Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹When they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples

²and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it.

³If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this? ’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.’”

⁴So they went and found a colt outside in the street, tied by a door. They untied it,

⁵and some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?”

⁶They answered them just as Jesus had said; so they let them go.

⁷They brought the donkey to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and he sat on it.

⁸Many people spread their clothes on the road, and others spread leafy branches cut from the fields.

⁹Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

¹⁰Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!

¹¹He went into Jerusalem and into the temple. After looking around at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

¹²The next day when they went out from Bethany, he was hungry.

¹³Seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, he went to find out if there was anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs.

¹⁴He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And his disciples heard it.

¹⁵They came to Jerusalem, and he went into the temple and began to throw out those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves,

¹⁶and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple.

¹⁷He was teaching them: “Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves!”

¹⁸The chief priests and the scribes heard it and started looking for a way to kill him. For they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was astonished by his teaching.

¹⁹Whenever evening came, they would go out of the city.

²⁰Early in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up.

²¹Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”

²²Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God.

²³Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

²⁴Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for  —  believe that you have received it and it will be yours.

²⁵And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.”

²⁶

²⁷They came again to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came

²⁸and asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do these things?”

²⁹Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; then answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

³⁰Was John’s baptism from heaven or of human origin? Answer me.”

³¹They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’

³²But if we say, ‘Of human origin’” — they were afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought that John was truly a prophet.

³³So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

¹When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she envied her sister. “Give me sons, or I will die!” she said to Jacob.

²Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in God’s place, who has withheld offspring from you?”

³Then she said, “Here is my maid Bilhah. Go sleep with her, and she’ll bear children for me so that through her I too can build a family.”

⁴So Rachel gave her slave Bilhah to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her.

⁵Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

⁶Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; yes, he has heard me and given me a son,” so she named him Dan.

⁷Rachel’s slave Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

⁸Rachel said, “In my wrestlings with God, I have wrestled with my sister and won,” and she named him Naphtali.

⁹When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her slave Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

¹⁰Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

¹¹Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” and she named him Gad.

¹²When Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a second son,

¹³Leah said, “I am happy that the women call me happy,” so she named him Asher.

¹⁴Reuben went out during the wheat harvest and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother Leah, Rachel asked, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

¹⁵But Leah replied to her, “Isn’t it enough that you have taken my husband? Now you also want to take my son’s mandrakes?” “Well then,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

¹⁶When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So Jacob slept with her that night.

¹⁷God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.

¹⁸Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my slave to my husband,” and she named him Issachar.

¹⁹Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.

²⁰“God has given me a good gift,” Leah said. “This time my husband will honor me because I have borne six sons for him,” and she named him Zebulun.

²¹Later, Leah bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

²²Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb.

²³She conceived and bore a son, and she said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”

²⁴She named him Joseph and said, “May the LORD add another son to me.”

²⁵After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so that I can return to my homeland.

²⁶Give me my wives and my children that I have worked for, and let me go. You know how hard I have worked for you.”

²⁷But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor with you, stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.”

²⁸Then Laban said, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”

²⁹So Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you and how your herds have fared with me.

³⁰For you had very little before I came, but now your wealth has increased. The LORD has blessed you because of me. And now, when will I also do something for my own family?”

³¹Laban asked, “What should I give you?” And Jacob said, “You don’t need to give me anything. If you do this one thing for me, I will continue to shepherd and keep your flock.

³²Let me go through all your sheep today and remove every sheep that is speckled or spotted, every dark-colored sheep among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the female goats. Such will be my wages.

³³In the future when you come to check on my wages, my honesty will testify for me. If I have any female goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not black, they will be considered stolen.”

³⁴“Good,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.”

³⁵That day Laban removed the streaked and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats — every one that had any white on it — and every dark-colored one among the lambs, and he placed his sons in charge of them.

³⁶He put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob. Jacob, meanwhile, was shepherding the rest of Laban’s flock.

³⁷Jacob then took branches of fresh poplar, almond, and plane wood, and peeled the bark, exposing white stripes on the branches.

³⁸He set the peeled branches in the troughs in front of the sheep — in the water channels where the sheep came to drink. And the sheep bred when they came to drink.

³⁹The flocks bred in front of the branches and bore streaked, speckled, and spotted young.

⁴⁰Jacob separated the lambs and made the flocks face the streaked sheep and the completely dark sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and didn’t put them with Laban’s sheep.

⁴¹Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob placed the branches in the troughs, in full view of the flocks, and they would breed in front of the branches.

⁴²As for the weaklings of the flocks, he did not put out the branches. So it turned out that the weak sheep belonged to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob.

⁴³And the man became very rich. He had many flocks, female and male slaves, and camels and donkeys.

¹So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.

²I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to agree in the Lord.

³Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the book of life.

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

⁵Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.

⁶Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable — if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy — dwell on these things.

⁹Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

¹⁰I rejoiced in the Lord greatly because once again you renewed your care for me. You were, in fact, concerned about me but lacked the opportunity to show it.

¹¹I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself.

¹²I know both how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content — whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.

¹³I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.

¹⁴Still, you did well by partnering with me in my hardship.

¹⁵And you Philippians know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone.

¹⁶For even in Thessalonica you sent gifts for my need several times.

¹⁷Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that is increasing to your account.

¹⁸But I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance. I am fully supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you provided — a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.

¹⁹And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

²⁰Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

²¹Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you greetings.

²²All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.

²³The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

¹Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother: To Philemon our dear friend and coworker,

²to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets in your home.

³Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers,

⁵because I hear of your love for all the saints and the faith that you have in the Lord Jesus.

⁶I pray that your participation in the faith may become effective through knowing every good thing that is in us for the glory of Christ.

⁷For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

⁸For this reason, although I have great boldness in Christ to command you to do what is right,

⁹I appeal to you, instead, on the basis of love. I, Paul, as an elderly man and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus,

¹⁰appeal to you for my son, Onesimus. I became his father while I was in chains.

¹¹Once he was useless to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me.

¹²I am sending him back to you — I am sending my very own heart.

¹³I wanted to keep him with me, so that in my imprisonment for the gospel he might serve me in your place.

¹⁴But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent, so that your good deed might not be out of obligation, but of your own free will.

¹⁵For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a brief time, so that you might get him back permanently,

¹⁶no longer as a slave, but more than a slave — as a dearly loved brother. He is especially so to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

¹⁷So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would me.

¹⁸And if he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.

¹⁹I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it — not to mention to you that you owe me even your very self.

²⁰Yes, brother, may I benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

²¹Since I am confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

²²Meanwhile, also prepare a guest room for me, since I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.

²³Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings, and so do

²⁴Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my coworkers.

²⁵The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

¹I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I look at a young woman?

²For what portion would I have from God above, or what inheritance from the Almighty on high?

³Doesn’t disaster come to the unjust and misfortune to evildoers?

⁴Does he not see my ways and number all my steps?

⁵If I have walked in falsehood or my foot has rushed to deceit,

⁶let God weigh me on accurate scales, and he will recognize my integrity.

⁷If my step has turned from the way, my heart has followed my eyes, or impurity has stained my hands,

⁸let someone else eat what I have sown, and let my crops be uprooted.

⁹If my heart has gone astray over a woman or I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,

¹⁰let my own wife grind grain for another man, and let other men sleep with her.

¹¹For that would be a disgrace; it would be an iniquity deserving punishment.

¹²For it is a fire that consumes down to Abaddon; it would destroy my entire harvest.

¹³If I have dismissed the case of my male or female servants when they made a complaint against me,

¹⁴what could I do when God stands up to judge? How should I answer him when he calls me to account?

¹⁵Did not the one who made me in the womb also make them? Did not the same God form us both in the womb?

¹⁶If I have refused the wishes of the poor or let the widow’s eyes go blind,

¹⁷if I have eaten my few crumbs alone without letting the fatherless eat any of it —

¹⁸for from my youth, I raised him as his father, and since the day I was born I guided the widow —

¹⁹if I have seen anyone dying for lack of clothing or a needy person without a cloak,

²⁰if he did not bless me while warming himself with the fleece from my sheep,

²¹if I ever cast my vote against a fatherless child when I saw that I had support in the city gate,

²²then let my shoulder blade fall from my back, and my arm be pulled from its socket.

²³For disaster from God terrifies me, and because of his majesty I could not do these things.

²⁴If I placed my confidence in gold or called fine gold my trust,

²⁵if I have rejoiced because my wealth is great or because my own hand has acquired so much,

²⁶if I have gazed at the sun when it was shining or at the moon moving in splendor,

²⁷so that my heart was secretly enticed and I threw them a kiss,

²⁸this would also be an iniquity deserving punishment, for I would have denied God above.

²⁹Have I rejoiced over my enemy’s distress, or become excited when trouble came his way?

³⁰I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking for his life with a curse.

³¹Haven’t the members of my household said, “Who is there who has not had enough to eat at Job’s table?”

³²No stranger had to spend the night on the street, for I opened my door to the traveler.

³³Have I covered my transgressions as others do by hiding my iniquity in my heart

³⁴because I greatly feared the crowds and because the contempt of the clans terrified me, so I grew silent and would not go outside?

³⁵If only I had someone to hear my case! Here is my signature; let the Almighty answer me. Let my Opponent compose his indictment.

³⁶I would surely carry it on my shoulder and wear it like a crown.

³⁷I would give him an account of all my steps; I would approach him like a prince.

³⁸If my land cries out against me and its furrows join in weeping,

³⁹if I have consumed its produce without payment or shown contempt for its tenants,

⁴⁰then let thorns grow instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley. The words of Job are concluded.

¹For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A psalm. A song. [1] May God be gracious to us and bless us; may he make his face shine upon us Selah

²so that your way may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.

³Let the peoples praise you, God; let all the peoples praise you.

⁴Let the nations rejoice and shout for joy, for you judge the peoples with fairness and lead the nations on earth. Selah

⁵Let the peoples praise you, God, let all the peoples praise you.

⁶The earth has produced its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.

⁷God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.

¹The words of King Lemuel, a pronouncement that his mother taught him:

²What should I say, my son? What, son of my womb? What, son of my vows?

³Don’t spend your energy on women or your efforts on those who destroy kings.

⁴It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine or for rulers to desire beer.

⁵Otherwise, he will drink, forget what is decreed, and pervert justice for all the oppressed.

⁶Give beer to one who is dying and wine to one whose life is bitter.

⁷Let him drink so that he can forget his poverty and remember his trouble no more.

⁸Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed.

⁹Speak up, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy.

¹⁰Who can find a wife of noble character? She is far more precious than jewels.

¹¹The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will not lack anything good.

¹²She rewards him with good, not evil, all the days of her life.

¹³She selects wool and flax and works with willing hands.

¹⁴She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from far away.

¹⁵She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and portions for her female servants.

¹⁶She evaluates a field and buys it; she plants a vineyard with her earnings.

¹⁷She draws on her strength and reveals that her arms are strong.

¹⁸She sees that her profits are good, and her lamp never goes out at night.

¹⁹She extends her hands to the spinning staff, and her hands hold the spindle.

²⁰Her hands reach out to the poor, and she extends her hands to the needy.

²¹She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all in her household are doubly clothed.

²²She makes her own bed coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple.

²³Her husband is known at the city gates, where he sits among the elders of the land.

²⁴She makes and sells linen garments; she delivers belts to the merchants.

²⁵Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come.

²⁶Her mouth speaks wisdom, and loving instruction is on her tongue.

²⁷She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle.

²⁸Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also praises her:

²⁹“Many women have done noble deeds, but you surpass them all!”

³⁰Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD will be praised.

³¹Give her the reward of her labor, and let her works praise her at the city gates.

¹In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD roused the spirit of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and to put it in writing:

²This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The LORD, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah.

³Any of his people among you, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem.

⁴Let every survivor, wherever he resides, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.”

⁵So the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites — everyone whose spirit God had roused  — prepared to go up and rebuild the LORD’s house in Jerusalem.

⁶All their neighbors supported them with silver articles, gold, goods, livestock, and valuables, in addition to all that was given as a freewill offering.

⁷King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the LORD’s house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and had placed in the house of his gods.

⁸King Cyrus of Persia had them brought out under the supervision of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.

⁹This was the inventory: 30 gold basins, 1,000 silver basins, 29 silver knives,

¹⁰30 gold bowls, 410 various silver bowls, and 1,000 other articles.

¹¹The gold and silver articles totaled 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought all of them when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

¹Then I said, “Now listen, leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Aren’t you supposed to know what is just?

²You hate good and love evil. You tear off people’s skin and strip their flesh from their bones.

³You eat the flesh of my people after you strip their skin from them and break their bones. You chop them up like flesh for the cooking pot, like meat in a cauldron.”

⁴Then they will cry out to the LORD, but he will not answer them. He will hide his face from them at that time because of the crimes they have committed.

⁵This is what the LORD says concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who proclaim peace when they have food to sink their teeth into but declare war against the one who puts nothing in their mouths.

⁶Therefore, it will be night for you — without visions; it will grow dark for you — without divination. The sun will set on these prophets, and the daylight will turn black over them.

⁷Then the seers will be ashamed and the diviners disappointed. They will all cover their mouths because there will be no answer from God.

⁸As for me, however, I am filled with power by the Spirit of the LORD, with justice and courage, to proclaim to Jacob his rebellion and to Israel his sin.

⁹Listen to this, leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert everything that is right,

¹⁰who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with injustice.

¹¹Her leaders issue rulings for a bribe, her priests teach for payment, and her prophets practice divination for silver. Yet they lean on the LORD, saying, “Isn’t the LORD among us? No disaster will overtake us.”

¹²Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become ruins, and the temple’s mountain will be a high thicket.

¹After we tore ourselves away from them, we set sail straight for Cos, the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.

²Finding a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we boarded and set sail.

³After we sighted Cyprus, passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria and arrived at Tyre, since the ship was to unload its cargo there.

⁴We sought out the disciples and stayed there seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go to Jerusalem.

⁵When our time had come to an end, we left to continue our journey, while all of them, with their wives and children, accompanied us out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach to pray,

⁶we said farewell to one another and boarded the ship, and they returned home.

⁷When we completed our voyage from Tyre, we reached Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day.

⁸The next day we left and came to Caesarea, where we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven, and stayed with him.

⁹This man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.

¹⁰After we had been there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

¹¹He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him over to the Gentiles.’”

¹²When we heard this, both we and the local people pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem.

¹³Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

¹⁴Since he would not be persuaded, we said no more except, “The Lord’s will be done.”

¹⁵After this we got ready and went up to Jerusalem.

¹⁶Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us and brought us to Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to stay.

¹⁷When we reached Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters welcomed us warmly.

¹⁸The following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.

¹⁹After greeting them, he reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

²⁰When they heard it, they glorified God and said, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.

²¹But they have been informed about you — that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or to live according to our customs.

²²So what is to be done? They will certainly hear that you’ve come.

²³Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have made a vow.

²⁴Take these men, purify yourself along with them, and pay for them to get their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that what they were told about you amounts to nothing, but that you yourself are also careful about observing the law.

²⁵With regard to the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter containing our decision that they should keep themselves from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled, and from sexual immorality.”

²⁶So the next day, Paul took the men, having purified himself along with them, and entered the temple, announcing the completion of the purification days when the offering would be made for each of them.

²⁷When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd, and seized him,

²⁸shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, and this place. What’s more, he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”

²⁹For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.

³⁰The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul, dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.

³¹As they were trying to kill him, word went up to the commander of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in chaos.

³²Taking along soldiers and centurions, he immediately ran down to them. Seeing the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

³³Then the commander approached, took him into custody, and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He asked who he was and what he had done.

³⁴Some in the crowd were shouting one thing and some another. Since he was not able to get reliable information because of the uproar, he ordered him to be taken into the barracks.

³⁵When Paul got to the steps, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd,

³⁶for the mass of people followed, yelling, “Get rid of him!”

³⁷As he was about to be brought into the barracks, Paul said to the commander, “Am I allowed to say something to you?” He replied, “You know how to speak Greek?

³⁸Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt some time ago and led four thousand men of the Assassins into the wilderness?”

³⁹Paul said, “I am a Jewish man from Tarsus of Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. Now I ask you, let me speak to the people.”

⁴⁰After he had given permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people. When there was a great hush, he addressed them in Aramaic: