Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹In the meantime, after so many thousands of the people had gathered that they were stepping on one another, Jesus began speaking first of all to His disciples, "Be continually on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees [that is, their pervasive, corrupting influence and teaching], which is hypocrisy [producing self-righteousness].

²But there is nothing [so carefully] concealed that it will not be revealed, nor so hidden that it will not be made known.

³For that reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops.

⁴"I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have nothing more that they can do.

⁵But I will point out to you whom you should fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority and power to hurl [you] into hell; yes, I say to you, [stand in great awe of God and] fear Him!

⁶Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? Yet not one of them has [ever] been forgotten in the presence of God.

⁷Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be afraid; you are far more valuable than many sparrows.

⁸"I say to you, whoever declares openly and confesses Me before men [speaking freely of Me as his Lord], the Son of Man also will declare openly and confess him [as one of His own] before the angels of God.

⁹But he who denies Me before men will be denied in the presence of the angels of God.

¹⁰And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit [that is, whoever intentionally discredits the Holy Spirit by attributing the authenticating miracles done by Me to Satan], it will not be forgiven him [for him there is no forgiveness].

¹¹When they bring you before the synagogues and the magistrates and the authorities, do not be worried about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say;

¹²for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

¹³Someone from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me."

¹⁴But He said to him, "Man, who appointed Me a judge or an arbitrator over [the two of] you?"

¹⁵Then He said to them, "Watch out and guard yourselves against every form of greed; for not even when one has an overflowing abundance does his life consist of nor is it derived from his possessions."

¹⁶Then He told them a parable, saying, "There was a rich man whose land was very fertile and productive.

¹⁷And he began thinking to himself, 'What shall I do, since I have no place [large enough in which] to store my crops?'

¹⁸Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my storehouses and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there.

¹⁹And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many good things stored up, [enough] for many years; rest and relax, eat, drink and be merry (celebrate continually)."'

²⁰But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own all the things you have prepared?'

²¹So it is for the one who continues to store up and hoard possessions for himself, and is not rich [in his relationship] toward God."

²²Jesus said to His disciples, "For this reason I tell you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; or about your body, as to what you will wear.

²³For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.

²⁴Consider the ravens, for they neither sow [seed] nor reap [the crop]; they have no storehouse or barn, and yet God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than the birds!

²⁵And which of you by worrying can add one hour to his life's span?

²⁶So if you are not even able to do a very little thing [such as that], why are you worried about the rest?

²⁷Consider the lilies and wildflowers, how they grow [in the open field]. They neither labor nor spin [wool to make clothing]; yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory and splendor dressed himself like one of these.

²⁸But if this is how God clothes the grass which is in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You of little faith!

²⁹So as for you, do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink; nor have an anxious and unsettled mind.

³⁰For all the [pagan] nations of the world greedily seek these things; and your [heavenly] Father [already] knows that you need them.

³¹But [strive for and actively] seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

³²Do not be afraid and anxious, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

³³"Sell your possessions (show compassion) and give [donations] to the poor. Provide money belts for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing and inexhaustible treasure in the heavens, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.

³⁴For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

³⁵"Be dressed and ready for active service, and keep your lamps continuously burning.

³⁶Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that when he comes and knocks they may immediately open the door for him.

³⁷Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) are those servants whom the master finds awake and watching when he arrives. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he will prepare himself to serve, and will have them recline at the table, and will come and wait on them.

³⁸Whether he comes in the second watch (before midnight), or even in the third (after midnight), and finds them so [prepared and ready], blessed are those servants.

³⁹"But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time the thief was coming, he [would have been awake and alert, and] would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

⁴⁰You too, be continually ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect."

⁴¹Peter said, "Lord, are You addressing this parable to us [disciples], or to everyone else as well?"

⁴²The Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward [of the estate], whom his master will put in charge over his household, to give his servants their portion of food at the proper time?

⁴³Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) is that servant whom his master finds so doing when he arrives.

⁴⁴I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

⁴⁵But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is taking his time in coming,' and begins to beat the servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk,

⁴⁶the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

⁴⁷And that servant who knew his master's will, and yet did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will be beaten with many lashes [of the whip],

⁴⁸but the one who did not know it and did things worthy of a beating, will receive only a few [lashes]. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

⁴⁹"I have come to cast fire (judgment) on the earth; and how I wish that it were already kindled!

⁵⁰I have a baptism [of great suffering] with which to be baptized, and how [greatly] I am distressed until it is accomplished!

⁵¹Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division [between believers and unbelievers];

⁵²for from now on five in one household will be divided [over Me], three against two and two against three.

⁵³They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

⁵⁴He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, 'It is going to rain,' and that is how it turns out.

⁵⁵And when [you see that] a south wind is blowing, you say, 'It will be a hot day,' and it happens.

⁵⁶You hypocrites (play-actors, pretenders)! You know how to analyze and intelligently interpret the appearance of the earth and sky [to forecast the weather], but why do you not intelligently interpret this present time?

⁵⁷"And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right?

⁵⁸For while you are going with your opponent [at law] to appear before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle, so that he does not drag you before the judge, and the judge does not [rule against you and] turn you over to the officer, and the officer does not throw you into prison.

⁵⁹I say to you, you [absolutely] will not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent."

¹Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, "My father and my brothers, with their flocks and their herds and all that they own, have come from the land of Canaan, and they are in the land of Goshen."

²He took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.

³And Pharaoh said to his brothers [as Joseph expected], "What is your occupation?" And they said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers [before us]."

⁴Moreover, they said to Pharaoh, "We have come to live temporarily (sojourn) in the land [of Egypt], for there is no pasture for the flocks of your servants [in our land], for the famine is very severe in Canaan. So now, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen."

⁵Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, "Your father and your brothers have come to you.

⁶The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them live in the land of Goshen; and if you know of any men of ability among them, put them in charge of my livestock."

⁷Then Joseph brought Jacob (Israel) his father and presented him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

⁸And Pharaoh asked Jacob,"How old are you?"

⁹Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. Few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, and they have not reached the years that my fathers lived during the days of their pilgrimage."

¹⁰And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and departed from his presence.

¹¹So Joseph settled his father and brothers and gave them a possession in Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses (Goshen), as Pharaoh commanded.

¹²Joseph provided and supplied his father and his brothers and all his father's household with food, according to [the needs of] their children.

¹³Now [in the course of time] there was no food in all the land, for the famine was distressingly severe, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan languished [in destitution and starvation] because of the famine.

¹⁴Joseph gathered all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan [in payment] for the grain which they bought, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.

¹⁵And when the money was exhausted in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us food! Why should we die before your very eyes? For our money is gone."

¹⁶Joseph said, "Give up your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, since the money is gone."

¹⁷So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for the horses and the flocks and the herds and the donkeys; and he supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year.

¹⁸When that year was ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, "We will not hide from my lord [the fact] that our money is spent; my lord also has our herds of livestock; there is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands.

¹⁹Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed [to plant], that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate."

²⁰So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every Egyptian sold his field because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh's.

²¹And as for the people, he relocated them [temporarily] to cities from one end of Egypt's border to the other.

²²Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh, and they lived on the amount which Pharaoh gave them, so they did not sell their land.

²³Then Joseph said to the people, "Look, today I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh; now, here is seed for you, and you shall plant the land.

²⁴At harvest time [when you reap the increase] you shall give one-fifth of it to Pharaoh, and four-fifths will be your own to use for seed for the field and as food for you and those of your households and for your little ones."

²⁵And they said, "You have saved our lives! Let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants."

²⁶And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt—valid to this day—that Pharaoh should have the fifth part [of the crops]; only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh's.

²⁷Now [the people of] Israel lived in the country of Egypt, in [the land of] Goshen, and they gained possessions and acquired property there and were fruitful and multiplied greatly.

²⁸And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the length of Jacob's life was a hundred and forty-seven years.

²⁹And when the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "If now I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh and [promise to] deal loyally and faithfully with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt,

³⁰but when I lie down with my fathers [in death], you will carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place [at Hebron in the cave of Machpelah]." And Joseph said, "I will do as you have directed."

³¹Then he said, "Swear to me [that you will do it]." So he swore to him. Then Israel (Jacob) bowed in worship at the head of the bed.

¹Let love of your fellow believers continue.

²Do not neglect to extend hospitality to strangers [especially among the family of believers—being friendly, cordial, and gracious, sharing the comforts of your home and doing your part generously], for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

³Remember those who are in prison, as if you were their fellow prisoner, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body [and subject to physical suffering].

⁴Marriage is to be held in honor among all [that is, regarded as something of great value], and the marriage bed undefiled [by immorality or by any sexual sin]; for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

⁵Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, "I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!"

⁶So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently say, "The Lord is my Helper [in time of need], I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?"

⁷Remember your leaders [for it was they] who brought you the word of God; and consider the result of their conduct [the outcome of their godly lives], and imitate their faith [their conviction that God exists and is the Creator and Ruler of all things, the Provider of eternal salvation through Christ, and imitate their reliance on God with absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness].

⁸Jesus Christ is [eternally changeless, always] the same yesterday and today and forever.

⁹Do not be carried away by diverse and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established and strengthened by grace and not by foods [rules of diet and ritualistic meals], which bring no benefit or spiritual growth to those who observe them.

¹⁰We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle (sacred tent) have no right to eat.

¹¹For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp.

¹²Therefore Jesus also suffered and died outside the [city] gate so that He might sanctify and set apart for God as holy the people [who believe] through [the shedding of] His own blood.

¹³So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His contempt [the disgrace and shame that He had to suffer].

¹⁴For here we have no lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.

¹⁵Through Him, therefore, let us at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.

¹⁶Do not neglect to do good, to contribute [to the needy of the church as an expression of fellowship], for such sacrifices are always pleasing to God.

¹⁷Obey your [spiritual] leaders and submit to them [recognizing their authority over you], for they are keeping watch over your souls and continually guarding your spiritual welfare as those who will give an account [of their stewardship of you]. Let them do this with joy and not with grief and groans, for this would be of no benefit to you.

¹⁸Keep praying for us, for we are convinced that we have a good conscience, seeking to conduct ourselves honorably [that is, with moral courage and personal integrity] in all things.

¹⁹And I urge all of you to pray earnestly, so that I may be restored to you soon.

²⁰Now may the God of peace [the source of serenity and spiritual well-being] who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood that sealed and ratified the eternal covenant,

²¹equip you with every good thing to carry out His will and strengthen you [making you complete and perfect as you ought to be], accomplishing in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

²²I call on you, brothers and sisters, listen [patiently] to this message of exhortation and encouragement, for I have written to you briefly.

²³Notice that our brother Timothy has been released [from prison]. If he comes soon, I will see you [along with him].

²⁴Give our greetings to all of your [spiritual] leaders and to all of the saints (God's people). Those [Christians] from Italy send you their greetings.

²⁵Grace be with you all.

¹Beloved, do not believe every spirit [speaking through a self-proclaimed prophet]; instead test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets and teachers have gone out into the world.

²By this you know and recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges and confesses [the fact] that Jesus Christ has [actually] come in the flesh [as a man] is from God [God is its source];

³and every spirit that does not confess Jesus [acknowledging that He has come in the flesh, but would deny any of the Son's true nature] is not of God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is now already in the world.

⁴Little children (believers, dear ones), you are of God and you belong to Him and have [already] overcome them [the agents of the antichrist]; because He who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world [of sinful mankind].

⁵They [who teach twisted doctrine] are of the world and belong to it; therefore they speak from the [viewpoint of the] world [with its immoral freedom and baseless theories—demanding compliance with their opinions and ridiculing the values of the upright], and the [gullible one of the] world listens closely and pays attention to them.

⁶We [who teach God's word] are from God [energized by the Holy Spirit], and whoever knows God [through personal experience] listens to us [and has a deeper understanding of Him]. Whoever is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know [without any doubt] the spirit of truth [motivated by God] and the spirit of error [motivated by Satan].

⁷Beloved, let us [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves [others] is born of God and knows God [through personal experience].

⁸The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.]

⁹By this the love of God was displayed in us, in that God has sent His [One and] only begotten Son [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind] into the world so that we might live through Him.

¹⁰In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [that is, the atoning sacrifice, and the satisfying offering] for our sins [fulfilling God's requirement for justice against sin and placating His wrath].

¹¹Beloved, if God so loved us [in this incredible way], we also ought to love one another.

¹²No one has seen God at any time. But if we love one another [with unselfish concern], God abides in us, and His love [the love that is His essence abides in us and] is completed and perfected in us.

¹³By this we know [with confident assurance] that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given to us His [Holy] Spirit.

¹⁴We [who were with Him in person] have seen and testify [as eye-witnesses] that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

¹⁵Whoever confesses and acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

¹⁶We have come to know [by personal observation and experience], and have believed [with deep, consistent faith] the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him.

¹⁷In this [union and fellowship with Him], love is completed and perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him]; because as He is, so are we in this world.

¹⁸There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God's judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God's love].

¹⁹We love, because He first loved us.

²⁰If anyone says, "I love God," and hates (works against) his [Christian] brother he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.

²¹And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should also [unselfishly] love his brother and seek the best for him.

¹There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily on men:

²a man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God has not given him the power or capacity to enjoy them [all those things which are gifts from God], but a stranger [in whom he has no interest succeeds him and] enjoys them. This is vanity and it is a [cause of] great distress.

³If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many they may be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he is not respected and is not given a proper burial [he is not laid to rest in the sepulcher of his fathers], then I say, "Better the miscarriage than he,

⁴for the miscarriage comes in futility (in vain) and passes into obscurity; and its name is covered in obscurity.

⁵It has not seen the sun nor had any knowledge; yet it has more rest and is better off than he.

⁶Even if the other man lives a thousand years twice over and yet has seen no good and experienced no enjoyment—do not both go to one place [the grave]?"

⁷All the labor of man is for his mouth [for self-preservation and enjoyment], and yet the desire [of his soul] is not satisfied.

⁸For what advantage has the wise man over the fool [for being worldly-wise is not the secret to happiness]? What advantage has the poor man who has learned how to walk [publicly] among the living [with men's eyes on him; for being poor is not the secret to happiness either]?

⁹What the eyes see [enjoying what is available] is better than [craving] what the soul desires. This too is futility and chasing after the wind.

¹⁰Whatever exists has already been named [long ago], and it is known what [a frail being] man is; for he cannot dispute with Him who is mightier than he.

¹¹For there are many other words that increase futility. What then is the advantage for a man?

¹²For who [ limited by human wisdom] knows what is good for man during his lifetime, during the few days of his futile life? He spends them like a shadow [staying busy, but achieving nothing of lasting value]. For who can tell a man what will happen after him [to his work, his treasure, his plans] under the sun [after his life is over]?

¹To the Chief Musician; set to a Philistine lute. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. How lovely are Your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts!

²My soul (my life, my inner self) longs for and greatly desires the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.

³The bird has found a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young— Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God.

⁴Blessed and greatly favored are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; They will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah.

⁵Blessed and greatly favored is the man whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways to Zion.

⁶Passing through the Valley of Weeping ( Baca), they make it a place of springs; The early rain also covers it with blessings.

⁷They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]; Each of them appears before God in Zion.

⁸O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; Listen, O God of Jacob! Selah.

⁹See our shield, O God, And look at the face of Your anointed [the king as Your representative].

¹⁰For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand [anywhere else]; I would rather stand [as a doorkeeper] at the threshold of the house of my God Than to live [at ease] in the tents of wickedness.

¹¹For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD bestows grace and favor and honor; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

¹²O LORD of hosts, How blessed and greatly favored is the man who trusts in You [believing in You, relying on You, and committing himself to You with confident hope and expectation].

¹Better is a dry morsel [of food served] with quietness and peace Than a house full of feasting [served] with strife and contention.

²A wise servant will rule over the [unworthy] son who acts shamefully and brings disgrace [to the family] And [the worthy servant] will share in the inheritance among the brothers.

³The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests hearts.

⁴An evildoer listens closely to wicked lips; And a liar pays attention to a destructive and malicious tongue.

⁵Whoever mocks the poor taunts his Maker, And he who rejoices at [another's] disaster will not go unpunished.

⁶Grandchildren are the crown of aged men, And the glory of children is their fathers [who live godly lives].

⁷Excellent speech does not benefit a fool [who is spiritually blind], Much less do lying lips benefit a prince.

⁸A bribe is like a bright, precious stone in the eyes of its owner; Wherever he turns, he prospers.

⁹He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, But he who repeats or gossips about a matter separates intimate friends.

¹⁰A reprimand goes deeper into one who has understanding and a teachable spirit Than a hundred lashes into a fool.

¹¹A rebellious man seeks only evil; Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

¹²Let a man meet a [ferocious] bear robbed of her cubs Rather than the [angry, narcissistic] fool in his folly.

¹³Whoever returns evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house.

¹⁴The beginning of strife is like letting out water [as from a small break in a dam; first it trickles and then it gushes]; Therefore abandon the quarrel before it breaks out and tempers explode.

¹⁵He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous Are both repulsive to the LORD.

¹⁶Why is there money in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, When he has no common sense or even a heart for it?

¹⁷A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.

¹⁸A man lacking common sense gives a pledge And becomes guarantor [for the debt of another] in the presence of his neighbor.

¹⁹He who loves transgression loves strife and is quarrelsome; He who [proudly] raises his gate seeks destruction [because of his arrogant pride].

²⁰He who has a crooked mind finds no good, And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil.

²¹He who becomes the parent of a fool [who is spiritually blind] does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool [who is spiritually blind] has no joy.

²²A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

²³A wicked man receives a bribe from the [hidden] pocket To pervert the ways of justice.

²⁴[Skillful and godly] wisdom is in the presence of a person of understanding [and he recognizes it], But the eyes of a [thickheaded] fool are on the ends of the earth.

²⁵A foolish son is a grief and anguish to his father And bitterness to her who gave birth to him.

²⁶It is also not good to fine the righteous, Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

²⁷He who has knowledge restrains and is careful with his words, And a man of understanding and wisdom has a cool spirit (self-control, an even temper).

²⁸Even a [callous, arrogant] fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips he is regarded as sensible (prudent, discreet) and a man of understanding.

¹Then all the people gathered together as one man at the open square in front of the Water Gate; and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses which the LORD had given to Israel.

²So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.

³Then he read from it, in front of the open square which was in front of the Water Gate, from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and women, those who could understand; and all the people listened carefully to the Book of the Law.

⁴Ezra the scribe stood on a [large] wooden platform which they had constructed for this purpose. And beside him [on the platform] stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left.

⁵Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above them; and when he opened it, all the people stood up.

⁶Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, "Amen, Amen!" while lifting up their hands; and they knelt down and worshiped the LORD with their faces toward the ground.

⁷Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, explained the Law to the people, and the people remained in their places.

⁸So they read from the Book of the Law of God, translating and explaining it so that the people understood the reading.

⁹Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep." For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the Law.

¹⁰Then Ezra said to them, "Go [your way], eat the rich festival food, drink the sweet drink, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be worried, for the joy of the LORD is your strength and your stronghold."

¹¹So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, "Be still, for the day is holy; do not be worried."

¹²Then all the people went on their way to eat, to drink, to send portions [of food to others] and to celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words which had been communicated to them.

¹³On the second day, all of the heads of fathers' households of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, were gathered before Ezra the scribe to gain insight into the words of the Law (divine instruction).

¹⁴They found written in the Law how the LORD had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should live in booths (huts) during the feast of the seventh month.

¹⁵So they proclaimed and published an announcement in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out to the hills and bring olive branches, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy branches to make booths, as it is written."

¹⁶So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on the roof of his house, and in their courtyards and the courtyards of God's house, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the square of the Gate of Ephraim.

¹⁷The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them. Indeed since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that very day, the Israelites had not done so. And there was great rejoicing and celebration.

¹⁸Every day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the feast for seven days; on the eighth day there was a [closing] solemn assembly in accordance with the ordinance.

¹And I looked up, and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand.

²So I said, "Where are you going?" And he said to me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is."

³And behold, the angel who was speaking with me was going out, and another angel was coming out to meet him,

⁴and he said to the second angel, "Run, speak to that young man, saying, 'Jerusalem will be inhabited [like villages] without walls [spreading out into the open country] because of the great number of people and livestock in it.

⁵'For I,' declares the LORD, 'will be a wall of fire around her [protecting her from enemies], and I will be the glory in her midst.'"

⁶" Hear this! Flee from [Babylon] the land of the north [which shall come under judgment]," declares the LORD, "for I have scattered you like the four winds of the heavens," declares the LORD.

⁷"Hear, Zion (Jerusalem)! Escape, you who are living with the daughter of Babylon!"

⁸For thus says the LORD of hosts, "After glory He has sent Me against the nations which plunder you—for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.

⁹Behold, I will wave my hand over them and they shall become plunder for their own slaves. Then you shall know (recognize, understand fully) that the LORD of hosts has sent Me.

¹⁰Sing for joy and rejoice, O Daughter of Zion; for behold, I am coming, and I will dwell in your midst," declares the LORD.

¹¹Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day and shall be My people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know (recognize, understand fully) that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you.

¹²The LORD will take possession of Judah as His portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem.

¹³"Be still before the LORD, all mankind; for He is roused (raised up) from His holy habitation [in response to His persecuted people]."

¹Now at Caesarea [Maritima] there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Regiment,

²a devout man and one who, along with all his household, feared God. He made many charitable donations to the Jewish people, and prayed to God always.

³About the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.) of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had come to him and said, "Cornelius!"

⁴Cornelius was frightened and stared intently at him and said, "What is it, lord (sir)?" And the angel said to him, "Your prayers and gifts of charity have ascended as a memorial offering before God [an offering made in remembrance of His past blessings].

⁵Now send men to Joppa and have them call for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter [and invite him here];

⁶he is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea."

⁷When the angel who was speaking to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among his own personal attendants;

⁸and after explaining everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

⁹The next day, as they were on their way and were approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof of the house about the sixth hour (noon) to pray,

¹⁰but he became hungry and wanted something to eat. While the meal was being prepared he fell into a trance;

¹¹and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet descending, lowered by its four corners to the earth,

¹²and it contained all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air.

¹³A voice came to him, "Get up, Peter, kill and eat!"

¹⁴But Peter said, "Not at all, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common (unholy) and [ceremonially] unclean."

¹⁵And the voice came to him a second time, "What God has cleansed and pronounced clean, no longer consider common (unholy)."

¹⁶This happened three times, and then immediately the object was taken up into heaven.

¹⁷Now Peter was still perplexed and completely at a loss as to what his vision could mean when the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions to Simon's house, arrived at the gate.

¹⁸And they called out to ask whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there.

¹⁹While Peter was thoughtfully considering the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Now listen, three men are looking for you.

²⁰Get up, go downstairs and go with them without hesitating or doubting, because I have sent them Myself."

²¹Peter went down to the men and said, "I am the one you are looking for. For what reason have you come?"

²²They said, "Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man well spoken of by all the Jewish people, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear what you have to say."

²³So Peter invited them in and gave them lodging [for the night]. The next day Peter got up and left with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him.

²⁴On the following day he [and the others] entered Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends.

²⁵When Peter arrived, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.

²⁶But Peter raised him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am only a man."

²⁷As Peter talked with him, he entered [the house] and found a large group of people assembled.

²⁸He said to them, "You know that it is unlawful for a Jewish man to associate with or befriend a Gentile, or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I am not to call anyone common or [ceremonially] unclean.

²⁹Therefore when I was sent for, I came without raising an objection. So I ask for what reason have you sent for me?"

³⁰Cornelius said, "Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ninth hour (3:00-4:00 p.m.); and a man [dressed] in bright, dazzling clothing suddenly stood before me,

³¹and he said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your acts of charity have been remembered before God [so that He is about to help you].

³²Therefore send word to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you. He is staying at the house of Simon the tanner by the sea.'

³³So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to listen to everything that you have been instructed by the Lord [to say]."

³⁴Opening his mouth, Peter said: "Most certainly I understand now that God is not one to show partiality [to people as though Gentiles were excluded from God's blessing],

³⁵but in every nation the person who fears God and does what is right [by seeking Him] is acceptable and welcomed by Him.

³⁶You know the message which He sent to the sons of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all—

³⁷you know the things that have taken place throughout Judea, starting in Galilee after the baptism preached by John—

³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with great power; and He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.

³⁹We are [personally] eyewitnesses of everything that He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem [in particular]. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross;

⁴⁰God raised Him [to life] on the third day and caused Him to be plainly seen,

⁴¹not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen and designated beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank together with Him after He rose from the dead.

⁴²He commanded us to preach to the people [both Jew and Gentile], and to solemnly testify that He is the One who has been appointed and ordained by God as Judge of the living and the dead.

⁴³All the prophets testify about Him, that through His name everyone who believes in Him [whoever trusts in and relies on Him, accepting Him as Savior and Messiah] receives forgiveness of sins."

⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who were listening to the message [confirming God's acceptance of Gentiles].

⁴⁵All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.

⁴⁶For they heard them talking in [unknown] tongues (languages) and exalting and magnifying and praising God. Then Peter said,

⁴⁷"Can anyone refuse water for these people to be baptized, since they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?"

⁴⁸And he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay there for a few days.