Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.

²And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

³And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”

⁴But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?

⁵For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?

⁶But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — he then said to the paralytic — “Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

⁷And he rose and went home.

⁸When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

⁹As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

¹⁰And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.

¹¹And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹²But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

¹³Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

¹⁴Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

¹⁵And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

¹⁶No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.

¹⁷Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

¹⁸While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”

¹⁹And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples.

²⁰And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment,

²¹for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.”

²²Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.

²³And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion,

²⁴he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him.

²⁵But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.

²⁶And the report of this went through all that district.

²⁷And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”

²⁸When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”

²⁹Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”

³⁰And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.”

³¹But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

³²As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him.

³³And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.”

³⁴But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”

³⁵And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.

³⁶When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

³⁷Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;

³⁸therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

¹From the blue and purple and scarlet yarns they made finely woven garments, for ministering in the Holy Place. They made the holy garments for Aaron, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

²He made the ephod of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.

³And they hammered out gold leaf, and he cut it into threads to work into the blue and purple and the scarlet yarns, and into the fine twined linen, in skilled design.

⁴They made for the ephod attaching shoulder pieces, joined to it at its two edges.

⁵And the skillfully woven band on it was of one piece with it and made like it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

⁶They made the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold filigree, and engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel.

⁷And he set them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod to be stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

⁸He made the breastpiece, in skilled work, in the style of the ephod, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.

⁹It was square. They made the breastpiece doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth when doubled.

¹⁰And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row;

¹¹and the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond;

¹²and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;

¹³and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in settings of gold filigree.

¹⁴There were twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They were like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.

¹⁵And they made on the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold.

¹⁶And they made two settings of gold filigree and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece.

¹⁷And they put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece.

¹⁸They attached the two ends of the two cords to the two settings of filigree. Thus they attached it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod.

¹⁹Then they made two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.

²⁰And they made two rings of gold, and attached them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.

²¹And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it should lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece should not come loose from the ephod, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

²²He also made the robe of the ephod woven all of blue,

²³and the opening of the robe in it was like the opening in a garment, with a binding around the opening, so that it might not tear.

²⁴On the hem of the robe they made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.

²⁵They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around the hem of the robe, between the pomegranates —

²⁶a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate around the hem of the robe for ministering, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

²⁷They also made the coats, woven of fine linen, for Aaron and his sons,

²⁸and the turban of fine linen, and the caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twined linen,

²⁹and the sash of fine twined linen and of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, embroidered with needlework, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

³⁰They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription, like the engraving of a signet, “Holy to the LORD.”

³¹And they tied to it a cord of blue to fasten it on the turban above, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

³²Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished, and the people of Israel did according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses; so they did.

³³Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its utensils, its hooks, its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases;

³⁴the covering of tanned rams' skins and goatskins, and the veil of the screen;

³⁵the ark of the testimony with its poles and the mercy seat;

³⁶the table with all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence;

³⁷the lampstand of pure gold and its lamps with the lamps set and all its utensils, and the oil for the light;

³⁸the golden altar, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the entrance of the tent;

³⁹the bronze altar, and its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin and its stand;

⁴⁰the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, and its pegs; and all the utensils for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting;

⁴¹the finely worked garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons for their service as priests.

⁴²According to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the people of Israel had done all the work.

⁴³And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the LORD had commanded, so had they done it. Then Moses blessed them.

¹I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ — I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away! —

²I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh.

³For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.

⁴For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

⁵We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

⁶being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

⁷Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ's, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ's, so also are we.

⁸For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed.

⁹I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters.

¹⁰For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.”

¹¹Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present.

¹²Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.

¹³But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you.

¹⁴For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ.

¹⁵We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged,

¹⁶so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence.

¹⁷“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

¹⁸For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

¹You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,

²and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

³Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

⁴No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

⁵An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

⁶It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.

⁷Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

⁸Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,

⁹for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!

¹⁰Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

¹¹The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;

¹²if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;

¹³if we are faithless, he remains faithful — for he cannot deny himself.

¹⁴Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.

¹⁵Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

¹⁶But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,

¹⁷and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,

¹⁸who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.

¹⁹But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

²⁰Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.

²¹Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

²²So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

²³Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.

²⁴And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,

²⁵correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

²⁶and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

¹“Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold that they refine.

²Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from the ore.

³Man puts an end to darkness and searches out to the farthest limit the ore in gloom and deep darkness.

⁴He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives; they are forgotten by travelers; they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.

⁵As for the earth, out of it comes bread, but underneath it is turned up as by fire.

⁶Its stones are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold.

⁷“That path no bird of prey knows, and the falcon's eye has not seen it.

⁸The proud beasts have not trodden it; the lion has not passed over it.

⁹“Man puts his hand to the flinty rock and overturns mountains by the roots.

¹⁰He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his eye sees every precious thing.

¹¹He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle, and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.

¹²“But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

¹³Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living.

¹⁴The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’ and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

¹⁵It cannot be bought for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price.

¹⁶It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.

¹⁷Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

¹⁸No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; the price of wisdom is above pearls.

¹⁹The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.

²⁰“From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?

²¹It is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air.

²²Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’

²³“God understands the way to it, and he knows its place.

²⁴For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.

²⁵When he gave to the wind its weight and apportioned the waters by measure,

²⁶when he made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder,

²⁷then he saw it and declared it; he established it, and searched it out.

²⁸And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

¹When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.

²Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”

³The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.

⁴Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negeb!

⁵Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!

⁶He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

¹The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.

²When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue.

³A poor man who oppresses the poor is a beating rain that leaves no food.

⁴Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law strive against them.

⁵Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.

⁶Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

⁷The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding, but a companion of gluttons shames his father.

⁸Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.

⁹If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.

¹⁰Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.

¹¹A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has understanding will find him out.

¹²When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves.

¹³Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

¹⁴Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

¹⁵Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

¹⁶A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

¹⁷If one is burdened with the blood of another, he will be a fugitive until death; let no one help him.

¹⁸Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.

¹⁹Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

²⁰A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.

²¹To show partiality is not good, but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.

²²A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him.

²³Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue.

²⁴Whoever robs his father or his mother and says, “That is no transgression,” is a companion to a man who destroys.

²⁵A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the LORD will be enriched.

²⁶Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

²⁷Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.

²⁸When the wicked rise, people hide themselves, but when they perish, the righteous increase.

¹Now these are the nations that the LORD left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan.

²It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before.

³These are the nations: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath.

⁴They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

⁵So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

⁶And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.

⁷And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.

⁸Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.

⁹But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

¹⁰The Spirit of the LORD was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.

¹¹So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

¹²And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the LORD.

¹³He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms.

¹⁴And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

¹⁵Then the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, and the LORD raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.

¹⁶And Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his clothes.

¹⁷And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.

¹⁸And when Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute.

¹⁹But he himself turned back at the idols near Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he commanded, “Silence.” And all his attendants went out from his presence.

²⁰And Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he arose from his seat.

²¹And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.

²²And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the dung came out.

²³Then Ehud went out into the porch and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them.

²⁴When he had gone, the servants came, and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber.”

²⁵And they waited till they were embarrassed. But when he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them, and there lay their lord dead on the floor.

²⁶Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah.

²⁷When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader.

²⁸And he said to them, “Follow after me, for the LORD has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and did not allow anyone to pass over.

²⁹And they killed at that time about 10,000 of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped.

³⁰So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.

³¹After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel.

¹In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.

²Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.

³You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

⁴Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

⁵For he has humbled the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city. He lays it low, lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust.

⁶The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy.”

⁷The path of the righteous is level; you make level the way of the righteous.

⁸In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul.

⁹My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

¹⁰If favor is shown to the wicked, he does not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does not see the majesty of the LORD.

¹¹O LORD, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed. Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.

¹²O LORD, you will ordain peace for us, for you have indeed done for us all our works.

¹³O LORD our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone we bring to remembrance.

¹⁴They are dead, they will not live; they are shades, they will not arise; to that end you have visited them with destruction and wiped out all remembrance of them.

¹⁵But you have increased the nation, O LORD, you have increased the nation; you are glorified; you have enlarged all the borders of the land.

¹⁶O LORD, in distress they sought you; they poured out a whispered prayer when your discipline was upon them.

¹⁷Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O LORD;

¹⁸we were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind. We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.

¹⁹Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

²⁰Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by.

²¹For behold, the LORD is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain.

¹And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before the governor their case against Paul.

²And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying: “Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation,

³in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude.

⁴But, to detain you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly.

⁵For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

⁶He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him.

⁷

⁸By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.”

⁹The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so.

¹⁰And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied: “Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense.

¹¹You can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem,

¹²and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city.

¹³Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me.

¹⁴But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,

¹⁵having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.

¹⁶So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.

¹⁷Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings.

¹⁸While I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia —

¹⁹they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me.

²⁰Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council,

²¹other than this one thing that I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.’”

²²But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.”

²³Then he gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.

²⁴After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.

²⁵And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.”

²⁶At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him.

²⁷When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.