Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women went to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared [to finish anointing the body].

²And they found the [large, circular] stone rolled back from the tomb,

³but when they went inside, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

⁴While they were perplexed and wondering about this, suddenly, two men in dazzling clothing stood near them;

⁵and as the women were terrified and were bowing their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why are you looking for the living One among the dead?

⁶He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee,

⁷saying that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise [from death to life]."

⁸And they remembered His words,

⁹and after returning from the tomb, they reported all these things to the eleven [apostles] and to all the rest.

¹⁰Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna [the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward] and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.

¹¹But their report seemed to them like idle talk and nonsense, and they would not believe them.

¹²But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Stooping [at the small entrance] and looking in, he saw only the linen wrappings; and he went away, wondering about what had happened.

¹³And then, that very day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem.

¹⁴And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place.

¹⁵While they were talking and discussing it, Jesus Himself came up and began walking with them.

¹⁶But their eyes were [miraculously] prevented from recognizing Him.

¹⁷Then Jesus asked them, "What are you discussing with one another as you walk along?" And they stood still, looking brokenhearted.

¹⁸One of them, named Cleopas, answered Him, "Are you the only stranger visiting Jerusalem who is unaware of the things which have happened here in these [recent] days?"

¹⁹He asked, "What things?" And they replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet powerful in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people,

²⁰and how the chief priests and our rulers handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and crucified Him.

²¹But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel and set our nation free. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened.

²²And also some of the women among us shocked us. They were at the tomb early in the morning,

²³and they did not find His body. Then they came back, saying that they had even seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive!

²⁴Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women had said, but they did not see Him."

²⁵Then Jesus said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to trust and believe in everything that the prophets have spoken!

²⁶Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and [only then to] enter His glory?"

²⁷Then beginning with Moses and [throughout] all the [writings of the] prophets, He explained and interpreted for them the things referring to Himself [found] in all the Scriptures.

²⁸Then they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as if He were going farther.

²⁹But they urged Him [not to go on], saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening, and the day has just about ended." So He went inside to stay with them.

³⁰And it happened that as He reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them.

³¹Then their eyes were [suddenly] opened [by God] and they [clearly] recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.

³²They said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking with us on the road and opening the Scriptures to us?"

³³They got up that very hour and went back to Jerusalem, and found the eleven [apostles] gathered together and those who were with them,

³⁴saying, "The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon [Peter]!"

³⁵They began describing in detail what had happened on the road, and how Jesus was recognized by them when He broke the bread.

³⁶While they were talking about this, Jesus Himself [suddenly] stood among them and said to them, "Peace be to you."

³⁷But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a spirit.

³⁸And He said, "Why are you troubled, and why are doubts rising in your hearts?

³⁹Look at [the marks in] My hands and My feet, [and see] that it is I Myself. Touch Me and see; a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see that I have."

⁴⁰After saying this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

⁴¹While they still did not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?"

⁴²They gave Him a piece of broiled fish,

⁴³and He took it and ate it in front of them.

⁴⁴Then He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you, everything which has been written about Me in the Law of Moses and the [writings of the] Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."

⁴⁵Then He opened their minds to [help them] understand the Scriptures,

⁴⁶and said, "And so it is written, that the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,

⁴⁷and that repentance [necessary] for forgiveness of sins would be preached in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things.

⁴⁹Listen carefully: I am sending the Promise of My Father [the Holy Spirit] upon you; but you are to remain in the city [of Jerusalem] until you are clothed (fully equipped) with power from on high."

⁵⁰Then He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifted up His hands and blessed them.

⁵¹While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven.

⁵²And they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy [fully understanding that He lives and that He is the Son of God];

⁵³and they were continually in the temple blessing and praising God.

¹Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: "Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.

²But if you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them,

³now hear this: the hand of the LORD will fall on your livestock which are out in the field, on the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks—a horrible plague shall come.

⁴But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing that belongs to the Israelites will die."'"

⁵The LORD set a [definite] time, saying, "Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land."

⁶And the LORD did this thing the next day, and all [kinds of] the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the Israelites, not one died.

⁷Then Pharaoh sent [men to investigate], and not even one of the livestock of the Israelites had died. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened [and his mind was firmly set], and he did not let the people go.

⁸Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of soot from the brick kiln, and let Moses throw it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh.

⁹It will become fine dust over the entire land of Egypt, and it will become boils breaking out in sores on man and animal in all the land [occupied by the Egyptians]."

¹⁰So they took soot from the kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it toward the sky, and it became boils erupting in sores on man and animal.

¹¹The magicians (soothsayer-priests) could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians as well as on all the Egyptians.

¹²But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen or pay attention to them, just as the LORD had told Moses.

¹³Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, "Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.

¹⁴For this time I will send all My plagues on you [in full force,] and on your servants and on your people, so that you may know [without any doubt] and acknowledge that there is no one like Me in all the earth.

¹⁵For by now I could have put out My hand and struck you and your people with a pestilence, and you would then have been cut off (obliterated) from the earth.

¹⁶But indeed for this very reason I have allowed you to live, in order to show you My power and in order that My name may be proclaimed throughout all the earth.

¹⁷Since you are still [arrogantly] exalting yourself [in defiance] against My people by not letting them go,

¹⁸hear this: tomorrow about this time I will send a very heavy and dreadful hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.

¹⁹Now therefore send [a message], bring your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. Every man and animal that is in the field and is not brought home shall be struck by the hail and shall die."'"

²⁰Then everyone among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses and shelters;

²¹but everyone who ignored and did not take seriously the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.

²²Now the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand [with your staff] toward the sky, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and on animal and on all the vegetation of the field, throughout the land of Egypt."

²³Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning (fireballs) ran down to the earth and along the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.

²⁴So there was hail, and lightning (fireballs) flashing intermittently in the midst of the extremely heavy hail, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

²⁵The hail struck down everything that was in the field throughout all the land of Egypt, both man and animal; the hail struck and beat down all the plants in the field and shattered every tree in the field.

²⁶Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel lived, was there no hail.

²⁷Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "I have sinned this time; the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.

²⁸Pray and entreat the LORD, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail; I will let you go, and you shall stay here no longer."

²⁹Moses said to him, "As soon as I leave the city, I will stretch out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease and there will be no more hail, so that you may know [without any doubt] and acknowledge that the earth is the Lord's.

³⁰But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the LORD God."

³¹(Now the flax and the barley were battered and ruined [by the hail], because the barley was in the ear (ripe, but soft) and the flax was in bud,

³²but the wheat and spelt (coarse wheat) were not battered and ruined, because they ripen late in the season.)

³³So Moses left the city and Pharaoh, and stretched out his hands to the LORD; then the thunder and hail ceased, and rain no longer poured on the earth.

³⁴But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, both he and his servants.

³⁵Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.

¹Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship.

²And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].

³For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service].

⁴For just as in one [physical] body we have many parts, and these parts do not all have the same function or special use,

⁵so we, who are many, are [nevertheless just] one body in Christ, and individually [we are] parts one of another [mutually dependent on each other].

⁶Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them accordingly: if [someone has the gift of] prophecy, [let him speak a new message from God to His people] in proportion to the faith possessed;

⁷if service, in the act of serving; or he who teaches, in the act of teaching;

⁸or he who encourages, in the act of encouragement; he who gives, with generosity; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy [in caring for others], with cheerfulness.

⁹Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good.

¹⁰Be devoted to one another with [authentic] brotherly affection [as members of one family], give preference to one another in honor;

¹¹never lagging behind in diligence; aglow in the Spirit, enthusiastically serving the Lord;

¹²constantly rejoicing in hope [because of our confidence in Christ], steadfast and patient in distress, devoted to prayer [continually seeking wisdom, guidance, and strength],

¹³contributing to the needs of God's people, pursuing [the practice of] hospitality.

¹⁴Bless those who persecute you [who cause you harm or hardship]; bless and do not curse [them].

¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others' joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others' grief].

¹⁶Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty [conceited, self-important, exclusive], but associate with humble people [those with a realistic self-view]. Do not overestimate yourself.

¹⁷Never repay anyone evil for evil. Take thought for what is right and gracious and proper in the sight of everyone.

¹⁸If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

¹⁹Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for God's wrath [and His judicial righteousness]; for it is written [in Scripture], "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.

²⁰But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for by doing this you will heapburning coals on his head."

²¹Do not be overcome and conquered by evil, but overcome evil with good.

¹When He (the Lamb) broke open the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour [in awe of God's impending judgment].

²Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

³Another angel came and stood at the altar. He had a golden censer, and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints (God's people) on the golden altar in front of the throne.

⁴And the smoke and fragrant aroma of the incense, with the prayers of the saints (God's people), ascended before God from the angel's hand.

⁵So the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder and loud rumblings and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

⁶Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them [initiating the judgments].

⁷The first [angel] sounded [his trumpet], and there was [a storm of] hail and fire, mixed with blood, and it was hurled to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

⁸The second angel sounded [his trumpet], and something like a great mountain blazing with fire was hurled into the sea; and a third of the sea was turned to blood;

⁹and a third of the living creatures that were in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰The third angel sounded [his trumpet], and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch [flashing across the sky], and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of [fresh] waters.

¹¹The name of the star is Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the waters, because they had become bitter (toxic).

¹²Then the fourth angel sounded [his trumpet], and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and a third of the daylight would not shine, and the night in the same way [would not shine].

¹³Then I looked, and I heard a solitary eagle flying in midheaven [for all to see], saying with a loud voice, " Woe, woe, woe [great wrath is coming] to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpets which the three angels are about to sound [announcing ever greater judgments]!"

¹(The Chorus) "Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Where is your beloved hiding himself, That we may seek him with you?"

²(The Shulammite Bride) "My beloved has gone down to his garden, To the beds of balsam, To feed his flock in the gardens And gather lilies.

³"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine, He who feeds his flock among the lilies."

⁴(The Bridegroom) "You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling, As lovely as Jerusalem, As majestic as an army with banners!

⁵"Turn your [flashing] eyes away from me, For they have confused and overcome me; Your hair is like [the shimmering black fleece of] a flock of [Arabian] goats That have descended from Mount Gilead.

⁶"Your teeth are like a flock of ewes Which have come up from their washing, All of which bear twins, And not one among them has lost her young.

⁷"Your temples are like a slice of the pomegranate Behind your veil.

⁸"There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, And maidens without number;

⁹But my dove, my perfect one, stands alone [above them all]; She is her mother's only daughter; She is the pure child of the one who bore her. The maidens saw her and called her blessed and happy, The queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,

¹⁰'Who is this that looks down like the dawn, Fair and beautiful as the full moon, Clear and pure as the sun, As majestic as an army with banners?'

¹¹"I went down to the orchard of nut trees To see the flowers of the valley, To see whether the grapevine had budded And the pomegranates were in flower.

¹²"Before I was aware [of what was happening], my desire had brought me Into the area of the princes of my people [the king's retinue]."

¹³(The Chorus) "Return, return, O Shulammite; Return, return, that we may gaze at you." (The Bridegroom) "Why should you gaze at the Shulammite, As at the dance of the two armies?

¹O sing to the LORD a new song; Sing to the LORD, all the earth!

²Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim good news of His salvation from day to day.

³Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works and wonderful deeds among all the peoples.

⁴For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.

⁵For all the gods of the peoples are [worthless, lifeless] idols, But the LORD made the heavens.

⁶Splendor and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

⁷Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

⁸Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name; Bring an offering and come into His courts.

⁹Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; Tremble [in submissive wonder] before Him, all the earth.

¹⁰Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns; Indeed, the world is firmly and securely established, it shall not be moved; He will judge and rule the people with fairness."

¹¹Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and all the things it contains;

¹²Let the field be exultant, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy

¹³Before the LORD, for He is coming, For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness And the peoples in His faithfulness.

¹He who hardens his neck and refuses instruction after being often reproved (corrected, criticized), Will suddenly be broken beyond repair.

²When the righteous are in authority and become great, the people rejoice; But when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh.

³A man who loves [skillful and godly] wisdom makes his father joyful, But he who associates with prostitutes wastes his wealth.

⁴The king establishes (stabilizes) the land by justice, But a man who takes bribes overthrows it.

⁵A man who flatters his neighbor [with smooth words intending to do harm] Is spreading a net for his own feet.

⁶By his wicked plan an evil man is trapped, But the righteous man sings and rejoices [for his plan brings good things to him].

⁷The righteous man cares for the rights of the poor, But the wicked man has no interest in such knowledge.

⁸Scoffers set a city afire [by stirring up trouble], But wise men turn away anger [and restore order with their good judgment].

⁹If a wise man has a controversy with a foolish and arrogant man, The foolish man [ignores logic and fairness and] only rages or laughs, and there is no peace (rest, agreement).

¹⁰The bloodthirsty hate the blameless [because of his integrity], But the upright are concerned for his life.

¹¹A [shortsighted] fool always loses his temper and displays his anger, But a wise man [uses self-control and] holds it back.

¹²If a ruler pays attention to lies [and encourages corruption], All his officials will become wicked.

¹³The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives light to the eyes of both.

¹⁴If a king faithfully and truthfully judges the poor, His throne shall be established forever.

¹⁵The rod and reproof (godly instruction) give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.

¹⁶When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases, But the righteous will see the downfall of the wicked.

¹⁷Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; Yes, he will delight your soul.

¹⁸Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].

¹⁹A servant will not be corrected by words alone; For though he understands, he will not respond [nor pay attention].

²⁰Do you see a [conceited] man who speaks quickly [offering his opinions or answering without thinking]? There is more hope for a [thickheaded] fool than for him.

²¹He who pampers his slave from childhood Will find him to be a son in the end.

²²An angry man stirs up strife, And a hot-tempered and undisciplined man commits many transgressions.

²³A man's pride and sense of self-importance will bring him down, But he who has a humble spirit will obtain honor.

²⁴Whoever is partner with a thief hates his own life; He hears the curse [when swearing an oath to testify], but discloses nothing [and commits perjury by omission].

²⁵The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in and puts his confidence in the LORD will be exalted and safe.

²⁶Many seek the ruler's favor, But justice for man comes from the LORD.

²⁷An unjust man is repulsive to the righteous, And he who is upright in the way [of the LORD] is repulsive to the wicked.

¹So the king and Haman came to drink wine with Esther the queen.

²And the king said to Esther on the second day also as they drank their wine, "What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted to you. And what is your request? Even to half of the kingdom, it shall be done."

³Then Queen Esther replied, "If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be spared as my petition, and my people [be spared] as my request;

⁴for we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, killed and wiped out of existence. Now if we had only been sold as slaves, men and women, I would have remained silent, for our hardship would not be sufficient to burden the king [by even mentioning it]."

⁵Then King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) asked Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he, who dares to do such a thing?"

⁶Esther said, "An adversary and an enemy is Haman, this evil man." Then Haman became terrified before the king and queen.

⁷Then in his fury, the king stood up from drinking wine and went into the palace garden [to decide what he should do]; but Haman stayed to plead for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm had been determined against him by the king.

⁸When the king returned from the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, "Will he even attempt to assault the queen with me in the palace?" As the king spoke those words, the servants covered Haman's face [in preparation for execution].

⁹Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs serving the king said, "Now look, there are gallows fifty cubits (75 ft.) high standing at Haman's house, which Haman made for Mordecai, whose good warning saved the king." And the king said, "Hang him on it."

¹⁰So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king's anger subsided.

¹Behold, a day is coming for the LORD when the spoil taken from you (Jerusalem) will be divided in your midst.

²For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured and the houses plundered and the women ravished; and half of the city will be exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.

³Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.

⁴In that day His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives, which lies before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in half from the east to the west by a very large valley, and half of the mountain will move toward the north and half of it toward the south.

⁵You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; and you will flee just as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones (believers, angels) with Him.

⁶In that day there will be no light; the glorious ones (heavenly bodies) shall be darkened.

⁷But it will be a unique day which is known to the LORD—not day and not night, but at evening time there will be light.

⁸And in that day living waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea (Dead Sea) and half of them to the western sea (the Mediterranean); it will be in summer as well as in winter.

⁹And the LORD shall be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD shall be the only one [worshiped], and His name the only one.

¹⁰All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon, [the Rimmon that is] south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain [lifted up] on its site from Benjamin's Gate to the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's wine presses.

¹¹It will be inhabited, for there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security.

¹²Now this will be the plague with which the LORD shall strike all the peoples that have warred against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth.

¹³In that day a great panic and dismay from the LORD will fall on them; and they will seize one another's hand, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other.

¹⁴Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered together—gold and silver and garments in great abundance.

¹⁵So like this plague [on men] there will be the plague on the horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and all the livestock in those camps.

¹⁶Then everyone who is left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and celebrate the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles).

¹⁷And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them.

¹⁸If the family of Egypt does not go up [to Jerusalem] and present themselves, then no rain will fall on them. It will be the plague with which the LORD will strike the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles).

¹⁹This will be the [consequent] punishment [for the sin] of Egypt, and the [consequent] punishment [for the sin] of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles).

²⁰In that day there will be written on the little bells on the horses, " HOLY TO The Lord." And the cooking pots in the Lord's house will be [holy to the LORD] like the bowls before the altar.

²¹Every cooking pot in [all the houses in] Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the LORD of hosts, and all who sacrifice will come and take them and boil [their sacrifices] in them. And in that day there will no longer be a Canaanite [that is, any godless or spiritually unclean person, whether Jew or Gentile] in the house of the LORD of hosts.

¹"Brethren and fathers (kinsmen), hear my defense which I now offer to you."

²When they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet. And he continued,

³"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strictness of the law of our fathers, being ardent and passionate for God just as all of you are today.

⁴I persecuted and pursued the followers of this Way to the death, binding them with chains and putting [followers of Jesus] both men and women into prisons,

⁵as the high priest and all the Council of the elders (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) can testify; because from them I received letters to the brothers, and I was on my way to Damascus in order to bring those [believers] who were there to Jerusalem in chains to be punished.

⁶"But as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a great blaze of light suddenly flashed from heaven and shone around me.

⁷And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?'

⁸And I replied, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said to me, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.'

⁹Now those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me.

¹⁰And I asked, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord answered me, 'Get up and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that is appointed and destined for you to do.'

¹¹But since I could not see because of the [glorious intensity and dazzling] brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus.

¹²"And one Ananias, a devout man according to the standard of the Law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,

¹³came to [see] me, and standing near, he said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I [recovered my sight and] looked up at him.

¹⁴And he said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will, [and to progressively understand His plan with clarity and power] and to see the Righteous One [Jesus Christ, the Messiah] and to hear a message from His [own] mouth.

¹⁵For you will be His witness to all men testifying of what you have seen and heard.

¹⁶Now, why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on His name [for salvation].'

¹⁷"Then it happened when I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple [enclosure], that I fell into a trance (vision);

¹⁸and I saw Him saying to me, 'Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.'

¹⁹And I said, 'Lord, they themselves know [without any doubt] that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You [and Your message of salvation].

²⁰And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing nearby approving and consenting [to his death], and guarding the coats of those who were killing him.'

²¹And the Lord said to me, 'Go, I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'"

²²They listened to Paul until [he made] this [last] statement, but now they raised their voices and shouted, "Away with such a man from the earth! He is not fit to live!"

²³And as they were shouting and throwing off their coats [getting ready to stone Paul] and tossing dust into the air [expressing their anger],

²⁴the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, stating that he was to be interrogated with a whip in order to learn why the people were shouting against him that way.

²⁵But when they had stretched him out with the leather straps [in preparation for the whip], Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it legal for you to whip a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned [without a trial]?"

²⁶When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and said to him, "What are you about to do? This man is a Roman!"

²⁷So the commander came and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman?" And he said, "Yes."

²⁸The commander replied, "I purchased this citizenship [of mine] for a large sum of money [so how did you acquire yours?]." Paul said, "But I was actually born a citizen."

²⁹So those who were about to interrogate him by torture immediately let him go; and the commander was also afraid when he realized that Paul was a Roman and he had put him in chains.

³⁰But on the next day, wanting to know the real reason why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) to assemble; and brought Paul down and presented him before them.