Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹When Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He went on from there to teach and to preach in their [Galilean] cities.

²Now when John [the Baptist] in prison heard about the activities of Christ, he sent word by his disciples

³and asked Him, "Are You the Expected One (the Messiah), or should we look for someone else [who will be the promised One]?"

⁴Jesus answered, "Go and report to John what you hear and see:

⁵the blind receive [their] sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed [by healing] and the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

⁶And blessed [joyful, favored by God] is he who does not take offense at Me [accepting Me as the Messiah and trusting confidently in My message of salvation]."

⁷As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out in the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind [which is commonplace]?

⁸What did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing [entirely unsuited for the harsh desert]? Those who wear soft clothing are in the palaces of kings!

⁹But what did you [really] go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one [more eminent, more remarkable, and] far more than a prophet [who foretells the future].

¹⁰This is the one of whom it is written [by the prophet Malachi], 'Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way before You.'

¹¹I assure you and most solemnly say to you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater [in privilege] than he.

¹²From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize].

¹³For all the prophets and the Law prophesied up until John.

¹⁴And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is [the fulfillment of] Elijah [as the messenger] who was to come [before the kingdom].

¹⁵He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words.

¹⁶"But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like little children sitting in the market places, who call to the others,

¹⁷and say 'We piped the flute for you [playing wedding], and you did not dance; we wailed sad dirges [playing funeral], and you did not mourn and cry aloud.'

¹⁸For John came neither eating nor drinking [with others], and they say, 'He has a demon!'

¹⁹The Son of Man came eating and drinking [with others], and they say, 'Look! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews]!' Yet wisdom is justified and vindicated by her deeds [in the lives of those who respond to Me]."

²⁰Then He began to denounce [the people in] the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent [and change their hearts and lives].

²¹"Woe (judgment is coming) to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon [cities of the Gentiles], they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes [their hearts would have been changed and they would have expressed sorrow for their sin and rebellion against God].

²²Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for [the pagan cities of] Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

²³And you, Capernaum, are you to be exalted to heaven [for your apathy and unresponsiveness]? You will descend to Hades (the realm of the dead); for if the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

²⁴But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment, than for you."

²⁵At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth [I openly and joyfully acknowledge Your great wisdom], that You have hidden these things [these spiritual truths] from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants [to new believers, to those seeking God's will and purpose].

²⁶Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.

²⁷All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Son except the Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son [deliberately] wills to reveal Him.

²⁸"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation].

²⁹Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls.

³⁰For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light."

¹The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying,

²"Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, 'When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of [domestic] animals from the herd (cattle, oxen) or from the flock (sheep, goats).

³If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting so that he may be accepted before the LORD.

⁴He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering [transferring symbolically his guilt to the sacrifice], that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf.

⁵He shall kill the young bull before the LORD; and Aaron's sons the priests shall present the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting.

⁶Then he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces.

⁷The sons of Aaron the [high] priest shall put fire on the altar [of burnt offering] and arrange wood on the fire.

⁸Then Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head and the fat, on the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar.

⁹But he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. The priest shall offer all of it up in smoke on the altar as a burnt offering. It is an offering by fire, a sweet and soothing aroma to the LORD.

¹⁰'But if his offering is from the flock, of the sheep or of the goats, as a burnt offering, he shall offer a male without blemish.

¹¹He shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar.

¹²He shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar.

¹³But he shall wash the entrails and legs with water. The priest shall offer all of it, and offer it up in smoke on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a sweet and soothing aroma to the LORD.

¹⁴'But if his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring turtledoves or young pigeons as his offering.

¹⁵The priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off its head, and offer it up in smoke on the altar; and its blood is to be drained out on the side of the altar.

¹⁶He shall remove its crop with its feathers and throw it next to the east side of the altar, in the place for ashes.

¹⁷Then he shall tear it open by its wings, but shall not sever it. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a sweet and soothing aroma to the LORD.

¹It is necessary to boast, though nothing is gained by it; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.

²I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, [only] God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven.

³And I know that such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, [only] God knows—

⁴was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words which man is not permitted to speak [words too sacred to tell].

⁵On behalf of such a man [and his experiences] I will boast; but in my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses.

⁶If I wish to boast, I will not be foolish, because I will be speaking the truth. But I abstain [from it], so that no one will credit me with more than [is justified by what] he sees in me or hears from me.

⁷Because of the surpassing greatness and extraordinary nature of the revelations [which I received from God], for this reason, to keep me from thinking of myself as important, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan, to torment and harass me—to keep me from exalting myself!

⁸Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me;

⁹but He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness." Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.

¹⁰So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God's strength].

¹¹Now I have become foolish; you have forced me [by questioning my apostleship]. Actually I should have been commended by you [instead of being treated disdainfully], for I was not inferior to those super-apostles, even if I am nobody.

¹²The signs that indicate a genuine apostle were performed among you fully and most patiently—signs and wonders and miracles.

¹³For in what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches, except [for the fact] that I did not burden you [with my financial support]? Forgive me [for doing you] this injustice!

¹⁴Now for the third time I am ready to visit you. I will not burden you [financially], because I do not want what is yours [not your money or your possessions], but you. For children are not responsible to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

¹⁵But I will very gladly spend [my own resources] and be utterly spent for your souls. If I love you greatly, am I to be loved less [by you]?

¹⁶But be that as it may, I did not burden you [with my support]. But [some say that] I was sly and took you by trickery.

¹⁷Did I take advantage of you or make any money off you through any of the messengers I sent you? [Certainly not!]

¹⁸I urged Titus to go, and I sent the brother with him. Titus did not take advantage of you, did he? [No!] Did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit and walk in the same steps? [Of course!]

¹⁹All this time you have been thinking that we are [merely] defending ourselves to you. It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking [as one] in Christ; and everything, dearly beloved, is to strengthen you [spiritually].

²⁰For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you not to be as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder;

²¹I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality and decadence which they formerly practiced.

¹I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:

²preach the word [as an official messenger]; be ready when the time is right and even when it is not [keep your sense of urgency, whether the opportunity seems favorable or unfavorable, whether convenient or inconvenient, whether welcome or unwelcome]; correct [those who err in doctrine or behavior], warn [those who sin], exhort and encourage [those who are growing toward spiritual maturity], with inexhaustible patience and [faithful] teaching.

³For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God's truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold,

⁴and will turn their ears away from the truth and will wander off into myths and man-made fictions [and will accept the unacceptable].

⁵But as for you, be clear-headed in every situation [stay calm and cool and steady], endure every hardship [without flinching], do the work of an evangelist, fulfill [the duties of] your ministry.

⁶For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure [from this world] is at hand and I will soon go free.

⁷I have fought the good and worthy and noble fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith [firmly guarding the gospel against error].

⁸In the future there is reserved for me the [victor's] crown of righteousness [for being right with God and doing right], which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that [great] day—and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved and longed for and welcomed His appearing.

⁹Make every effort to come to me soon;

¹⁰for Demas, having loved [the pleasures of] this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

¹¹Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very helpful to me for the ministry.

¹²But Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.

¹³When you come bring the coat that I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments.

¹⁴Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; [but that is no concern of mine, for] the Lord will repay him according to his actions.

¹⁵Be on guard against him yourself, because he vigorously opposed our message.

¹⁶At my first trial no one supported me [as an advocate] or stood with me, but they all deserted me. May it not be counted against them [by God].

¹⁷But the Lord stood by me and strengthened and empowered me, so that through me the [gospel] message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear it; and I was rescued from the mouth of the lion.

¹⁸The Lord will rescue me from every evil assault, and He will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁹Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, and to the household of Onesiphorus.

²⁰Erastus stayed on at Corinth, but I left Trophimus sick at Miletus.

²¹Try your best to come [to me] before winter. Eubulus wishes to be remembered to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.

²²The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

¹"But now those younger than I mock and laugh at me, Whose fathers I refused to put with the sheepdogs of my flock.

²"Indeed, how could the strength of their hands profit me? Vigor had perished from them.

³"They are gaunt with want and famine; They gnaw the dry and barren ground by night in [the gloom of] waste and desolation.

⁴"They pluck [and eat] saltwort (mallows) among the bushes, And their food is the root of the broom shrub.

⁵"They are driven from the community; They shout after them as after a thief.

⁶"They must dwell on the slopes of wadis And in holes in the ground and in rocks.

⁷"Among the bushes they cry out [like wild animals]; Beneath the prickly scrub they gather and huddle together.

⁸"They are the sons of [worthless and nameless] fools, They have been driven out of the land.

⁹"And now I have become [the subject of] their taunting; Yes, I am a byword and a laughingstock to them.

¹⁰"They hate me, they stand aloof from me, And do not refrain from spitting in my face.

¹¹"For God has loosed His bowstring [attacking me] and [He has] afflicted and humbled me; They have cast off the bridle [of restraint] before me.

¹²"On my right the [rabble] brood rises; They push my feet away, and they build up their ways of destruction against me [like an advancing army].

¹³"They break up and clutter my path [upsetting my plans], They profit from my destruction; No one restrains them.

¹⁴"As through a wide breach they come, Amid the crash [of falling walls] they roll on [over me].

¹⁵"Terrors are turned upon me; They chase away my honor and reputation like the wind, And my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.

¹⁶"And now my soul is poured out within me; The days of affliction have seized me.

¹⁷"My bones are pierced [with aching] in the night season, And the pains that gnaw me take no rest.

¹⁸"By the great force [of my disease] my garment (skin) is disfigured and blemished; It binds about me [choking me] like the collar of my coat.

¹⁹"God has cast me into the mire [a swampland of crisis], And I have become [worthless] like dust and ashes.

²⁰"I cry to You for help, [Lord,] but You do not answer me; I stand up, but You [only] gaze [indifferently] at me.

²¹"You have become harsh and cruel to me; With the might of Your hand You [keep me alive only to] persecute me.

²²"You lift me up on the wind and cause me to ride [upon it]; And You toss me about in the tempest and dissolve me in the storm.

²³"For I know that You will bring me to death And to the house of meeting [appointed] for all the living.

²⁴"However, does not one falling in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand? Or in his disaster [will he not] therefore cry out for help?

²⁵"Did I not weep for one whose life was hard and filled with trouble? Was not my heart grieved for the needy?

²⁶"When I expected good, then came evil [to me]; And when I waited for light, then came darkness.

²⁷"I am seething within and my heart is troubled and cannot rest; Days of affliction come to meet me.

²⁸"I go about mourning without comfort [my skin blackened by disease, not by the heat of the sun]; I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.

²⁹"I am a brother to [howling] jackals, And a companion to ostriches [which scream dismally].

³⁰"My skin falls from me in blackened flakes, And my bones are burned with fever.

³¹"Therefore my lyre (harp) is used for [the sound of] mourning, And my flute for the [sound of the] voices of those who weep.

¹A Song of Ascents. Blessed [happy and sheltered by God's favor] is everyone who fears the LORD [and worships Him with obedience], Who walks in His ways and lives according to His commandments.

²For you shall eat the fruit of [the labor of] your hands, You will be happy and blessed and it will be well with you.

³Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine Within the innermost part of your house; Your children will be like olive plants Around your table.

⁴Behold, for so shall the man be blessed and divinely favored Who fears the LORD [and worships Him with obedience].

⁵May the LORD bless you from Zion [His holy mountain], And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life;

⁶Indeed, may you see your [family perpetuated in your] children's children. Peace be upon Israel!

¹The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle: The man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ucal:

²Surely I am more brutish and stupid than any man, And I do not have the understanding of a man [for I do not know what I do not know].

³I have not learned [skillful and godly] wisdom, Nor do I have knowledge of the Holy One [who is the source of wisdom].

⁴Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name? Certainly you know!

⁵Every word of God is tested and refined [like silver]; He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him.

⁶Do not add to His words, Or He will reprove you, and you will be found a liar.

⁷Two things I have asked of You; Do not deny them to me before I die:

⁸Keep deception and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion,

⁹So that I will not be full and deny You and say, "Who is the LORD?" Or that I will not be poor and steal, And so profane the name of my God.

¹⁰Do not slander or malign a servant before his master [stay out of another's personal life], Or he will curse you [for your interference], and you will be found guilty.

¹¹There is a generation (class of people) that curses its father And does not bless its mother.

¹²There is a generation (class of people) that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from its filthiness.

¹³There is a generation (class of people)—oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are raised in arrogance.

¹⁴There is a generation (class of people) whose teeth are like swords And whose jaw teeth are like knives, To devour the afflicted from the earth And the needy from among men.

¹⁵The leech has two daughters, "Give, give!" There are three things that are never satisfied, Four that do not say, "It is enough":

¹⁶Sheol, and the barren womb, Earth that is never satisfied with water, And fire that never says, "It is enough."

¹⁷The eye that mocks a father And scorns a mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young vultures will devour it.

¹⁸There are three things which are too astounding and unexpectedly wonderful for me, Four which I do not understand:

¹⁹The way of an eagle in the air, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the middle of the sea, And the way of a man with a maid.

²⁰This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth And says, "I have done no wrong."

²¹Under three things the earth is disquieted and quakes, And under four it cannot bear up:

²²Under a servant when he reigns, Under a [spiritually blind] fool when he is filled with food,

²³Under an unloved woman when she gets married, And under a maidservant when she supplants her mistress.

²⁴There are four things that are small on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:

²⁵The ants are not a strong people, Yet they prepare their food in the summer;

²⁶The shephanim are not a mighty folk, Yet they make their houses in the rocks;

²⁷The locusts have no king, Yet all of them go out in groups;

²⁸You may grasp the lizard with your hands, Yet it is in kings' palaces.

²⁹There are three things which are stately in step, Even four which are stately in their stride:

³⁰The lion, which is mighty among beasts And does not turn back before any;

³¹The strutting rooster, the male goat also, And the king when his army is with him.

³²If you have foolishly exalted yourself, Or if you have plotted evil, put your hand on your mouth.

³³Surely the churning of milk produces butter, And wringing the nose produces blood; So the churning of anger produces strife.

¹Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,

²"For the leaders who took the lead in Israel, For the people who volunteered [for battle], Bless the LORD!

³"Hear, O kings; listen, O rulers! I will sing to the LORD, I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.

⁴"LORD, when You went out from Seir, When You marched from the field of Edom, The earth quaked, the heavens also dripped, Yes, the clouds dripped water.

⁵"The mountains quaked at the presence of the LORD, Yes, this Sinai, at the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel.

⁶"In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, In the days of Jael, the highways were deserted, And travelers went by roundabout ways.

⁷"The villagers ceased to be; they ceased in Israel Until I, Deborah, arose, Until I arose, a mother in Israel.

⁸"They chose new gods; Then war was in the gates. Was there a shield or spear seen Among forty thousand in Israel?

⁹"My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel, The volunteers among the people; Bless the LORD!

¹⁰"Sing of it, you who ride on white donkeys, You who sit on rich carpets, And you who walk by the way.

¹¹"At the sound of those who divide flocks among the watering places, There they shall recount the righteous acts of the LORD, The righteous acts toward His villagers in Israel. Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates.

¹²"Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and lead away your captives, you son of Abinoam.

¹³"Then down marched the survivors to the nobles; The people of the LORD marched down for Me against the mighty.

¹⁴"From Ephraim those whose root is in Amalek came down, After you, Benjamin, with your relatives; From Machir came down commanders and rulers, And from Zebulun those who handle the scepter of the [office of] scribe.

¹⁵"And the heads of Issachar came with Deborah; As Issachar, so was Barak; Into the valley they rushed at his heels; Among the divisions of Reuben There were great searchings of heart.

¹⁶"Why [Reuben] did you linger among the sheepfolds, To hear the piping for the flocks? Among the divisions of Reuben There were great searchings of heart.

¹⁷"Gilead remained beyond the Jordan; And why did Dan live as an alien on ships? Asher sat [still] on the seacoast, And remained by its landings. [These did not come to battle for God's people.]

¹⁸"But Zebulun was a people who risked their lives to the [point of] death; Naphtali also, on the heights of the field.

¹⁹"The kings came and fought; Then the kings of Canaan fought At Taanach by the waters of Megiddo. Spoils of silver they did not obtain.

²⁰"From the heavens the stars fought, From their courses they fought against Sisera.

²¹"The torrent Kishon swept the enemy away, The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. O my soul, march on with strength.

²²"Then the horses' hoofs beat [loudly] Because of the galloping—the galloping of his valiant and powerful steeds.

²³'Curse Meroz,' said the messenger of the LORD, 'Utterly curse its inhabitants; Because they did not come to the help of the LORD, To the help of the LORD against the mighty.'

²⁴"Most blessed of women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite; Most blessed is she of women in the tent.

²⁵"Sisera asked for water and she gave him milk; She brought him curds in a magnificent bowl.

²⁶"She reached out her [left] hand for the tent peg, And her right hand for the workmen's hammer. Then she struck Sisera, she smashed his head; And she shattered and pierced his temple.

²⁷"He bowed, he fell, he lay [still] at her feet; At her feet he bowed, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell dead.

²⁸"Out of the window she looked down and lamented (cried out in a shrill voice), The mother of Sisera through the lattice, 'Why is his chariot delayed in coming? Why have the hoofbeats of his chariots delayed?'

²⁹"Her wise ladies answered her, Indeed, she repeated her words to herself,

³⁰'Are they not finding and dividing the spoil? A maiden (concubine) or two for every man; A spoil of dyed garments for Sisera, A spoil of dyed garments embroidered, Two pieces of dyed garments embroidered for the neck of the plunderer?'

³¹"So let all Your enemies perish, O LORD; But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might." And the land was at rest for forty years.

¹Woe (judgment is coming) to [Samaria] the splendid crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the rich valley Of those who are overcome with wine!

²Listen carefully, the Lord has a strong and mighty agent [the Assyrian]; Like a tempest of hail, a disastrous storm, Like a tempest of mighty overflowing waters, He has cast it down to the earth with His hand.

³The splendid crown of the drunkards of Ephraim is trampled by [the foreigners'] feet.

⁴And the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the rich valley, Will be like the early fig before the summer, Which one sees, And as soon as it is in his hand He [greedily] swallows it [and so will the Assyrians rapidly devour Samaria, Israel's capital].

⁵In that day the LORD of hosts will become a magnificent crown And a glorious diadem to the [converted] remnant of His people,

⁶A spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment [administering the law], A strength to those who drive back the battle at the gate.

⁷But even these reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink; They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; They reel while seeing visions, They stagger when pronouncing judgment.

⁸For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, so that there is no place [that is clean.]

⁹They say "To whom would He teach knowledge? And to whom would He explain the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast?

¹⁰"For He says, 'Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Rule upon rule, rule upon rule, Here a little, there a little.'"

¹¹Indeed, the LORD will teach this people [in a more humiliating way] By [men with] stammering lips and a foreign tongue,

¹²He who said to them, "This is the place of quiet, give rest to the weary," And, "This is the resting place," yet they would not listen.

¹³Therefore the word of the LORD to them will be [merely monotonous repetitions]: "Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Rule upon rule, rule upon rule, Here a little, there a little." That they may go and stumble backward, and be broken, ensnared, and taken captive.

¹⁴Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, you arrogant men Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem!

¹⁵Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol (the place of the dead) we have made an agreement, When the overwhelming scourge passes by, it will not reach us, For we have made lies our refuge and we have concealed ourselves in deception."

¹⁶Therefore the Lord GOD says this, "Listen carefully, I am laying in Zion a Stone, a tested Stone, A precious Cornerstone for the [secure] foundation, firmly placed. He who believes [who trusts in, relies on, and adheres to that Stone] will not be disturbed or give way [in sudden panic].

¹⁷"I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the mason's level; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies And waters will flood over the secret [hiding] place.

¹⁸"Your covenant with death will be annulled, And your agreement with Sheol (the place of the dead) will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you will become its trampling ground.

¹⁹"As often as it passes through, it will seize you; For morning after morning it will pass through, by day and by night, And it will be sheer terror to understand what it means."

²⁰For the bed is too short to stretch out on, And the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself [and likewise all their preparations are inadequate].

²¹For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be stirred up as in the Valley of Gibeon, To do His work, His unusual and incredible work, And to accomplish His work, His extraordinary work.

²²Now do not carry on as scoffers, Or the bands which bind you will be made stronger; For I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts [a decree] Of decisive destruction on all the earth.

²³Listen and hear my voice; Listen carefully and hear my words.

²⁴Does the farmer plow all day to plant seed? Does he continually dig furrows and harrow his ground [after it is prepared]?

²⁵When he has leveled its surface, Does he not sow [the seed of] dill and scatter cumin, And plant wheat in rows, And barley in its [intended] place and rye within its border?

²⁶For his God instructs [him correctly] and teaches him properly.

²⁷For dill is not threshed with a sharp threshing sledge, Nor is a cartwheel rolled over cumin; But dill is beaten out with a staff, and cumin with a rod.

²⁸Bread grain is crushed fine, Indeed, the farmer does not continue to thresh it forever. Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually damage it, He does not thresh it longer.

²⁹This also comes from the LORD of hosts, Who has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great.

¹Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You are [now] permitted to speak on your own behalf." At that, Paul stretched out his hand [as an orator] and made his defense [as follows]:

²"I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, since it is before you that I am to make my defense today regarding all the charges brought against me by the Jews,

³especially because you are an expert [fully knowledgeable, experienced and unusually conversant] in all the Jewish customs and controversial issues; therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.

⁴"So then, all the Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation [the Jewish people], and in Jerusalem.

⁵They have known me for a long time, if they are willing to testify to it, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I have lived as a Pharisee.

⁶And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers.

⁷Which hope [of the Messiah and the resurrection] our twelve tribes [confidently] expect to realize as they serve and worship God in earnest night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews!

⁸Why is it thought incredible by [any of] you that God raises the dead?

⁹"So then, I [once] thought to myself that it was my duty to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

¹⁰And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; I not only locked up many of the saints (God's people) in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being condemned to death, I cast my vote against them.

¹¹And I often punished them [making them suffer] in all the synagogues and tried to force them to blaspheme; and in my extreme rage at them, I kept hunting them even to foreign cities [harassing and persecuting them].

¹²"While so engaged, as I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and commission and full power of the chief priests,

¹³at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven surpassing the brightness of the sun, shining all around me and those who were traveling with me.

¹⁴And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice in the Hebrew dialect (Jewish Aramaic) saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick [repeatedly] against the goads [offering pointless resistance].'

¹⁵And I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

¹⁶Get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you [to serve] as a minister and as a witness [to testify, with authority,] not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you,

¹⁷[choosing you for Myself and] rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,

¹⁸to open their [spiritual] eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness and release from their sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified (set apart, made holy) by faith in Me.'

¹⁹"So, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

²⁰but I openly proclaimed first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent [change their inner self—their old way of thinking] and turn to God, doing deeds and living lives which are consistent with repentance.

²¹Because of this some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

²²But I have had help from God to this day, and I stand [before people] testifying to small and great alike, stating nothing except what the Prophets and Moses said would come to pass—

²³that the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) was to suffer, and that He by being the first to rise from the dead [with an incorruptible body] would proclaim light (salvation) both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."

²⁴While Paul was making this defense, Festus said loudly, "Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great education is turning you toward madness."

²⁵But Paul replied, "I am not out of my mind, most excellent and noble Festus, but [with a sound mind] I am uttering rational words of truth and reason.

²⁶For [your majesty] the king understands these things, and [therefore] I am also speaking to him with confidence and boldness, since I am convinced that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner [hidden from view, in secret].

²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe the [writings of the] Prophets [their messages and words]? I know that you do."

²⁸Then Agrippa said to Paul, "In a short time [and with so little effort] you [almost] persuade me to become a Christian."

²⁹And Paul replied, "Whether in a short time or long, I wish to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become such as I am, except for these chains."

³⁰Then the king stood up, and [with him] the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them;

³¹and after they had gone out, they began saying to one another, "This man is not doing anything worthy of death or [even] of imprisonment."

³²And Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar (Emperor Nero)."