Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome purchased [sweet-smelling] spices, so that they might go and anoint Him.

²Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

³And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?"

⁴Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, though it was extremely large.

⁵Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right, wearing a [long, stately] white robe; and they were amazed and bewildered.

⁶And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See, [here is] the place where they laid Him.

⁷But go, tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there, just as He told you.'"

⁸They went out and fled from the tomb, for they were seized with trembling and astonishment; and they said nothing [about it] to anyone, because they were afraid.

⁹[Now Jesus, having risen [from death] early on the first day of the week, appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.

¹⁰She went and reported it to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping.

¹¹When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe it.

¹²After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them as they were walking along the way to the country.

¹³They returned [to Jerusalem] and told the others, but they did not believe them either.

¹⁴Later, Jesus appeared to the eleven [disciples] themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He called them to account for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen [from death].

¹⁵And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

¹⁶He who has believed [in Me] and has been baptized will be saved [from the penalty of God's wrath and judgment]; but he who has not believed will be condemned.

¹⁷These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues;

¹⁸they will pick up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well."

¹⁹So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

²⁰And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord was working with them and confirming the word by the signs that followed.]

¹Then God said to Jacob, "Go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you [in a distinct manifestation] when you fled [years ago] from Esau your brother."

²Then Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Get rid of the [idols and images of] foreign gods that are among you, and ceremonially purify yourselves and change [into fresh] clothes;

³then let us get up and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone."

⁴So they gave Jacob all the [idols and images of the] foreign gods they had and the rings which were in their ears [worn as charms against evil], and Jacob buried them under the oak tree near Shechem.

⁵As they journeyed, there was a great [supernatural] terror [sent from God] on the cities around them, and [for that reason] the Canaanites did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

⁶So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him.

⁷There he built an altar [to worship the LORD], and called the place El-bethel (God of the House of God), because there God had revealed Himself to him when he escaped from his brother.

⁸Now Deborah, [who once was] Rebekah's nurse, died and was buried below Bethel under the oak; and the name of it was called Allon-bacuth (Oak of Weeping).

⁹Then God [in a visible manifestation] appeared to Jacob again when he came out of Paddan-aram, and declared a blessing on him.

¹⁰Again God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; You shall no longer be called Jacob, But Israel shall be your name." So he was called Israel.

¹¹And God said to him, "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, And kings shall be born of your loins.

¹²"The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and to your descendants after you I will give the land."

¹³Then God ascended from Jacob in the place where He had spoken with him.

¹⁴Jacob set up a pillar (memorial, monument) in the place where he had talked with God, a pillar of stone, and he poured a drink offering [of wine] on it; he also poured oil on it [to declare it sacred for God's purpose].

¹⁵So Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel (the House of God).

¹⁶Then they journeyed from Bethel; and when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath (Bethlehem), Rachel began to give birth and had difficulty and suffered severely.

¹⁷When she was in hard labor the midwife said to her, "Do not be afraid; you now have another son."

¹⁸And as her soul was departing, (for she died), she named him Ben-oni (son of my sorrow); but his father called him Benjamin ( son of the right hand).

¹⁹So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).

²⁰Jacob set a pillar (memorial, monument) on her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel's grave to this day.

²¹Then Israel (Jacob) journeyed on and pitched his tent on the other side of the tower of Eder [the lookout point used by shepherds].

²²While Israel was living in that land, Reuben [his eldest son] went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine, and Israel heard about it. Now Jacob had twelve sons—

²³The sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, then Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun;

²⁴and the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin;

²⁵and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maid: Dan and Naphtali;

²⁶and the sons of Zilpah, Leah's maid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob born to him in Paddan-aram.

²⁷Jacob came to Isaac his father at Mamre of Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had lived temporarily.

²⁸Now the days of Isaac were a hundred and eighty years.

²⁹Isaac's spirit departed and he died and was gathered to his people [who had preceded him in death], an old man full of days (satisfied, fulfilled); his sons Esau and Jacob buried him [in the cave of Machpelah with his parents Abraham and Sarah].

¹God, having spoken to the fathers long ago in [the voices and writings of] the prophets in many separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the truth], and in many ways,

²has in these last days spoken [with finality] to us in [the person of One who is by His character and nature] His Son [namely Jesus], whom He appointed heir and lawful owner of all things, through whom also He created the universe [that is, the universe as a space-time-matter continuum].

³The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of [our awesome] God [reflecting God's Shekinah glory, the Light-being, the brilliant light of the divine], and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His [Father's] essence, and upholding and maintaining and propelling all things [the entire physical and spiritual universe] by His powerful word [carrying the universe along to its predetermined goal]. When He [Himself and no other] had [by offering Himself on the cross as a sacrifice for sin] accomplished purification from sins and established our freedom from guilt, He sat down [revealing His completed work] at the right hand of the Majesty on high [revealing His Divine authority],

⁴having become as much superior to angels, since He has inherited a more excellent and glorious name than they [that is, Son—the name above all names].

⁵For to which of the angels did the Father ever say, "You are My Son, Today I have begotten (fathered) You [established You as a Son, with kingly dignity]"? And again [did He ever say to the angels], "I shall be a Father to Him And He shall be a Son to Me"?

⁶And when He again brings the firstborn [highest-ranking Son] into the world, He says, "And all the angels of God are to worship Him."

⁷And concerning the angels He says, "Who makes His angels winds, And His ministering servants flames of fire [to do His bidding]."

⁸But about the Son [the Father says to Him], "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, And thescepter of [absolute] righteousness is the scepter ofHis kingdom.

⁹"You have loved righteousness [integrity, virtue, uprightness in purpose] and have hated lawlessness [injustice, sin]. Therefore God, Your God, Has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions."

¹⁰And, "You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, And the heavens are the works of Your hands;

¹¹They will perish, but You remain [forever and ever]; And they will all wear out like a garment,

¹²And like a robe You will roll them up; Like a garment they will be changed. ButYou are the same [forever], And Your years will never end."

¹³But to which of the angels has the Father ever said, "Sit at My right hand [together with me in royal dignity], Until I make your enemies A footstool for your feet [in triumphant conquest]"?

¹⁴Are not all the angels ministering spirits sent out [by God] to serve (accompany, protect) those who will inherit salvation? [Of course they are!]

¹Come [quickly] now, you rich [who lack true faith and hoard and misuse your resources], weep and howl over the miseries [the woes, the judgments] that are coming upon you.

²Your wealth has rotted and is ruined and your [fine] clothes have become moth-eaten.

³Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up your treasure in the last days [when it will do you no good].

⁴Look! The wages that you have [fraudulently] withheld from the laborers who have mowed your fields are crying out [against you for vengeance]; and the cries of the harvesters have come to the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

⁵On the earth you have lived luxuriously and abandoned yourselves to soft living and led a life of wanton pleasure [self-indulgence, self-gratification]; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

⁶You have condemned and have put to death the righteous man; he offers you no resistance.

⁷So wait patiently, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits [expectantly] for the precious harvest from the land, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains.

⁸You too, be patient; strengthen your hearts [keep them energized and firmly committed to God], because the coming of the Lord is near.

⁹Do not complain against one another, believers, so that you will not be judged [for it]. Look! The Judge is standing right at the door.

¹⁰As an example, brothers and sisters, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord [as His messengers and representatives].

¹¹You know we call those blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] who were steadfast and endured [difficult circumstances]. You have heard of the patient endurance of Job and you have seen the Lord's outcome [how He richly blessed Job]. The Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

¹²But above all, my fellow believers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but let your yes be [a truthful] yes, and your no be [a truthful] no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

¹³Is anyone among you suffering? He must pray. Is anyone joyful? He is to sing praises [to God].

¹⁴Is anyone among you sick? He must call for the elders (spiritual leaders) of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;

¹⁵and the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

¹⁶Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].

¹⁷Elijah was a man with a nature like ours [with the same physical, mental, and spiritual limitations and shortcomings], and he prayed intensely for it not to rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.

¹⁸Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its crops [as usual].

¹⁹My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you strays from the truth and falls into error and [another] one turns him back [to God],

²⁰let the [latter] one know that the one who has turned a sinner from the error of his way will save that one's soul from death and cover a multitude of sins [that is, obtain the pardon of the many sins committed by the one who has been restored].

¹Elihu continued and said,

²"Bear with me a little longer, and I will show you, That there is yet more to say on God's behalf.

³"I will bring my knowledge from afar, And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.

⁴"For truly my words are not false; He who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

⁵"Behold, God is mighty, and yet does not despise anyone [nor regard any as trivial]; He is mighty in the strength and power of understanding.

⁶"He does not prolong the life of the wicked, But gives the afflicted their justice.

⁷"He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous [those in right standing with Him]; But with kings upon the throne He has seated them forever, and they are exalted.

⁸"And if they are bound in bonds [of adversity], And held by cords of affliction,

⁹Then He declares to them [the true character of] their deeds And their transgressions, that they have acted arrogantly [with presumption and notions of self-sufficiency].

¹⁰"He opens their ears to instruction and discipline, And commands that they return from evil.

¹¹"If they hear and serve Him, They will end their days in prosperity And their years in pleasantness and joy.

¹²"But if they do not hear and obey, they will die by the sword [of God's destructive judgments] And they will die [in ignorance] without [true] knowledge.

¹³"But the godless in heart store up anger [at the divine discipline]; They do not cry [to Him] for help when He binds them [with cords of affliction].

¹⁴"They die in youth, And their life ends among the cult prostitutes.

¹⁵"He rescues the afflicted in their affliction, And opens their ears [so that they pay attention to His voice] in times of oppression.

¹⁶"Then indeed, He enticed you from the mouth of distress and confinement, Into a broad place where there is no constraint or distress; And that which was set on your table was full of fatness (rich food).

¹⁷"But you [Job] were full of judgment on the wicked, Judgment and justice take hold of you.

¹⁸"Do not let wrath entice you into scoffing; And do not let the greatness and the extent of the ransom turn you aside.

¹⁹"Will your wealth [be sufficient to] keep you from [the confinement of] distress, Or will all the force of your strength do it?

²⁰"Do not long for the night, When people vanish from their places.

²¹"Take heed and be careful, do not turn to wickedness, For you have chosen this [the vice of complaining against God] rather than [learning from] affliction.

²²"Behold, God is exalted in His power; Who is a ruler or a teacher like Him?

²³"Who has appointed God His way, And who can say [to Him], 'You have done wrong'?

²⁴"Remember that you should magnify God's work, Of which men have sung.

²⁵"All men have seen God's work; Man looks at it from a distance.

²⁶"Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him; The number of His years is unsearchable.

²⁷"For He draws up the drops of water, They distill rain from the mist,

²⁸Which the clouds pour down, They drop abundantly upon mankind."

²⁹"Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds Or the thundering of His pavilion?

³⁰"Behold, He spreads His lightning around Him [against the dark clouds], And He covers the depths of the sea.

³¹"For by these [mighty acts] He judges the peoples; He gives food in abundance.

³²"He covers His hands with the lightning, And commands it to strike the mark.

³³"His thundering voice declares [awesomely] His presence; The cattle also are told of His coming storm.

¹A Psalm of Solomon. Give the king [knowledge of] Your judgments, O God, And [the spirit of] Your righteousness to the king's son [to guide all his ways].

²May he judge Your people with righteousness, And Your afflicted with justice.

³The mountains will bring peace and prosperity to the people, And the hills, in [the establishment of] righteousness.

⁴May he bring justice to the poor among the people, Save the children of the needy And crush the oppressor,

⁵Let them fear You [with awe-inspired reverence and worship You with obedience] while the sun endures, And as long as the moon [reflects light], throughout all generations.

⁶May he come down like rain on the mown grass, Like showers that water the earth.

⁷In his days may the righteous flourish, And peace abound until the moon is no more.

⁸May he also rule from sea to sea And from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth.

⁹The nomads of the desert will bow before him, And his enemies will lick the dust.

¹⁰The kings of Tarshish and of the islands will bring offerings; The kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts.

¹¹Yes, all kings will bow down before him, All nations will serve him.

¹²For he will rescue the needy when he cries for help, The afflicted and abused also, and him who has no helper.

¹³He will have compassion on the poor and needy, And he will save the lives of the needy.

¹⁴He will redeem their life from oppression and fraud and violence, And their blood will be precious in His sight.

¹⁵So may he live, and may the gold of Sheba be given to him; And let them pray for him continually; Let them bless and praise him all day long.

¹⁶There will be an abundance of grain in the soil on the top of the mountains; Its fruit will wave like [the cedars of] Lebanon, And those of the city will flourish like grass of the earth.

¹⁷May his name endure forever; May his name continue as long as the sun; And let men bless themselves by him; Let all nations call him blessed.

¹⁸Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who alone does wonderful things.

¹⁹Blessed be His glorious name forever; And may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.

²⁰The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.

¹My son, be attentive to my wisdom [godly wisdom learned by costly experience], Incline your ear to my understanding;

²That you may exercise discrimination and discretion (good judgment), And your lips may reserve knowledge and answer wisely [to temptation].

³For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey [like a honeycomb] And her speech is smoother than oil;

⁴But in the end she is bitter like [the extract of] wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.

⁵Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),

⁶So that she does not think [seriously] about the path of life; Her ways are aimless and unstable; you cannot know where her path leads.

⁷Now then, my sons, listen to me And do not depart from (forget) the words of my mouth.

⁸Let your way [in life] be far from her, And do not go near the door of her house [avoid even being near the places of temptation],

⁹Or you will give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one,

¹⁰And strangers will be filled with your strength And your hard-earned wealth will go to the house of a foreigner [who does not know God];

¹¹And you will groan when your life is ending, When your flesh and your body are consumed;

¹²And you say, "How I hated instruction and discipline, And my heart despised correction and reproof!

¹³"I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, Nor have I inclined my ear to those who instructed me.

¹⁴"I was almost in total ruin In the midst of the assembly and congregation."

¹⁵Drink water from your own cistern [of a pure marriage relationship] And fresh running water from your own well.

¹⁶Should your springs (children) be dispersed, As streams of water in the streets?

¹⁷[Confine yourself to your own wife.] Let your children be yours alone, And not the children of strangers with you.

¹⁸Let your fountain (wife) be blessed [with the rewards of fidelity], And rejoice in the wife of your youth.

¹⁹Let her be as a loving hind and graceful doe, Let her breasts refresh and satisfy you at all times; Always be exhilarated and delight in her love.

²⁰Why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an immoral woman And embrace the bosom of an outsider (pagan)?

²¹For the ways of man are directly before the eyes of the LORD, And He carefully watches all of his paths [all of his comings and goings].

²²The iniquities done by a wicked man will trap him, And he will be held with the cords of his sin.

²³He will die for lack of instruction (discipline), And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray and be lost.

¹Then King Darius issued a decree, and a search was conducted in Babylon in the archives where the treasures [and records] were stored.

²In Ecbatana in the fortress (palace) in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was recorded: "Memorandum—

³"In the first year of King Cyrus, Cyrus the king issued a decree: 'Concerning the house of God in Jerusalem, let the temple (house), the place where sacrifices are offered, be rebuilt and let its foundations be strongly laid, its height and its width each 60 cubits,

⁴with three layers of huge stones and one layer of timbers. Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury.

⁵Also let the gold and silver utensils of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be returned and brought back to their [proper] places in the temple in Jerusalem; and you shall put them in the house of God.'

⁶"Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province west of the [Euphrates] River, Shethar-bozenai and your associates, the officials who are west of the River, keep far away from there.

⁷Leave the work on this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.

⁸Also, I issue a decree as to what you are to do for these Jewish elders for the rebuilding of this house of God: the full cost is to be paid to these people from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces west of the River, and that without delay.

⁹Whatever is needed, including young bulls, rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine, and anointing oil, according to the request of the priests at Jerusalem, let it all be given to them daily without fail,

¹⁰so that they may offer pleasing (sweet-smelling) sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.

¹¹I have also issued a decree that if there is any man who violates this edict, a beam of timber shall be pulled from his house [and set up]; then he shall be impaled on it, and his house shall be turned into a refuse heap for this [violation].

¹²May the God who has caused His Name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who attempts to alter this command, so as to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued this decree; let it be carried out quickly and with due diligence.

¹³Then Tattenai, governor of the province west of the [Euphrates] River, with Shethar-bozenai and their associates carried out the decree with due diligence, just as King Darius had sent and commanded.

¹⁴And the Jewish elders built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building as commanded by the God of Israel and in accordance with the decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

¹⁵This temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

¹⁶And all Israel—the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the [former] exiles—celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.

¹⁷They offered at the dedication of this house of God 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and, as a sin offering for all Israel, 12 male goats, according to the number of Israel's tribes.

¹⁸Then they appointed the priests to their divisions and the Levites in their orders for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses.

¹⁹The [former] exiles kept the Passover on the fourteenth [day] of the first month.

²⁰For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were [ceremonially] clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their brothers the priests, and for themselves.

²¹The Passover was eaten by the sons (descendants) of Israel (Jacob) who returned from exile and by all those who had separated themselves from the [ceremonial] uncleanness of the nations of the land to join them, in order to seek the LORD God of Israel.

²²They observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, for the LORD had caused them to rejoice and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, so that he encouraged them and strengthened their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

¹Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You are [now] permitted to speak on your own behalf." At that, Paul stretched out his hand [as an orator] and made his defense [as follows]:

²"I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, since it is before you that I am to make my defense today regarding all the charges brought against me by the Jews,

³especially because you are an expert [fully knowledgeable, experienced and unusually conversant] in all the Jewish customs and controversial issues; therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.

⁴"So then, all the Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation [the Jewish people], and in Jerusalem.

⁵They have known me for a long time, if they are willing to testify to it, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I have lived as a Pharisee.

⁶And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers.

⁷Which hope [of the Messiah and the resurrection] our twelve tribes [confidently] expect to realize as they serve and worship God in earnest night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews!

⁸Why is it thought incredible by [any of] you that God raises the dead?

⁹"So then, I [once] thought to myself that it was my duty to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

¹⁰And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; I not only locked up many of the saints (God's people) in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being condemned to death, I cast my vote against them.

¹¹And I often punished them [making them suffer] in all the synagogues and tried to force them to blaspheme; and in my extreme rage at them, I kept hunting them even to foreign cities [harassing and persecuting them].

¹²"While so engaged, as I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and commission and full power of the chief priests,

¹³at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven surpassing the brightness of the sun, shining all around me and those who were traveling with me.

¹⁴And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice in the Hebrew dialect (Jewish Aramaic) saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick [repeatedly] against the goads [offering pointless resistance].'

¹⁵And I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

¹⁶Get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you [to serve] as a minister and as a witness [to testify, with authority,] not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you,

¹⁷[choosing you for Myself and] rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,

¹⁸to open their [spiritual] eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness and release from their sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified (set apart, made holy) by faith in Me.'

¹⁹"So, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

²⁰but I openly proclaimed first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent [change their inner self—their old way of thinking] and turn to God, doing deeds and living lives which are consistent with repentance.

²¹Because of this some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

²²But I have had help from God to this day, and I stand [before people] testifying to small and great alike, stating nothing except what the Prophets and Moses said would come to pass—

²³that the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) was to suffer, and that He by being the first to rise from the dead [with an incorruptible body] would proclaim light (salvation) both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."

²⁴While Paul was making this defense, Festus said loudly, "Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great education is turning you toward madness."

²⁵But Paul replied, "I am not out of my mind, most excellent and noble Festus, but [with a sound mind] I am uttering rational words of truth and reason.

²⁶For [your majesty] the king understands these things, and [therefore] I am also speaking to him with confidence and boldness, since I am convinced that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner [hidden from view, in secret].

²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe the [writings of the] Prophets [their messages and words]? I know that you do."

²⁸Then Agrippa said to Paul, "In a short time [and with so little effort] you [almost] persuade me to become a Christian."

²⁹And Paul replied, "Whether in a short time or long, I wish to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become such as I am, except for these chains."

³⁰Then the king stood up, and [with him] the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them;

³¹and after they had gone out, they began saying to one another, "This man is not doing anything worthy of death or [even] of imprisonment."

³²And Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar (Emperor Nero)."