Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.

²And there was a man called Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector [a superintendent to whom others reported], and he was rich.

³Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, but he could not see because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.

⁴So he ran on ahead [of the crowd] and climbed up in a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.

⁵When Jesus reached the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house."

⁶So Zaccheus hurried and came down, and welcomed Jesus with joy.

⁷When the people saw it, they all began muttering [in discontent], "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a [notorious] sinner."

⁸Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "See, Lord, I am [now] giving half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I will give back four times as much."

⁹Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this household, because he, too, is a [ spiritual] son of Abraham;

¹⁰for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

¹¹While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they assumed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately [as soon as He reached the city].

¹²So He said, "A nobleman went to a distant country to obtain for himself a kingdom, and [then] to return.

¹³So he called ten of his servants, and gave them ten minas [one apiece, each equal to about a hundred days' wages] and said to them, 'Do business [with this] until I return.'

¹⁴But his citizens [the residents of his new kingdom] hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to be a king over us.'

¹⁵When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these servants, to whom he had given the money, be called to him, that he might find out what business they had done.

¹⁶The first one came before him and said, 'Lord, your mina has made ten more minas.'

¹⁷And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you proved yourself faithful and trustworthy in a very little thing, you shall [now] have authority over ten cities [in my kingdom].'

¹⁸The second one came and said, 'Lord, your mina has made five minas.'

¹⁹And he said to him also, 'And you shall take charge over five cities.'

²⁰Then another came and said, 'Lord, here is your mina, which I have kept laid up in a handkerchief [for safekeeping].

²¹I was [always] afraid of you, because you are a stern man; you pick up what you did not lay down and you reap what you did not sow.'

²²He said to the servant, 'I will judge and condemn you by your own words, you worthless servant! Did you [really] know that I was a stern man, picking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow?

²³Then why did you not [at the very least] put my money in a bank? Then on my return, I would have collected it with interest.'

²⁴Then he said to the bystanders, 'Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.'

²⁵And they said to him, 'Lord, he has ten minas already!'

²⁶[Jesus explained,] 'I tell you that to everyone who has [because he valued his gifts from God and has used them wisely], more will be given; but from the one who does not have [because he disregarded his gifts from God], even what he has will be taken away.'

²⁷[The king ended by saying,] 'But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them, bring them here and kill them in my presence.'"

²⁸After saying these things, Jesus went on ahead [of them], going up to Jerusalem.

²⁹When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples,

³⁰saying, "Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a [donkey's] colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.

³¹If anybody asks you, 'Why are you untying the colt?' you will say, 'The Lord needs it.'"

³²So those who were sent left and found the colt just as He had told them.

³³As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?"

³⁴They said, "The Lord needs it."

³⁵They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their robes over the colt and put Jesus on it.

³⁶As He rode along, people were spreading their coats on the road [as an act of homage before a king].

³⁷As soon as He was approaching [Jerusalem], near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the entire multitude of the disciples [all those who were or claimed to be His followers] began praising God [adoring Him enthusiastically and] joyfully with loud voices for all the miracles and works of power that they had seen,

³⁸shouting, "Blessed (celebrated, praised) is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory (majesty, splendor) in the highest [heaven]!"

³⁹Some of the Pharisees from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples [for shouting these Messianic praises]."

⁴⁰Jesus replied, "I tell you, if these [people] keep silent, the stones will cry out [in praise]!"

⁴¹As He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it [and the spiritual ignorance of its people],

⁴²saying, "If [only] you had known on this day [of salvation], even you, the things which make for peace [and on which peace depends]! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.

⁴³For a time [of siege] is coming when your enemies will put up a barricade [with pointed stakes] against you, and surround you [with armies] and hem you in on every side,

⁴⁴and they will level you to the ground, you [Jerusalem] and your children within you. They will not leave in you one stone on another, all because you did not [come progressively to] recognize [from observation and personal experience] the time of your visitation [when God was gracious toward you and offered you salvation]."

⁴⁵Jesus went into the temple [enclosure] and began driving out those who were selling,

⁴⁶saying to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer'; but you have made it a robbers' den."

⁴⁷He was teaching day after day in the temple [porches and courts]; but the chief priests and scribes and the leading men among the people were seeking [a way] to put Him to death,

⁴⁸and they could not find anything that they could do, for all the people [stayed close to Him and] were hanging on to every word He said.

¹Then Moses answered [the LORD] and said, "What if they will not believe me or take seriously what I say? For they may say, 'The LORD has not appeared to you.'"

²And the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" And he said, "A staff."

³Then He said, "Throw it on the ground." So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a [living] serpent [like the royal symbol on the crown of Pharaoh]; and Moses ran from it.

⁴But the LORD said to Moses, "Reach out your hand and grasp it by the tail." So he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand—

⁵["You shall do this," said the LORD,] "so that the elders may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has [most certainly] appeared to you."

⁶The LORD also said to him, "Put your hand into your robe [where it covers your chest]." So he put his hand into his robe, and when he took it out, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.

⁷Then God said, "Put your hand into your robe again." So he put his hand back into his robe, and when he took it out, it was restored [and was] like the rest of his body.

⁸"If they will not believe you or pay attention to the evidence of the first sign, they may believe the evidence of the second sign.

⁹But if they will not believe these two signs or pay attention to what you say, you are to take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take out of the river will turn into blood on the dry ground."

¹⁰Then Moses said to the LORD, "Please, Lord, I am not a man of words (eloquent, fluent), neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and tongue."

¹¹The LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, or the seeing or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD?

¹²Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and will teach you what you shall say."

¹³But he said, "Please my Lord, send the message [of rescue to Israel] by [someone else,] whomever else You will [choose]."

¹⁴Then the anger of the LORD was kindled and burned against Moses; He said, "Is there not your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. Also, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be overjoyed.

¹⁵You must speak to him and put the words in his mouth; I, even I, will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do.

¹⁶Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; he will act as a mouthpiece for you, and you will be as God to him [telling him what I say to you].

¹⁷You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs [the miracles which prove I sent you]."

¹⁸Then Moses went away and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, "Please, let me go back so that I may return to my relatives in Egypt, and see if they are still alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."

¹⁹Then the LORD said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life [for killing the Egyptian] are dead."

²⁰So Moses took his wife [Zipporah] and his sons [Gershom and Eliezer] and seated them on donkeys, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.

²¹The LORD said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders (miracles) which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart and make him stubborn so that he will not let the people go.

²²Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD, "Israel is My son, My firstborn.

²³So I say to you, 'Let My son go so that he may serve Me'; and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn."'"

²⁴Now it happened at the lodging place, that the LORD met Moses and sought to kill him [making him deathly ill because he had not circumcised one of his sons].

²⁵Then Zipporah took a flint knife and cut off the foreskin of her son and threw it at Moses' feet, and said, "Indeed you are a husband of blood to me!"

²⁶So He let Moses alone [to recover]. At that time Zipporah said, "You are a husband of blood"—because of the circumcision.

²⁷The LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." So he went and met him at the mountain of God (Sinai) and kissed him.

²⁸Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD with which He had sent him, and all the signs that He had commanded him to do.

²⁹Then Moses and Aaron went [into Egypt] and assembled all the elders of the Israelites;

³⁰and Aaron said all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then Moses performed the signs [given to him by God] before the people.

³¹So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD was concerned about the Israelites and that He had looked [with compassion] on their suffering, then they bowed their heads and worshiped [the LORD].

¹Or do you not know, brothers and sisters (for I am speaking to those who know the Law), that the Law has jurisdiction [to rule] over a person as long as he lives?

²For the married woman [as an example] is bound and remains bound by law to her husband while he lives; but if her husband dies, she is released and exempt from the law concerning her husband.

³Accordingly, she will be designated as an adulteress if she unites herself to another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from the law [regarding marriage], so that she is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

⁴Therefore, my fellow believers, you too died to the Law through the [crucified] body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

⁵When we were living in the flesh [trapped by sin], the sinful passions, which were awakened by [that which] the Law [identifies as sin], were at work in our body to bear fruit for death [since the willingness to sin led to death and separation from God].

⁶But now we have been released from the Law and its penalty, having died [through Christ] to that by which we were held captive, so that we serve [God] in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter [of the Law].

⁷What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, if it had not been for the Law, I would not have recognized sin. For I would not have known [for example] about coveting [what belongs to another, and would have had no sense of guilt] if the Law had not [repeatedly] said, "You shall not covet."

⁸But sin, finding an opportunity through the commandment [to express itself] produced in me every kind of coveting and selfish desire. For without the Law sin is dead [the recognition of sin is inactive].

⁹I was once alive without [knowledge of] the Law; but when the commandment came [and I understood its meaning], sin became alive and I died [since the Law sentenced me to death].

¹⁰And the very commandment which was intended to bring life, actually proved to bring death for me.

¹¹For sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, beguiled and completely deceived me, and using it as a weapon killed me [separating me from God].

¹²So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

¹³Did that which is good [the Law], then become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, in order that it might be revealed as sin, was producing death in me by [using] this good thing [as a weapon], so that through the commandment sin would become exceedingly sinful.

¹⁴We know that the Law is spiritual, but I am a creature of the flesh [worldly, self-reliant—carnal and unspiritual], sold into slavery to sin [and serving under its control].

¹⁵For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled and bewildered by them]. I do not practice what I want to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate [and yielding to my human nature, my worldliness—my sinful capacity].

¹⁶Now if I habitually do what I do not want to do, [that means] I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good (morally excellent).

¹⁷So now [if that is the case, then] it is no longer I who do it [the disobedient thing which I despise], but the sin [nature] which lives in me.

¹⁸For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh [my human nature, my worldliness—my sinful capacity]. For the willingness [to do good] is present in me, but the doing of good is not.

¹⁹For the good that I want to do, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

²⁰But if I am doing the very thing I do not want to do, I am no longer the one doing it [that is, it is not me that acts], but the sin [nature] which lives in me.

²¹So I find it to be the law [of my inner self], that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.

²²For I joyfully delight in the law of God in my inner self [with my new nature],

²³but I see a different law and rule of action in the members of my body [in its appetites and desires], waging war against the law of my mind and subduing me and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is within my members.

²⁴Wretched and miserable man that I am! Who will [rescue me and] set me free from this body of death [this corrupt, mortal existence]?

²⁵Thanks be to God [for my deliverance] through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind serve the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh [my human nature, my worldliness, my sinful capacity—I serve] the law of sin.

¹"To the angel (divine messenger) of the church in Sardis write: "These are the words of Him who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: 'I know your deeds; you have a name (reputation) that you are alive, but [in reality] you are dead.

²Wake up, and strengthen and reaffirm what remains [of your faithful commitment to Me], which is about to die; for I have not found [any of] your deeds completed in the sight of My God or meeting His requirements.

³So remember and take to heart the lessons you have received and heard. Keep and obey them, and repent [change your sinful way of thinking, and demonstrate your repentance with new behavior that proves a conscious decision to turn away from sin]. So then, if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.

⁴But you [still] have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes [that is, contaminated their character and personal integrity with sin]; and they will walk with Me [dressed] in white, because they are worthy (righteous).

⁵He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God] will accordingly be dressed in white clothing; and I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, and I will confess and openly acknowledge his name before My Father and before His angels [saying that he is one of Mine].

⁶He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.'

⁷"And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church in Philadelphia write: "These are the words of the Holy One, the True One, He who has the key [to the house] of David, He who opens and no one will [be able to] shut, and He who shuts and no one opens:

⁸'I know your deeds. See, I have set before you an open door which no one is able to shut, for you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not renounced or denied My name.

⁹Take note, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet and make them know [without any doubt] that I have loved you.

¹⁰Because you have kept the word of My endurance [My command to persevere], I will keep you [safe] from the hour of trial, that hour which is about to come on the whole [inhabited] world, to test those who live on the earth.

¹¹I am coming quickly. Hold tight what you have, so that no one will take your crown [by leading you to renounce the faith].

¹²He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God; he will most certainly never be put out of it, and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which descends out of heaven from My God, and My [own] new name.

¹³He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.'

¹⁴"To the angel (divine messenger) of the church in Laodicea write: "These are the words of the Amen, the trusted and faithful and true Witness, the Beginning and Origin of God's creation:

¹⁵'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold (invigorating, refreshing) nor hot (healing, therapeutic); I wish that you were cold or hot.

¹⁶So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust].

¹⁷Because you say, "I am rich, and have prospered and grown wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked [without hope and in great need],

¹⁸I counsel you to buy from Me gold that has been heated red hot and refined by fire so that you may become truly rich; and white clothes [representing righteousness] to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen; and healing salve to put on your eyes so that you may see.

¹⁹Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God's will].

²⁰Behold, I stand at the door [of the church] and continually knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him (restore him), and he with Me.

²¹He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will grant to him [the privilege] to sit beside Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down beside My Father on His throne.

²²He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

¹The Song of Songs [the best of songs], which is Solomon's.

²(The Shulammite Bride) "May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!" [Solomon arrives, she turns to him, saying,] "For your love is better than wine.

³"The aroma of your oils is fragrant and pleasing; Your name is perfume poured out; Therefore the maidens love you.

⁴"Draw me away with you and let us run together! Let the king bring me into his chambers." (The Chorus) "We will rejoice and be glad in you; We will remember and extol your love more [sweet and fragrant] than wine. Rightly do they love you."

⁵(The Shulammite Bride) "I am deeply tanned but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, [I am dark] like the tents of [the Bedouins of] Kedar, Like the [beautiful] curtains of Solomon.

⁶"Do not gaze at me because I am deeply tanned, [I have worked in] the sun; it has left its mark on me. My mother's sons were angry with me; They made me keeper of the vineyards, But my own vineyard (my complexion) I have not kept."

⁷"Tell me, O you whom my soul loves, Where do you pasture your flock, Where do you make it lie down at noon? For why should I be like one who is veiled Beside the flocks of your companions?"

⁸(The Bridegroom) "If you do not know [where your lover is], O you fairest among women, Run along, follow the tracks of the flock, And pasture your young goats By the tents of the shepherds.

⁹"To me, my love, you are like My [favorite] mare among the chariots of Pharaoh.

¹⁰"Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, Your neck with strings of jewels."

¹¹(The Chorus) "We will make for you chains and ornaments of gold, [Studded] with beads of silver."

¹²(The Shulammite Bride) "While the king was at his table, My perfume (Solomon) sent forth [his] fragrance [surrounding me].

¹³"My beloved is to me like a pouch of myrrh Which lies all night between my breasts.

¹⁴"My beloved is to me a cluster of henna flowers In the [fragrant] vineyards of Engedi."

¹⁵(The Bridegroom) "Behold, how beautiful you are, my darling, Behold, how beautiful you are! Your eyes are dove's eyes."

¹⁶(The Shulammite Bride) "Behold, how fair and handsome you are, my beloved; And so delightful! Our arbor is green and luxuriant.

¹⁷"The beams of our houses are cedars, Our rafters and panels are cypresses.

¹He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no enemy can withstand].

²I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust [with great confidence, and on whom I rely]!"

³For He will save you from the trap of the fowler, And from the deadly pestilence.

⁴He will cover you and completely protect you with His pinions, And under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and a wall.

⁵You will not be afraid of the terror of night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

⁶Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, Nor of the destruction (sudden death) that lays waste at noon.

⁷A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But danger will not come near you.

⁸You will only [be a spectator as you] look on with your eyes And witness the [divine] repayment of the wicked [as you watch safely from the shelter of the Most High].

⁹Because you have made the LORD, [who is] my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

¹⁰No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent.

¹¹For He will command His angels in regard to you, To protect and defend and guard you in all your ways [of obedience and service].

¹²They will lift you up in their hands, So that you do not [even] strike your foot against a stone.

¹³You will tread upon the lion and cobra; The young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

¹⁴"Because he set his love on Me, therefore I will save him; I will set him [securely] on high, because he knows My name [he confidently trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never abandon him, no, never].

¹⁵"He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

¹⁶"With a long life I will satisfy him And I will let him see My salvation."

¹Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them;

²For their minds plot violence, And their lips talk of trouble [for the innocent].

³Through [skillful and godly] wisdom a house [a life, a home, a family] is built, And by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation],

⁴And by knowledge its rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.

⁵A wise man is strong, And a man of knowledge strengthens his power;

⁶For by wise guidance you can wage your war, And in an abundance of [wise] counselors there is victory and safety.

⁷Wisdom is too exalted for a [hardened, arrogant] fool; He does not open his mouth in the gate [where the city's rulers sit in judgment].

⁸He who plans to do evil Will be called a schemer or deviser of evil.

⁹The devising of folly is sin, And the scoffer is repulsive to men.

¹⁰If you are slack (careless) in the day of distress, Your strength is limited.

¹¹Rescue those who are being taken away to death, And those who stagger to the slaughter, Oh hold them back [from their doom]!

¹²If you [claim ignorance and] say, "See, we did not know this," Does He not consider it who weighs and examines the hearts and their motives? And does He not know it who guards your life and keeps your soul? And will He not repay [you and] every man according to his works?

¹³My son, eat honey, because it is good, And the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.

¹⁴Know that [skillful and godly] wisdom is [so very good] for your life and soul; If you find wisdom, then there will be a future and a reward, And your hope and expectation will not be cut off.

¹⁵Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Do not destroy his resting place;

¹⁶For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of disaster and collapse.

¹⁷Do not rejoice and gloat when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad [in self-righteousness] when he stumbles,

¹⁸Or the LORD will see your gloating and be displeased, And turn His anger away from your enemy.

¹⁹Do not get upset because of evildoers, Or be envious of the wicked,

²⁰For there will be no future for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.

²¹My son, fear the LORD and the king; And do not associate with those who are given to change [of allegiance, and are revolutionary],

²²For their tragedy will rise suddenly, And who knows the punishment that both [the LORD and the king] will bring on the rebellious?

²³These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.

²⁴He who says to the wicked, "You are righteous," Peoples will curse him, nations will denounce him;

²⁵But to those [honorable judges] who rebuke the wicked, it will go well with them and they will find delight, And a good blessing will come upon them.

²⁶He kisses the lips [and wins the hearts of people] Who gives a right and straightforward answer.

²⁷Prepare your work outside And get it ready for yourself in the field; Afterward build your house and establish a home.

²⁸Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, And do not deceive with your lips [speak neither lies nor half-truths].

²⁹Do not say, "I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for his deed."

³⁰I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man lacking understanding and common sense;

³¹And, behold, it was all overgrown with thorns, And nettles were covering its surface, And its stone wall was broken down.

³²When I saw, I considered it well; I looked and received instruction.

³³"Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest [and daydream],"

³⁴Then your poverty will come as a robber, And your want like an armed man.

¹After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her.

²Then the king's attendants, who served him, said, "Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king.

³"Let the king appoint administrators in all the provinces of his kingdom, and have them gather all the beautiful young virgins to the citadel in Susa, into the harem, under the custody of Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let their beauty preparations be given to them.

⁴Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen in place of Vashti." This pleased the king, and he did accordingly.

⁵There was a certain Jew in the citadel of Susa whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite,

⁶who had been deported from Jerusalem with the captives who had been exiled with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had exiled.

⁷He was the guardian of Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had no father or mother. The young woman was beautiful of form and face; and when her father and mother died, Mordecai took her in as his own daughter.

⁸So it came about when the king's command and his decree were proclaimed and when many young women were gathered together in the citadel of Susa into the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king's palace [and placed] in the custody of Hegai, who was in charge of the women.

⁹Now the young woman pleased Hegai and found favor with him. So he quickly provided her with beauty preparations and her [portion of] food, and he gave her seven choice maids from the king's palace; then he transferred her and her maids to the best place in the harem.

¹⁰Esther did not reveal [the Jewish background of] her people or her family, for Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.

¹¹Every day Mordecai [who was an attendant in the king's court] walked back and forth in front of the courtyard of the harem to learn how Esther was getting along and what was happening to her.

¹²Now when it was each young woman's turn to go before King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve months under the regulations for the women—for the days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with [sweet] spices and perfumes and the beauty preparations for women—

¹³then the young woman would go before the king in this way: anything that she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem into the king's palace.

¹⁴In the evening she would go in and the next morning she would return to the second harem, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he delighted in her and she was summoned by name.

¹⁵Now as for Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her in as his [own] daughter, when her turn came to go in to the king, she requested nothing except what Hegai the king's eunuch [and attendant] who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther found favor in the sight of all who saw her.

¹⁶So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, to his royal palace in the tenth month, that is, the month of Tebeth (Dec-Jan), in the seventh year of his reign.

¹⁷Now the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the [other] virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen in the place of Vashti.

¹⁸Then the king held a great banquet, Esther's banquet, for all his officials and his servants; and he made a festival for the provinces and gave gifts in accordance with the resources of the king.

¹⁹And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate.

²⁰Esther had not revealed her family or her people [that is, her Jewish background], just as Mordecai had instructed her; for Esther did what Mordecai told her just as when she was under his care.

²¹In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs who guarded the door, became angry and conspired to attack King Ahasuerus.

²²But the plot became known to Mordecai, who informed Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in Mordecai's name.

²³Now when the plot was investigated and found to be true, both men were hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles in the king's presence.

¹The oracle (a burdensome message) of the word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach [in Syria], with Damascus as its resting place (for the eyes of men, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward the LORD),

²And Hamath also, which borders on it (Damascus), Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.

³For Tyre built herself an [impregnable] stronghold [on an island offshore], And she has heaped up silver like dust And gold like the mire of the streets.

⁴Behold, the Lord will dispossess her And throw her wealth into the sea; And Tyre will be devoured by fire.

⁵Ashkelon will see it and fear; Gaza will writhe in pain, And Ekron, for her hope and expectation, has been ruined. The king will perish from Gaza, And Ashkelon will not be inhabited.

⁶And a mongrel race will live in Ashdod, And I will put an end to the pride and arrogance of the Philistines.

⁷I will take the blood from their mouths And their detestable things from between their teeth [those repulsive, idolatrous sacrifices eaten with the blood]. Then they too will be a remnant for our God, And be like a clan in Judah, And Ekron will be like one of the Jebusites.

⁸Then I will camp around My house [as a guard] because of an army, Because of him who passes by and returns; And no oppressor will again overrun them (Israel), For now My eyes are upon them [providentially protecting them].

⁹Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O Daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King (Messianic King) is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, Humble and unassuming [in submission to the will of the Father] and riding on a donkey, Upon a colt, the foal of a donkey.

¹⁰I will cut off the [war] chariot from Ephraim And the [war] horse from Jerusalem, And the bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak [words of] peace to the nations, And His dominion shall be from sea to sea [absolutely endless], And from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth.

¹¹As for you also, because of the blood of My covenant with you [My chosen people, the covenant that was sealed with blood] I have freed your prisoners from the waterless pit.

¹²Return to the stronghold [of security and prosperity], O prisoners who have the hope; Even today I am declaring that I will restore double [your former prosperity] to you [as firstborn among nations].

¹³For I will bend Judah as My bow, I will fit the bow with Ephraim [as My arrow]. And I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, And will make you [Israel] like the sword of a warrior.

¹⁴Then the LORD will be seen [hovering] over them [protecting His people], And His arrow will go forth like lightning; And the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet And will march in the windstorms of the south.

¹⁵The LORD of hosts shall defend and protect them; And they will devour [the enemy] and trample down the slingstones [that have missed their mark], And they will drink [of victory] and be boisterous as with wine; And they shall be filled like sacrificial bowls [used to catch the blood], Drenched like the corners of the [sacrificial] altar.

¹⁶And the LORD their God shall save them on that day As the flock of His people; For they are like the [precious] jewels of a crown, Displayed and glittering in His land.

¹⁷For how great is God's goodness and how great is His beauty! And how great [He will make Israel's] goodliness and [Israel's] beauty! Grain and new wine will make the young men and virgins flourish.

¹Now after Paul and Silas had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.

²And Paul entered the synagogue, as was his custom, and for three Sabbaths he engaged in discussion and friendly debate with them from the Scriptures,

³explaining and pointing out [scriptural evidence] that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I am proclaiming to you, is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)."

⁴And some of them were persuaded to believe and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and many of the leading women.

⁵But the [unbelieving] Jews became jealous, and taking along some thugs from [the lowlifes in] the market place, they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and then attacking Jason's house tried to bring Paul and Silas out to the people.

⁶But when they failed to find them, they dragged Jason and some brothers before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too;

⁷and Jason has welcomed them [into his house and protected them]! And they all are saying things contrary to the decrees of Caesar, [actually] claiming that there is another king, Jesus."

⁸They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things.

⁹And when they had taken security (bail) from Jason and the others, they let them go.

¹⁰The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea; and when they arrived, they entered the Jewish synagogue.

¹¹Now these people were more noble and open-minded than those in Thessalonica, so they received the message [of salvation through faith in the Christ] with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

¹²As a result many of them became believers, together with a number of prominent Greek women and men.

¹³But when the Jews of Thessalonica learned that the word of God [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ] had also been preached by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and disturbing the crowds.

¹⁴So at that time the brothers immediately sent Paul away to go as far as the sea; but Silas and Timothy remained there [at Berea].

¹⁵Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens; and [after] receiving instructions [from Paul] for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible, they left.

¹⁶Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was greatly angered when he saw that the city was full of idols.

¹⁷So he had discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place day after day with any who happened to be there.

¹⁸And some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to engage in conversation with him. And some said, "What could this idle babbler [with his eclectic, scrap-heap learning] have in mind to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities"—because he was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

¹⁹They took him and brought him to the Areopagus (Hill of Ares, the Greek god of war), saying, "May we know what this [strange] new teaching is which you are proclaiming?

²⁰For you are bringing some startling and strange things to our ears; so we want to know what they mean."

²¹(Now all the Athenians and the foreigners visiting there used to spend their [leisure] time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)

²²So Paul, standing in the center of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I observe [with every turn I make throughout the city] that you are very religious and devout in all respects.

²³Now as I was going along and carefully looking at your objects of worship, I came to an altar with this inscription: 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' Therefore what you already worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

²⁴The God who created the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;

²⁵nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, because it is He who gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.

²⁶And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands and territories.

²⁷This was so that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grasp for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.

²⁸For in Him we live and move and exist [that is, in Him we actually have our being], as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.'

²⁹So then, being God's children, we should not think that the Divine Nature (deity) is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination or skill of man.

³⁰Therefore God overlooked and disregarded the former ages of ignorance; but now He commands all people everywhere to repent [that is, to change their old way of thinking, to regret their past sins, and to seek God's purpose for their lives],

³¹because He has set a day when He will judge the inhabited world in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointed and destined for that task, and He has provided credible proof to everyone by raising Him from the dead."

³²Now when they heard [the term] resurrection from the dead, some mocked and sneered; but others said, "We will hear from you again about this matter."

³³So Paul left them.

³⁴But some men joined him and believed; among them were Dionysius, [a judge] of the Council of Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.