Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹When they approached Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples [ahead],

²saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and at once you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me.

³If anyone says anything to you, you should say, 'The Lord needs them,' and without delay the owner will send them [with you]."

⁴This happened so that what was spoken by the prophet would be fulfilled, saying:

⁵"Tell the daughter of Zion (the people of Jerusalem), 'Behold, your King is coming to you, Gentle and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'"

⁶Then the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them,

⁷and they brought the donkey and the colt, and placed their coats on them; and Jesus sat on the coats.

⁸Most of the crowd spread their coats on the road [as before a king], while others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road.

⁹The crowds that went ahead of Him, and those that followed Him, were shouting [in praise and adoration], " Hosanna to the Son of David (Messiah); Blessed [praised, glorified] is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest [heaven]!"

¹⁰When He entered Jerusalem, all the city was trembling [with excitement], saying, "Who is this?"

¹¹And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee."

¹²And Jesus entered the temple [grounds] and drove out [with force] all who were buying and selling [birds and animals for sacrifice] in the temple area, and He turned over the tables of the moneychangers [who made a profit exchanging foreign money for temple coinage] and the chairs of those who were selling doves [for sacrifice].

¹³Jesus said to them, "It is written [in Scripture], 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a robbers' den."

¹⁴And the blind and the lame came to Him in [the porticoes and courts of] the temple area, and He healed them.

¹⁵But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful and miraculous things that Jesus had done, and heard the boys who were shouting in [the porticoes and courts of] the temple [in praise and adoration], "Hosanna to the Son of David (the Messiah)," they became indignant

¹⁶and they said to Him, "Do You hear what these children are saying?" And Jesus replied to them, "Yes; have you never read [in the Scripture], 'Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies You have prepared and provided praise for Yourself'?"

¹⁷Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

¹⁸Now early in the morning, as Jesus was coming back to the city, He was hungry.

¹⁹Seeing a lone fig tree at the roadside, He went to it and found nothing but leaves on it; and He said to it, "Never again will fruit come from you." And at once the fig tree withered.

²⁰When the disciples saw it, they were astonished and asked, "How is it that the fig tree has withered away all at once?"

²¹Jesus replied to them, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, if you have faith [personal trust and confidence in Me] and do not doubt or allow yourself to be drawn in two directions, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen [if God wills it].

²²And whatever you ask for in prayer, believing, you will receive."

²³When He entered the temple area, the chief priests and elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching and said, "By what [kind of] authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority [to exercise this power]?"

²⁴Jesus replied to them, "I will also ask you a question, and if you tell Me the answer, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

²⁵The baptism of John—from where did it come? From heaven [that is, ordained by God] or from men?" And they began debating among themselves [considering the implications of their answer], saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe John?'

²⁶But if we say, 'From men,' we are afraid of the [response of the] crowd; for they all regard John as a prophet."

²⁷So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what [kind of] authority I do these things."

²⁸"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.'

²⁹And he answered, 'I will not'; but afterward he regretted it and changed his mind and went.

³⁰Then the man came to the second son and said the same thing; and he replied, 'I will, sir'; but he did not go.

³¹Which of the two did the will of the father?" The chief priests and elders replied, "The first one." Jesus said to them, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you.

³²For John came to you [walking] in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even change your mind afterward and believe him [accepting what he proclaimed to you].

³³"Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and rented it out to tenant farmers and went on a journey [to another country].

³⁴When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his [share of the] fruit.

³⁵But the tenants took his servants and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third.

³⁶Again he sent other servants, more than the first time; and they treated them the same way.

³⁷Finally he sent his own son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son and have regard for him.'

³⁸But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This [man] is the heir; come on, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'

³⁹So they took the son and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

⁴⁰Now when the owner of the vineyard comes back, what will he do to those tenants?"

⁴¹They said to Him, "He will put those despicable men to a miserable end, and rent out the vineyard to other tenants [of good character] who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons."

⁴²Jesus asked them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The [very]Stone which the builders rejected and threw away, Has become the chief Cornerstone; This is the Lord's doing, And it is marvelous and wonderful in our eyes'?

⁴³Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to [another] people who will produce the fruit of it.

⁴⁴And he who falls on this Stone will be broken to pieces; but he on whom it falls will be crushed."

⁴⁵When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was talking about them.

⁴⁶And although they were trying to arrest Him, they feared the people, because they regarded Jesus as a prophet.

¹The LORD spoke again to Moses and Aaron, saying to them,

²"Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'Among all the animals which are on the earth, these are the animals which you may eat.

³You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof [that is, a hoof split into two parts especially at its distal extremity] and chews the cud.

⁴Nevertheless, you are not to eat these, among those which chew the cud or divide the hoof: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not divide the hoof; it is [ceremonially] unclean to you.

⁵And the shaphan, because it chews the cud but does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you.

⁶And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you.

⁷And the swine, because it divides the hoof and makes a split hoof, but does not chew the cud; it is unclean to you.

⁸You shall not eat their meat nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

⁹'These you may eat, whatever is in the water: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, these you may eat;

¹⁰but whatever does not have fins and scales in the seas and in the rivers, of all the teeming life in the waters, and of all the living creatures that are in the waters, they are [to be considered] detestable to you.

¹¹They shall be hated things to you. You may not eat their meat; you shall detest their carcasses.

¹²Everything in the water that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.

¹³'These you shall detest among the birds; they are not to be eaten, for they are hated things: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard,

¹⁴the kite, every kind of falcon,

¹⁵every kind of raven,

¹⁶the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, every species of hawk,

¹⁷the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl,

¹⁸the white owl, the pelican, the carrion vulture,

¹⁹the stork, all kinds of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.

²⁰'All winged insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you;

²¹yet of all winged insects that walk on all fours you may eat those which have legs above their feet with which to leap on the ground.

²²Of these you may eat: the whole species of migratory locust, of bald locust, of cricket, and of grasshopper.

²³But all other winged insects which are four footed are detestable to you.

²⁴'By [contact with] these you will become unclean; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until the evening (dusk),

²⁵and whoever picks up any of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.

²⁶Concerning all the animals which divide the hoof, but do not have a split hoof, or which do not chew the cud, they are unclean to you; whoever touches them becomes unclean.

²⁷Also all animals that walk on their paws, among all kinds of animals that walk on four legs, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until the evening,

²⁸and the one who picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.

²⁹'These also are unclean to you among the swarming things that crawl around on the ground [and multiply profusely]: the mole, the mouse, and any kind of great lizard,

³⁰the gecko, the crocodile, the lizard, the sand reptile, and the chameleon.

³¹These [creatures] are unclean to you among all that swarm; whoever touches them when they are dead becomes unclean until evening.

³²Also anything on which one of them falls after dying becomes unclean, whether it is an article of wood or clothing, or a skin, or a sack—any article that is used—it must be put in water, and will be unclean until the evening; then it becomes clean.

³³As for any earthenware container into which any of these [crawling things] falls, whatever is in it becomes unclean, and you shall break the container.

³⁴Any of the food which may be eaten, but on which [unclean] water falls, shall become unclean, and any liquid that may be drunk in every container shall become unclean.

³⁵Everything that part of their carcass falls on becomes unclean; an oven, or a small stove shall be smashed; they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you.

³⁶Nevertheless a spring or a cistern (reservoir) collecting water shall be clean; but whoever touches one of these carcasses shall be unclean.

³⁷If a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean;

³⁸but if water is put on the seed and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

³⁹'If one of the animals that you may eat dies [of natural causes], whoever touches its carcass becomes unclean until the evening.

⁴⁰And whoever eats some of its meat shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening; also whoever picks up its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.

⁴¹'Now everything that swarms on the ground is detestable; it is not to be eaten.

⁴²Whatever crawls on its belly, and whatever walks on all fours, and whatever has many feet among all things that swarm on the ground, you shall not eat; for they are detestable.

⁴³Do not make yourselves loathsome (impure, repulsive) by [eating] any swarming thing; you shall not make yourselves unclean by them so as to defile yourselves.

⁴⁴For I am the LORD your God; so consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm or crawls on the ground.

⁴⁵For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; therefore you shall be holy, for I am holy.'"

⁴⁶This is the law regarding the animal and the bird and every living thing that moves in the waters and everything that swarms on the earth,

⁴⁷to make a distinction between the [ceremonially] unclean and the [ceremonially] clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.

¹For this reason [because I preach that you and believing Jews are joint heirs] I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—

²assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was entrusted to me [to share with you] for your benefit;

³and that by [divine] revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I have already written in brief.

⁴By referring to this, when you read it you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,

⁵which in other generations was not disclosed to mankind, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the [Holy] Spirit;

⁶[it is this:] that the Gentiles are now joint heirs [with the Jews] and members of the same body, and joint partakers [sharing] in the [same divine] promise in Christ Jesus through [their faith in] the good news [of salvation].

⁷Of this [gospel] I was made a minister by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of His power.

⁸To me, [though I am] the very least of all the saints (God's people), this grace [which is undeserved] was graciously given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the good news of the incomprehensible riches of Christ [that spiritual wealth which no one can fully understand],

⁹and to make plain [to everyone] the plan of the mystery [regarding the uniting of believing Jews and Gentiles into one body] which [until now] was kept hidden through the ages in [the mind of] God who created all things.

¹⁰So now through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God [in all its countless aspects] might now be made known [revealing the mystery] to the [angelic] rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

¹¹This is in accordance with [the terms of] the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,

¹²in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him [that is, our faith gives us sufficient courage to freely and openly approach God through Christ].

¹³So I ask you not to lose heart at my sufferings on your behalf, for they are your glory and honor.

¹⁴For this reason [grasping the greatness of this plan by which Jews and Gentiles are joined together in Christ] I bow my knees [in reverence] before the Father [of our Lord Jesus Christ],

¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name [God—the first and ultimate Father].

¹⁶May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality],

¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love,

¹⁸be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God's people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love];

¹⁹and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God's presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].

²⁰Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us,

²¹to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen.

¹Peter, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Jesus Christ, To those [elect—both Jewish and Gentile believers] who live as exiles, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia [Minor], and Bithynia, who are chosen

²according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by the sanctifying work of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace [that special sense of spiritual well-being] be yours in increasing abundance [as you walk closely with God].

³Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant and boundless mercy has caused us to be born again [that is, to be reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] to an ever-living hope and confident assurance through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

⁴[born anew] into an inheritance which is imperishable [beyond the reach of change] and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,

⁵who are being protected and shielded by the power of God through your faith for salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time.

⁶In this you rejoice greatly, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,

⁷so that the genuineness of your faith, which is much more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested and purified by fire, may be found to result in [your] praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

⁸Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not even see Him now, you believe and trust in Him and you greatly rejoice and delight with inexpressible and glorious joy,

⁹receiving as the result [the outcome, the consummation] of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰Regarding this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace [of God] that was intended for you, searched carefully and inquired [about this future way of salvation],

¹¹seeking to find out what person or what time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He foretold the sufferings of Christ and the glories [destined] to follow.

¹²It was revealed to them that their services [their prophecies regarding grace] were not [meant] for themselves and their time, but for you, in these things [the death, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus Christ] which have now been told to you by those who preached the gospel to you by the [power of the] Holy Spirit [who was] sent from heaven. Into these things even the angels long to look.

¹³So prepare your minds for action, be completely sober [in spirit—steadfast, self-disciplined, spiritually and morally alert], fix your hope completely on the grace [of God] that is coming to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

¹⁴[Live] as obedient children [of God]; do not be conformed to the evil desires which governed you in your ignorance [before you knew the requirements and transforming power of the good news regarding salvation].

¹⁵But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your conduct [be set apart from the world by your godly character and moral courage];

¹⁶because it is written, "You shall be holy (set apart), for I am holy."

¹⁷If you address as Father, the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in [reverent] fear [of Him] and with profound respect for Him throughout the time of your stay on earth.

¹⁸For you know that you were not redeemed from your useless [spiritually unproductive] way of life inherited [by tradition] from your forefathers with perishable things like silver and gold,

¹⁹but [you were actually purchased] with precious blood, like that of a [sacrificial] lamb unblemished and spotless, the priceless blood of Christ.

²⁰For He was foreordained (foreknown) before the foundation of the world, but has appeared [publicly] in these last times for your sake

²¹and through Him you believe [confidently] in God [the heavenly Father], who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are [centered and rest] in God.

²²Since by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves for a sincere love of the believers, [see that you] love one another from the heart [always unselfishly seeking the best for one another],

²³for you have been born again [that is, reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] not of seed which is perishable but [from that which is] imperishable and immortal, that is, through the living and everlasting word of God.

²⁴For, "All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers And the flower falls off,

²⁵But the word of the Lord endures forever." And this is the word [the good news of salvation] which was preached to you.

¹Then the LORD said to Job,

²"Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who disputes with God answer it."

³Then Job replied to the LORD and said,

⁴"Behold, I am of little importance and contemptible; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth.

⁵"I have spoken once, but I will not reply again— Indeed, twice [I have answered], and I will add nothing further."

⁶Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, saying,

⁷"Now gird up your loins (prepare yourself) like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me.

⁸"Will you really annul My judgment and set it aside as void? Will you condemn Me [your God] that you may [appear to] be righteous and justified?

⁹"Have you an arm like God, And can you thunder with a voice like His?

¹⁰"Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity [since you question the Almighty], And array yourself with honor and majesty.

¹¹"Pour out the overflowings of your wrath, And look at everyone who is proud and make him low.

¹²Look at everyone who is proud, and humble him, And [if you are so able] tread down the wicked where they stand.

¹³"[Crush and] hide them in the dust together; Shut them up in the hidden place [the house of death].

¹⁴"[If you can do all this, Job, proving your divine power] then I [God] will also praise you and acknowledge That your own right hand can save you.

¹⁵"Behold now, Behemoth, which I created as well as you; He eats grass like an ox.

¹⁶"See now, his strength is in his loins And his power is in the muscles and sinews of his belly.

¹⁷"He sways his tail like a cedar; The tendons of his thighs are twisted and knit together [like a rope].

¹⁸"His bones are tubes of bronze; His limbs are like bars of iron.

¹⁹"He is the first [in magnitude and power] of the works of God; [Only] He who made him can bring near His sword [to master him].

²⁰"Surely the mountains bring him food, And all the wild animals play there.

²¹"He lies down under the lotus plants, In the hidden shelter of the reeds in the marsh.

²²"The lotus plants cover him with their shade; The willows of the brook surround him.

²³"If a river rages and overflows, he does not tremble; He is confident, though the Jordan [River] swells and rushes against his mouth.

²⁴"Can anyone capture him when he is on watch, Or pierce his nose with barbs [to trap him]?

¹A Psalm of David. I will give You thanks with all my heart; I sing praises to You before the [pagan] gods.

²I will bow down [in worship] toward Your holy temple And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word together with Your name.

³On the day I called, You answered me; And You made me bold and confident with [renewed] strength in my life.

⁴All the kings of the land will give thanks and praise You, O LORD, When they have heard of the promises of Your mouth [which were fulfilled].

⁵Yes, they will sing of the ways of the LORD [joyfully celebrating His wonderful acts], For great is the glory and majesty of the LORD.

⁶Though the LORD is exalted, He regards the lowly [and invites them into His fellowship]; But the proud and haughty He knows from a distance.

⁷Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.

⁸The LORD will accomplish that which concerns me; Your [unwavering] lovingkindness, O LORD, endures forever— Do not abandon the works of Your own hands.

¹Wisdom has built her [spacious and sufficient] house; She has hewn out and set up her seven pillars.

²She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine; She has also set her table.

³She has sent out her maidens, she calls From the highest places of the city:

⁴"Whoever is naive or inexperienced, let him turn in here!" As for him who lacks understanding, she says,

⁵"Come, eat my food And drink the wine I have mixed [and accept my gifts].

⁶"Leave [behind] your foolishness [and the foolish] and live, And walk in the way of insight and understanding."

⁷He who corrects and instructs a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man gets insults for himself.

⁸Do not correct a scoffer [who foolishly ridicules and takes no responsibility for his error] or he will hate you; Correct a wise man [who learns from his error], and he will love you.

⁹Give instruction to a wise man and he will become even wiser; Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

¹⁰The [reverent] fear of the LORD [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.

¹¹For by me (wisdom from God) your days will be multiplied, And years of life shall be increased.

¹²If you are wise, you are wise for yourself [for your own benefit]; If you scoff [thoughtlessly ridicule and disdain], you alone will pay the penalty.

¹³The foolish woman is restless and noisy; She is naive and easily misled and thoughtless, and knows nothing at all [of eternal value].

¹⁴She sits at the doorway of her house, On a seat by the high and conspicuous places of the city,

¹⁵Calling to those who pass by, Who are making their paths straight:

¹⁶"Whoever is naive or inexperienced, let him turn in here!" And to him who lacks understanding (common sense), she says,

¹⁷"Stolen waters (pleasures) are sweet [because they are forbidden]; And bread eaten in secret is pleasant."

¹⁸But he does not know that the spirits of the dead are there, And that her guests are [already] in the depths of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).

¹But after a while, in the time of wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his wife with a young goat [as a gift of reconciliation]; and he said, "I will go in to my wife in her room." But her father would not allow him to go in.

²Her father said, "I really thought you utterly hated her; so I gave her to your companion. Is her younger sister not more beautiful than she? Please take her [as your wife] instead."

³Samson said to them, "This time I shall be blameless in regard to the Philistines when I do them harm."

⁴So Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches and turning the foxes tail to tail, he put a torch between each pair of tails.

⁵When he had set the torches ablaze, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and he burned up the heap of sheaves and the standing grain, along with the vineyards and olive groves.

⁶Then the Philistines said, "Who did this?" And they were told, "Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he took Samson's wife and gave her to his [chief] companion [at the wedding feast]." So the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire.

⁷Samson said to them, "If this is the way you act, be certain that I will take revenge on you, and [only] after that I will stop."

⁸Then he struck them without mercy, a great slaughter; and he went down and lived in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

⁹Then the [army of the] Philistines came up and camped in [the tribal territory of] Judah, and overran Lehi (Jawbone).

¹⁰The men of Judah said, "Why have you come up against us?" And they answered, "We have come up to bind Samson, in order to do to him as he has done to us."

¹¹Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam and said to Samson, "Have you not known that the Philistines are rulers over us? What is this that you have done to us?" He said to them, "As they did to me, so I have done to them."

¹²They said to him, "We have come down to bind you, so that we may hand you over to the Philistines." And Samson said to them, "Swear to me that you will not kill me."

¹³So they said to him, "No, we will [only] bind you securely and place you into their hands; but we certainly will not kill you." So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock [of Etam].

¹⁴When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily, and the ropes on his arms were like flax (linen) that had been burned, and his bonds dropped off his hands.

¹⁵He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out his hand and took it and killed a thousand men with it.

¹⁶Then Samson said, "With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have struck down a thousand men."

¹⁷When he finished speaking, he threw the jawbone from his hand; and he named that place Ramath-lehi (hill of the jawbone).

¹⁸Then Samson was very thirsty, and he called out to the LORD and said, "You have given this great victory through the hand of Your servant, and now am I to die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised (pagans)?"

¹⁹So God split open the hollow place that was at Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his spirit (strength) returned and he was revived. Therefore he named it En-hakkore (spring which is calling), which is at Lehi to this day.

²⁰And Samson judged Israel in the days of [occupation by] the Philistines for twenty years.

¹In those days Hezekiah [king of Judah] became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said, "For the LORD says this, 'Set your house in order and prepare a will, for you shall die; you will not live.'"

²Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,

³and said, "Please, O LORD, just remember how I have walked before You in faithfulness and truth, and with a whole heart [absolutely devoted to You], and have done what is good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept greatly.

⁴Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying,

⁵"Go and say to Hezekiah, 'For the LORD, the God of David your father says this, "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; listen carefully, I will add fifteen years to your life.

⁶I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city [Jerusalem]."'

⁷"This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that He has spoken:

⁸Listen carefully, I will turn the shadow on the stairway [denoting the time of day] ten steps backward, the shadow on the stairway ( sundial) of Ahaz." And the sunlight went ten steps backward on the stairway where it had [previously] gone down.

⁹This is the writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after he had been sick and had recovered from his illness:

¹⁰I said, "In mid-life I am to go through the gates of Sheol (the place of the dead), I am to be summoned, deprived of the remainder of my years."

¹¹I said, "I will not see the LORD The LORD in the land of the living; I will no longer see man among the inhabitants of the world.

¹²"My dwelling (body) is pulled up and removed from me like a shepherd's tent; I have rolled up my life as a weaver [rolls up the finished web]. He cuts me free from the warp [of the loom]; From day to night You bring me to an end.

¹³"I lay down until morning. Like a lion, so He breaks all my bones; From day until night You bring me to an end.

¹⁴"Like a swallow, like a crane, so I chirp; I coo like a dove. My eyes look wistfully upward; O Lord, I am oppressed, take my side and be my security.

¹⁵"What shall I say? For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it; I will wander aimlessly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.

¹⁶"O Lord, by these things men live, And in all these is the life of my spirit; Restore me to health and let me live!

¹⁷"Indeed, it was for my own well-being that I had such bitterness; But You have loved back my life from the pit of nothingness (destruction), For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.

¹⁸"For Sheol cannot praise or thank You, Death cannot praise You and rejoice in You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.

¹⁹"It is the living who give praise and thanks to You, as I do today; A father tells his sons about Your faithfulness.

²⁰"The LORD is ready to save me; Therefore we will play my songs on stringed instruments All the days of our lives at the house of the LORD."

²¹Now Isaiah had said, "Have them take a cake of figs and rub it [as an ointment] on the inflamed spot, that he may recover."

²²Hezekiah also had said, "What is the sign that I will go up to the house of the LORD?"

¹Saul wholeheartedly approved of Stephen's death. And on that day a great and relentless persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem; and the believers were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.

²Some devout men buried Stephen, and mourned greatly over him [expressing a personal sense of loss].

³But Saul began ravaging the church [and assaulting believers]; entering house after house and dragging off men and women, putting them in prison.

⁴Now those [believers] who had been scattered went from place to place preaching the word [the good news of salvation through Christ].

⁵Philip [the evangelist] went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) to them.

⁶The crowds gathered and were paying close attention to everything Philip said, as they heard [the message] and saw the [miraculous] signs which he was doing [validating his message].

⁷For unclean spirits (demons), shouting loudly, were coming out of many who were possessed; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.

⁸So there was great rejoicing in that city.

⁹Now there was a man named Simon, who previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great.

¹⁰They all paid [a great deal of] attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is what is called the Great Power of God!"

¹¹They were paying attention to him because for a long time he had mystified and dazzled them with his magic.

¹²But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, both men and women.

¹³Even Simon believed [Philip's message of salvation]; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he watched the attesting signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.

¹⁴When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that [the people of] Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.

¹⁵They came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit;

¹⁶for He had not yet fallen on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus [as His possession].

¹⁷Then Peter and John laid their hands on them [one by one], and they received the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,

¹⁹saying, "Give me this authority and power too, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

²⁰But Peter said to him, "May your money be destroyed along with you, because you thought you could buy the [free] gift of God with money!

²¹You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart (motive, purpose) is not right before God.

²²So repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, this thought of your heart may be forgiven you.

²³For I see that you are provoked by bitterness and bound by sin."

²⁴But Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me both of you, so that nothing of what you have said will come upon me."

²⁵So, when Peter and John had given their testimony and preached the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, preaching the good news [about salvation] in many Samaritan villages [along the way].

²⁶But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go south to the road that runs from Jerusalem down to Gaza." (This is a desert road).

²⁷So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch [a man of great authority], a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship,

²⁸and he was returning, and sitting in his chariot he was reading [the scroll of] the prophet Isaiah.

²⁹Then the [Holy] Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot."

³⁰Philip ran up and heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah, and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

³¹And he said, "Well, how could I [understand] unless someone guides me [correctly]?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

³²Now this was the passage of Scripture which he was reading: "Like a sheep He was led to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth.

³³"In humiliation His judgment was taken away [justice was denied Him]. Who will describe His generation? For His life is taken from the earth."

³⁴The eunuch replied to Philip, "Please tell me, about whom does the prophet say this? About himself or about someone else?"

³⁵Then Philip spoke and beginning with this Scripture he preached Jesus to him [explaining that He is the promised Messiah and the source of salvation].

³⁶As they continued along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch exclaimed, "Look! Water! What forbids me from being baptized?"

³⁷[Philip said to him, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he replied, "I do believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."]

³⁸And he ordered that the chariot be stopped; and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord [suddenly] took Philip [and carried him] away [to a different place]; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but he went on his way rejoicing.

⁴⁰But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the good news [of salvation] to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea [Maritima].