Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.

²And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor.

³Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders,

⁴saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”

⁵And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.

⁶But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.”

⁷So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers.

⁸Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

⁹Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel,

¹⁰and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.”

¹¹Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.”

¹²But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer.

¹³Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?”

¹⁴But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

¹⁵Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted.

¹⁶And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.

¹⁷So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”

¹⁸For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up.

¹⁹Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.”

²⁰Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.

²¹The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.”

²²Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!”

²³And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

²⁴So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.”

²⁵And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”

²⁶Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

²⁷Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him.

²⁸And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,

²⁹and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

³⁰And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.

³¹And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

³²As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross.

³³And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),

³⁴they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.

³⁵And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.

³⁶Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.

³⁷And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

³⁸Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.

³⁹And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads

⁴⁰and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

⁴¹So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying,

⁴²“He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.

⁴³He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

⁴⁴And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

⁴⁵Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

⁴⁶And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

⁴⁷And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”

⁴⁸And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.

⁴⁹But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”

⁵⁰And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

⁵¹And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.

⁵²The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,

⁵³and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

⁵⁴When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

⁵⁵There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him,

⁵⁶among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

⁵⁷When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus.

⁵⁸He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.

⁵⁹And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud

⁶⁰and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.

⁶¹Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

⁶²The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate

⁶³and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’

⁶⁴Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.”

⁶⁵Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.”

⁶⁶So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

¹When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.”

²He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death.

³Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me,

⁴and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”

⁵Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it,

⁶Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau,

⁷‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the LORD before I die.’

⁸Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you.

⁹Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves.

¹⁰And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.”

¹¹But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.

¹²Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.”

¹³His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”

¹⁴So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved.

¹⁵Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.

¹⁶And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.

¹⁷And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

¹⁸So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”

¹⁹Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.”

²⁰But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the LORD your God granted me success.”

²¹Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.”

²²So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”

²³And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands. So he blessed him.

²⁴He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.”

²⁵Then he said, “Bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son's game and bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.

²⁶Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.”

²⁷So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said, “See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed!

²⁸May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine.

²⁹Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”

³⁰As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

³¹He also prepared delicious food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son's game, that you may bless me.”

³²His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

³³Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.”

³⁴As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!”

³⁵But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.”

³⁶Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

³⁷Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?”

³⁸Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.

³⁹Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven on high.

⁴⁰By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; but when you grow restless you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

⁴¹Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

⁴²But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son and said to him, “Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you.

⁴³Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran

⁴⁴and stay with him a while, until your brother's fury turns away —

⁴⁵until your brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?”

⁴⁶Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I loathe my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

¹Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

²Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.

³But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

⁴Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head,

⁵but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven.

⁶For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head.

⁷For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man.

⁸For man was not made from woman, but woman from man.

⁹Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.

¹⁰That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.

¹¹Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman;

¹²for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.

¹³Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered?

¹⁴Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him,

¹⁵but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.

¹⁶If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.

¹⁷But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.

¹⁸For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part,

¹⁹for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.

²⁰When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat.

²¹For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk.

²²What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

²³For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,

²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

²⁵In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

²⁷Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.

²⁸Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

²⁹For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

³⁰That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

³¹But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.

³²But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

³³So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another —

³⁴if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home — so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

¹Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.

²Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.

³Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.

⁴Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

⁵You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

⁶You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

⁷Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.

⁸You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

⁹Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

¹⁰As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

¹¹Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

¹²But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

¹³Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.

¹⁴Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

¹⁵And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

¹⁶Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

¹⁷Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.

¹⁸Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

¹⁹My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,

²⁰let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

¹And Job again took up his discourse, and said:

²“As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,

³as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,

⁴my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit.

⁵Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.

⁶I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.

⁷“Let my enemy be as the wicked, and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.

⁸For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life?

⁹Will God hear his cry when distress comes upon him?

¹⁰Will he take delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times?

¹¹I will teach you concerning the hand of God; what is with the Almighty I will not conceal.

¹²Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves; why then have you become altogether vain?

¹³“This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty:

¹⁴If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword, and his descendants have not enough bread.

¹⁵Those who survive him the pestilence buries, and his widows do not weep.

¹⁶Though he heap up silver like dust, and pile up clothing like clay,

¹⁷he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver.

¹⁸He builds his house like a moth's, like a booth that a watchman makes.

¹⁹He goes to bed rich, but will do so no more; he opens his eyes, and his wealth is gone.

²⁰Terrors overtake him like a flood; in the night a whirlwind carries him off.

²¹The east wind lifts him up and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.

²²It hurls at him without pity; he flees from its power in headlong flight.

²³It claps its hands at him and hisses at him from its place.

¹The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

²When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.

³Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.

⁴One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.

⁵For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.

⁶And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

⁷Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!

⁸You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”

⁹Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!

¹⁰For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in.

¹¹Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.

¹²Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence.

¹³I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!

¹⁴Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

¹Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

²Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.

³A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool's provocation is heavier than both.

⁴Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?

⁵Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

⁶Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

⁷One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.

⁸Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who strays from his home.

⁹Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

¹⁰Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend, and do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.

¹¹Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me.

¹²The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.

¹³Take a man's garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress.

¹⁴Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing.

¹⁵A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike;

¹⁶to restrain her is to restrain the wind or to grasp oil in one's right hand.

¹⁷Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

¹⁸Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who guards his master will be honored.

¹⁹As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.

²⁰Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and never satisfied are the eyes of man.

²¹The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his praise.

²²Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him.

²³Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds,

²⁴for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations?

²⁵When the grass is gone and the new growth appears and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered,

²⁶the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field.

²⁷There will be enough goats' milk for your food, for the food of your household and maintenance for your girls.

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 the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.

²In that day, “A pleasant vineyard, sing of it!

³I, the LORD, am its keeper; every moment I water it. Lest anyone punish it, I keep it night and day;

⁴I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briers to battle! I would march against them, I would burn them up together.

⁵Or let them lay hold of my protection, let them make peace with me, let them make peace with me.”

⁶In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit.

⁷Has he struck them as he struck those who struck them? Or have they been slain as their slayers were slain?

⁸Measure by measure, by exile you contended with them; he removed them with his fierce breath in the day of the east wind.

⁹Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: when he makes all the stones of the altars like chalkstones crushed to pieces, no Asherim or incense altars will remain standing.

¹⁰For the fortified city is solitary, a habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness; there the calf grazes; there it lies down and strips its branches.

¹¹When its boughs are dry, they are broken; women come and make a fire of them. For this is a people without discernment; therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them; he who formed them will show them no favor.

¹²In that day from the river Euphrates to the Brook of Egypt the LORD will thresh out the grain, and you will be gleaned one by one, O people of Israel.

¹³And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.

¹And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius.

²And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.

³The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for.

⁴And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us.

⁵And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia.

⁶There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board.

⁷We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone.

⁸Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

⁹Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them,

¹⁰saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.”

¹¹But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said.

¹²And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.

¹³Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore.

¹⁴But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land.

¹⁵And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along.

¹⁶Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship's boat.

¹⁷After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along.

¹⁸Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo.

¹⁹And on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands.

²⁰When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

²¹Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss.

²²Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.

²³For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship,

²⁴and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’

²⁵So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.

²⁶But we must run aground on some island.”

²⁷When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land.

²⁸So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms.

²⁹And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come.

³⁰And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship's boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow,

³¹Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.”

³²Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it go.

³³As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing.

³⁴Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.”

³⁵And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat.

³⁶Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves.

³⁷(We were in all 276 persons in the ship.)

³⁸And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.

³⁹Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore.

⁴⁰So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach.

⁴¹But striking a reef, they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf.

⁴²The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape.

⁴³But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land,

⁴⁴and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.