portion [of treasure] from the house of the LORD and from the house (palace) of the king and from the leaders, and gave it [as tribute] to the king of Assyria, it did not help Ahaz.

²²In the time of his distress, this same King Ahaz became yet more unfaithful to the LORD.

²³For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, which had defeated him, and he said, "Since the gods of the kings of Aram (Syria) helped them, I will sacrifice to them so that they may help me." But they became the ruin and downfall of him and all of Israel.

²⁴Then Ahaz collected the utensils of the house of God and he cut them in pieces; and he shut the doors of the house of the LORD and made altars for himself in every corner of Jerusalem.

²⁵In every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, provoking to anger the LORD, the God of his fathers.

²⁶Now the rest of his acts and of all his ways, from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

²⁷And Ahaz slept with his fathers [in death], and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. And his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.

¹Thus the Lord GOD showed me [a vision], and behold, there was a basket of [overripe] summer fruit.

²And He said, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A basket of summer fruit." Then the LORD said to me, "The end has come for My people Israel. I will spare them no longer [for the nation is ripe for judgment].

³In that day, the songs of the palace shall turn to wailing," says the Lord GOD. "There will be many dead bodies; in [sacred] silence they will throw them everywhere."

⁴Hear this, you who trample down the needy, and do away with the poor of the land,

⁵saying, "When will the New Moon [festival] be over So that we may sell grain, And the Sabbath ended so that we may open the wheat market, Making the ephah [measure] smaller and the shekel bigger [that is, selling less for a higher price] And to cheat by falsifying the scales,

⁶So that we may buy the poor [as slaves] for silver [since they are unable to support themselves] And the needy for a pair of sandals, And that we may sell the leftovers of the wheat [as if it were a good grade of grain]?"

⁷The LORD has sworn [an oath] by the pride of Jacob, "Surely I shall never forget [nor leave unpunished] any of their [rebellious] acts.

⁸"Because of this [coming judgment] will the land not quake And everyone mourn who dwells in it? Indeed, all of it shall rise up like the Nile, And it will be tossed around [from the impact of judgment] And [afterward] subside again like the Nile of Egypt.

⁹"It shall come about in that day," says the Lord GOD, "That I shall cause the sun to go down at noon, And I shall darken the earth in broad daylight.

¹⁰"And I shall turn your festivals and feasts into mourning And all your songs into dirges (funeral poems to be sung); And I shall cause sackcloth to be put on everyone's loins And baldness on every head [shaved for mourning]. And I shall make that time like a time of mourning for an only son [who has died], And the end of it shall be like a bitter day.

¹¹"Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "When I will send hunger over the land, Not hunger for bread or a thirst for water, But rather [a hunger] for hearing the words of the LORD.

¹²"People shall stagger from sea to sea [to the very ends of the earth] And from the north even to the east; They will roam here and there to seek the word of the LORD [longing for it as essential for life], But they will not find it.

¹³"In that day the beautiful virgins And [even the vigorous] young men shall faint from thirst.

¹⁴"Those who swear [their oaths] by the sin (guilt) of Samaria or Ashimah (a pagan goddess), Who say, 'By the life of your god [the golden calf], O Dan!' And [swear], 'By the life of the way of [idolatrous] Beersheba,' They shall fall and not rise again."

¹Now at that time Herod [Agrippa I] the king [of the Jews] arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to harm them.

²And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword;

³and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to have Peter arrested as well. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread [the Passover week].

⁴When he had seized Peter, he put him in prison, turning him over to four squads of soldiers of four each to guard him [in rotation throughout the night], planning after the Passover to bring him out before the people [for execution].

⁵So Peter was kept in prison, but fervent and persistent prayer for him was being made to God by the church.

⁶The very night before Herod was to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries were in front of the door guarding the prison.

⁷Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared [beside him] and a light shone in the cell. The angel struck Peter's side and awakened him, saying, "Get up quickly!" And the chains fell off his hands.

⁸The angel said to him, "Prepare yourself and strap on your sandals [to get ready for whatever may happen]." And he did so. Then the angel told him, "Put on your robe and follow me."

⁹And Peter went out following the angel. He did not realize that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

¹⁰When they had passed the first guard and the second, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city. Of its own accord it swung open for them; and they went out and went along one street, and at once the angel left him.

¹¹When Peter came to his senses, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel and has rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting [to do to me]."

¹²When he realized what had happened, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, who was also called Mark, where many [believers] were gathered together and were praying continually [and had been praying all night].

¹³When he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer.

¹⁴Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she failed to open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gateway.

¹⁵They said to her, "You are out of your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, "It is his angel!"

¹⁶But [meanwhile] Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were completely amazed.

¹⁷But motioning to them with his hand to be quiet and listen, he described how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, "Report these things to James and the brothers and sisters." Then he left and went to another place.

¹⁸Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter.

¹⁹When Herod had searched for him and could not find him, he interrogated the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea [Maritima] and spent some time there.

²⁰Now Herod [Agrippa I] was extremely angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and their delegates came to him in a united group, and after persuading Blastus, the king's chamberlain [to support their cause], they asked for peace, because their country was fed by [imports of grain and other goods from] the king's country.

²¹On an appointed day Herod dressed himself in his royal robes, sat on his throne (tribunal, rostrum) and began delivering a speech to the people.

²²The assembled people kept shouting, "It is the voice of a god and not of a man!"

²³And at once an angel of the Lord struck him down because he did not give God the glory [and instead permitted himself to be worshiped], and he was eaten by worms and died [five days later].

²⁴But the word of the Lord [the good news about salvation through Christ] continued to grow and spread [increasing in effectiveness].

²⁵Barnabas and Saul came back from Jerusalem when they had completed their mission, bringing with them John, who was also called Mark.