Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹And He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and put afence around it, and dug a vat under the wine press and built a tower, and leased it tovine-growers and went on a journey.

²And at the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive his share of the produce of the vineyard from the vine-growers.

³And they took him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.

⁴And again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully.

⁵And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some and killing others.

⁶He had one more man to send, a beloved son; he sent him to them last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

⁷But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’

⁸And they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

⁹What will theowner of the vineyard do? He will come and put the vine-growers to death, and give the vineyard to others.

¹⁰Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘A STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS HAS BECOME THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE;

¹¹THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’?”

¹²And they were seeking to seize Him, and yet they feared the people, for they understood that He told the parable against them. And so they left Him and went away.

¹³Then they *sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a statement.

¹⁴They came and *said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and do not care what anyone thinks; for You are not partial to anyone, but You teach the way of God in truth. Is it permissible to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?

¹⁵Are we to pay, or not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me adenarius to look at.”

¹⁶And they brought one. And He *said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.”

¹⁷And Jesus said to them, “Pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at Him.

¹⁸Some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) *came to Jesus, and began questioning Him, saying,

¹⁹“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife and does not leave a child, his brother is to marry the wife and raise up children for his brother.

²⁰There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no children.

²¹The second one married her, and died leaving behind no children; and the third likewise;

²²and so the seven together left no children. Last of all the woman also died.

²³In the resurrection, which one’s wife will she be? For each of the seven had her as his wife.”

²⁴Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do notunderstand the Scriptures nor the power of God?

²⁵For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

²⁶Butregarding the fact that the dead rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB’?

²⁷He is not the Godof the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.”

²⁸One of the scribes came up and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?”

²⁹Jesus answered, “Theforemost is, ‘HEAR, ISRAEL! THE LORD IS OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE;

³⁰AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’

³¹The second is this: ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

³²And the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO OTHER BESIDES HIM;

³³and to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And then, no one dared any longer to question Him.

³⁵And Jesus responded and began saying, as He taught in the temple area, “How is it that the scribes say that theChrist is the son of David?

³⁶David himself saidin the Holy Spirit, ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES UNDER YOUR FEET.” ’

³⁷David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?” And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him.

³⁸And in His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like personal greetings in the marketplaces,

³⁹and seats of honor in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets,

⁴⁰who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”

⁴¹And Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and began watching how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large amounts.

⁴²And a poor widow came and put in two lepta coins, which amount to a quadrans.

⁴³Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than allthe contributors to the treasury;

⁴⁴for they all put in out of theirsurplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned,all she had to live on.”

¹Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what belonged to our father he has made all this wealth.”

²And Jacob saw the attitude of Laban, and behold, it was not friendly toward him as it had been before.

³Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”

⁴So Jacob sent word and called Rachel and Leah to his flock in the field,

⁵and said to them, “I see your father’s attitude, that it is not friendly toward me as it was before, but the God of my father has been with me.

⁶You know that I have served your father with all my strength.

⁷Yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times; however, God did not allow him to do me harm.

⁸If he said this: ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flock delivered speckled; and if he said this: ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock delivered striped.

⁹So God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.

¹⁰And it came about at the time when the flock was breeding that I raised my eyes and saw in a dream—and behold—the male goats that were mating were striped, speckled, or mottled.

¹¹Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob’; and I said, ‘Here I am.’

¹²He said, ‘Now raise your eyes and see that all the male goats that are mating are striped, speckled, or mottled; for I have seen everything that Laban has been doing to you.

¹³I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a memorial stone, where you made a vow to Me; now arise, leave this land, and return to the land of your birth.’ ”

¹⁴Rachel and Leah said to him, “Do we still have any share or inheritance in our father’s house?

¹⁵Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and has also entirely consumed our purchase price.

¹⁶Surely all the wealth which God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children; now then, do whatever God has told you.”

¹⁷Then Jacob stood up and put his children and his wives on camels;

¹⁸and he drove away all his livestock and all his property which he had acquired, the livestock he possessed which he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac.

¹⁹Laban had gone to shear his flock, and Rachel stole the household idols that were her father’s.

²⁰And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing.

²¹So he fled with all that he had; and he got up and crossed the Euphrates River, and set out for the hill country of Gilead.

²²When Laban was informed on the third day that Jacob had fled,

²³he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him a distance of seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.

²⁴However, God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night and said to him, “Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.”

²⁵And Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen camped in the hill country of Gilead.

²⁶Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword?

²⁷Why did you flee secretly and deceive me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with tambourine and with lyre;

²⁸and did not allow me to kiss my grandchildren and my daughters? Now you have done foolishly.

²⁹It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to speak either good or bad to Jacob.’

³⁰Now you have indeed gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house; but why did you steal my gods?”

³¹Then Jacob replied to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.

³²The one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our relatives point out what is yours among my belongings and take it for yourself.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

³³So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two slave women, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent.

³⁴Now Rachel had taken the household idols and put them in the camel’s saddlebag, and she sat on them. So Laban searched through all the tent, but did not find them.

³⁵And she said to her father, “May my lord not be angry that I cannot stand in your presence, because the way of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the household idols.

³⁶Then Jacob became angry and argued with Laban; and Jacob said to Laban, “What is my offense? What is my sin that you have hotly pursued me?

³⁷Though you have searched through all my property, what have you found of all your household property? Set it here in front of my relatives and your relatives, so that they may decide between the two of us.

³⁸For these twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flocks.

³⁹I did not even bring to you that which was torn by wild animals; I took the loss myself. You demanded it of my hand whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

⁴⁰This is how I was: by day the heat consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.

⁴¹For these twenty years I have been in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you changed my wages ten times.

⁴²If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, so He rendered judgment last night.”

⁴³Then Laban replied to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my grandchildren, the flocks are my flocks, and everything that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these daughters of mine or to their children to whom they have given birth?

⁴⁴So now come, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and it shall be a witness between you and me.”

⁴⁵Then Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial stone.

⁴⁶Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap.

⁴⁷Now Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.

⁴⁸Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore it was named Galeed,

⁴⁹and Mizpah, for he said, “May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other.

⁵⁰If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us, see, God is witness between you and me.”

⁵¹Laban also said to Jacob, “Behold this heap and behold the memorial stone which I have set between you and me.

⁵²This heap is a witness, and the memorial stone is a witness, that I will not pass by this heap to you for harm, and you will not pass by this heap and this memorial stone to me, for harm.

⁵³The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.

⁵⁴Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his relatives to the meal; and they ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.

⁵⁵Then early in the morning Laban got up, and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

²To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

³We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

⁴since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;

⁵because of the hope reserved for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel

⁶which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth;

⁷just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf,

⁸and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.

⁹For this reason we also, since the day we heard about it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

¹⁰so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

¹¹strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all perseverance and patience; joyously

¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

¹³For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation:

¹⁶for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

¹⁷He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

¹⁸He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

¹⁹For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,

²⁰and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

²¹And although you were previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds,

²²yet He has now reconciled you in His body of flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—

²³if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

²⁴Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am supplementing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions in behalf of His body, which is the church.

²⁵I was made a minister of this church according to the commission from God granted to me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,

²⁶that is, the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His saints,

²⁷to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

²⁸We proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ.

²⁹For this purpose I also labor, striving according to His power which works mightily within me.

¹James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.

²Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials,

³knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

⁴And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

⁶But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

⁷For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,

⁸being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

⁹Now the brother or sister of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;

¹⁰but the rich person is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.

¹¹For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so also the rich person, in the midst of his pursuits, will die out.

¹²Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

¹³No one is to say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.

¹⁴But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

¹⁵Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death.

¹⁶Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters.

¹⁷Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

¹⁸In the exercise of His will He gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

¹⁹You know this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;

²⁰for a man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness of God.

²¹Therefore, ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

²²But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves.

²³For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;

²⁴for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

²⁵But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed in what he does.

²⁶If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

²⁷Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

¹Then these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

²But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned against Job; his anger burned because he justified himself before God.

³And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, yet they had condemned Job.

⁴Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he.

⁵But when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, his anger burned.

⁶So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite spoke out and said, “I am young in years and you are old; Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you what I think.

⁷I thought age should speak, And increased years should teach wisdom.

⁸But it is a spirit that is in mankind, And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.

⁹The abundant in years may not be wise, Nor may elders understand justice.

¹⁰So I say, ‘Listen to me, I too will tell what I think.’

¹¹“Behold, I waited for your words, I listened to your skillful speech, While you pondered what to say.

¹²I also paid close attention to you; But indeed, there was no one who refuted Job, Not one of you who answered his words.

¹³So do not say, ‘We have found wisdom: God will defeat him, not man.’

¹⁴But he has not presented his words against me, Nor will I reply to him with your arguments.

¹⁵“They are dismayed, they no longer answer; Words have failed them.

¹⁶Should I wait, because they are not speaking, Because they have stopped and no longer answer?

¹⁷I too will give my share of answers; I also will tell my opinion.

¹⁸For I am full of words; The spirit within me compels me.

¹⁹Behold, my belly is like unvented wine; Like new wineskins, it is about to burst.

²⁰Let me speak so that I may get relief; Let me open my lips and answer.

²¹Let me be partial to no one, Nor flatter any man.

²²For I do not know how to flatter, Otherwise my Maker would quickly take me away.

¹May God arise, may His enemies be scattered, And may those who hate Him flee from His presence.

²As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; As wax melts before a fire, So the wicked will perish before God.

³But the righteous will be joyful; they will rejoice before God; Yes, they will rejoice with gladness.

⁴Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Exalt Him who rides through the deserts, Whose name is the LORD, and be jubilant before Him.

⁵A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy dwelling.

⁶God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious live in parched lands.

⁷God, when You went forth before Your people, When You marched through the desert, Selah

⁸The earth quaked; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

⁹You made plentiful rain fall, God; You confirmed Your inheritance when it was parched.

¹⁰Your creatures settled in it; In Your kindness You provided for the poor, God.

¹¹The Lord gives the command; The women who proclaim good news are a great army:

¹²“Kings of armies flee, they flee, And she who remains at home will divide the spoils!”

¹³When you lie down among the sheepfolds, You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver, And its pinions with glistening gold.

¹⁴When the Almighty scattered the kings there, It was snowing in Zalmon.

¹⁵The mountain of Bashan is a mountain of God; The mountain of Bashan is a mountain of many peaks.

¹⁶Why do you look with envy, you mountains of many peaks, At the mountain God has desired as His dwelling? Indeed, the LORD will dwell there forever.

¹⁷The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands; The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.

¹⁸You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives; You have received gifts among people, Even among the rebellious as well, that the LORD God may dwell there.

¹⁹Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation. Selah

²⁰God is to us a God of salvation; And to GOD the Lord belong ways of escape from death.

²¹God certainly will shatter the heads of His enemies, The hairy head of one who goes about in his guilt.

²²The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan. I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,

²³So that your foot may shatter them in blood, And the tongue of your dogs may have its portion from your enemies.”

²⁴They have seen Your procession, God, The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.

²⁵The singers went on, the musicians after them, In the midst of the young women beating tambourines.

²⁶Bless God in the congregations, Even the LORD, you who are of the fountain of Israel.

²⁷Benjamin, the youngest, is there, ruling them, The leaders of Judah in their company, The leaders of Zebulun, the leaders of Naphtali.

²⁸Your God has commanded your strength; Show Yourself strong, God, You who acted in our behalf.

²⁹Because of Your temple at Jerusalem Kings will bring gifts to You.

³⁰Rebuke the animals in the reeds, The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples, Trampling the pieces of silver; He has scattered the peoples who delight in war.

³¹Messengers will come from Egypt; Cush will quickly stretch out her hands to God.

³²Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth, Sing praises to the Lord, Selah

³³To Him who rides upon the highest heavens, which are from ancient times; Behold, He speaks with His voice, a mighty voice.

³⁴Ascribe strength to God; His majesty is over Israel, And His strength is in the skies.

³⁵God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God!

¹The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

²To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding,

³To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice, and integrity;

⁴To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion,

⁵A wise person will hear and increase in learning, And a person of understanding will acquire wise counsel,

⁶To understand a proverb and a saying, The words of the wise and their riddles.

⁷The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

⁸Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, And do not ignore your mother’s teaching;

⁹For they are a graceful wreath for your head And necklaces for your neck.

¹⁰My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.

¹¹If they say, “Come with us, Let’s lie in wait for blood, Let’s ambush the innocent without cause;

¹²Let’s swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, like those who go down to the pit;

¹³We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with plunder;

¹⁴Throw in your lot with us; We will all have one money bag,”

¹⁵My son, do not walk on the way with them. Keep your feet from their path,

¹⁶For their feet run to evil, And they are quick to shed blood.

¹⁷Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird;

¹⁸But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives.

¹⁹Such are the ways of everyone who makes unjust gain; It takes away the life of its possessors.

²⁰Wisdom shouts in the street, She raises her voice in the public square;

²¹At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she declares her sayings:

²²“How long, you naive ones, will you love simplistic thinking? And how long will scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge?

²³Turn to my rebuke, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.

²⁴Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;

²⁵And you neglected all my advice And did not want my rebuke;

²⁶I will also laugh at your disaster; I will mock when your dread comes,

²⁷When your dread comes like a storm And your disaster comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.

²⁸Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but will not find me,

²⁹Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD.

³⁰They did not accept my advice, They disdainfully rejected every rebuke from me.

³¹So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own schemes.

³²For the faithlessness of the naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them.

³³But whoever listens to me will live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

¹Now these are the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had taken into exile to Babylon, and they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city.

²These came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. T his is the number of the men of the people of Israel:

³the sons of Parosh, 2,172;

⁴the sons of Shephatiah, 372;

⁵the sons of Arah, 775;

⁶the sons of Pahath-moab of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812;

⁷the sons of Elam, 1,254;

⁸the sons of Zattu, 945;

⁹the sons of Zaccai, 760;

¹⁰the sons of Bani, 642;

¹¹the sons of Bebai, 623;

¹²the sons of Azgad, 1,222;

¹³the sons of Adonikam, 666;

¹⁴the sons of Bigvai, 2,056;

¹⁵the sons of Adin, 454;

¹⁶the sons of Ater, of Hezekiah, 98;

¹⁷the sons of Bezai, 323;

¹⁸the sons of Jorah, 112;

¹⁹the sons of Hashum, 223;

²⁰the sons of Gibbar, 95;

²¹the men of Bethlehem, 123;

²²the men of Netophah, 56;

²³the men of Anathoth, 128;

²⁴the sons of Azmaveth, 42;

²⁵the sons of Kiriath-arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743;

²⁶the sons of Ramah and Geba, 621;

²⁷the men of Michmas, 122;

²⁸the men of Bethel and Ai, 223;

²⁹the sons of Nebo, 52;

³⁰the sons of Magbish, 156;

³¹the sons of the other Elam, 1,254;

³²the sons of Harim, 320;

³³the sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 725;

³⁴the men of Jericho, 345;

³⁵the sons of Senaah, 3,630.

³⁶The priests: the sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973;

³⁷the sons of Immer, 1,052;

³⁸the sons of Pashhur, 1,247;

³⁹the sons of Harim, 1,017.

⁴⁰The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, 74.

⁴¹The singers: the sons of Asaph, 128.

⁴²The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, 139 in all.

⁴³The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,

⁴⁴the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon,

⁴⁵the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub,

⁴⁶the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan,

⁴⁷the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah,

⁴⁸the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam,

⁴⁹the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai,

⁵⁰the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephisim,

⁵¹the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,

⁵²the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,

⁵³the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,

⁵⁴the sons of Neziah, and the sons of Hatipha.

⁵⁵The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Hassophereth, the sons of Peruda,

⁵⁶the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,

⁵⁷the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, and the sons of Ami.

⁵⁸All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants totaled 392.

⁵⁹Now these were the ones who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but they were not able to provide evidence of their fathers’ households and their descendants, whether they were of Israel:

⁶⁰the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, 652.

⁶¹Of the sons of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and he was called by their name.

⁶²These searched among their genealogical registration but they could not be located; so they were considered defiled and excluded from the priesthood.

⁶³The governor said to them that they were not to eat from the most holy things until a priest stood up with Urim and Thummim.

⁶⁴The whole assembly together totaled 42,360,

⁶⁵besides their male and female slaves who totaled 7,337; and they had two hundred singing men and women.

⁶⁶Their horses numbered 736; their mules, 245;

⁶⁷their camels, 435; their donkeys, 6,720.

⁶⁸Some of the heads of fathers’ households, when they arrived at the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, offered willingly for the house of God to erect it on its site.

⁶⁹According to their ability they gave to the treasury for the work sixty-one thousand gold drachmas, five thousand silver minas, and a hundred priestly garments.

⁷⁰Now the priests and the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

¹And it will come about in the last days That the mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, And the peoples will stream to it.

²Many nations will come and say, “Come and let’s go up to the mountain of the LORD And to the house of the God of Jacob, So that He may teach us about His ways, And that we may walk in His paths.” For from Zion will go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

³And He will judge between many peoples And render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift a sword against nation, And never again will they train for war.

⁴Instead, each of them will sit under his vine And under his fig tree, With no one to make them afraid, Because the mouth of the LORD of armies has spoken.

⁵Though all the peoples walk, Each in the name of his god, As for us, we will walk In the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.

⁶“On that day,” declares the LORD, “I will assemble those who limp And gather the scattered, Those whom I have afflicted.

⁷I will make those who limp a remnant, And those who have strayed a mighty nation, And the LORD will reign over them on Mount Zion From now on and forever.

⁸As for you, tower of the flock, Hill of the daughter of Zion, To you it will come— Yes, the former dominion will come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.

⁹“Now, why do you cry out loudly? Is there no king among you, Or has your counselor perished, That agony has gripped you like a woman in childbirth?

¹⁰Writhe and scream, Daughter of Zion, Like a woman in childbirth; For now you will go out of the city, Live in the field, And go to Babylon. There you will be rescued, There the LORD will redeem you From the hand of your enemies.

¹¹And now many nations have been assembled against you Who say, ‘Let her be defiled, And let our eyes gloat over Zion!’

¹²But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD, And they do not understand His plan; For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.

¹³Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion, For I will make your horn iron, And I will make your hoofs bronze, So that you may pulverize many peoples, And dedicate to the LORD their unjust profit, And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

¹“Brothers and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you.”

²And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet; and he *said,

³“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the Law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.

⁴I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons,

⁵as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify. From them I also received letters to the brothers, and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished.

⁶“But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus at about noon, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me,

⁷and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’

⁸And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’

⁹And those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me.

¹⁰And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything that has been appointed for you to do.’

¹¹But since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I came into Damascus being led by the hand by those who were with me.

¹²“Now a certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,

¹³came to me, and standing nearby he said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I looked up at him.

¹⁴And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear a message from His mouth.

¹⁵For you will be a witness for Him to all people of what you have seen and heard.

¹⁶Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on His name.’

¹⁷“It happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance,

¹⁸and I saw Him saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’

¹⁹And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You.

²⁰And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing nearby and approving, and watching over the cloaks of those who were killing him.’

²¹And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’  ”

²²They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a man from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!”

²³And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air,

²⁴the commander ordered that he be brought into the barracks, saying that he was to be interrogated by flogging so that he would find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way.

²⁵But when they stretched him out with straps, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?”

²⁶When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.”

²⁷The commander came and said to Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.”

²⁸The commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship for a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I was actually born a citizen.”

²⁹Therefore, those who were about to interrogate him immediately backed away from him; and the commander also was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had put him in chains.

³⁰Now on the next day, wanting to know for certain why Paul had been accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Council to assemble, and he brought Paul down and placed him before them.