Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem,

²saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”

³When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

⁴So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Christ would be born.

⁵“In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:

⁶And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah: Because out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”

⁷Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared.

⁸He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.”

⁹After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was — the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was.

¹⁰When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy.

¹¹Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

¹²And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

¹³After they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to kill him.”

¹⁴So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt.

¹⁵He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called my Son.

¹⁶Then Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.

¹⁷Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

¹⁸A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.

¹⁹After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

²⁰saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, because those who intended to kill the child are dead.”

²¹So he got up, took the child and his mother, and entered the land of Israel.

²²But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.

²³Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

¹When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt — we don’t know what has happened to him!”

²Aaron replied to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.”

³So all the people took off the gold rings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron.

⁴He took the gold from them, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it into an image of a calf. Then they said, “Israel, these are your gods, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!”

⁵When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it and made an announcement: “There will be a festival to the LORD tomorrow.”

⁶Early the next morning they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented fellowship offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to party.

⁷The LORD spoke to Moses: “Go down at once! For your people you brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly.

⁸They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them; they have made for themselves an image of a calf. They have bowed down to it, sacrificed to it, and said, ‘Israel, these are your gods, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.’”

⁹The LORD also said to Moses: “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people.

¹⁰Now leave me alone, so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

¹¹But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God: “LORD, why does your anger burn against your people you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand?

¹²Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out with an evil intent to kill them in the mountains and eliminate them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger and relent concerning this disaster planned for your people.

¹³Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel — you swore to them by yourself and declared, ‘I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and will give your offspring all this land that I have promised, and they will inherit it forever.’”

¹⁴So the LORD relented concerning the disaster he had said he would bring on his people.

¹⁵Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides — inscribed front and back.

¹⁶The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was God’s writing, engraved on the tablets.

¹⁷When Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a sound of war in the camp.”

¹⁸But Moses replied: It’s not the sound of a victory cry and not the sound of a cry of defeat; I hear the sound of singing!

¹⁹As he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became enraged and threw the tablets out of his hands, smashing them at the base of the mountain.

²⁰He took the calf they had made, burned it up, and ground it to powder. He scattered the powder over the surface of the water and forced the Israelites to drink the water.

²¹Then Moses asked Aaron, “What did these people do to you that you have led them into such a grave sin?”

²²“Don’t be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil.

²³They said to me, ‘Make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt — we don’t know what has happened to him!’

²⁴So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off,’ and they gave it to me. When I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!”

²⁵Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them get out of control, making them a laughingstock to their enemies.

²⁶And Moses stood at the camp’s entrance and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.

²⁷He told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man fasten his sword to his side; go back and forth through the camp from entrance to entrance, and each of you kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”

²⁸The Levites did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand men fell dead that day among the people.

²⁹Afterward Moses said, “Today you have been dedicated to the LORD, since each man went against his son and his brother. Therefore you have brought a blessing on yourselves today.”

³⁰The following day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a grave sin. Now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I will be able to atone for your sin.”

³¹So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, these people have committed a grave sin; they have made a god of gold for themselves.

³²Now if you would only forgive their sin. But if not, please erase me from the book you have written.”

³³The LORD replied to Moses: “Whoever has sinned against me I will erase from my book.

³⁴Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about; see, my angel will go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will hold them accountable for their sin.”

³⁵And the LORD inflicted a plague on the people for what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

¹Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some, letters of recommendation to you or from you?

²You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone.

³You show that you are Christ’s letter, delivered by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God  — not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

⁴Such is the confidence we have through Christ before God.

⁵It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.

⁶He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

⁷Now if the ministry that brought death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to gaze steadily at Moses’s face because of its glory, which was set aside,

⁸how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

⁹For if the ministry that brought condemnation had glory, the ministry that brings righteousness overflows with even more glory.

¹⁰In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it.

¹¹For if what was set aside was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.

¹²Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness.

¹³We are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from gazing steadily until the end of the glory of what was being set aside,

¹⁴but their minds were hardened. For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside only in Christ.

¹⁵Yet still today, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts,

¹⁶but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

¹⁸We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope:

²To Timothy, my true son in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

³As I urged you when I went to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach false doctrine

⁴or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies. These promote empty speculations rather than God’s plan, which operates by faith.

⁵Now the goal of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

⁶Some have departed from these and turned aside to fruitless discussion.

⁷They want to be teachers of the law, although they don’t understand what they are saying or what they are insisting on.

⁸But we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately.

⁹We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers,

¹⁰for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for slave traders, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching

¹¹that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which was entrusted to me.

¹²I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry —

¹³even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief,

¹⁴and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”  — and I am the worst of them.

¹⁶But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life.

¹⁷Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁸Timothy, my son, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the good fight,

¹⁹having faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and have shipwrecked their faith.

²⁰Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

¹Then Job answered:

²Pay close attention to my words; let this be the consolation you offer.

³Bear with me while I speak; then after I have spoken, you may continue mocking.

⁴As for me, is my complaint against a human being? Then why shouldn’t I be impatient?

⁵Look at me and shudder; put your hand over your mouth.

⁶When I think about it, I am terrified and my body trembles in horror.

⁷Why do the wicked continue to live, growing old and becoming powerful?

⁸Their children are established while they are still alive, and their descendants, before their eyes.

⁹Their homes are secure and free of fear; no rod from God strikes them.

¹⁰Their bulls breed without fail; their cows calve and do not miscarry.

¹¹They let their little ones run around like lambs; their children skip about,

¹²singing to the tambourine and lyre and rejoicing at the sound of the flute.

¹³They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace.

¹⁴Yet they say to God, “Leave us alone! We don’t want to know your ways.

¹⁵Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him, and what will we gain by pleading with him?”

¹⁶But their prosperity is not of their own doing. The counsel of the wicked is far from me!

¹⁷How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come on them? Does he apportion destruction in his anger?

¹⁸Are they like straw before the wind, like chaff a storm sweeps away?

¹⁹God reserves a person’s punishment for his children. Let God repay the person himself, so that he may know it.

²⁰Let his own eyes see his demise; let him drink from the Almighty’s wrath!

²¹For what does he care about his family once he is dead, when the number of his months has run out?

²²Can anyone teach God knowledge, since he judges the exalted ones?

²³One person dies in excellent health, completely secure and at ease.

²⁴His body is well fed, and his bones are full of marrow.

²⁵Yet another person dies with a bitter soul, having never tasted prosperity.

²⁶But they both lie in the dust, and worms cover them.

²⁷I know your thoughts very well, the schemes by which you would wrong me.

²⁸For you say, “Where now is the nobleman’s house?” and “Where are the tents the wicked lived in?”

²⁹Have you never consulted those who travel the roads? Don’t you accept their reports?

³⁰Indeed, the evil person is spared from the day of disaster, rescued from the day of wrath.

³¹Who would denounce his behavior to his face? Who would repay him for what he has done?

³²He is carried to the grave, and someone keeps watch over his tomb.

³³The dirt on his grave is sweet to him. Everyone follows behind him, and those who go before him are without number.

³⁴So how can you offer me such futile comfort? Your answers are deceptive.

¹How happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk according to the LORD’s instruction!

²Happy are those who keep his decrees and seek him with all their heart.

³They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.

⁴You have commanded that your precepts be diligently kept.

⁵If only my ways were committed to keeping your statutes!

⁶Then I would not be ashamed when I think about all your commands.

⁷I will praise you with an upright heart when I learn your righteous judgments.

⁸I will keep your statutes; never abandon me.

⁹How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping your word.

¹⁰I have sought you with all my heart; don’t let me wander from your commands.

¹¹I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.

¹²LORD, may you be blessed; teach me your statutes.

¹³With my lips I proclaim all the judgments from your mouth.

¹⁴I rejoice in the way revealed by your decrees as much as in all riches.

¹⁵I will meditate on your precepts and think about your ways.

¹⁶I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

¹⁷Deal generously with your servant so that I might live; then I will keep your word.

¹⁸Open my eyes so that I may contemplate wondrous things from your instruction.

¹⁹I am a resident alien on earth; do not hide your commands from me.

²⁰I am continually overcome with longing for your judgments.

²¹You rebuke the arrogant, the ones under a curse, who wander from your commands.

²²Take insult and contempt away from me, for I have kept your decrees.

²³Though princes sit together speaking against me, your servant will think about your statutes;

²⁴your decrees are my delight and my counselors.

²⁵My life is down in the dust; give me life through your word.

²⁶I told you about my life, and you answered me; teach me your statutes.

²⁷Help me understand the meaning of your precepts so that I can meditate on your wonders.

²⁸I am weary from grief; strengthen me through your word.

²⁹Keep me from the way of deceit and graciously give me your instruction.

³⁰I have chosen the way of truth; I have set your ordinances before me.

³¹I cling to your decrees; LORD, do not put me to shame.

³²I pursue the way of your commands, for you broaden my understanding.

³³Teach me, LORD, the meaning of your statutes, and I will always keep them.

³⁴Help me understand your instruction, and I will obey it and follow it with all my heart.

³⁵Help me stay on the path of your commands, for I take pleasure in it.

³⁶Turn my heart to your decrees and not to dishonest profit.

³⁷Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless; give me life in your ways.

³⁸Confirm what you said to your servant, for it produces reverence for you.

³⁹Turn away the disgrace I dread; indeed, your judgments are good.

⁴⁰How I long for your precepts! Give me life through your righteousness.

⁴¹Let your faithful love come to me, LORD, your salvation, as you promised.

⁴²Then I can answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word.

⁴³Never take the word of truth from my mouth, for I hope in your judgments.

⁴⁴I will always obey your instruction, forever and ever.

⁴⁵I will walk freely in an open place because I study your precepts.

⁴⁶I will speak of your decrees before kings and not be ashamed.

⁴⁷I delight in your commands, which I love.

⁴⁸I will lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and will meditate on your statutes.

⁴⁹Remember your word to your servant; you have given me hope through it.

⁵⁰This is my comfort in my affliction: Your promise has given me life.

⁵¹The arrogant constantly ridicule me, but I do not turn away from your instruction.

⁵²LORD, I remember your judgments from long ago and find comfort.

⁵³Rage seizes me because of the wicked who reject your instruction.

⁵⁴Your statutes are the theme of my song during my earthly life.

⁵⁵LORD, I remember your name in the night, and I obey your instruction.

⁵⁶This is my practice: I obey your precepts.

⁵⁷The LORD is my portion; I have promised to keep your words.

⁵⁸I have sought your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.

⁵⁹I thought about my ways and turned my steps back to your decrees.

⁶⁰I hurried, not hesitating to keep your commands.

⁶¹Though the ropes of the wicked were wrapped around me, I did not forget your instruction.

⁶²I rise at midnight to thank you for your righteous judgments.

⁶³I am a friend to all who fear you, to those who keep your precepts.

⁶⁴LORD, the earth is filled with your faithful love; teach me your statutes.

⁶⁵LORD, you have treated your servant well, just as you promised.

⁶⁶Teach me good judgment and discernment, for I rely on your commands.

⁶⁷Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.

⁶⁸You are good, and you do what is good; teach me your statutes.

⁶⁹The arrogant have smeared me with lies, but I obey your precepts with all my heart.

⁷⁰Their hearts are hard and insensitive, but I delight in your instruction.

⁷¹It was good for me to be afflicted so that I could learn your statutes.

⁷²Instruction from your lips is better for me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

⁷³Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding so that I can learn your commands.

⁷⁴Those who fear you will see me and rejoice, for I put my hope in your word.

⁷⁵I know, LORD, that your judgments are just and that you have afflicted me fairly.

⁷⁶May your faithful love comfort me as you promised your servant.

⁷⁷May your compassion come to me so that I may live, for your instruction is my delight.

⁷⁸Let the arrogant be put to shame for slandering me with lies; I will meditate on your precepts.

⁷⁹Let those who fear you, those who know your decrees, turn to me.

⁸⁰May my heart be blameless regarding your statutes so that I will not be put to shame.

⁸¹I long for your salvation; I put my hope in your word.

⁸²My eyes grow weary looking for what you have promised; I ask, “When will you comfort me?”

⁸³Though I have become like a wineskin dried by smoke, I do not forget your statutes.

⁸⁴How many days must your servant wait? When will you execute judgment on my persecutors?

⁸⁵The arrogant have dug pits for me; they violate your instruction.

⁸⁶All your commands are true; people persecute me with lies — help me!

⁸⁷They almost ended my life on earth, but I did not abandon your precepts.

⁸⁸Give me life in accordance with your faithful love, and I will obey the decree you have spoken.

⁸⁹LORD, your word is forever; it is firmly fixed in heaven.

⁹⁰Your faithfulness is for all generations; you established the earth, and it stands firm.

⁹¹Your judgments stand firm today, for all things are your servants.

⁹²If your instruction had not been my delight, I would have died in my affliction.

⁹³I will never forget your precepts, for you have given me life through them.

⁹⁴I am yours; save me, for I have studied your precepts.

⁹⁵The wicked hope to destroy me, but I contemplate your decrees.

⁹⁶I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your command is without limit.

⁹⁷How I love your instruction! It is my meditation all day long.

⁹⁸Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are always with me.

⁹⁹I have more insight than all my teachers because your decrees are my meditation.

¹⁰⁰I understand more than the elders because I obey your precepts.

¹⁰¹I have kept my feet from every evil path to follow your word.

¹⁰²I have not turned from your judgments, for you yourself have instructed me.

¹⁰³How sweet your word is to my taste — sweeter than honey in my mouth.

¹⁰⁴I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every false way.

¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.

¹⁰⁶I have solemnly sworn to keep your righteous judgments.

¹⁰⁷I am severely afflicted; LORD, give me life according to your word.

¹⁰⁸LORD, please accept my freewill offerings of praise, and teach me your judgments.

¹⁰⁹My life is constantly in danger, yet I do not forget your instruction.

¹¹⁰The wicked have set a trap for me, but I have not wandered from your precepts.

¹¹¹I have your decrees as a heritage forever; indeed, they are the joy of my heart.

¹¹²I am resolved to obey your statutes to the very end.

¹¹³I hate those who are double-minded, but I love your instruction.

¹¹⁴You are my shelter and my shield; I put my hope in your word.

¹¹⁵Depart from me, you evil ones, so that I may obey my God’s commands.

¹¹⁶Sustain me as you promised, and I will live; do not let me be ashamed of my hope.

¹¹⁷Sustain me so that I can be safe and always be concerned about your statutes.

¹¹⁸You reject all who stray from your statutes, for their deceit is a lie.

¹¹⁹You remove all the wicked on earth as if they were dross from metal; therefore, I love your decrees.

¹²⁰I tremble in awe of you; I fear your judgments.

¹²¹I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors.

¹²²Guarantee your servant’s well-being; do not let the arrogant oppress me.

¹²³My eyes grow weary looking for your salvation and for your righteous promise.

¹²⁴Deal with your servant based on your faithful love; teach me your statutes.

¹²⁵I am your servant; give me understanding so that I may know your decrees.

¹²⁶It is time for the LORD to act, for they have violated your instruction.

¹²⁷Since I love your commands more than gold, even the purest gold,

¹²⁸I carefully follow all your precepts and hate every false way.

¹²⁹Your decrees are wondrous; therefore I obey them.

¹³⁰The revelation of your words brings light and gives understanding to the inexperienced.

¹³¹I open my mouth and pant because I long for your commands.

¹³²Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your practice toward those who love your name.

¹³³Make my steps steady through your promise; don’t let any sin dominate me.

¹³⁴Redeem me from human oppression, and I will keep your precepts.

¹³⁵Make your face shine on your servant, and teach me your statutes.

¹³⁶My eyes pour out streams of tears because people do not follow your instruction.

¹³⁷You are righteous, LORD, and your judgments are just.

¹³⁸The decrees you issue are righteous and altogether trustworthy.

¹³⁹My anger overwhelms me because my foes forget your words.

¹⁴⁰Your word is completely pure, and your servant loves it.

¹⁴¹I am insignificant and despised, but I do not forget your precepts.

¹⁴²Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your instruction is true.

¹⁴³Trouble and distress have overtaken me, but your commands are my delight.

¹⁴⁴Your decrees are righteous forever. Give me understanding, and I will live.

¹⁴⁵I call with all my heart; answer me, LORD. I will obey your statutes.

¹⁴⁶I call to you; save me, and I will keep your decrees.

¹⁴⁷I rise before dawn and cry out for help; I put my hope in your word.

¹⁴⁸I am awake through each watch of the night to meditate on your promise.

¹⁴⁹In keeping with your faithful love, hear my voice. LORD, give me life in keeping with your justice.

¹⁵⁰Those who pursue evil plans come near; they are far from your instruction.

¹⁵¹You are near, LORD, and all your commands are true.

¹⁵²Long ago I learned from your decrees that you have established them forever.

¹⁵³Consider my affliction and rescue me, for I have not forgotten your instruction.

¹⁵⁴Champion my cause and redeem me; give me life as you promised.

¹⁵⁵Salvation is far from the wicked because they do not study your statutes.

¹⁵⁶Your compassions are many, LORD; give me life according to your judgments.

¹⁵⁷My persecutors and foes are many. I have not turned from your decrees.

¹⁵⁸I have seen the disloyal and feel disgust because they do not keep your word.

¹⁵⁹Consider how I love your precepts; LORD, give me life according to your faithful love.

¹⁶⁰The entirety of your word is truth, each of your righteous judgments endures forever.

¹⁶¹Princes have persecuted me without cause, but my heart fears only your word.

¹⁶²I rejoice over your promise like one who finds vast treasure.

¹⁶³I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your instruction.

¹⁶⁴I praise you seven times a day for your righteous judgments.

¹⁶⁵Abundant peace belongs to those who love your instruction; nothing makes them stumble.

¹⁶⁶LORD, I hope for your salvation and carry out your commands.

¹⁶⁷I obey your decrees and love them greatly.

¹⁶⁸I obey your precepts and decrees, for all my ways are before you.

¹⁶⁹Let my cry reach you, LORD; give me understanding according to your word.

¹⁷⁰Let my plea reach you; rescue me according to your promise.

¹⁷¹My lips pour out praise, for you teach me your statutes.

¹⁷²My tongue sings about your promise, for all your commands are righteous.

¹⁷³May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.

¹⁷⁴I long for your salvation, LORD, and your instruction is my delight.

¹⁷⁵Let me live, and I will praise you; may your judgments help me.

¹⁷⁶I wander like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commands.

¹A king’s heart is like channeled water in the LORD’s hand: He directs it wherever he chooses.

²All a person’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs hearts.

³Doing what is righteous and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

⁴The lamp that guides the wicked — haughty eyes and an arrogant heart  — is sin.

⁵The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit, but anyone who is reckless certainly becomes poor.

⁶Making a fortune through a lying tongue is a vanishing mist, a pursuit of death.

⁷The violence of the wicked sweeps them away because they refuse to act justly.

⁸A guilty one’s conduct is crooked, but the behavior of the innocent is upright.

⁹Better to live on the corner of a roof than to share a house with a nagging wife.

¹⁰A wicked person desires evil; he has no consideration for his neighbor.

¹¹When a mocker is punished, the inexperienced become wiser; when one teaches a wise man, he acquires knowledge.

¹²The Righteous One considers the house of the wicked; he brings the wicked to ruin.

¹³The one who shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will himself also call out and not be answered.

¹⁴A secret gift soothes anger, and a covert bribe, fierce rage.

¹⁵Justice executed is a joy to the righteous but a terror to those who practice iniquity.

¹⁶The person who strays from the way of prudence will come to rest in the assembly of the departed spirits.

¹⁷The one who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will not get rich.

¹⁸The wicked are a ransom for the righteous, and the treacherous, for the upright.

¹⁹Better to live in a wilderness than with a nagging and hot-tempered wife.

²⁰Precious treasure and oil are in the dwelling of a wise person, but a fool consumes them.

²¹The one who pursues righteousness and faithful love will find life, righteousness, and honor.

²²A wise person went up against a city of warriors and brought down its secure fortress.

²³The one who guards his mouth and tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

²⁴The arrogant and proud person, named “Mocker,” acts with excessive arrogance.

²⁵A slacker’s craving will kill him because his hands refuse to work.

²⁶He is filled with craving all day long, but the righteous give and don’t hold back.

²⁷The sacrifice of a wicked person is detestable — how much more so when he brings it with ulterior motives!

²⁸A lying witness will perish, but the one who listens will speak successfully.

²⁹A wicked person puts on a bold face, but the upright one considers his way.

³⁰No wisdom, no understanding, and no counsel will prevail against the LORD.

³¹A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory comes from the LORD.

¹Then the LORD spoke to Joshua,

²“Tell the Israelites: Select your cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,

³so that a person who kills someone unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

⁴When someone flees to one of these cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his case before the elders of that city, they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them.

⁵And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not hand the one who committed manslaughter over to him, for he killed his neighbor accidentally and did not hate him beforehand.

⁶He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the one who committed manslaughter may return home to his own city from which he fled.”

⁷So they designated Kedesh in the hill country of Naphtali in Galilee, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

⁸Across the Jordan east of Jericho, they selected Bezer on the wilderness plateau from Reuben’s tribe, Ramoth in Gilead from Gad’s tribe, and Golan in Bashan from Manasseh’s tribe.

⁹These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and the aliens residing among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die at the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the assembly.

¹A pronouncement concerning Egypt: Look, the LORD rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. Egypt’s idols will tremble before him, and Egypt will lose heart.

²I will provoke Egyptians against Egyptians; each will fight against his brother and each against his friend, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.

³Egypt’s spirit will be disturbed within it, and I will frustrate its plans. Then they will inquire of idols, ghosts, and spiritists.

⁴I will hand over Egypt to harsh masters, and a strong king will rule it. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD of Armies.

⁵The water of the sea will dry up, and the river will be parched and dry.

⁶The channels will stink; they will dwindle, and Egypt’s canals will be parched. Reed and rush will wilt.

⁷The reeds by the Nile, by the mouth of the river, and all the cultivated areas of the Nile will wither, blow away, and vanish.

⁸Then the fishermen will mourn. All those who cast hooks into the Nile will lament, and those who spread nets on the water will give up.

⁹Those who work with flax will be dismayed; those combing it and weaving linen will turn pale.

¹⁰Egypt’s weavers will be dejected; all her wage earners will be demoralized.

¹¹The princes of Zoan are complete fools; Pharaoh’s wisest advisers give stupid advice! How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am one of the wise, a student of eastern kings”?

¹²Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you and reveal what the LORD of Armies has planned against Egypt.

¹³The princes of Zoan have been fools; the princes of Memphis are deceived. Her tribal chieftains have led Egypt astray.

¹⁴The LORD has mixed within her a spirit of confusion. The leaders have made Egypt stagger in all she does, as a drunkard staggers in his vomit.

¹⁵No head or tail, palm or reed, will be able to do anything for Egypt.

¹⁶On that day Egypt will be like women and will tremble with fear because of the threatening hand of the LORD of Armies when he raises it against them.

¹⁷The land of Judah will terrify Egypt; whenever Judah is mentioned, Egypt will tremble because of what the LORD of Armies has planned against it.

¹⁸On that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear loyalty to the LORD of Armies. One of the cities will be called the City of the Sun.

¹⁹On that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the center of the land of Egypt and a pillar to the LORD near her border.

²⁰It will be a sign and witness to the LORD of Armies in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and leader, and he will rescue them.

²¹The LORD will make himself known to Egypt, and Egypt will know the LORD on that day. They will offer sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the LORD and fulfill them.

²²The LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing. Then they will turn to the LORD and he will be receptive to their prayers and heal them.

²³On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. Assyria will go to Egypt, Egypt to Assyria, and Egypt will worship with Assyria.

²⁴On that day Israel will form a triple alliance with Egypt and Assyria — a blessing within the land.

²⁵The LORD of Armies will bless them, saying, “Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance are blessed.”

¹After they passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.

²As usual, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

³explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and rise from the dead: “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah.”

⁴Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, including a large number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a number of the leading women.

⁵But the Jews became jealous, and they brought together some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Attacking Jason’s house, they searched for them to bring them out to the public assembly.

⁶When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too,

⁷and Jason has welcomed them. They are all acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king — Jesus.”

⁸The crowd and city officials who heard these things were upset.

⁹After taking a security bond from Jason and the others, they released them.

¹⁰As soon as it was night, the brothers and sisters sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. Upon arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.

¹¹The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

¹²Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men.

¹³But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and upsetting the crowds.

¹⁴Then the brothers and sisters immediately sent Paul away to go to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed on there.

¹⁵Those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible, they departed.

¹⁶While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed when he saw that the city was full of idols.

¹⁷So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.

¹⁸Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some said, “What is this ignorant show-off trying to say?” Others replied, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities” — because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

¹⁹They took him and brought him to the Areopagus, and said, “May we learn about this new teaching you are presenting?

²⁰Because what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these things mean.”

²¹Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new.

²²Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect.

²³For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed: ‘To an Unknown God.’ Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.

²⁴The God who made the world and everything in it  — he is Lord of heaven and earth  — does not live in shrines made by hands.

²⁵Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.

²⁶From one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.

²⁷He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

²⁸For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’

²⁹Since we are God’s offspring then, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination.

³⁰“Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent,

³¹because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

³²When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to ridicule him, but others said, “We’d like to hear from you again about this.”

³³So Paul left their presence.

³⁴However, some people joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.