Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

²saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

³When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

⁴And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

⁵So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

⁶‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

⁷Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.

⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

⁹When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.

¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

¹¹And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

¹²Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

¹³Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

¹⁴When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt,

¹⁵and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

¹⁶Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

¹⁷Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

¹⁸“A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more.”

¹⁹Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

²⁰saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.”

²¹Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

²²But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.

²³And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

¹Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

²And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”

³So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.

⁴And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

⁵So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.”

⁶Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

⁷And the LORD said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves.

⁸They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ”

⁹And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people!

¹⁰Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.”

¹¹Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: “LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?

¹²Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people.

¹³Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ”

¹⁴So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.

¹⁵And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written.

¹⁶Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.

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

¹⁸But he said: “It is not the noise of the shout of victory, Nor the noise of the cry of defeat, But the sound of singing I hear.”

¹⁹So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.

²⁰Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it.

²¹And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”

²²So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil.

²³For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’

²⁴And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

²⁵Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies),

²⁶then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the LORD’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.

²⁷And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’ ”

²⁸So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day.

²⁹Then Moses said, “Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.”

³⁰Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

³¹Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold!

³²Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”

³³And the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.

³⁴Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.”

³⁵So the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.

¹Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you?

²You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men;

³clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

⁴And we have such trust through Christ toward God.

⁵Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,

⁶who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

⁷But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away,

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

⁹For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.

¹⁰For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels.

¹¹For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.

¹²Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech—

¹³unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away.

¹⁴But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.

¹⁵But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.

¹⁶Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

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

¹⁸But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

¹Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,

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

³As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

⁴nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.

⁵Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,

⁶from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk,

⁷desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.

⁸But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully,

⁹knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

¹⁰for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,

¹¹according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.

¹²And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,

¹³although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

¹⁴And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

¹⁶However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

¹⁷Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁸This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,

¹⁹having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck,

²⁰of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

¹Then Job answered and said:

²“Listen carefully to my speech, And let this be your consolation.

³Bear with me that I may speak, And after I have spoken, keep mocking.

⁴“As for me, is my complaint against man? And if it were, why should I not be impatient?

⁵Look at me and be astonished; Put your hand over your mouth.

⁶Even when I remember I am terrified, And trembling takes hold of my flesh.

⁷Why do the wicked live and become old, Yes, become mighty in power?

⁸Their descendants are established with them in their sight, And their offspring before their eyes.

⁹Their houses are safe from fear, Neither is the rod of God upon them.

¹⁰Their bull breeds without failure; Their cow calves without miscarriage.

¹¹They send forth their little ones like a flock, And their children dance.

¹²They sing to the tambourine and harp, And rejoice to the sound of the flute.

¹³They spend their days in wealth, And in a moment go down to the grave.

¹⁴Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us, For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.

¹⁵Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?’

¹⁶Indeed their prosperity is not in their hand; The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁷“How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does their destruction come upon them, The sorrows God distributes in His anger?

¹⁸They are like straw before the wind, And like chaff that a storm carries away.

¹⁹They say, ‘God lays up one’s iniquity for his children’; Let Him recompense him, that he may know it.

²⁰Let his eyes see his destruction, And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

²¹For what does he care about his household after him, When the number of his months is cut in half?

²²“Can anyone teach God knowledge, Since He judges those on high?

²³One dies in his full strength, Being wholly at ease and secure;

²⁴His pails are full of milk, And the marrow of his bones is moist.

²⁵Another man dies in the bitterness of his soul, Never having eaten with pleasure.

²⁶They lie down alike in the dust, And worms cover them.

²⁷“Look, I know your thoughts, And the schemes with which you would wrong me.

²⁸For you say, ‘Where is the house of the prince? And where is the tent, The dwelling place of the wicked?’

²⁹Have you not asked those who travel the road? And do you not know their signs?

³⁰For the wicked are reserved for the day of doom; They shall be brought out on the day of wrath.

³¹Who condemns his way to his face? And who repays him for what he has done?

³²Yet he shall be brought to the grave, And a vigil kept over the tomb.

³³The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him; Everyone shall follow him, As countless have gone before him.

³⁴How then can you comfort me with empty words, Since falsehood remains in your answers?”

¹Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the LORD!

²Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart!

³They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways.

⁴You have commanded us To keep Your precepts diligently.

⁵Oh, that my ways were directed To keep Your statutes!

⁶Then I would not be ashamed, When I look into all Your commandments.

⁷I will praise You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments.

⁸I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly!

⁹How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.

¹⁰With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

¹¹Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

¹²Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your statutes.

¹³With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth.

¹⁴I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches.

¹⁵I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways.

¹⁶I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.

¹⁷Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word.

¹⁸Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law.

¹⁹I am a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me.

²⁰My soul breaks with longing For Your judgments at all times.

²¹You rebuke the proud—the cursed, Who stray from Your commandments.

²²Remove from me reproach and contempt, For I have kept Your testimonies.

²³Princes also sit and speak against me, But Your servant meditates on Your statutes.

²⁴Your testimonies also are my delight And my counselors.

²⁵My soul clings to the dust; Revive me according to Your word.

²⁶I have declared my ways, and You answered me; Teach me Your statutes.

²⁷Make me understand the way of Your precepts; So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.

²⁸My soul melts from heaviness; Strengthen me according to Your word.

²⁹Remove from me the way of lying, And grant me Your law graciously.

³⁰I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me.

³¹I cling to Your testimonies; O LORD, do not put me to shame!

³²I will run the course of Your commandments, For You shall enlarge my heart.

³³Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, And I shall keep it to the end.

³⁴Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

³⁵Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it.

³⁶Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness.

³⁷Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way.

³⁸Establish Your word to Your servant, Who is devoted to fearing You.

³⁹Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Your judgments are good.

⁴⁰Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness.

⁴¹Let Your mercies come also to me, O LORD— Your salvation according to Your word.

⁴²So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word.

⁴³And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I have hoped in Your ordinances.

⁴⁴So shall I keep Your law continually, Forever and ever.

⁴⁵And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts.

⁴⁶I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, And will not be ashamed.

⁴⁷And I will delight myself in Your commandments, Which I love.

⁴⁸My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, Which I love, And I will meditate on Your statutes.

⁴⁹Remember the word to Your servant, Upon which You have caused me to hope.

⁵⁰This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me life.

⁵¹The proud have me in great derision, Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.

⁵²I remembered Your judgments of old, O LORD, And have comforted myself.

⁵³Indignation has taken hold of me Because of the wicked, who forsake Your law.

⁵⁴Your statutes have been my songs In the house of my pilgrimage.

⁵⁵I remember Your name in the night, O LORD, And I keep Your law.

⁵⁶This has become mine, Because I kept Your precepts.

⁵⁷You are my portion, O LORD; I have said that I would keep Your words.

⁵⁸I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; Be merciful to me according to Your word.

⁵⁹I thought about my ways, And turned my feet to Your testimonies.

⁶⁰I made haste, and did not delay To keep Your commandments.

⁶¹The cords of the wicked have bound me, But I have not forgotten Your law.

⁶²At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, Because of Your righteous judgments.

⁶³I am a companion of all who fear You, And of those who keep Your precepts.

⁶⁴The earth, O LORD, is full of Your mercy; Teach me Your statutes.

⁶⁵You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word.

⁶⁶Teach me good judgment and knowledge, For I believe Your commandments.

⁶⁷Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.

⁶⁸You are good, and do good; Teach me Your statutes.

⁶⁹The proud have forged a lie against me, But I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart.

⁷⁰Their heart is as fat as grease, But I delight in Your law.

⁷¹It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.

⁷²The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of coins of gold and silver.

⁷³Your hands have made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.

⁷⁴Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, Because I have hoped in Your word.

⁷⁵I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.

⁷⁶Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, According to Your word to Your servant.

⁷⁷Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; For Your law is my delight.

⁷⁸Let the proud be ashamed, For they treated me wrongfully with falsehood; But I will meditate on Your precepts.

⁷⁹Let those who fear You turn to me, Those who know Your testimonies.

⁸⁰Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes, That I may not be ashamed.

⁸¹My soul faints for Your salvation, But I hope in Your word.

⁸²My eyes fail from searching Your word, Saying, “When will You comfort me?”

⁸³For I have become like a wineskin in smoke, Yet I do not forget Your statutes.

⁸⁴How many are the days of Your servant? When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?

⁸⁵The proud have dug pits for me, Which is not according to Your law.

⁸⁶All Your commandments are faithful; They persecute me wrongfully; Help me!

⁸⁷They almost made an end of me on earth, But I did not forsake Your precepts.

⁸⁸Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.

⁸⁹Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.

⁹⁰Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides.

⁹¹They continue this day according to Your ordinances, For all are Your servants.

⁹²Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction.

⁹³I will never forget Your precepts, For by them You have given me life.

⁹⁴I am Yours, save me; For I have sought Your precepts.

⁹⁵The wicked wait for me to destroy me, But I will consider Your testimonies.

⁹⁶I have seen the consummation of all perfection, But Your commandment is exceedingly broad.

⁹⁷Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.

⁹⁸You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me.

⁹⁹I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.

¹⁰⁰I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts.

¹⁰¹I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word.

¹⁰²I have not departed from Your judgments, For You Yourself have taught me.

¹⁰³How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!

¹⁰⁴Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.

¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

¹⁰⁶I have sworn and confirmed That I will keep Your righteous judgments.

¹⁰⁷I am afflicted very much; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your word.

¹⁰⁸Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, And teach me Your judgments.

¹⁰⁹My life is continually in my hand, Yet I do not forget Your law.

¹¹⁰The wicked have laid a snare for me, Yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.

¹¹¹Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, For they are the rejoicing of my heart.

¹¹²I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, to the very end.

¹¹³I hate the double-minded, But I love Your law.

¹¹⁴You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word.

¹¹⁵Depart from me, you evildoers, For I will keep the commandments of my God!

¹¹⁶Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.

¹¹⁷Hold me up, and I shall be safe, And I shall observe Your statutes continually.

¹¹⁸You reject all those who stray from Your statutes, For their deceit is falsehood.

¹¹⁹You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross; Therefore I love Your testimonies.

¹²⁰My flesh trembles for fear of You, And I am afraid of Your judgments.

¹²¹I have done justice and righteousness; Do not leave me to my oppressors.

¹²²Be surety for Your servant for good; Do not let the proud oppress me.

¹²³My eyes fail from seeking Your salvation And Your righteous word.

¹²⁴Deal with Your servant according to Your mercy, And teach me Your statutes.

¹²⁵I am Your servant; Give me understanding, That I may know Your testimonies.

¹²⁶It is time for You to act, O LORD, For they have regarded Your law as void.

¹²⁷Therefore I love Your commandments More than gold, yes, than fine gold!

¹²⁸Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right; I hate every false way.

¹²⁹Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul keeps them.

¹³⁰The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

¹³¹I opened my mouth and panted, For I longed for Your commandments.

¹³²Look upon me and be merciful to me, As Your custom is toward those who love Your name.

¹³³Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me.

¹³⁴Redeem me from the oppression of man, That I may keep Your precepts.

¹³⁵Make Your face shine upon Your servant, And teach me Your statutes.

¹³⁶Rivers of water run down from my eyes, Because men do not keep Your law.

¹³⁷Righteous are You, O LORD, And upright are Your judgments.

¹³⁸Your testimonies, which You have commanded, Are righteous and very faithful.

¹³⁹My zeal has consumed me, Because my enemies have forgotten Your words.

¹⁴⁰Your word is very pure; Therefore Your servant loves it.

¹⁴¹I am small and despised, Yet I do not forget Your precepts.

¹⁴²Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth.

¹⁴³Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, Yet Your commandments are my delights.

¹⁴⁴The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting; Give me understanding, and I shall live.

¹⁴⁵I cry out with my whole heart; Hear me, O LORD! I will keep Your statutes.

¹⁴⁶I cry out to You; Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.

¹⁴⁷I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word.

¹⁴⁸My eyes are awake through the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word.

¹⁴⁹Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; O LORD, revive me according to Your justice.

¹⁵⁰They draw near who follow after wickedness; They are far from Your law.

¹⁵¹You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth.

¹⁵²Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that You have founded them forever.

¹⁵³Consider my affliction and deliver me, For I do not forget Your law.

¹⁵⁴Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your word.

¹⁵⁵Salvation is far from the wicked, For they do not seek Your statutes.

¹⁵⁶Great are Your tender mercies, O LORD; Revive me according to Your judgments.

¹⁵⁷Many are my persecutors and my enemies, Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies.

¹⁵⁸I see the treacherous, and am disgusted, Because they do not keep Your word.

¹⁵⁹Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness.

¹⁶⁰The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

¹⁶¹Princes persecute me without a cause, But my heart stands in awe of Your word.

¹⁶²I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great treasure.

¹⁶³I hate and abhor lying, But I love Your law.

¹⁶⁴Seven times a day I praise You, Because of Your righteous judgments.

¹⁶⁵Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.

¹⁶⁶LORD, I hope for Your salvation, And I do Your commandments.

¹⁶⁷My soul keeps Your testimonies, And I love them exceedingly.

¹⁶⁸I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies, For all my ways are before You.

¹⁶⁹Let my cry come before You, O LORD; Give me understanding according to Your word.

¹⁷⁰Let my supplication come before You; Deliver me according to Your word.

¹⁷¹My lips shall utter praise, For You teach me Your statutes.

¹⁷²My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness.

¹⁷³Let Your hand become my help, For I have chosen Your precepts.

¹⁷⁴I long for Your salvation, O LORD, And Your law is my delight.

¹⁷⁵Let my soul live, and it shall praise You; And let Your judgments help me.

¹⁷⁶I have gone astray like a lost sheep; Seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments.

¹The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.

²Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.

³To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

⁴A haughty look, a proud heart, And the plowing of the wicked are sin.

⁵The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

⁶Getting treasures by a lying tongue Is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death.

⁷The violence of the wicked will destroy them, Because they refuse to do justice.

⁸The way of a guilty man is perverse; But as for the pure, his work is right.

⁹Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

¹⁰The soul of the wicked desires evil; His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.

¹¹When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise; But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.

¹²The righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked, Overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness.

¹³Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself and not be heard.

¹⁴A gift in secret pacifies anger, And a bribe behind the back, strong wrath.

¹⁵It is a joy for the just to do justice, But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.

¹⁶A man who wanders from the way of understanding Will rest in the assembly of the dead.

¹⁷He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

¹⁸The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, And the unfaithful for the upright.

¹⁹Better to dwell in the wilderness, Than with a contentious and angry woman.

²⁰There is desirable treasure, And oil in the dwelling of the wise, But a foolish man squanders it.

²¹He who follows righteousness and mercy Finds life, righteousness, and honor.

²²A wise man scales the city of the mighty, And brings down the trusted stronghold.

²³Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles.

²⁴A proud and haughty man— “Scoffer” is his name; He acts with arrogant pride.

²⁵The desire of the lazy man kills him, For his hands refuse to labor.

²⁶He covets greedily all day long, But the righteous gives and does not spare.

²⁷The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; How much more when he brings it with wicked intent!

²⁸A false witness shall perish, But the man who hears him will speak endlessly.

²⁹A wicked man hardens his face, But as for the upright, he establishes his way.

³⁰There is no wisdom or understanding Or counsel against the LORD.

³¹The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the LORD.

¹The LORD also spoke to Joshua, saying,

²“Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses,

³that the slayer who kills a person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

⁴And when he flees to one of those cities, and stands at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declares his case in the hearing of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city as one of them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.

⁵Then if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, but did not hate him beforehand.

⁶And he shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the slayer may return and come to his own city and his own house, to the city from which he fled.’ ”

⁷So they appointed Kedesh in Galilee, in the mountains of Naphtali, Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and Kirjath Arba (which is Hebron) in the mountains of Judah.

⁸And on the other side of the Jordan, by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness on the plain, from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh.

⁹These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwelt among them, that whoever killed a person accidentally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stood before the congregation.

¹The burden against Egypt. Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst.

²“I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; Everyone will fight against his brother, And everyone against his neighbor, City against city, kingdom against kingdom.

³The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel, And they will consult the idols and the charmers, The mediums and the sorcerers.

⁴And the Egyptians I will give Into the hand of a cruel master, And a fierce king will rule over them,” Says the Lord, the LORD of hosts.

⁵The waters will fail from the sea, And the river will be wasted and dried up.

⁶The rivers will turn foul; The brooks of defense will be emptied and dried up; The reeds and rushes will wither.

⁷The papyrus reeds by the River, by the mouth of the River, And everything sown by the River, Will wither, be driven away, and be no more.

⁸The fishermen also will mourn; All those will lament who cast hooks into the River, And they will languish who spread nets on the waters.

⁹Moreover those who work in fine flax And those who weave fine fabric will be ashamed;

¹⁰And its foundations will be broken. All who make wages will be troubled of soul.

¹¹Surely the princes of Zoan are fools; Pharaoh’s wise counselors give foolish counsel. How do you say to Pharaoh, “I am the son of the wise, The son of ancient kings?”

¹²Where are they? Where are your wise men? Let them tell you now, And let them know what the LORD of hosts has purposed against Egypt.

¹³The princes of Zoan have become fools; The princes of Noph are deceived; They have also deluded Egypt, Those who are the mainstay of its tribes.

¹⁴The LORD has mingled a perverse spirit in her midst; And they have caused Egypt to err in all her work, As a drunken man staggers in his vomit.

¹⁵Neither will there be any work for Egypt, Which the head or tail, Palm branch or bulrush, may do.

¹⁶In that day Egypt will be like women, and will be afraid and fear because of the waving of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which He waves over it.

¹⁷And the land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt; everyone who makes mention of it will be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts which He has determined against it.

¹⁸In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear by the LORD of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction.

¹⁹In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border.

²⁰And it will be for a sign and for a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the LORD because of the oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them.

²¹Then the LORD will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day, and will make sacrifice and offering; yes, they will make a vow to the LORD and perform it.

²²And the LORD will strike Egypt, He will strike and heal it; they will return to the LORD, and He will be entreated by them and heal them.

²³In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians.

²⁴In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land,

²⁵whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

¹Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.

²Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

³explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”

⁴And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.

⁵But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.

⁶But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.

⁷Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.”

⁸And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things.

⁹So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

¹⁰Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.

¹¹These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

¹²Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.

¹³But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds.

¹⁴Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there.

¹⁵So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.

¹⁶Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.

¹⁷Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.

¹⁸Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.

¹⁹And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak?

²⁰For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.”

²¹For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.

²²Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;

²³for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:

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

²⁵Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.

²⁶And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,

²⁷so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him 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 also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’

²⁹Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.

³⁰Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,

³¹because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

³²And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.”

³³So Paul departed from among them.

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