Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹After this, Jesus walked [from place to place] in Galilee, for He would not walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.

²Now the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) was approaching.

³So His brothers said to Him, "Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples [there] may also see the works that You do.

⁴No one does anything in secret when he wants to be known publicly. If You [must] do these things, show Yourself openly to the world and make Yourself known!"

⁵For not even His brothers believed in Him.

⁶So Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come; but any time is right for you.

⁷The world cannot hate you [since you are part of it], but it does hate Me because I denounce it and testify that its deeds are evil.

⁸Go up to the feast yourselves. I am not going up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come."

⁹Having said these things to them, He stayed behind in Galilee.

¹⁰But [afterward], when His brothers had gone up to the feast, He went up too, not publicly [with a caravan], but quietly [because He did not want to be noticed].

¹¹So the Jews kept looking for Him at the feast and asking, "Where is He?"

¹²There was a lot of whispered discussion and murmuring among the crowds about Him. Some were saying, "He is a good man"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He misleads the people [giving them false ideas]."

¹³Yet no one was speaking out openly and freely about Him for fear of [the leaders of] the Jews.

¹⁴When the feast was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple [court] and began to teach.

¹⁵Then the Jews were perplexed. They said, "How did this man become learned [so versed in the Scriptures and theology] without formal training?"

¹⁶Jesus answered them by saying, "My teaching is not My own, but His who sent Me.

¹⁷If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know whether the teaching is of God or whether I speak on My own accord and by My own authority.

¹⁸He who speaks on his own accord seeks glory and honor for himself. But He who seeks the glory and the honor of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness or deception in Him.

¹⁹"Did not Moses give you the Law? And yet not one of you keeps the Law. Why do you want to kill Me [for not keeping it]?"

²⁰The crowd answered, "You have a demon [You are out of Your mind]! Who wants to kill You?"

²¹Jesus replied, "I did one work, and you are all astounded.

²²For this reason Moses has given you [God's law regarding] circumcision (not that it originated with Moses, but with the patriarchs) and you circumcise a man [even] on the Sabbath.

²³If, to avoid breaking the Law of Moses, a man undergoes circumcision on the Sabbath, why are you angry with Me for making a man's whole body well on the Sabbath?

²⁴Do not judge by appearance [superficially and arrogantly], but judge fairly and righteously."

²⁵Then some of the people of Jerusalem said, "Is this not the Man they want to kill?

²⁶Look, He is speaking publicly, and they say nothing to Him! Is it possible that the rulers really know that this is the Christ?

²⁷But we know where this Man is from; whenever the Christ comes, no one will know where He is from."

²⁸Then Jesus called out as He taught in the temple, "You know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come on my own initiative [as self-appointed], but He who sent Me is true, and Him you do not know.

²⁹I know Him Myself because I am from Him [I came from His very presence] and it was He [personally] who sent Me."

³⁰So they were eager to arrest Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His time had not yet come.

³¹But many from the crowd believed in Him. And they kept saying, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs and exhibit more proofs than this Man?"

³²The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things [under their breath] about Him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent guards to arrest Him.

³³Therefore Jesus said, "For a little while longer I am [still] with you, and then I go to Him who sent Me.

³⁴You will look for Me, and will not [be able to] find Me; and where I am, you cannot come."

³⁵Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does this Man intend to go that we will not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion [of Jews scattered and living] among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?

³⁶What does this statement of His mean, 'You will look for Me, and will not [be able to] find Me; and where I am, you cannot come'?"

³⁷Now on the last and most important day of the feast, Jesus stood and called out [in a loud voice], "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink!

³⁸He who believes in Me [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Me], as the Scripture has said, 'From his innermost being will flow continually rivers of living water.'"

³⁹But He was speaking of the [Holy] Spirit, whom those who believed in Him [as Savior] were to receive afterward. The Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (raised to honor).

⁴⁰Listening to these words, some of the people said, "This is certainly the Prophet!"

⁴¹Others said, "This is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)!" But others said, "Surely the Christ is not going to come out of Galilee, is He?

⁴²Does the Scripture not say that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?"

⁴³So the crowd was divided because of Him.

⁴⁴Some of them wanted to arrest Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

⁴⁵Then the guards went [back] to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why did you not bring Him [here with you]?"

⁴⁶The guards replied, "Never [at any time] has a man talked the way this Man talks!"

⁴⁷Then the Pharisees said to them, "Have you also been deluded and swept off your feet?

⁴⁸Has any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him?

⁴⁹But this [ignorant, contemptible] crowd that does not know the Law is accursed and doomed!"

⁵⁰Nicodemus (the one who came to Jesus before and was one of them) asked,

⁵¹"Does our Law convict someone without first giving him a hearing and finding out what he is [accused of] doing?"

⁵²They responded, "Are you also from Galilee? Search [and read the Scriptures], and see [for yourself] that no prophet comes from Galilee!"

⁵³[And everyone went to his own house.

¹They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they left the land of Egypt.

²The whole congregation of the Israelites [grew discontented and] murmured and rebelled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,

³and the Israelites said to them, " Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and ate bread until we were full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this entire assembly with hunger."

⁴Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will cause bread to rain from heaven for you; the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, so that I may test them [to determine] whether or not they will walk [obediently] in My instruction (law).

⁵And it shall be that on the sixth day, they shall prepare to bring in twice as much as they gather daily [so that they will not need to gather on the seventh day]."

⁶So Moses and Aaron said to all Israel, "At evening you shall know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt,

⁷and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, for He hears your murmurings against the LORD. What are we, that you murmur and rebel against us?"

⁸Moses said, "This will happen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning [enough] bread to be fully satisfied, because the LORD has heard your murmurings against Him; for what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD."

⁹Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to all the congregation of Israel, 'Approach the LORD, because He has heard your murmurings.'"

¹⁰So it happened that as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory and brilliance of the LORD appeared in the cloud!

¹¹Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

¹²"I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites; speak to them, saying, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'"

¹³So in the evening the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a blanket of dew around the camp.

¹⁴When the layer of dew evaporated, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine, flake-like thing, as fine as frost on the ground.

¹⁵When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, " What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

¹⁶This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Let every man gather as much of it as he needs. Take an omer for each person, according to the number of people each of you has in his tent.'"

¹⁷The Israelites did so, and some gathered much [of it] and some [only a] little.

¹⁸When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered a large amount had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered according to his need (family size).

¹⁹Moses said, "Let none of it be left [overnight] until [the next] morning."

²⁰But they did not listen to Moses, and some left a supply of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul and rotten; and Moses was angry with them.

²¹So they gathered it every morning, each as much as he needed, because when the sun was hot it melted.

²²Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each person; and all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses.

²³He said to them, "This is what the LORD has said: 'Tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD'; bake and boil what you will bake and boil [today], and all that remains left over put aside for yourselves to keep until morning."

²⁴They put it aside until morning, as Moses told them, and it did not become foul nor was it wormy.

²⁵Then Moses said, "Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field.

²⁶Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none [in the field]."

²⁷Now on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.

²⁸Then the LORD said to Moses, "How long do you [people] refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions (laws)?

²⁹See, the LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you the bread for two days on the sixth day. Let every man stay in his place; no man is to leave his place on the seventh day."

³⁰So the people rested on the seventh day.

³¹The house of Israel called the bread manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and it tasted like flat pastry (wafers) made with honey.

³²Then Moses said, "This is the word which the LORD commands, 'Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'"

³³So Moses said to Aaron, "Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the LORD to be kept throughout your generations."

³⁴As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron [eventually] placed it in the presence of the Testimony, to be kept.

³⁵The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they reached an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

³⁶(Now an omer is the tenth of an ephah.)

¹However, brothers and sisters, I could not talk to you as to spiritual people, but [only] as to worldly people [dominated by human nature], mere infants [in the new life] in Christ!

²I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Even now you are still not ready.

³You are still worldly [controlled by ordinary impulses, the sinful capacity]. For as long as there is jealousy and strife and discord among you, are you not unspiritual, and are you not walking like ordinary men [unchanged by faith]?

⁴For when one of you says, "I am [a disciple] of Paul," and another, "I am [a disciple] of Apollos," are you not [proving yourselves unchanged, just] ordinary people?

⁵What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Just servants through whom you believed [in Christ], even as the Lord appointed to each his task.

⁶I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all the while] was causing the growth.

⁷So neither is the one who plants nor the one who waters anything, but [only] God who causes the growth.

⁸He who plants and he who waters are one [in importance and esteem, working toward the same purpose]; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

⁹For we are God's fellow workers [His servants working together]; you are God's cultivated field [His garden, His vineyard], God's building.

¹⁰According to the [remarkable] grace of God which was given to me [to prepare me for my task], like a skillful master builder I laid a foundation, and now another is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it,

¹¹for no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ.

¹²But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,

¹³each one's work will be clearly shown [for what it is]; for the day [of judgment] will disclose it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality and character and worth of each person's work.

¹⁴If any person's work which he has built [on this foundation, that is, any outcome of his effort] remains [and survives this test], he will receive a reward.

¹⁵But if any person's work is burned up [by the test], he will suffer the loss [of his reward]; yet he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has barely escaped] through fire.

¹⁶Do you not know and understand that you [the church] are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells [permanently] in you [collectively and individually]?

¹⁷If anyone destroys the temple of God [corrupting it with false doctrine], God will destroy the destroyer; for the temple of God is holy (sacred), and that is what you are.

¹⁸Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool [discarding his worldly pretensions and acknowledging his lack of wisdom], so that he may become [truly] wise.

¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness (absurdity, stupidity) before God; for it is written [in Scripture], "[He is] The one who catches the wise and clever in their craftiness;"

²⁰and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the [humanly] wise, that they are useless."

²¹So let no one boast in men [about their wisdom, or of having this or that one as a leader]. For all things are yours,

²²whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas (Peter) or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things are yours,

²³and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.

¹Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and wonderful [a warning of terrifying and horrible events]: seven angels who had seven plagues (afflictions, calamities), which are the last, because with them the wrath of God is finished [that is, it is completely expressed and reaches its zenith].

²Then I saw something like a sea or large expanse of glass mixed with fire, and those who were victorious over the beast and over his image and over the number corresponding to his name were standing on the sea or large expanse of glass, holding harps of God [worshiping Him].

³And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and wonderful and awe-inspiring are Your works [in judgment], O Lord God, the Almighty [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all]; Righteous and true are Your ways, O King of the nations!

⁴"Who will not fear [reverently] and glorify Your name, O Lord [giving You honor and praise in worship]? For You alone are holy; For all the nations shall come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts [Your just decrees and judgments] have been revealed and displayed."

⁵After these things I looked, and the temple (sanctuary) of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened,

⁶and the seven angels who had the seven plagues (afflictions, calamities) came out of the temple, arrayed in linen, pure and gleaming, and wrapped around their chests were golden sashes.

⁷Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath and indignation of God, who lives forever and ever.

⁸And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory and radiance and splendor of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

¹"Call now—is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the holy ones (angels) will you turn?

²"For anger slays the foolish man, And jealousy kills the simple (naive).

³"I have seen the foolish taking root [and outwardly prospering], But I cursed his dwelling immediately [for his destruction was certain].

⁴"His children are far from safety [and included in their father's ruin], They are oppressed and crushed in the [court of justice in the city's] gate, And there is no one to rescue them.

⁵"The hungry devour his harvest And take it even [when it grows] among the thorns; The trap opens for [his] wealth.

⁶"For affliction does not come forth from the dust, Nor does trouble spring forth from the ground.

⁷"For man is born for trouble, [As naturally] as sparks fly upward.

⁸"As for me, I would seek God and inquire of Him, And I would commit my cause to God;

⁹Who does great and unsearchable things, Marvelous things without number.

¹⁰"He gives rain upon the earth And sends waters upon the fields,

¹¹So that He sets on high those who are lowly, And He lifts to safety those who mourn.

¹²"He frustrates the devices and schemes of the crafty, So that their hands cannot attain success or achieve anything of [lasting] worth.

¹³"He catches the [so-called] wise in their own shrewdness, And the advice of the devious is quickly thwarted.

¹⁴"In the daytime they meet in darkness, And at noon they grope as in the night.

¹⁵"But God saves [the innocent] from the sword of the mouth of the devious, And the poor from the hand of the mighty.

¹⁶"So the helpless have hope, And injustice shuts its mouth.

¹⁷"Behold, how happy and fortunate is the man whom God reproves, So do not despise or reject the discipline of the Almighty [subjecting you to trial and suffering].

¹⁸"For He inflicts pain, but He binds up and gives relief; He wounds, but His hands also heal.

¹⁹"He will rescue you from six troubles; Even in seven, evil will not touch you.

²⁰"In famine He will redeem you from death, And in war from the power of the sword.

²¹"You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you will not be afraid of destruction when it comes.

²²"You will laugh at violence and famine, And you will not be afraid of the wild beasts of the earth.

²³"For you will be in harmony with the stones of the field, And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.

²⁴"You will know also that your tent is secure and at peace, And you will visit your dwelling and fear no loss [nor find anything amiss].

²⁵"You will know also that your descendants will be many, And your offspring as the grass of the earth.

²⁶"You will come to your grave in old age, Like the stacking of grain [on the threshing floor] in its season.

²⁷"Behold this; we have investigated it, and it is true. Hear and heed it, and know for yourself [for your own good]."

¹A Psalm of David. Bless and affectionately praise the LORD, O my soul, And all that is [deep] within me, bless His holy name.

²Bless and affectionately praise the LORD, O my soul, And do not forget any of His benefits;

³Who forgives all your sins, Who heals all your diseases;

⁴Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you [lavishly] with lovingkindness and tender mercy;

⁵Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the [soaring] eagle.

⁶The LORD executes righteousness And justice for all the oppressed.

⁷He made known His ways [of righteousness and justice] to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.

⁸The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in compassion and lovingkindness.

⁹He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever.

¹⁰He has not dealt with us according to our sins [as we deserve], Nor rewarded us [with punishment] according to our wickedness.

¹¹For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear and worship Him [with awe-filled respect and deepest reverence].

¹²As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

¹³Just as a father loves his children, So the LORD loves those who fear and worship Him [with awe-filled respect and deepest reverence].

¹⁴For He knows our [mortal] frame; He remembers that we are [merely] dust.

¹⁵As for man, his days are like grass; Like a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

¹⁶For the wind passes over it and it is no more, And its place knows it no longer.

¹⁷But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who [reverently] fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children,

¹⁸To those who honor and keep His covenant, And remember to do His commandments [imprinting His word on their hearts].

¹⁹The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all [the universe].

²⁰Bless the LORD, you His angels, You mighty ones who do His commandments, Obeying the voice of His word!

²¹Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You who serve Him and do His will.

²²Bless the LORD, all you works of His, in all places of His dominion; Bless and affectionately praise the LORD, O my soul!

¹My son, be attentive to my wisdom [godly wisdom learned by costly experience], Incline your ear to my understanding;

²That you may exercise discrimination and discretion (good judgment), And your lips may reserve knowledge and answer wisely [to temptation].

³For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey [like a honeycomb] And her speech is smoother than oil;

⁴But in the end she is bitter like [the extract of] wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.

⁵Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),

⁶So that she does not think [seriously] about the path of life; Her ways are aimless and unstable; you cannot know where her path leads.

⁷Now then, my sons, listen to me And do not depart from (forget) the words of my mouth.

⁸Let your way [in life] be far from her, And do not go near the door of her house [avoid even being near the places of temptation],

⁹Or you will give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one,

¹⁰And strangers will be filled with your strength And your hard-earned wealth will go to the house of a foreigner [who does not know God];

¹¹And you will groan when your life is ending, When your flesh and your body are consumed;

¹²And you say, "How I hated instruction and discipline, And my heart despised correction and reproof!

¹³"I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, Nor have I inclined my ear to those who instructed me.

¹⁴"I was almost in total ruin In the midst of the assembly and congregation."

¹⁵Drink water from your own cistern [of a pure marriage relationship] And fresh running water from your own well.

¹⁶Should your springs (children) be dispersed, As streams of water in the streets?

¹⁷[Confine yourself to your own wife.] Let your children be yours alone, And not the children of strangers with you.

¹⁸Let your fountain (wife) be blessed [with the rewards of fidelity], And rejoice in the wife of your youth.

¹⁹Let her be as a loving hind and graceful doe, Let her breasts refresh and satisfy you at all times; Always be exhilarated and delight in her love.

²⁰Why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an immoral woman And embrace the bosom of an outsider (pagan)?

²¹For the ways of man are directly before the eyes of the LORD, And He carefully watches all of his paths [all of his comings and goings].

²²The iniquities done by a wicked man will trap him, And he will be held with the cords of his sin.

²³He will die for lack of instruction (discipline), And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray and be lost.

¹So it was when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,

²"Take for yourselves the twelve men [chosen] from among the people, one man from each tribe,

³and command them, 'Pick up for yourselves twelve stones [one each] from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet are standing firm; carry them over with you and lay them down at the place where you will spend the night tonight.'"

⁴Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe;

⁵and Joshua said to them, "Cross over again to the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel,

⁶so that this may be a sign among you; when your children ask later, 'What do these stones mean to you?'

⁷then you shall say to them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall become a memorial for Israel forever."

⁸So the [twelve men chosen from the] sons of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, just as the LORD had spoken to Joshua; and they carried them over with them to the place where they were spending the night and put them down there.

⁹Then Joshua set up [a second monument of] twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing, and they are there to this day.

¹⁰For the priests who carried the ark were standing in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the LORD had commanded Joshua to tell the people, in accordance with everything that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried and crossed [the dry riverbed];

¹¹and when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of the LORD and the priests crossed over in the presence of the people.

¹²The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed for battle before the [other] sons of Israel, just as Moses had spoken to them;

¹³about 40,000 [men] armed and equipped for war crossed for battle before the LORD to the desert plains of Jericho.

¹⁴On that day the LORD magnified and exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; so they feared him [with profound awe and reverence], just as they had feared Moses all the days of his life.

¹⁵Now the LORD said to Joshua,

¹⁶"Order the priests carrying the ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan."

¹⁷So Joshua commanded the priests, saying, "Come up out of the Jordan."

¹⁸When the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD had come up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of their feet were raised up to the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and flowed over all its banks as before.

¹⁹Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth [day] of the first month and encamped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.

²⁰And those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.

²¹He said to the sons of Israel, "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, 'What do these stones mean?'

²²then you shall let your children know, 'Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.'

²³For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you crossed over, just as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed;

²⁴so that all the peoples of the earth may know [without any doubt] and acknowledge that the hand of the LORD is mighty and extraordinarily powerful, so that you will fear the LORD your God [and obey and worship Him with profound awe and reverence] forever."

¹Listen carefully, the Lord GOD of hosts is removing from Jerusalem and from Judah Both supply and support, the whole supply of bread And the whole supply of water;

²The brave man and the warrior [He is also removing], The judge and the prophet, The diviner and the elder,

³The captain of fifty and the man of honor, The counselor and the expert artisan, And the skillful enchanter.

⁴And I will make mere boys their princes, And capricious (impulsive, unpredictable) children will rule over them.

⁵And the people will be oppressed, Each one by another, and each one by his neighbor; The boy will be arrogant and insolent toward the elder And the vulgar (common) toward the honorable [person of rank].

⁶When a man takes hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying, "You have a robe, you shall be our judge and ruler, And this pile of ruins will be under your control,"

⁷He will protest on that day, saying, "I will not be a governor; For in my house there is neither bread nor clothing; You should not make me a judge and ruler of the people."

⁸For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, Because their words and their actions are against the LORD, To rebel against His glorious presence and defiantly provoke Him.

⁹Their partiality testifies against them, They display their sin like Sodom; They do not even hide it. Woe (judgment is coming) to them! For they have brought evil on themselves [as a reward].

¹⁰Say to the righteous that it will go well with them, For they will eat the fruit of their [righteous] actions.

¹¹Woe (judgment is coming) to the wicked! It shall go badly with him, For what his hand has done shall be done to him.

¹²O My people! Children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Your leaders lead you astray And confuse (destroy, swallow up) the direction of your paths.

¹³The LORD rises to contend, And stands to judge the people.

¹⁴The LORD enters into judgment with the elders of His people and their princes, "For it is you who have devoured the vineyard [with your oppression, you have robbed the people and ruined the country]; The plunder of the poor is in your houses.

¹⁵"What do you mean by crushing My people And grinding the face of the poor?" Declares the Lord GOD of hosts.

¹⁶Moreover, the LORD said, "Because the daughters of Zion are proud And walk with outstretched necks and seductive (flirtatious, alluring) eyes, And trip along with mincing steps and an affected gait And walk with jingling anklets on their feet,

¹⁷Therefore the Lord will afflict the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion with scabs [making them bald], And the LORD will expose their foreheads (send them into captivity)."

¹⁸In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, [braided] caps, crescent [head] ornaments,

¹⁹dangling earrings, bracelets, and the hanging veils and scarves,

²⁰head wraps (turbans), [short, jingling] ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets (charms),

²¹signet [finger] rings, nose rings,

²²festival robes, outer tunics, shawls, handbags,

²³hand mirrors, [fine linen] undergarments, headbands, and veils [covering the entire body].

²⁴Now it will come to pass that instead of the sweet fragrance of spices there will be [the stench of] rottenness; Instead of a belt, a rope; Instead of well-set hair, baldness; Instead of fine clothes, a robe of sackcloth; And branding [of captives by the scorching heat] instead of beauty.

²⁵Your men will fall by the sword And your mighty men in battle.

²⁶And Jerusalem's gates will lament (cry out in grief) and mourn [as those who wail for the dead]; And she, being ruined and desolate, will sit upon the ground.

¹The first account I made, Theophilus, was [a continuous report] about all the things that Jesus began to do and to teach

²until the day when He ascended to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given instruction to the apostles (special messengers) whom He had chosen.

³To these [men] He also showed Himself alive after His suffering [in Gethsemane and on the cross], by [a series of] many infallible proofs and unquestionable demonstrations, appearing to them over a period of forty days and talking to them about the things concerning the kingdom of God.

⁴While being together and eating with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Of which," He said, "you have heard Me speak.

⁵For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized and empowered and united with the Holy Spirit, not long from now."

⁶So when they had come together, they asked Him repeatedly, "Lord, are You at this time reestablishing the kingdom and restoring it to Israel?"

⁷He said to them, "It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.

⁸But you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses [to tell people about Me] both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth."

⁹And after He said these things, He was caught up as they looked on, and a cloud took Him up out of their sight.

¹⁰While they were looking intently into the sky as He was going, two men in white clothing suddenly stood beside them,

¹¹who said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This [same] Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will return in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."

¹²Then the disciples returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet (Olive Grove), which is near Jerusalem, [only] a Sabbath day's journey (less than one mile) away.

¹³When they had entered the city, they went upstairs to the upper room where they were staying [indefinitely]; that is, Peter, and John and [his brother] James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew (Nathanael) and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas (Thaddaeus) the son of James.

¹⁴All these with one mind and one purpose were continually devoting themselves to prayer, [waiting together] along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

¹⁵Now on one of these days Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters (a gathering of about a hundred and twenty believers was there) and he said,

¹⁶"Brothers and sisters, it was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the lips of David [king of Israel] about Judas [Iscariot], who acted as guide to those who arrested Jesus.

¹⁷For he (Judas) was counted among us and received his share [by divine allotment] in this ministry."

¹⁸(Now Judas Iscariot acquired a piece of land [indirectly] with the [money paid him as a] reward for his treachery, and falling headlong, his body burst open in the middle and all his intestines poured out.

¹⁹All the people in Jerusalem learned about this, so in their own dialect—Aramaic—they called the piece of land Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

²⁰"For in the book of Psalms it is written, 'Let his place of residence become desolate, And let there be no one to live in it'; and [again], 'Let another take his position as overseer.'

²¹So of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus spent with us,

²²beginning with the baptism by John [at the outset of Jesus' ministry] until the day when He was taken up from us—one of these men must become a witness with us [to testify] of His resurrection."

²³And they put forward two men, Joseph, the one called Barsabbas (who was surnamed Justus), and Matthias.

²⁴They prayed and said, "You, Lord, who know all hearts [their thoughts, motives, desires], show us which one of these two You have chosen

²⁵to occupy this ministry and apostleship which Judas left to go to his own place [of evil]."

²⁶And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.