Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying,

²“The kingdom of heavenis likea king whoheld a wedding feast for his son.

³And he sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come.

⁴Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened cattle are all butchered and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!” ’

⁵But they paid no attention and went their separate ways, one to his ownfarm, another to his business,

⁶and the rest seized his slaves and treated them abusively, and then killed them.

⁷Now the king was angry, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire.

⁸Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

⁹So go to the main roads, and invite whomever you find there to the wedding feast.’

¹⁰Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good; and the wedding hall was filled withdinner guests.

¹¹“But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes,

¹²and he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless.

¹³Then the king said to the servants, ‘Tie his hands and feet, and throw him into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in that place.’

¹⁴For many arecalled, but few are chosen.”

¹⁵Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said.

¹⁶And they *sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and do not care what anyone thinks; for You are not partial to anyone.

¹⁷Tell us then, what do You think? Is it permissible to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?”

¹⁸But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?

¹⁹Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax.” And they brought Him a denarius.

²⁰And He *said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”

²¹They *said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He *said to them, “Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.”

²²And hearing this, they were amazed; and they left Him and went away.

²³On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned Him,

²⁴saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother as next of kin shall marry his wife, and raise up children for his brother.’

²⁵Now there were seven brothers among us; and the first married and died, and having no children, he left his wife to his brother.

²⁶It was the same also with the second brother, and the third, down to the seventh.

²⁷Last of all, the woman died.

²⁸In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her in marriage.”

²⁹But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, since you do notunderstand the Scriptures nor the power of God.

³⁰For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

³¹But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God:

³²‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

³³When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

³⁴But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.

³⁵And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him:

³⁶“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”

³⁷And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’

³⁸This is the great andforemost commandment.

³⁹The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’

⁴⁰Upon these two commandmentshang the whole Law and the Prophets.”

⁴¹Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question:

⁴²“What do you think about theChrist? Whose son is He?” They *said to Him, “The son of David.”

⁴³He *said to them, “Thenhow does Davidin the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying,

⁴⁴‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES UNDER YOUR FEET” ’?

⁴⁵Therefore, if David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?”

⁴⁶No one was able to offer Him a word in answer, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him any more questions.

¹Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

²“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying: ‘When a woman gives birth and delivers a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days; as she is in the days of her menstruation, she shall be unclean.

³Then on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

⁴And she shall stay at home in her condition of blood purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed.

⁵But if she gives birth to a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her menstruation; and she shall stay at home in her condition of blood purification for sixty-six days.

⁶‘When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one-year-old lamb as a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering.

⁷Then he shall offer it before the LORD and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who gives birth to a child, whether a male or a female.

⁸But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young doves, the one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’ ”

¹Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

²with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

³being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

⁴There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling;

⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

⁶one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

⁷But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

⁸Therefore it says, “WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE the captives, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO PEOPLE.”

⁹(Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?

¹⁰He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)

¹¹And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers,

¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ;

¹³until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

¹⁴As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;

¹⁵but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ,

¹⁶from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

¹⁷So I say this, and affirm in the Lord, that you are to no longer walk just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their minds,

¹⁸being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;

¹⁹and they, having become callous, have given themselves up to indecent behavior for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

²⁰But you did not learn Christ in this way,

²¹if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus,

²²that, in reference to your former way of life, you are to rid yourselves of the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,

²³and that you are to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,

²⁴and to put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

²⁵Therefore, ridding yourselves of falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you with his neighbor, because we are parts of one another.

²⁶BE ANGRY, AND yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

²⁷and do not give the devil an opportunity.

²⁸The one who steals must no longer steal; but rather he must labor, producing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need.

²⁹Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

³⁰Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

³¹All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice.

³²Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

¹Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,

²and like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,

³if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

⁴And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by people, but is choice and precious in the sight of God,

⁵you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

⁶For this is contained in Scripture: “BEHOLD, I AM LAYING IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNERSTONE, AND THE ONE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.”

⁷This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for unbelievers, “A STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE,”

⁸and, “A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this they were also appointed.

⁹But you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

¹⁰for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

¹¹Beloved, I urge you as foreigners and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul.

¹²Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God on the day of visitation.

¹³Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,

¹⁴or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.

¹⁵For such is the will of God, that by doing right you silence the ignorance of foolish people.

¹⁶Act as free people, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond-servants of God.

¹⁷Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

¹⁸Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are harsh.

¹⁹For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person endures grief when suffering unjustly.

²⁰For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

²¹For you have been called for this purpose, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you would follow in His steps,

²²HE who committed no sin, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT found IN HIS MOUTH;

²³and while being abusively insulted, He did not insult in return; while suffering, He did not threaten, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

²⁴and He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed.

²⁵For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

¹“Can you drag out Leviathan with a fishhook, And press down his tongue with a rope?

²Can you put a rope in his nose, And pierce his jaw with a hook?

³Will he make many pleas to you, Or will he speak to you gentle words?

⁴Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him as a servant forever?

⁵Will you play with him as with a bird, And tie him down for your young girls?

⁶Will the traders bargain for him? Will they divide him among the merchants?

⁷Can you fill his skin with harpoons, Or his head with fishing spears?

⁸Lay your hand on him. Remember the battle; you will not do it again!

⁹Behold, your expectation is false; Will you be hurled down even at the sight of him?

¹⁰No one is so reckless that he dares to stir him; Who then is he who opposes Me?

¹¹Who has been first to give to Me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the entire heaven is Mine.

¹²“I will not be silent about his limbs, Or his mighty strength, or his graceful frame.

¹³Who can strip off his outer covering? Who can pierce his double armor?

¹⁴Who can open the doors of his face? Around his teeth there is terror.

¹⁵His strong scales are his pride, Locked as with a tight seal.

¹⁶One is so close to another That no air can come between them.

¹⁷They are joined one to another; They clasp each other and cannot be separated.

¹⁸His sneezes flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eye of dawn.

¹⁹From his mouth go burning torches; Sparks of fire leap forth.

²⁰From his nostrils smoke goes out As from a boiling pot and burning reeds.

²¹His breath sets coals aglow, And a flame goes forth from his mouth.

²²In his neck dwells strength, And dismay leaps before him.

²³The folds of his flesh are joined together, Firm and immovable on him.

²⁴His heart is as firm as a stone, And as firm as a lower millstone.

²⁵When he rises up, the mighty are afraid; Because of the crashing they are bewildered.

²⁶The sword that reaches him cannot prevail, Nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin.

²⁷He regards iron as straw, Bronze as rotten wood.

²⁸The arrow cannot make him flee; Slingstones are turned into stubble for him.

²⁹Clubs are regarded as stubble; He laughs at the rattling of the javelin.

³⁰His underparts are like sharp pieces of pottery; He spreads out like a threshing sledge on the mud.

³¹He makes the depths boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a jar of ointment.

³²Behind him he illuminates a pathway; One would think the deep to be gray-haired.

³³Nothing on earth is like him, One made without fear.

³⁴He looks on everything that is high; He is king over all the sons of pride.”

¹LORD, You have searched me and known me.

²You know when I sit down and when I get up; You understand my thought from far away.

³You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.

⁴Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, LORD, You know it all.

⁵You have encircled me behind and in front, And placed Your hand upon me.

⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot comprehend it.

⁷Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

⁸If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

⁹If I take up the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,

¹⁰Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will take hold of me.

¹¹If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,”

¹²Even darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.

¹³For You created my innermost parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.

¹⁵My frame was not hidden from You When I was made in secret, And skillfully formed in the depths of the earth;

¹⁶Your eyes have seen my formless substance; And in Your book were written All the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

¹⁷How precious also are Your thoughts for me, God! How vast is the sum of them!

¹⁸Were I to count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

¹⁹If only You would put the wicked to death, God; Leave me, you men of bloodshed.

²⁰For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain.

²¹Do I not hate those who hate You, LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

²²I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies.

²³Search me, God, and know my heart; Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts;

²⁴And see if there is any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.

¹The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish son is a grief to his mother.

²Ill-gotten gains do not benefit, But righteousness rescues from death.

³The LORD will not allow the righteous to hunger, But He will reject the craving of the wicked.

⁴Poor is one who works with a lazy hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

⁵He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely, But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.

⁶Blessings are on the head of the righteous, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

⁷The mentioning of the righteous is a blessing, But the name of the wicked will rot.

⁸The wise of heart will receive commands, But a babbling fool will come to ruin.

⁹One who walks in integrity walks securely, But one who perverts his ways will be found out.

¹⁰He who winks the eye causes trouble, And a babbling fool will come to ruin.

¹¹The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

¹²Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all offenses.

¹³On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found, But a rod is for the back of him who has no sense.

¹⁴Wise people store up knowledge, But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.

¹⁵The rich person’s wealth is his fortress, The ruin of the poor is their poverty.

¹⁶The wages of the righteous is life, The income of the wicked, punishment.

¹⁷One who is on the path of life follows instruction, But one who ignores a rebuke goes astray.

¹⁸One who conceals hatred has lying lips, And one who spreads slander is a fool.

¹⁹When there are many words, wrongdoing is unavoidable, But one who restrains his lips is wise.

²⁰The tongue of the righteous is like choice silver, The heart of the wicked is worth little.

²¹The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of understanding.

²²It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it.

²³Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool, And so is wisdom to a person of understanding.

²⁴What the wicked fears will come upon him, But the desire of the righteous will be granted.

²⁵When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.

²⁶Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, So is the lazy one to those who send him.

²⁷The fear of the LORD prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

²⁸The hope of the righteous is gladness, But the expectation of the wicked perishes.

²⁹The way of the LORD is a stronghold for the upright, But ruin to the workers of injustice.

³⁰The righteous will never be shaken, But the wicked will not live in the land.

³¹The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom, But the perverted tongue will be cut out.

³²The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, But the mouth of the wicked, what is perverted.

¹Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there, and had relations with her.

²When it was reported to the Gazites, saying, “Samson has come here,” they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. And they kept silent all night, saying, “Let’s wait until the morning light, then we will kill him.”

³Now Samson lay asleep until midnight, and at midnight he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two doorposts, and pulled them up along with the bars; then he put them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain which is opposite Hebron.

⁴After this it came about that he was in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

⁵So the governors of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and see where his great strength lies and how we can overpower him so that we may bind him to humble him. Then we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”

⁶So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you can be bound to humble you.”

⁷And Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh animal tendons that have not been dried, then I will become weak and be like any other man.”

⁸Then the governors of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh animal tendons that had not been dried, and she bound him with them.

⁹Now she had men prepared for an ambush in an inner room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he tore the tendons to pieces just like a thread of flax is torn apart when it comes too close to fire. So his strength was not discovered.

¹⁰Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have toyed with me and told me lies; now please tell me how you may be bound.”

¹¹Then He said to her, “If they bind me tightly with new ropes which have not been used, then I will become weak and be like any other man.”

¹²So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” For the men in the ambush were waiting in the inner room. But he tore the ropes from his arms like thread.

¹³Then Delilah said to Samson, “Up to now you have toyed with me and told me lies; tell me how you may be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my hair with the web [and fasten it with the pin, then I will be weak like any other man.”

¹⁴So while he slept, Delilah wove the seven locks of his hair with the web]. And she fastened it with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin of the loom and the web.

¹⁵Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have toyed with me these three times and have not told me where your great strength is.”

¹⁶And it came about, when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death.

¹⁷So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, “A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like any other man.”

¹⁸When Delilah saw that he had told her all that was in his heart, she sent word and called the governors of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all that is in his heart.” Then the governors of the Philistines came up to her and brought up the money in their hands.

¹⁹And she made him sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to humble him, and his strength left him.

²⁰She said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.

²¹Then the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and restrained him with bronze chains, and he became a grinder in the prison.

²²However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it was shaved off.

²³Now the governors of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to celebrate, for they said, “Our god has handed Samson our enemy over to us.”

²⁴When the people saw him, they praised their god, for they said, “Our god has handed our enemy over to us, Even the destroyer of our country, Who has killed many of us.”

²⁵It so happened when they were in high spirits, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may amuse us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he entertained them. And they made him stand between the pillars.

²⁶Then Samson said to the boy who was holding his hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, so that I may lean against them.”

²⁷Now the house was full of men and women, and all the governors of the Philistines were there. And about three thousand men and women were on the roof looking on while Samson was entertaining them.

²⁸Then Samson called to the LORD and said, “Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes.”

²⁹Then Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left.

³⁰And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed outwards powerfully, so that the house fell on the governors and all the people who were in it. And the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed during his lifetime.

³¹Then his brothers and all his father’s household came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. So he had judged Israel for twenty years.

¹At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered.

²Hezekiah was pleased, and let them see all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the balsam oil, the excellent olive oil, his entire armory, and everything that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his realm that Hezekiah did not let them see.

³Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They came to me from a far country, from Babylon.”

⁴Then he said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen everything that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not let them see.”

⁵Isaiah then said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of armies,

⁶‘Behold, the days are coming when everything that is in your house, and what your fathers have stored up to this day, will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the LORD.

⁷‘And some of your sons who will come from you, whom you will father, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ ”

⁸Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “For there will be peace and truth in my days.”

¹Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,

²and asked for letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them in shackles to Jerusalem.

³Now as he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;

⁴and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

⁵And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,

⁶but get up and enter the city, and it will be told to you what you must do.”

⁷The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.

⁸Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.

⁹And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

¹¹And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying,

¹²and he has seenin a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.”

¹³But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints in Jerusalem;

¹⁴and here he has authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.”

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a choseninstrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;

¹⁶for I will show him how much he must suffer in behalf of My name.”

¹⁷So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

¹⁸And immediately something like fish scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized;

¹⁹and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were in Damascus,

²⁰and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

²¹All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not the one who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?”

²²But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

²³When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him,

²⁴but their plot became known to Saul. They were also closely watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death;

²⁵but his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

²⁶When he came to Jerusalem, he tried repeatedly to associate with the disciples; and yet they were all afraid of him, as they did not believe that he was a disciple.

²⁷But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus at Damascus.

²⁸And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.

²⁹And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death.

³⁰Now when the brothers learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

³¹So the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed peace, as it was being built up; and as it continued in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it kept increasing.

³²Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he also came down to the saints who lived at Lydda.

³³There he found a man named Aeneas who had been bedridden for eight years, because he was paralyzed.

³⁴Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your own bed.” Immediately he got up.

³⁵And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

³⁶Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which when translated means Dorcas); this woman was excelling in acts of kindness and charity which she did habitually.

³⁷But it happened at that time that she became sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upstairs room.

³⁸Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Do not delay in coming to us.”

³⁹So Peter got ready and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the room upstairs; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.

⁴⁰But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

⁴¹And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

⁴²It became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

⁴³And Peter stayed in Joppa many days with a tanner named Simon.