Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹When they were nearing Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of His disciples,

²saying to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a [donkey's] colt tied, which has never been ridden by anyone; untie it and bring it here.

³If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord needs it'; and immediately he will send it here."

⁴So they went away [to the village] and found a colt tied outside at a gate in the street, and they untied it.

⁵Some of the people who were standing there said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?"

⁶They replied to them just as Jesus had directed, and they allowed them to go.

⁷They brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it, and He sat on it.

⁸And many [of the people] spread their coats on the road [as an act of tribute and homage before a new king], and others [scattered a layer of] leafy branches which they had cut from the fields [honoring Him as Messiah].

⁹Those who went in front and those who were following [Him] were shouting [in joy and praise], "Hosanna ( Save, I pray)! Blessed (praised, glorified) is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

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

¹¹Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple [enclosure]; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve [disciples], because it was already late [in the day].

¹²On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He was hungry.

¹³Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if He would find anything on it. But He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

¹⁴He said to it, "No one will ever eat fruit from you again!" And His disciples were listening [to what He said].

¹⁵Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple [grounds] and began driving out [with force] the people who were selling and buying [animals for sacrifice] in the temple area, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers [who made a profit exchanging foreign money for temple coinage] and the seats of those who were selling doves;

¹⁶and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise or household wares through the temple [grounds, using the temple area irreverently as a shortcut].

¹⁷He began to teach and say to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a robbers' den."

¹⁸The chief priests and the scribes heard this and began searching for a way to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, since the entire crowd was struck with astonishment at His teaching.

¹⁹When evening came, Jesus and His disciples would leave the city.

²⁰In the morning, as they were passing by, the disciples saw that the fig tree had withered away from the roots up.

²¹And remembering, Peter said to Him, "Rabbi (Master), look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered!"

²²Jesus replied, "Have faith in God [constantly].

²³I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea!' and does not doubt in his heart [in God's unlimited power], but believes that what he says is going to take place, it will be done for him [in accordance with God's will].

²⁴For this reason I am telling you, whatever things you ask for in prayer [in accordance with God's will], believe [with confident trust] that you have received them, and they will be given to you.

²⁵Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him [drop the issue, let it go], so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions and wrongdoings [against Him and others].

²⁶["But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions."]

²⁷They came again to Jerusalem. And as Jesus was walking in the [courts and porches of the] temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him,

²⁸and began saying to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?"

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

³⁰Was the baptism of John [the Baptist] from heaven [that is, ordained by God] or from men? Answer Me."

³¹They began discussing it with each other, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Then why did you not believe him?'

³²But shall we say, 'From men?'" —they were afraid [to answer because] of the crowd, for everyone considered John to have been a real prophet.

³³So they replied to Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

¹When Rachel saw that she conceived no children for Jacob, she envied her sister, and said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I will die."

²Then Jacob became furious with Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has denied you children?"

³She said, "Here, take my maid Bilhah and go in to her; and [when the baby comes] she shall deliver it [while sitting] on my knees, so that by her I may also have children [to count as my own]."

⁴So she gave him Bilhah her maid as a [ secondary] wife, and Jacob went in to her.

⁵Bilhah conceived and gave birth to a son for Jacob.

⁶Then Rachel said, "God has judged and vindicated me, and has heard my plea and has given me a son [through my maid]." So she named him Dan (He judged).

⁷Bilhah, Rachel's maid, conceived again and gave birth to a second son for Jacob.

⁸So Rachel said, "With mighty wrestlings [in prayer to God] I have struggled with my sister and have prevailed." So she named him Naphtali (my wrestlings).

⁹When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing [children], she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as a [ secondary] wife.

¹⁰Zilpah, Leah's maid, gave birth to a son for Jacob.

¹¹Then Leah said, "How fortunate!" So she named him Gad (good fortune).

¹²Zilpah, Leah's maid, gave birth to a second son for Jacob.

¹³Then Leah said, "I am happy! For women will call me happy." So she named him Asher (happy).

¹⁴Now at the time of wheat harvest Reuben [the eldest child] went and found some mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."

¹⁵But Leah answered, "Is it a small thing that you have taken my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also?" So Rachel said, "Jacob shall sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes."

¹⁶When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must sleep with me [tonight], for I have in fact hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he slept with her that night.

¹⁷God listened and answered [the prayer of] Leah, and she conceived and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob.

¹⁸Then Leah said, "God has given me my reward because I have given my maid to my husband." So she named him Issachar.

¹⁹Leah conceived again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob.

²⁰Then Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good [marriage] gift [for my husband]; now he will live with me [regarding me with honor as his wife], because I have given birth to six sons." So she named him Zebulun.

²¹Afterward she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

²²Then God remembered [the prayers of] Rachel, and God thought of her and opened her womb [so that she would conceive].

²³So she conceived and gave birth to a son; and she said, "God has taken away my disgrace and humiliation."

²⁴She named him Joseph (may He add) and said, "May the LORD add to me another son."

²⁵Now when Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go back to my own place and to my own country.

²⁶Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know the work which I have done for you."

²⁷But Laban said to him, "If I have found favor in your sight, stay with me; for I have learned [from the omens in divination and by experience] that the LORD has blessed me because of you."

²⁸He said, "Name your wages, and I will give it [to you]."

²⁹Jacob answered him, "You know how I have served you and how your possessions, your cattle and sheep and goats, have fared with me.

³⁰For you had little before I came and it has increased and multiplied abundantly, and the LORD has favored you with blessings wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household?"

³¹Laban asked, "What shall I give you?" Jacob replied, "You shall not give me anything. But if you will do this one thing for me [which I now propose], I will again pasture and keep your flock:

³²Let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every dark or black one among the lambs and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and those shall be my wages.

³³So my honesty will be evident for me later, when you come [for an accounting] concerning my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and dark among the young lambs, if found with me, shall be considered stolen."

³⁴And Laban said, "Good! Let it be done as you say."

³⁵So on that same day Laban [secretly] removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one with white on it, and all the dark ones among the sheep, and put them in the care of his sons.

³⁶And he put [a distance of] three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob was then left in care of the rest of Laban's flock.

³⁷Then Jacob took branches of fresh poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white in the branches.

³⁸Then he set the branches which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink; and they mated and conceived when they came to drink.

³⁹So the flocks mated and conceived by the branches, and the flocks gave birth to streaked, speckled, and spotted offspring.

⁴⁰Jacob separated the lambs, and [as he had done with the peeled branches] he made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the dark or black in the [new] flock of Laban; and he put his own herds apart by themselves and did not put them [where they could breed] with Laban's flock.

⁴¹Furthermore, whenever the stronger [animals] of the flocks were breeding, Jacob would place the branches in the sight of the flock in the watering troughs, so that they would mate and conceive among the branches;

⁴²but when the flock was sickly, he did not put the branches there; so the sicker [animals] were Laban's and the stronger Jacob's.

⁴³So Jacob became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks [of sheep and goats], and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

¹Therefore, my fellow believers, whom I love and long for, my delight and crown [my wreath of victory], in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.

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

³Indeed, I ask you too, my true companion, to help these women [to keep on cooperating], for they have shared my struggle in the [cause of the] gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice!

⁵Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people. The Lord is near.

⁶Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.

⁷And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].

⁸Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God's word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].

⁹The things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things [in daily life], and the God [who is the source] of peace and well-being will be with you.

¹⁰I rejoiced greatly in the Lord, that now at last you have renewed your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned about me before, but you had no opportunity to show it.

¹¹Not that I speak from [any personal] need, for I have learned to be content [and self-sufficient through Christ, satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or uneasy] regardless of my circumstances.

¹²I know how to get along and live humbly [in difficult times], and I also know how to enjoy abundance and live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret [of facing life], whether well-fed or going hungry, whether having an abundance or being in need.

¹³I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]

¹⁴Nevertheless, it was right of you to share [with me] in my difficulties.

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

¹⁶for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.

¹⁷Not that I seek the gift itself, but I do seek the profit which increases to your [heavenly] account [the blessing which is accumulating for you].

¹⁸But I have received everything in full and more; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent me. They are the fragrant aroma of an offering, an acceptable sacrifice which God welcomes and in which He delights.

¹⁹And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

²⁰To our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

²¹Remember me to every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you.

²²All God's people wish to be remembered to you, especially those of Caesar's household.

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

¹Paul, a prisoner [for the sake] of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), and our brother Timothy, To Philemon our dearly beloved friend and fellow worker,

²and to [your wife] Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier [in ministry], and to the church that meets in your house:

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

⁴I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,

⁵because I hear of your love and of your faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints (God's people).

⁶I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective and powerful because of your accurate knowledge of every good thing which is ours in Christ.

⁷For I have had great joy and comfort and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints (God's people) have been refreshed through you, my brother.

⁸Therefore [on the basis of these facts], though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is appropriate,

⁹yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner [for the sake] of Christ Jesus—

¹⁰I appeal to you for my [own spiritual] child Onesimus, whom I have fathered [in the faith] while a captive in these chains.

¹¹Once he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you as well as to me.

¹²I have sent him back to you in person, that is, like sending my very heart.

¹³I would have chosen to keep him with me, so that he might minister to me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel;

¹⁴but I did not want to do anything without first getting your consent, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will.

¹⁵Perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a while, so that you would have him back forever,

¹⁶no longer as a slave, but [as someone] more than a slave, as a brother [in Christ], especially dear to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh [as a servant] and in the Lord [as a fellow believer].

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

¹⁸But 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 in full (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well).

²⁰Yes, brother, let me have some benefit and joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

²¹I write to you [perfectly] confident of your obedient compliance, since I know that you will do even more than I ask.

²²At the same time also prepare a guest room for me [in expectation of a visit], for I hope that through your prayers I will be [granted the gracious privilege of] coming to you [at Colossae].

²³Greetings to you from Epaphras, my fellow prisoner here in [the cause of] Christ Jesus,

²⁴and from Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

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

¹"I have made a covenant (agreement) with my eyes; How then could I gaze [lustfully] at a virgin?

²"For what is the portion I would have from God above, And what heritage from the Almighty on high?

³"Does not tragedy fall [justly] on the unjust And disaster to those who work wickedness?

⁴"Does not God see my ways And count all my steps?

⁵"If I have walked with falsehood, Or if my foot has chased after deceit,

⁶Oh, let Him weigh me with accurate scales, And let God know my integrity.

⁷"If my step has turned away from the way [of God], Or if my heart has [covetously] followed my eyes, Or if any spot [of guilt] has stained my hands,

⁸Then let me plant and [let] another eat [from the results of my labor], And let my crops be uprooted and ruined.

⁹"If my heart has been enticed and I was made a fool by a woman, Or if I have [covetously] lurked at my neighbor's door [until his departure],

¹⁰Let my wife grind [meal, like a bond slave] for another [man], And let others kneel down over her.

¹¹"For adultery is a heinous and lustful crime; Moreover, it would be a sin punishable by the judges.

¹²"For it is a fire which consumes to Abaddon (destruction, ruin, final torment); And [illicit passion] would burn and rage and uproot all my [life's] increase [destroying everything].

¹³"If I have despised and rejected the claim of my male or female servants When they filed a complaint against me,

¹⁴What then could I do when God arises [to judge me]? When He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?

¹⁵"Did not He who made me in the womb make my servant, And did not the same One fashion us both in the womb?

¹⁶"If I have withheld from the poor what they desired, Or have caused the eyes of the widow to look in vain [for relief],

¹⁷Or have eaten my morsel [of food] alone, And did not share it with the orphan

¹⁸(But from my youth the orphan grew up with me as with a father, And from my mother's womb I have been the widow's guide),

¹⁹If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or any poor person without covering,

²⁰If his loins have not thanked and blessed me [for clothing them], And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,

²¹If I have lifted my hand against the orphan, Because I saw [that the judges would be] my help at the [council] gate,

²²Then let my shoulder fall away from its socket, And my arm be broken off at the elbow.

²³"For tragedy from God is a terror to me, And because of His majesty and exaltation I can do nothing [nor endure facing Him].

²⁴"If I have put my trust and confidence in gold, Or have declared fine gold my hope and assurance,

²⁵If I gloated and rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my [powerful] hand [alone] had obtained so much,

²⁶If I beheld the sun [as an object of worship] when it shone Or the moon going in its splendor,

²⁷And my heart became secretly enticed [by them], And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth [in respect to them],

²⁸This also would have been [a heinous] sin calling for judgment, For I would have denied God above.

²⁹"Have I rejoiced at the destruction of the enemy [who hated me], Or exulted [in malicious triumph] when evil overtook him?

³⁰"No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin By cursing my enemy and asking for his life.

³¹"I assure you, the men of my tent have said, 'Who can find one [in need] who has not been satisfied with his meat'?

³²"The stranger has not lodged in the street, Because I have opened my door to the traveler.

³³"Have I concealed my transgressions like Adam or like other men, By hiding my wickedness in my bosom,

³⁴Because I feared the great multitude, And the contempt of families terrified me, So that I kept silence and did not acknowledge my sin and did not go out of the door?

³⁵"Oh, that I had one to listen to me! Look, here is my signature (mark); Let the Almighty answer me! Let my adversary write out His indictment [and put His vague accusations in tangible form].

³⁶"Surely I would [proudly] bear it on my shoulder, And bind the scroll around my head like a crown.

³⁷"I would count out to Him the number of my steps [with every detail of my life], Approaching His presence as if I were a prince.

³⁸"For if my land has cried out against me, And its furrows weep together;

³⁹If I have eaten its fruits without paying for them, Or have caused its [rightful] owners to lose their lives,

⁴⁰Let thorns grow instead of wheat, And stinkweed and cockleburs instead of barley." So the words of Job [with his friends] are finished.

¹To the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song. God be gracious and kind-hearted to us and bless us, And make His face shine [with favor] on us— Selah.

²That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation and deliverance among all nations.

³Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You.

⁴Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, For You will judge the people fairly And guide the nations on earth. Selah.

⁵Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You.

⁶The earth has yielded its harvest [as evidence of His approval]; God, our God, blesses us.

⁷God blesses us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder].

¹The words of King Lemuel, the oracle, which his mother taught him:

²What, O my son? And what, O son of my womb? And what [shall I advise you], O son of my vows?

³Do not give your [generative] strength to women [neither foreign wives in marriages of alliances, nor concubines], Nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

⁴It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Or for rulers to desire strong drink,

⁵Otherwise they drink and forget the law and its decrees, And pervert the rights and justice of all the afflicted.

⁶Give strong drink [as medicine] to him who is ready to pass away, And wine to him whose life is bitter.

⁷Let him drink and forget his poverty And no longer remember his trouble.

⁸Open your mouth for the mute, For the rights of all who are unfortunate and defenseless;

⁹Open your mouth, judge righteously, And administer justice for the afflicted and needy.

¹⁰An excellent woman [one who is spiritual, capable, intelligent, and virtuous], who is he who can find her? Her value is more precious than jewels and her worth is far above rubies or pearls.

¹¹The heart of her husband trusts in her [with secure confidence], And he will have no lack of gain.

¹²She comforts, encourages, and does him only good and not evil All the days of her life.

¹³She looks for wool and flax And works with willing hands in delight.

¹⁴She is like the merchant ships [abounding with treasure]; She brings her [household's] food from far away.

¹⁵She rises also while it is still night And gives food to her household And assigns tasks to her maids.

¹⁶She considers a field before she buys or accepts it [expanding her business prudently]; With her profits she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard.

¹⁷She equips herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] And makes her arms strong.

¹⁸She sees that her gain is good; Her lamp does not go out, but it burns continually through the night [she is prepared for whatever lies ahead].

¹⁹She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hands hold the spindle [as she spins wool into thread for clothing].

²⁰She opens and extends her hand to the poor, And she reaches out her filled hands to the needy.

²¹She does not fear the snow for her household, For all in her household are clothed in [expensive] scarlet [wool].

²²She makes for herself coverlets, cushions, and rugs of tapestry. Her clothing is linen, pure and fine, and purple [wool].

²³Her husband is known in the [city's] gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.

²⁴She makes [fine] linen garments and sells them; And supplies sashes to the merchants.

²⁵Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; And she smiles at the future [knowing that she and her family are prepared].

²⁶She opens her mouth in [skillful and godly] wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue [giving counsel and instruction].

²⁷She looks well to how things go in her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.

²⁸Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired); Her husband also, and he praises her, saying,

²⁹"Many daughters have done nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], But you excel them all."

³⁰Charm and grace are deceptive, and [superficial] beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD [reverently worshiping, obeying, serving, and trusting Him with awe-filled respect], she shall be praised.

³¹Give her of the product of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates [of the city].

¹Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia [that is, the first year he ruled Babylon], in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah [the prophet], the LORD stirred up (put in motion) the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:

²"Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build Him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

³Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He is God who is in Jerusalem.

⁴In any place where a survivor (Jewish exile) may live, let the men (Gentiles) of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with freewill offerings for the house of God in Jerusalem.'"

⁵Then the heads of the fathers' households of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites, all those whose spirits God had stirred up, arose to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.

⁶All those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, with cattle, and with valuable things, in addition to all that was given as a freewill offering.

⁷Also King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem [when he captured that city] and had put in the house of his gods.

⁸And Cyrus, king of Persia, had Mithredath the treasurer bring them out, and he counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the governor (leader) of Judah.

⁹And they counted: 30 dishes (basins) of gold, 1,000 dishes of silver, 29 duplicates;

¹⁰30 [small] gold bowls, 410 [small] silver bowls of a second kind, and 1,000 other articles.

¹¹All the articles of gold and of silver totaled 5,400. All these Sheshbazzar [the governor] brought up with the exiles who went from Babylon up to Jerusalem.

¹And I said, "Hear now, heads of Jacob And rulers of the house of Israel. Is it not for you to know and administer justice?

²"You who hate good and love evil, Who tear the skin off my people And their flesh from their bones;

³You who eat the flesh of my people, Strip off their skin from them, Break their bones And chop them in pieces as for the pot, Like meat in a kettle."

⁴Then they will cry to the LORD, But He will not answer them; Instead, He will even hide His face from them at that time [withholding His mercy] Because they have practiced and tolerated and ignored evil acts.

⁵Thus says the LORD concerning the [false] prophets who lead my people astray; When they have something good to bite with their teeth, They call out, "Peace," But against the one who gives them nothing to eat, They declare a holy war.

⁶Therefore it will be night (tragedy) for you—without vision, And darkness (cataclysm) for you—without foresight. The sun shall go down on the [false] prophets, And the day shall become dark and black over them.

⁷The seers shall be ashamed And the diviners discredited and embarrassed; Indeed, they shall all cover their mouths [in shame] Because there is no answer from God.

⁸But in fact, I am filled with power, With the Spirit of the LORD, And with justice and might, To declare to Jacob his transgression And to Israel his sin.

⁹Now hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob And rulers of the house of Israel, Who hate and reject justice And twist everything that is straight,

¹⁰Who build Zion with blood [and extortion and murder] And Jerusalem with violent injustice.

¹¹Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, Her priests teach for a fee, And her prophets foretell for money; Yet they lean on the LORD, saying, "Is not the LORD among us? No tragedy or distress will come on us."

¹²Therefore, on account of you Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, And the mountain of the house [of the LORD] shall become like a densely wooded hill.

¹When we had torn ourselves away from them and set sail, we ran a straight course and came to Cos, and on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara;

²and after finding a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went on board and set sail.

³After we came in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on our left (port side), we sailed on to Syria and put in at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload her cargo.

⁴After looking up the disciples [in Tyre], we stayed there [with them] seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the [Holy] Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem.

⁵When our days there came to an end, we left and proceeded on our journey, while all of the disciples, with their wives and children, escorted us on our way until we were outside the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we told one another goodbye.

⁶Then we boarded the ship, and they returned to their homes.

⁷When we had completed the voyage from Tyre, we landed [twenty miles to the south] at Ptolemais, and after greeting the believers, we stayed with them for one day.

⁸On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and we went to the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven [deacons], and stayed with him.

⁹He had four virgin daughters who had the gift of prophecy.

¹⁰As we were staying there for some time, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

¹¹And coming to [see] us, he took Paul's [wide] band (belt, sash) and bound his own feet and hands, and said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says: 'In this same way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this band, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles (pagans).'"

¹²Now when we had heard this, both we and the local residents began pleading with Paul trying to persuade him not to go up to Jerusalem.

¹³Then Paul replied, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart [like this]? For I am ready not only to be bound and imprisoned, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

¹⁴And since he would not be dissuaded, we stopped pleading and fell silent, saying, "The Lord's will be done!"

¹⁵After this we got ready and started on our way up to Jerusalem.

¹⁶Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us to [the house of] Mnason, a man from Cyprus, a disciple of long standing with whom we were to lodge.

¹⁷When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters welcomed us gladly.

¹⁸On the next day Paul went with us to [see] James, and all the elders of the church were present.

¹⁹After greeting them, Paul began to give a detailed account of the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

²⁰And when they heard it, they began glorifying and praising God; and they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and they are all enthusiastic supporters of the Law [of Moses].

²¹Now they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are living among the Gentiles to turn away from [the Law of] Moses, advising them not to circumcise their children or to live according to the [Mosaic] customs.

²²What then should be done? They will certainly hear that you have arrived.

²³Therefore do just what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow;

²⁴take these men and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses [for the temple offerings] so that they may shave their heads. Then everyone will know that there is nothing to the things they have been told about you, but that you yourself also follow and keep the Law.

²⁵But with regard to the Gentiles who have believed [in Christ], we have sent them a letter with our decision that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from [consuming] blood and from [the meat of] what has been strangled and from sexual immorality."

²⁶Then Paul took the [four] men, and the next day he purified himself along with them [by submitting to the ritual]. He went into the temple to give notice of [the time] when the days of purification [ending each vow] would be fulfilled and the usual offering could be presented on behalf of each one.

²⁷When the seven days [required to complete the ritual] were almost over, [some] Jews from [the province of] Asia [Minor], caught sight of him in the temple, and began to stir up the crowd, and they seized him,

²⁸shouting, "Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place."

²⁹For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul, and they assumed that he had brought the man into the temple [beyond the court of the Gentiles].

³⁰Then the whole city was provoked and confused, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the gates were closed.

³¹Now while they were trying to kill him, word came to the commander of the [Roman] garrison that all Jerusalem was in a state of upheaval.

³²So he immediately took soldiers and centurions and ran down among them. When the people saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

³³Then the commander came up and arrested Paul, and ordered that he be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.

³⁴But some in the crowd were shouting one thing and others something else; and since he could not determine the facts because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken to the barracks [in the tower of Antonia].

³⁵When Paul got to the steps, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob;

³⁶for the majority of the people kept following them, shouting, "Away with him! [Kill him!]"

³⁷Just as Paul was about to be taken into the barracks, he asked the commander, "May I say something to you?" And the man replied, "Do you know Greek?

³⁸Then you are not [as I assumed] the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led those 4,000 men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?"

³⁹Paul said, "I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia (Mersin Province, Turkey), a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people."

⁴⁰When the commander had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, gestured with his hand to the people; and when there was a great hush, he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect (Jewish Aramaic), saying,