Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us,

²just as the original eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed them down to us.

³It also seemed good to me, since I have carefully investigated everything from the very first, to write to you in an orderly sequence, most honorable Theophilus,

⁴so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed.

⁵In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest of Abijah’s division named Zechariah. His wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

⁶Both were righteous in God’s sight, living without blame according to all the commands and requirements of the Lord.

⁷But they had no children because Elizabeth could not conceive, and both of them were well along in years.

⁸When his division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,

⁹it happened that he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense.

¹⁰At the hour of incense the whole assembly of the people was praying outside.

¹¹An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.

¹²When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified and overcome with fear.

¹³But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.

¹⁴There will be joy and delight for you, and many will rejoice at his birth.

¹⁵For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or beer. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb.

¹⁶He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

¹⁷And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.”

¹⁸“How can I know this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”

¹⁹The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news.

²⁰Now listen. You will become silent and unable to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

²¹Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah, amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary.

²²When he did come out, he could not speak to them. Then they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He was making signs to them and remained speechless.

²³When the days of his ministry were completed, he went back home.

²⁴After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived and kept herself in seclusion for five months. She said,

²⁵“The Lord has done this for me. He has looked with favor in these days to take away my disgrace among the people.”

²⁶In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,

²⁷to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

²⁸And the angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹But she was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be.

³⁰Then the angel told her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

³¹Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.

³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

³³He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”

³⁴Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?”

³⁵The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

³⁶And consider your relative Elizabeth — even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless.

³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God.”

³⁸“I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary. “May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.

³⁹In those days Mary set out and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah

⁴⁰where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.

⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

⁴²Then she exclaimed with a loud cry: “Blessed are you among women, and your child will be blessed!

⁴³How could this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

⁴⁴For you see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside me.

⁴⁵Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what he has spoken to her!”

⁴⁶And Mary said: My soul praises the greatness of the Lord,

⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

⁴⁸because he has looked with favor on the humble condition of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed,

⁴⁹because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and his name is holy.

⁵⁰His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him.

⁵¹He has done a mighty deed with his arm; he has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts;

⁵²he has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly.

⁵³He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.

⁵⁴He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy

⁵⁵to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he spoke to our ancestors.

⁵⁶And Mary stayed with her about three months; then she returned to her home.

⁵⁷Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she had a son.

⁵⁸Then her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her his great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.

⁵⁹When they came to circumcise the child on the eighth day, they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father.

⁶⁰But his mother responded, “No. He will be called John.”

⁶¹Then they said to her, “None of your relatives has that name.”

⁶²So they motioned to his father to find out what he wanted him to be called.

⁶³He asked for a writing tablet and wrote: “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.

⁶⁴Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.

⁶⁵Fear came on all those who lived around them, and all these things were being talked about throughout the hill country of Judea.

⁶⁶All who heard about him took it to heart, saying, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the Lord’s hand was with him.

⁶⁷Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

⁶⁸Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and provided redemption for his people.

⁶⁹He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,

⁷⁰just as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets in ancient times;

⁷¹salvation from our enemies and from the hand of those who hate us.

⁷²He has dealt mercifully with our fathers and remembered his holy covenant  —

⁷³the oath that he swore to our father Abraham. He has given us the privilege,

⁷⁴since we have been rescued from the hand of our enemies, to serve him without fear

⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness in his presence all our days.

⁷⁶And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

⁷⁷to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.

⁷⁸Because of our God’s merciful compassion, the dawn from on high will visit us

⁷⁹to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

⁸⁰The child grew up and became spiritually strong, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

¹These are the family records of Esau (that is, Edom ).

²Esau took his wives from the Canaanite women: Adah daughter of Elon the Hethite, Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite,

³and Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.

⁴Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel,

⁵and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were Esau’s sons, who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

⁶Esau took his wives, sons, daughters, and all the people of his household, as well as his herds, all his livestock, and all the property he had acquired in Canaan; he went to a land away from his brother Jacob.

⁷For their possessions were too many for them to live together, and because of their herds, the land where they stayed could not support them.

⁸So Esau (that is, Edom) lived in the mountains of Seir.

⁹These are the family records of Esau, father of the Edomites in the mountains of Seir.

¹⁰These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel son of Esau’s wife Basemath.

¹¹The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.

¹²Timna, a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These are the sons of Esau’s wife Adah.

¹³These are Reuel’s sons: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath.

¹⁴These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon: She bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah to Edom.

¹⁵These are the chiefs among Esau’s sons: the sons of Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz,

¹⁶chief Korah, chief Gatam, and chief Amalek. These are the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Adah.

¹⁷These are the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, and chief Mizzah. These are the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath.

¹⁸These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, and chief Korah. These are the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah.

¹⁹These are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these are their chiefs.

²⁰These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,

²¹Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs among the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom.

²²The sons of Lotan were Hori and Heman. Timna was Lotan’s sister.

²³These are Shobal’s sons: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

²⁴These are Zibeon’s sons: Aiah and Anah. This was the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness while he was pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon.

²⁵These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah.

²⁶These are Dishon’s sons: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.

²⁷These are Ezer’s sons: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.

²⁸These are Dishan’s sons: Uz and Aran.

²⁹These are the chiefs among the Horites: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah,

³⁰chief Dishon, chief Ezer, and chief Dishan. These are the chiefs among the Horites, clan by clan, in the land of Seir.

³¹These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites:

³²Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah.

³³When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.

³⁴When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.

³⁵When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad reigned in his place. He defeated Midian in the field of Moab; the name of his city was Avith.

³⁶When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place.

³⁷When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the Euphrates River reigned in his place.

³⁸When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Achbor reigned in his place.

³⁹When Baal-hanan son of Achbor died, Hadar reigned in his place. His city was Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred daughter of Me-zahab.

⁴⁰These are the names of Esau’s chiefs, according to their families and their localities, by their names: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth,

⁴¹chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon,

⁴²chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar,

⁴³chief Magdiel, and chief Iram. These are Edom’s chiefs, according to their settlements in the land they possessed. Esau was father of the Edomites.

¹For this reason, we must pay attention all the more to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.

²For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment,

³how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation had its beginning when it was spoken of by the Lord, and it was confirmed to us by those who heard him.

⁴At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to his will.

⁵For he has not subjected to angels the world to come that we are talking about.

⁶But someone somewhere has testified: What is man that you remember him, or the son of man that you care for him?

⁷You made him lower than the angels for a short time; you crowned him with glory and honor

⁸and subjected everything under his feet. For in subjecting everything to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him.

⁹But we do see Jesus —  made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace he might taste death for everyone —  crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death.

¹⁰For in bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God — for whom and through whom all things exist — should make the source of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

¹¹For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,

¹²saying: I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters; I will sing hymns to you in the congregation.

¹³Again, I will trust in him. And again, Here I am with the children God gave me.

¹⁴Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death — that is, the devil  —

¹⁵and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.

¹⁶For it is clear that he does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring.

¹⁷Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people.

¹⁸For since he himself has suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

¹Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ: To those chosen, living as exiles dispersed abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen

²according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

⁴and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

⁵You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

⁶You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials

⁷so that the proven character of your faith  — more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire  — may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

⁸Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy,

⁹because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who prophesied about the grace that would come to you, searched and carefully investigated.

¹¹They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified in advance to the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

¹²It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven  — angels long to catch a glimpse of these things.

¹³Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹⁴As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance.

¹⁵But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct;

¹⁶for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.

¹⁷If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers.

¹⁸For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold,

¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.

²⁰He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times for you.

²¹Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

²²Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth, so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other, from a pure heart love one another constantly,

²³because you have been born again  — not of perishable seed but of imperishable — through the living and enduring word of God.

²⁴For All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,

²⁵but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this word is the gospel that was proclaimed to you.

¹My heart pounds at this and leaps from my chest.

²Just listen to his thunderous voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.

³He lets it loose beneath the entire sky; his lightning to the ends of the earth.

⁴Then there comes a roaring sound; God thunders with his majestic voice. He does not restrain the lightning when his rumbling voice is heard.

⁵God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend.

⁶For he says to the snow, “Fall to the earth,” and the torrential rains, his mighty torrential rains,

⁷serve as his sign to all mankind, so that all men may know his work.

⁸The wild animals enter their lairs and stay in their dens.

⁹The windstorm comes from its chamber, and the cold from the driving north winds.

¹⁰Ice is formed by the breath of God, and watery expanses are frozen.

¹¹He saturates clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning through them.

¹²They swirl about, turning round and round at his direction, accomplishing everything he commands them over the surface of the inhabited world.

¹³He causes this to happen for punishment, for his land, or for his faithful love.

¹⁴Listen to this, Job. Stop and consider God’s wonders.

¹⁵Do you know how God directs his clouds or makes their lightning flash?

¹⁶Do you understand how the clouds float, those wonderful works of him who has perfect knowledge?

¹⁷You whose clothes get hot when the south wind brings calm to the land,

¹⁸can you help God spread out the skies as hard as a cast metal mirror?

¹⁹Teach us what we should say to him; we cannot prepare our case because of our darkness.

²⁰Should he be told that I want to speak? Can a man speak when he is confused?

²¹Now no one can even look at the sun when it is in the skies, after a wind has swept through and cleared the clouds away.

²²Yet out of the north he comes, shrouded in a golden glow; awesome majesty surrounds him.

²³The Almighty — we cannot reach him — he is exalted in power! He will not violate justice and abundant righteousness,

²⁴therefore, men fear him. He does not look favorably on any who are wise in heart.

¹A psalm of Asaph. [1] God is indeed good to Israel, to the pure in heart.

²But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my steps nearly went astray.

³For I envied the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴They have an easy time until they die, and their bodies are well fed.

⁵They are not in trouble like others; they are not afflicted like most people.

⁶Therefore, pride is their necklace, and violence covers them like a garment.

⁷Their eyes bulge out from fatness; the imaginations of their hearts run wild.

⁸They mock, and they speak maliciously; they arrogantly threaten oppression.

⁹They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues strut across the earth.

¹⁰Therefore his people turn to them and drink in their overflowing words.

¹¹The wicked say, “How can God know? Does the Most High know everything?”

¹²Look at them — the wicked! They are always at ease, and they increase their wealth.

¹³Did I purify my heart and wash my hands in innocence for nothing?

¹⁴For I am afflicted all day long and punished every morning.

¹⁵If I had decided to say these things aloud, I would have betrayed your people.

¹⁶When I tried to understand all this, it seemed hopeless

¹⁷until I entered God’s sanctuary. Then I understood their destiny.

¹⁸Indeed, you put them in slippery places; you make them fall into ruin.

¹⁹How suddenly they become a desolation! They come to an end, swept away by terrors.

²⁰Like one waking from a dream, Lord, when arising, you will despise their image.

²¹When I became embittered and my innermost being was wounded,

²²I was stupid and didn’t understand; I was an unthinking animal toward you.

²³Yet I am always with you; you hold my right hand.

²⁴You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me up in glory.

²⁵Who do I have in heaven but you? And I desire nothing on earth but you.

²⁶My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever.

²⁷Those far from you will certainly perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

²⁸But as for me, God’s presence is my good. I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, so I can tell about all you do.

¹My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor or entered into an agreement with a stranger,

²you have been snared by the words of your mouth trapped by the words from your mouth.

³Do this, then, my son, and free yourself, for you have put yourself in your neighbor’s power: Go, humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor.

⁴Don’t give sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids.

⁵Escape like a gazelle from a hunter, like a bird from a hunter’s trap.

⁶Go to the ant, you slacker! Observe its ways and become wise.

⁷Without leader, administrator, or ruler,

⁸it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food during harvest.

⁹How long will you stay in bed, you slacker? When will you get up from your sleep?

¹⁰A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest,

¹¹and your poverty will come like a robber, your need, like a bandit.

¹²A worthless person, a wicked man goes around speaking dishonestly,

¹³winking his eyes, signaling with his feet, and gesturing with his fingers.

¹⁴He always plots evil with perversity in his heart; he stirs up trouble.

¹⁵Therefore calamity will strike him suddenly; he will be shattered instantly, beyond recovery.

¹⁶The LORD hates six things; in fact, seven are detestable to him:

¹⁷arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,

¹⁸a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet eager to run to evil,

¹⁹a lying witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up trouble among brothers.

²⁰My son, keep your father’s command, and don’t reject your mother’s teaching.

²¹Always bind them to your heart; tie them around your neck.

²²When you walk here and there, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you wake up, they will talk to you.

²³For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light, and corrective discipline is the way to life.

²⁴They will protect you from an evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a wayward woman.

²⁵Don’t lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyelashes.

²⁶For a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread, but the wife of another man goes after a precious life.

²⁷Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned?

²⁸Can a man walk on burning coals without scorching his feet?

²⁹So it is with the one who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.

³⁰People don’t despise the thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry.

³¹Still, if caught, he must pay seven times as much; he must give up all the wealth in his house.

³²The one who commits adultery lacks sense; whoever does so destroys himself.

³³He will get a beating and dishonor, and his disgrace will never be removed.

³⁴For jealousy enrages a husband, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.

³⁵He will not be appeased by anything or be persuaded by lavish bribes.

¹After these events, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra — Seraiah’s son, Azariah’s son, Hilkiah’s son,

²Shallum’s son, Zadok’s son, Ahitub’s son,

³Amariah’s son, Azariah’s son, Meraioth’s son,

⁴Zerahiah’s son, Uzzi’s son, Bukki’s son,

⁵Abishua’s son, Phinehas’s son, Eleazar’s son, the chief priest Aaron’s son

⁶— came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he requested because the hand of the LORD his God was on him.

⁷Some of the Israelites, priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants accompanied him to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.

⁸Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, during the seventh year of the king.

⁹He began the journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month and arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month since the gracious hand of his God was on him.

¹⁰Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the LORD, obey it, and teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.

¹¹This is the text of the letter King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest and scribe, an expert in matters of the LORD’s commands and statutes for Israel:

¹²Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of the heavens: Greetings.

¹³I issue a decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including their priests and Levites, who want to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.

¹⁴You are sent by the king and his seven counselors to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God, which is in your possession.

¹⁵You are also to bring the silver and gold the king and his counselors have willingly given to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,

¹⁶and all the silver and gold you receive throughout the province of Babylon, together with the freewill offerings given by the people and the priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem.

¹⁷Then you are to be diligent to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, along with their grain and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar at the house of your God in Jerusalem.

¹⁸You may do whatever seems best to you and your brothers with the rest of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God.

¹⁹Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the house of your God.

²⁰You may use the royal treasury to pay for anything else needed for the house of your God.

²¹I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers in the region west of the Euphrates River: Whatever Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of the heavens, asks of you must be provided in full,

²²up to 7,500 pounds of silver, 500 bushels of wheat, 550 gallons of wine, 550 gallons of oil, and salt without limit.

²³Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven must be done diligently for the house of the God of the heavens, so that wrath will not fall on the realm of the king and his sons.

²⁴Be advised that you do not have authority to impose tribute, duty, and land tax on any priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.

²⁵And you, Ezra, according to God’s wisdom that you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people in the region west of the Euphrates who know the laws of your God and to teach anyone who does not know them.

²⁶Anyone who does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let the appropriate judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.

²⁷Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king’s mind to glorify the house of the LORD in Jerusalem,

²⁸and who has shown favor to me before the king, his counselors, and all his powerful officers. So I took courage because I was strengthened by the hand of the LORD my God, and I gathered Israelite leaders to return with me.

¹When it was decided that we were to sail to Italy, they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the Imperial Regiment.

²When we had boarded a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, intending to sail to ports along the coast of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us.

³The next day we put in at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to go to his friends to receive their care.

⁴When we had put out to sea from there, we sailed along the northern coast of Cyprus because the winds were against us.

⁵After sailing through the open sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia.

⁶There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.

⁷Sailing slowly for many days, with difficulty we arrived off Cnidus. Since the wind did not allow us to approach it, we sailed along the south side of Crete off Salmone.

⁸With still more difficulty we sailed along the coast and came to a place called Fair Havens near the city of Lasea.

⁹By now much time had passed, and the voyage was already dangerous. Since the Day of Atonement was already over, Paul gave his advice

¹⁰and told them, “Men, I can see that this voyage is headed toward disaster and heavy loss, not only of the cargo and the ship but also of our lives.”

¹¹But the centurion paid attention to the captain and the owner of the ship rather than to what Paul said.

¹²Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided to set sail from there, hoping somehow to reach Phoenix, a harbor on Crete facing the southwest and northwest, and to winter there.

¹³When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought they had achieved their purpose. They weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete.

¹⁴But before long, a fierce wind called the “northeaster” rushed down from the island.

¹⁵Since the ship was caught and unable to head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along.

¹⁶After running under the shelter of a little island called Cauda, we were barely able to get control of the skiff.

¹⁷After hoisting it up, they used ropes and tackle and girded the ship. Fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the drift-anchor, and in this way they were driven along.

¹⁸Because we were being severely battered by the storm, they began to jettison the cargo the next day.

¹⁹On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands.

²⁰For many days neither sun nor stars appeared, and the severe storm kept raging. Finally all hope was fading that we would be saved.

²¹Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul then stood up among them and said, “You men should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete and sustain this damage and loss.

²²Now I urge you to take courage, because there will be no loss of any of your lives, but only of the ship.

²³For last night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me

²⁴and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. It is necessary for you to appear before Caesar. And indeed, God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.’

²⁵So take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me.

²⁶But we have to run aground on some island.”

²⁷When the fourteenth night came, we were drifting in the Adriatic Sea, and about midnight the sailors thought they were approaching land.

²⁸They took soundings and found it to be a hundred and twenty feet deep; when they had sailed a little farther and sounded again, they found it to be ninety feet deep.

²⁹Then, fearing we might run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight to come.

³⁰Some sailors tried to escape from the ship; they had let down the skiff into the sea, pretending that they were going to put out anchors from the bow.

³¹Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.”

³²Then the soldiers cut the ropes holding the skiff and let it drop away.

³³When it was about daylight, Paul urged them all to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and going without food, having eaten nothing.

³⁴So I urge you to take some food. For this is for your survival, since none of you will lose a hair from your head.”

³⁵After he said these things and had taken some bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all of them, and after he broke it, he began to eat.

³⁶They all were encouraged and took food themselves.

³⁷In all there were 276 of us on the ship.

³⁸When they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing the grain overboard into the sea.

³⁹When daylight came, they did not recognize the land but sighted a bay with a beach. They planned to run the ship ashore if they could.

⁴⁰After cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and headed for the beach.

⁴¹But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow jammed fast and remained immovable, while the stern began to break up by the pounding of the waves.

⁴²The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that no one could swim away and escape.

⁴³But the centurion kept them from carrying out their plan because he wanted to save Paul, and so he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.

⁴⁴The rest were to follow, some on planks and some on debris from the ship. In this way, everyone safely reached the shore.