Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

²Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon.

³Give us each day the food we need,

⁴and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation. ”

⁵Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him,

⁶‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’

⁷And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’

⁸But I tell you this — though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.

⁹“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

¹⁰For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹“You fathers — if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?

¹²Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!

¹³So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

¹⁴One day Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn’t speak, and when the demon was gone, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed,

¹⁵but some of them said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.”

¹⁶Others, trying to test Jesus, demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.

¹⁷He knew their thoughts, so he said, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart.

¹⁸You say I am empowered by Satan. But if Satan is divided and fighting against himself, how can his kingdom survive?

¹⁹And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said.

²⁰But if I am casting out demons by the power of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.

²¹For when a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe —

²²until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings.

²³“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.

²⁴“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’

²⁵So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order.

²⁶Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.”

²⁷As he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, “God bless your mother — the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!”

²⁸Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”

²⁹As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, he said, “This evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah.

³⁰What happened to him was a sign to the people of Nineveh that God had sent him. What happens to the Son of Man will be a sign to these people that he was sent by God.

³¹“The queen of Sheba will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here — but you refuse to listen.

³²The people of Nineveh will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here — but you refuse to repent.

³³“No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.

³⁴“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is unhealthy, your body is filled with darkness.

³⁵Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.

³⁶If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”

³⁷As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table.

³⁸His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom.

³⁹Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy — full of greed and wickedness!

⁴⁰Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside?

⁴¹So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.

⁴²“What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.

⁴³“What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you love to sit in the seats of honor in the synagogues and receive respectful greetings as you walk in the marketplaces.

⁴⁴Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on.”

⁴⁵“Teacher,” said an expert in religious law, “you have insulted us, too, in what you just said.”

⁴⁶“Yes,” said Jesus, “what sorrow also awaits you experts in religious law! For you crush people with unbearable religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden.

⁴⁷What sorrow awaits you! For you build monuments for the prophets your own ancestors killed long ago.

⁴⁸But in fact, you stand as witnesses who agree with what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you join in their crime by building the monuments!

⁴⁹This is what God in his wisdom said about you: ‘I will send prophets and apostles to them, but they will kill some and persecute the others.’

⁵⁰“As a result, this generation will be held responsible for the murder of all God’s prophets from the creation of the world —

⁵¹from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, it will certainly be charged against this generation.

⁵²“What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.”

⁵³As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with many questions.

⁵⁴They wanted to trap him into saying something they could use against him.

¹So Jacob set out for Egypt with all his possessions. And when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac.

²During the night God spoke to him in a vision. “Jacob! Jacob!” he called. “Here I am,” Jacob replied.

³“I am God, the God of your father,” the voice said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation.

⁴I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will bring you back again. You will die in Egypt, but Joseph will be with you to close your eyes.”

⁵So Jacob left Beersheba, and his sons took him to Egypt. They carried him and their little ones and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh had provided for them.

⁶They also took all their livestock and all the personal belongings they had acquired in the land of Canaan. So Jacob and his entire family went to Egypt —

⁷sons and grandsons, daughters and granddaughters — all his descendants.

⁸These are the names of the descendants of Israel — the sons of Jacob — who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob’s oldest son.

⁹The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

¹⁰The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul. (Shaul’s mother was a Canaanite woman.)

¹¹The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

¹²The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (though Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

¹³The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.

¹⁴The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

¹⁵These were the sons of Leah and Jacob who were born in Paddan-aram, in addition to their daughter, Dinah. The number of Jacob’s descendants (male and female) through Leah was thirty-three.

¹⁶The sons of Gad were Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

¹⁷The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Their sister was Serah. Beriah’s sons were Heber and Malkiel.

¹⁸These were the sons of Zilpah, the servant given to Leah by her father, Laban. The number of Jacob’s descendants through Zilpah was sixteen.

¹⁹The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

²⁰Joseph’s sons, born in the land of Egypt, were Manasseh and Ephraim. Their mother was Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On.

²¹Benjamin’s sons were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

²²These were the sons of Rachel and Jacob. The number of Jacob’s descendants through Rachel was fourteen.

²³The son of Dan was Hushim.

²⁴The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

²⁵These were the sons of Bilhah, the servant given to Rachel by her father, Laban. The number of Jacob’s descendants through Bilhah was seven.

²⁶The total number of Jacob’s direct descendants who went with him to Egypt, not counting his sons’ wives, was sixty-six.

²⁷In addition, Joseph had two sons who were born in Egypt. So altogether, there were seventy members of Jacob’s family in the land of Egypt.

²⁸As they neared their destination, Jacob sent Judah ahead to meet Joseph and get directions to the region of Goshen. And when they finally arrived there,

²⁹Joseph prepared his chariot and traveled to Goshen to meet his father, Jacob. When Joseph arrived, he embraced his father and wept, holding him for a long time.

³⁰Finally, Jacob said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen your face again and know you are still alive.”

³¹And Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s entire family, “I will go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘My brothers and my father’s entire family have come to me from the land of Canaan.

³²These men are shepherds, and they raise livestock. They have brought with them their flocks and herds and everything they own.’”

³³Then he said, “When Pharaoh calls for you and asks you about your occupation,

³⁴you must tell him, ‘We, your servants, have raised livestock all our lives, as our ancestors have always done.’ When you tell him this, he will let you live here in the region of Goshen, for the Egyptians despise shepherds.”

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

²We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

³Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.

⁴After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

⁵And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you.

⁶For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”

⁷As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?

⁸If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.

⁹Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?

¹⁰For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.

¹¹No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening — it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

¹²So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.

¹³Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

¹⁴Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.

¹⁵Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

¹⁶Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal.

¹⁷You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.

¹⁸You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai.

¹⁹For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking.

²⁰They staggered back under God’s command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”

²¹Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling.”

²²No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering.

²³You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect.

²⁴You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.

²⁵Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!

²⁶When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.”

²⁷This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.

²⁸Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.

²⁹For our God is a devouring fire.

¹See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.

²Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.

³And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.

⁴Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.

⁵And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him.

⁶Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is.

⁷Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.

⁸But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.

⁹Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.

¹⁰So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

¹¹This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

¹²We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous.

¹³So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.

¹⁴If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.

¹⁵Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

¹⁶We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

¹⁷If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion — how can God’s love be in that person?

¹⁸Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

¹⁹Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.

²⁰Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

²¹Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.

²²And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.

²³And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.

²⁴Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.

¹As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God.

²Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.

³Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.

⁴When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him.

⁵It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it.

⁶Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.

⁷Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead.

⁸Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy.

⁹Even the king milks the land for his own profit!

¹⁰Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!

¹¹The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth — except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!

¹²People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.

¹³There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver.

¹⁴Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children.

¹⁵We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.

¹⁶And this, too, is a very serious problem. People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing — like working for the wind.

¹⁷Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud — frustrated, discouraged, and angry.

¹⁸Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.

¹⁹And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life — this is indeed a gift from God.

²⁰God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.

¹O God, do not be silent! Do not be deaf. Do not be quiet, O God.

²Don’t you hear the uproar of your enemies? Don’t you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up?

³They devise crafty schemes against your people; they conspire against your precious ones.

⁴“Come,” they say, “let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence.”

⁵Yes, this was their unanimous decision. They signed a treaty as allies against you —

⁶these Edomites and Ishmaelites; Moabites and Hagrites;

⁷Gebalites, Ammonites, and Amalekites; and people from Philistia and Tyre.

⁸Assyria has joined them, too, and is allied with the descendants of Lot. Interlude

⁹Do to them as you did to the Midianites and as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.

¹⁰They were destroyed at Endor, and their decaying corpses fertilized the soil.

¹¹Let their mighty nobles die as Oreb and Zeeb did. Let all their princes die like Zebah and Zalmunna,

¹²for they said, “Let us seize for our own use these pasturelands of God!”

¹³O my God, scatter them like tumbleweed, like chaff before the wind!

¹⁴As a fire burns a forest and as a flame sets mountains ablaze,

¹⁵chase them with your fierce storm; terrify them with your tempest.

¹⁶Utterly disgrace them until they submit to your name, O LORD.

¹⁷Let them be ashamed and terrified forever. Let them die in disgrace.

¹⁸Then they will learn that you alone are called the LORD, that you alone are the Most High, supreme over all the earth.

¹We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer.

²People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives.

³Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.

⁴The LORD has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster.

⁵The LORD detests the proud; they will surely be punished.

⁶Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the LORD, people avoid evil.

⁷When people’s lives please the LORD, even their enemies are at peace with them.

⁸Better to have little, with godliness, than to be rich and dishonest.

⁹We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.

¹⁰The king speaks with divine wisdom; he must never judge unfairly.

¹¹The LORD demands accurate scales and balances; he sets the standards for fairness.

¹²A king detests wrongdoing, for his rule is built on justice.

¹³The king is pleased with words from righteous lips; he loves those who speak honestly.

¹⁴The anger of the king is a deadly threat; the wise will try to appease it.

¹⁵When the king smiles, there is life; his favor refreshes like a spring rain.

¹⁶How much better to get wisdom than gold, and good judgment than silver!

¹⁷The path of the virtuous leads away from evil; whoever follows that path is safe.

¹⁸Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.

¹⁹Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud.

²⁰Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the LORD will be joyful.

²¹The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive.

²²Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it, but discipline is wasted on fools.

²³From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive.

²⁴Kind words are like honey — sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

²⁵There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.

²⁶It is good for workers to have an appetite; an empty stomach drives them on.

²⁷Scoundrels create trouble; their words are a destructive blaze.

²⁸A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.

²⁹Violent people mislead their companions, leading them down a harmful path.

³⁰With narrowed eyes, people plot evil; with a smirk, they plan their mischief.

³¹Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life.

³²Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.

³³We may throw the dice, but the LORD determines how they fall.

¹After the wall was finished and I had set up the doors in the gates, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed.

²I gave the responsibility of governing Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah, the commander of the fortress, for he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.

³I said to them, “Do not leave the gates open during the hottest part of the day. And even while the gatekeepers are on duty, have them shut and bar the doors. Appoint the residents of Jerusalem to act as guards, everyone on a regular watch. Some will serve at sentry posts and some in front of their own homes.”

⁴At that time the city was large and spacious, but the population was small, and none of the houses had been rebuilt.

⁵So my God gave me the idea to call together all the nobles and leaders of the city, along with the ordinary citizens, for registration. I had found the genealogical record of those who had first returned to Judah. This is what was written there:

⁶Here is the list of the Jewish exiles of the provinces who returned from their captivity. King Nebuchadnezzar had deported them to Babylon, but now they returned to Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah where they originally lived.

⁷Their leaders were Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. This is the number of the men of Israel who returned from exile:

⁸The family of Parosh — 2,172

⁹The family of Shephatiah — 372

¹⁰The family of Arah — 652

¹¹The family of Pahath-moab (descendants of Jeshua and Joab) — 2,818

¹²The family of Elam — 1,254

¹³The family of Zattu — 845

¹⁴The family of Zaccai — 760

¹⁵The family of Bani — 648

¹⁶The family of Bebai — 628

¹⁷The family of Azgad — 2,322

¹⁸The family of Adonikam — 667

¹⁹The family of Bigvai — 2,067

²⁰The family of Adin — 655

²¹The family of Ater (descendants of Hezekiah) — 98

²²The family of Hashum — 328

²³The family of Bezai — 324

²⁴The family of Jorah — 112

²⁵The family of Gibbar — 95

²⁶The people of Bethlehem and Netophah — 188

²⁷The people of Anathoth — 128

²⁸The people of Beth-azmaveth — 42

²⁹The people of Kiriath-jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth — 743

³⁰The people of Ramah and Geba — 621

³¹The people of Micmash — 122

³²The people of Bethel and Ai — 123

³³The people of West Nebo — 52

³⁴The citizens of West Elam — 1,254

³⁵The citizens of Harim — 320

³⁶The citizens of Jericho — 345

³⁷The citizens of Lod, Hadid, and Ono — 721

³⁸The citizens of Senaah — 3,930

³⁹These are the priests who returned from exile: The family of Jedaiah (through the line of Jeshua) — 973

⁴⁰The family of Immer — 1,052

⁴¹The family of Pashhur — 1,247

⁴²The family of Harim — 1,017

⁴³These are the Levites who returned from exile: The families of Jeshua and Kadmiel (descendants of Hodaviah ) — 74

⁴⁴The singers of the family of Asaph — 148

⁴⁵The gatekeepers of the families of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai — 138

⁴⁶The descendants of the following Temple servants returned from exile: Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

⁴⁷Keros, Siaha, Padon,

⁴⁸Lebanah, Hagabah, Shalmai,

⁴⁹Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,

⁵⁰Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,

⁵¹Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,

⁵²Besai, Meunim, Nephusim,

⁵³Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,

⁵⁴Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,

⁵⁵Barkos, Sisera, Temah,

⁵⁶Neziah, and Hatipha.

⁵⁷The descendants of these servants of King Solomon returned from exile: Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,

⁵⁸Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,

⁵⁹Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-hazzebaim, and Ami.

⁶⁰In all, the Temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants numbered 392.

⁶¹Another group returned at this time from the towns of Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Kerub, Addan, and Immer. However, they could not prove that they or their families were descendants of Israel.

⁶²This group included the families of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda — a total of 642 people.

⁶³Three families of priests — Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai — also returned. (This Barzillai had married a woman who was a descendant of Barzillai of Gilead, and he had taken her family name.)

⁶⁴They searched for their names in the genealogical records, but they were not found, so they were disqualified from serving as priests.

⁶⁵The governor told them not to eat the priests’ share of food from the sacrifices until a priest could consult the LORD about the matter by using the Urim and Thummim — the sacred lots.

⁶⁶So a total of 42,360 people returned to Judah,

⁶⁷in addition to 7,337 servants and 245 singers, both men and women.

⁶⁸They took with them 736 horses, 245 mules,

⁶⁹435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

⁷⁰Some of the family leaders gave gifts for the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 gold coins, 50 gold basins, and 530 robes for the priests.

⁷¹The other leaders gave to the treasury a total of 20,000 gold coins and some 2,750 pounds of silver for the work.

⁷²The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold coins, about 2,500 pounds of silver, and 67 robes for the priests.

⁷³So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Temple servants, and some of the common people settled near Jerusalem. The rest of the people returned to their own towns throughout Israel. Ezra Reads the Law In October, when the Israelites had settled in their towns,

¹In November of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the LORD gave this message to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah and grandson of Iddo:

²“I, the LORD, was very angry with your ancestors.

³Therefore, say to the people, ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.’

⁴Don’t be like your ancestors who would not listen or pay attention when the earlier prophets said to them, ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Turn from your evil ways, and stop all your evil practices.’

⁵“Where are your ancestors now? They and the prophets are long dead.

⁶But everything I said through my servants the prophets happened to your ancestors, just as I said. As a result, they repented and said, ‘We have received what we deserved from the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. He has done what he said he would do.’”

⁷Three months later, on February 15, the LORD sent another message to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah and grandson of Iddo.

⁸In a vision during the night, I saw a man sitting on a red horse that was standing among some myrtle trees in a small valley. Behind him were riders on red, brown, and white horses.

⁹I asked the angel who was talking with me, “My lord, what do these horses mean?” “I will show you,” the angel replied.

¹⁰The rider standing among the myrtle trees then explained, “They are the ones the LORD has sent out to patrol the earth.”

¹¹Then the other riders reported to the angel of the LORD, who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have been patrolling the earth, and the whole earth is at peace.”

¹²Upon hearing this, the angel of the LORD prayed this prayer: “O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, for seventy years now you have been angry with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. How long until you again show mercy to them?”

¹³And the LORD spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.

¹⁴Then the angel said to me, “Shout this message for all to hear: ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong.

¹⁵But I am very angry with the other nations that are now enjoying peace and security. I was only a little angry with my people, but the nations inflicted harm on them far beyond my intentions.

¹⁶“‘Therefore, this is what the LORD says: I have returned to show mercy to Jerusalem. My Temple will be rebuilt, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, and measurements will be taken for the reconstruction of Jerusalem. ’

¹⁷“Say this also: ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: The towns of Israel will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem as his own.’”

¹⁸Then I looked up and saw four animal horns.

¹⁹“What are these?” I asked the angel who was talking with me. He replied, “These horns represent the nations that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

²⁰Then the LORD showed me four blacksmiths.

²¹“What are these men coming to do?” I asked. The angel replied, “These four horns — these nations — scattered and humbled Judah. Now these blacksmiths have come to terrify those nations and throw them down and destroy them.”

¹Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest.

²He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them — both men and women — back to Jerusalem in chains.

³As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him.

⁴He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

⁵“Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!

⁶Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

⁷The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one!

⁸Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus.

⁹He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.

¹⁰Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord!” he replied.

¹¹The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now.

¹²I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”

¹³“But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem!

¹⁴And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.”

¹⁵But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.

¹⁶And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

¹⁷So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

¹⁸Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.

¹⁹Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength. Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days.

²⁰And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!”

²¹All who heard him were amazed. “Isn’t this the same man who caused such devastation among Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem?” they asked. “And didn’t he come here to arrest them and take them in chains to the leading priests?”

²²Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful, and the Jews in Damascus couldn’t refute his proofs that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.

²³After a while some of the Jews plotted together to kill him.

²⁴They were watching for him day and night at the city gate so they could murder him, but Saul was told about their plot.

²⁵So during the night, some of the other believers lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the city wall.

²⁶When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer!

²⁷Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.

²⁸So Saul stayed with the apostles and went all around Jerusalem with them, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.

²⁹He debated with some Greek-speaking Jews, but they tried to murder him.

³⁰When the believers heard about this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus, his hometown.

³¹The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.

³²Meanwhile, Peter traveled from place to place, and he came down to visit the believers in the town of Lydda.

³³There he met a man named Aeneas, who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years.

³⁴Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you! Get up, and roll up your sleeping mat!” And he was healed instantly.

³⁵Then the whole population of Lydda and Sharon saw Aeneas walking around, and they turned to the Lord.

³⁶There was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha (which in Greek is Dorcas ). She was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor.

³⁷About this time she became ill and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs room.

³⁸But the believers had heard that Peter was nearby at Lydda, so they sent two men to beg him, “Please come as soon as possible!”

³⁹So Peter returned with them; and as soon as he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. The room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and other clothes Dorcas had made for them.

⁴⁰But Peter asked them all to leave the room; then he knelt and prayed. Turning to the body he said, “Get up, Tabitha.” And she opened her eyes! When she saw Peter, she sat up!

⁴¹He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called in the widows and all the believers, and he presented her to them alive.

⁴²The news spread through the whole town, and many believed in the Lord.

⁴³And Peter stayed a long time in Joppa, living with Simon, a tanner of hides.