Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹As Jesus left and was going out of the temple, his disciples came up and called his attention to its buildings.

²He replied to them, “Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down.”

³While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

⁴Jesus replied to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you.

⁵For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many.

⁶You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet.

⁷For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

⁸All these events are the beginning of labor pains.

⁹“Then they will hand you over to be persecuted, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name.

¹⁰Then many will fall away, betray one another, and hate one another.

¹¹Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

¹²Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold.

¹³But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

¹⁴This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

¹⁵“So when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place” (let the reader understand),

¹⁶“then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.

¹⁷A man on the housetop must not come down to get things out of his house,

¹⁸and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat.

¹⁹Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days!

²⁰Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.

²¹For at that time there will be great distress, the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again.

²²Unless those days were cut short, no one would be saved. But those days will be cut short because of the elect.

²³“If anyone tells you then, ‘See, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it.

²⁴For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

²⁵Take note: I have told you in advance.

²⁶So if they tell you, ‘See, he’s in the wilderness! ’ don’t go out; or, ‘See, he’s in the storerooms! ’ do not believe it.

²⁷For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

²⁸Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather.

²⁹“Immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

³⁰Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

³¹He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

³²“Learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near.

³³In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize that he is near — at the door.

³⁴Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place.

³⁵Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

³⁶“Now concerning that day and hour no one knows — neither the angels of heaven nor the Son — except the Father alone.

³⁷As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be.

³⁸For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark.

³⁹They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. This is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be.

⁴⁰Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left.

⁴¹Two women will be grinding grain with a hand mill; one will be taken and one left.

⁴²Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.

⁴³But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into.

⁴⁴This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

⁴⁵“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time?

⁴⁶Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes.

⁴⁷Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

⁴⁸But if that wicked servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’

⁴⁹and starts to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards,

⁵⁰that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know.

⁵¹He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

¹The LORD spoke to Moses:

²“This is the law concerning the person afflicted with a skin disease on the day of his cleansing. He is to be brought to the priest,

³who will go outside the camp and examine him. If the skin disease has disappeared from the afflicted person,

⁴the priest will order that two live clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop be brought for the one who is to be cleansed.

⁵Then the priest will order that one of the birds be slaughtered over fresh water in a clay pot.

⁶He is to take the live bird together with the cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip them all into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water.

⁷He will then sprinkle the blood seven times on the one who is to be cleansed from the skin disease. He is to pronounce him clean and release the live bird over the open countryside.

⁸The one who is to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe with water; he is clean. Afterward he may enter the camp, but he must remain outside his tent for seven days.

⁹He is to shave off all his hair again on the seventh day: his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair. He is to wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; he is clean.

¹⁰“On the eighth day he must take two unblemished male lambs, an unblemished year-old ewe lamb, a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil, and one-third of a quart of olive oil.

¹¹The priest who performs the cleansing will place the person who is to be cleansed, together with these offerings, before the LORD at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

¹²The priest is to take one male lamb and present it as a guilt offering, along with the one-third quart of olive oil, and he will present them as a presentation offering before the LORD.

¹³He is to slaughter the male lamb at the place in the sanctuary area where the sin offering and burnt offering are slaughtered, for like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; it is especially holy.

¹⁴The priest is to take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

¹⁵Then the priest will take some of the one-third quart of olive oil and pour it into his left palm.

¹⁶The priest will dip his right finger into the oil in his left palm and sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD.

¹⁷From the oil remaining in his palm the priest will put some on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.

¹⁸What is left of the oil in the priest’s palm he is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed. In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the LORD.

¹⁹The priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. Afterward he will slaughter the burnt offering.

²⁰The priest is to offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. The priest will make atonement for him, and he will be clean.

²¹“But if he is poor and cannot afford these, he is to take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be presented in order to make atonement for him, along with two quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, one-third of a quart of olive oil,

²²and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, whatever he can afford, one to be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.

²³On the eighth day he is to bring these things for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the LORD.

²⁴The priest will take the male lamb for the guilt offering and the one-third quart of olive oil, and present them as a presentation offering before the LORD.

²⁵After he slaughters the male lamb for the guilt offering, the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

²⁶Then the priest will pour some of the oil into his left palm.

²⁷With his right finger the priest will sprinkle some of the oil in his left palm seven times before the LORD.

²⁸The priest will also put some of the oil in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the same place as the blood of the guilt offering.

²⁹What is left of the oil in the priest’s palm he is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed to make atonement for him before the LORD.

³⁰He is to then sacrifice one type of what he can afford, either the turtledoves or young pigeons,

³¹one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, sacrificing what he can afford together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the LORD for the one to be cleansed.

³²This is the law for someone who has a skin disease and cannot afford the cost of his cleansing.”

³³The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron:

³⁴“When you enter the land of Canaan that I am giving you as a possession, and I place a mildew contamination in a house in the land you possess,

³⁵the owner of the house is to come and tell the priest: Something like mildew contamination has appeared in my house.

³⁶The priest must order them to clear the house before he enters to examine the contamination, so that nothing in the house becomes unclean. Afterward the priest will come to examine the house.

³⁷He will examine it, and if the contamination in the walls of the house consists of green or red indentations that appear to be beneath the surface of the wall,

³⁸the priest is to go outside the house to its doorway and quarantine the house for seven days.

³⁹The priest is to return on the seventh day and examine it. If the contamination has spread on the walls of the house,

⁴⁰the priest must order that the stones with the contamination be pulled out and thrown into an unclean place outside the city.

⁴¹He is to have the inside of the house completely scraped, and have the plaster that is scraped off dumped in an unclean place outside the city.

⁴²Then they are to take different stones to replace the former ones and take additional plaster to replaster the house.

⁴³“If the contamination reappears in the house after the stones have been pulled out, and after the house has been scraped and replastered,

⁴⁴the priest is to come and examine it. If the contamination has spread in the house, it is harmful mildew; the house is unclean.

⁴⁵It must be torn down with its stones, its beams, and all its plaster, and taken outside the city to an unclean place.

⁴⁶Whoever enters the house during any of the days the priest quarantines it will be unclean until evening.

⁴⁷Whoever lies down in the house is to wash his clothes, and whoever eats in it is to wash his clothes.

⁴⁸“But when the priest comes and examines it, if the contamination has not spread in the house after it was replastered, he is to pronounce the house clean because the contamination has disappeared.

⁴⁹He is to take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop to purify the house,

⁵⁰and he is to slaughter one of the birds over a clay pot containing fresh water.

⁵¹He will take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times.

⁵²He will purify the house with the blood of the bird, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet yarn.

⁵³Then he is to release the live bird into the open countryside outside the city. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.

⁵⁴“This is the law for any skin disease or mildew, for a scaly outbreak,

⁵⁵for mildew in clothing or on a house,

⁵⁶and for a swelling, scab, or spot,

⁵⁷to determine when something is unclean or clean. This is the law regarding skin disease and mildew.”

¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right.

²Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise,

³so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.

⁴Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

⁵Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ.

⁶Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart.

⁷Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to people,

⁸knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord.

⁹And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

¹⁰Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength.

¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil.

¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.

¹³For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.

¹⁴Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest,

¹⁵and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.

¹⁶In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit  — which is the word of God.

¹⁸Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.

¹⁹Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.

²⁰For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough to speak about it as I should.

²¹Tychicus, our dearly loved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me so that you may be informed.

²²I am sending him to you for this very reason, to let you know how we are and to encourage your hearts.

²³Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁴Grace be with all who have undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same understanding  — because the one who suffers in the flesh is finished with sin  —

²in order to live the remaining time in the flesh no longer for human desires, but for God’s will.

³For there has already been enough time spent in doing what the Gentiles choose to do: carrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and lawless idolatry.

⁴They are surprised that you don’t join them in the same flood of wild living — and they slander you.

⁵They will give an account to the one who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.

⁶For this reason the gospel was also preached to those who are now dead, so that, although they might be judged in the flesh according to human standards, they might live in the spirit according to God’s standards.

⁷The end of all things is near; therefore, be alert and sober-minded for prayer.

⁸Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.

⁹Be hospitable to one another without complaining.

¹⁰Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.

¹¹If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

¹²Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you as if something unusual were happening to you.

¹³Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also rejoice with great joy when his glory is revealed.

¹⁴If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

¹⁵Let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a meddler.

¹⁶But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in having that name.

¹⁷For the time has come for judgment to begin with God’s household, and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?

¹⁸And if a righteous person is saved with difficulty, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?

¹⁹So then, let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator while doing what is good.

¹The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem.

²“Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Absolute futility. Everything is futile.”

³What does a person gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun?

⁴A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.

⁵The sun rises and the sun sets; panting, it returns to the place where it rises.

⁶Gusting to the south, turning to the north, turning, turning, goes the wind, and the wind returns in its cycles.

⁷All the streams flow to the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.

⁸All things are wearisome, more than anyone can say. The eye is not satisfied by seeing or the ear filled with hearing.

⁹What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.

¹⁰Can one say about anything, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.

¹¹There is no remembrance of those who came before; and of those who will come after there will also be no remembrance by those who follow them.

¹²I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³I applied my mind to examine and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven. God has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied.

¹⁴I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.

¹⁵What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.

¹⁶I said to myself, “See, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has thoroughly grasped wisdom and knowledge.”

¹⁷I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly; I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind.

¹⁸For with much wisdom is much sorrow; as knowledge increases, grief increases.

¹A psalm of David. [1] LORD, I call on you; hurry to help me. Listen to my voice when I call on you.

²May my prayer be set before you as incense, the raising of my hands as the evening offering.

³LORD, set up a guard for my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.

⁴Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing or perform wicked acts with men who commit sin. Do not let me feast on their delicacies.

⁵Let the righteous one strike me — it is an act of faithful love; let him rebuke me — it is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. Even now my prayer is against the evil acts of the wicked.

⁶When their rulers will be thrown off the sides of a cliff, the people will listen to my words, for they are pleasing.

⁷As when one plows and breaks up the soil, turning up rocks, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

⁸But my eyes look to you, LORD, my Lord. I seek refuge in you; do not let me die.

⁹Protect me from the trap they have set for me, and from the snares of evildoers.

¹⁰Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.

¹Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but one who hates correction is stupid.

²One who is good obtains favor from the LORD, but he condemns a person who schemes.

³No one can be made secure by wickedness, but the root of the righteous is immovable.

⁴A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a wife who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.

⁵The thoughts of the righteous are just, but guidance from the wicked is deceitful.

⁶The words of the wicked are a deadly ambush, but the speech of the upright rescues them.

⁷The wicked are overthrown and perish, but the house of the righteous will stand.

⁸A man is praised for his insight, but a twisted mind is despised.

⁹Better to be disregarded, yet have a servant, than to act important but have no food.

¹⁰The righteous cares about his animal’s health, but even the merciful acts of the wicked are cruel.

¹¹The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks sense.

¹²The wicked desire what evil people have caught, but the root of the righteous is productive.

¹³By rebellious speech an evil person is trapped, but a righteous person escapes from trouble.

¹⁴A person will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, and the work of a person’s hands will reward him.

¹⁵A fool’s way is right in his own eyes, but whoever listens to counsel is wise.

¹⁶A fool’s displeasure is known at once, but whoever ignores an insult is sensible.

¹⁷Whoever speaks the truth declares what is right, but a false witness speaks deceit.

¹⁸There is one who speaks rashly, like a piercing sword; but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

¹⁹Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue, only a moment.

²⁰Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.

²¹No disaster overcomes the righteous, but the wicked are full of misery.

²²Lying lips are detestable to the LORD, but faithful people are his delight.

²³A shrewd person conceals knowledge, but a foolish heart publicizes stupidity.

²⁴The diligent hand will rule, but laziness will lead to forced labor.

²⁵Anxiety in a person’s heart weighs it down, but a good word cheers it up.

²⁶A righteous person is careful in dealing with his neighbor, but the ways of the wicked lead them astray.

²⁷A lazy hunter doesn’t roast his game, but to a diligent person, his wealth is precious.

²⁸There is life in the path of righteousness, and in its path there is no death.

¹In those days, there was no king in Israel, and the Danite tribe was looking for territory to occupy. Up to that time no territory had been captured by them among the tribes of Israel.

²So the Danites sent out five brave men from all their clans, from Zorah and Eshtaol, to scout out the land and explore it. They told them, “Go and explore the land.” They came to the hill country of Ephraim as far as the home of Micah and spent the night there.

³While they were near Micah’s home, they recognized the accent of the young Levite. So they went over to him and asked, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is keeping you here?”

⁴He told them, “This is what Micah has done for me: He has hired me, and I became his priest.”

⁵Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God for us to determine if we will have a successful journey.”

⁶The priest told them, “Go in peace. The LORD is watching over the journey you are going on.”

⁷The five men left and came to Laish. They saw that the people who were there were living securely, in the same way as the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive ruler. They were far from the Sidonians, having no alliance with anyone.

⁸When the men went back to their relatives at Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What did you find out?”

⁹They answered, “Come on, let’s attack them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why wait? Don’t hesitate to go and invade and take possession of the land!

¹⁰When you get there, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has handed it over to you. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking.”

¹¹Six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol armed with weapons of war.

¹²They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. This is why the place is still called the Camp of Dan today; it is west of Kiriath-jearim.

¹³From there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and arrived at Micah’s house.

¹⁴The five men who had gone to scout out the land of Laish told their brothers, “Did you know that there are an ephod, household gods, and a carved image and a silver idol in these houses? Now think about what you should do.”

¹⁵So they detoured there and went to the house of the young Levite at the home of Micah and greeted him.

¹⁶The six hundred Danite men were standing by the entrance of the city gate, armed with their weapons of war.

¹⁷Then the five men who had gone to scout out the land went in and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the silver idol, while the priest was standing by the entrance of the city gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war.

¹⁸When they entered Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the silver idol, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

¹⁹They told him, “Be quiet. Keep your mouth shut. Come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or for you to be a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?”

²⁰So the priest was pleased and took his ephod, household idols, and carved image, and went with the people.

²¹They prepared to leave, putting their dependents, livestock, and possessions in front of them.

²²After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men who were in the houses near it were mustered and caught up with the Danites.

²³They called to the Danites, who turned to face them, and said to Micah, “What’s the matter with you that you mustered the men?”

²⁴He said, “You took the gods I had made and the priest, and went away. What do I have left? How can you say to me, ‘What’s the matter with you? ’”

²⁵The Danites said to him, “Don’t raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.”

²⁶The Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were stronger than he was.

²⁷After they had taken the gods Micah had made and the priest that belonged to him, they went to Laish, to a quiet and unsuspecting people. They killed them with their swords and burned the city.

²⁸There was no one to rescue them because it was far from Sidon and they had no alliance with anyone. It was in a valley that belonged to Beth-rehob. They rebuilt the city and lived in it.

²⁹They named the city Dan, after the name of their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel. The city was formerly named Laish.

³⁰The Danites set up the carved image for themselves. Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the Danite tribe until the time of the exile from the land.

³¹So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image that he had made, and it was there as long as the house of God was in Shiloh.

¹“Be silent before me, coasts and islands! And let peoples renew their strength. Let them approach; let them testify; let’s come together for the trial.

²Who has stirred up someone from the east? In righteousness he calls him to serve. The LORD hands nations over to him, and he subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, like wind-driven stubble with his bow.

³He pursues them, going on safely, hardly touching the path with his feet.

⁴Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I am the LORD, the first and with the last  — I am he.”

⁵The coasts and islands see and are afraid, the whole earth trembles. They approach and arrive.

⁶Each one helps the other, and says to another, “Take courage!”

⁷The craftsman encourages the metalworker; the one who flattens with the hammer encourages the one who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, “It is good.” He fastens it with nails so that it will not fall over.

⁸But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham, my friend  —

⁹I brought you from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said to you: You are my servant; I have chosen you; I haven’t rejected you.

¹⁰Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.

¹¹Be sure that all who are enraged against you will be ashamed and disgraced; those who contend with you will become as nothing and will perish.

¹²You will look for those who contend with you, but you will not find them. Those who war against you will become absolutely nothing.

¹³For I am the LORD your God, who holds your right hand, who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.

¹⁴Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel. I will help you’ — this is the LORD’s declaration. Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁵See, I will make you into a sharp threshing board, new, with many teeth. You will thresh mountains and pulverize them and make hills into chaff.

¹⁶You will winnow them and a wind will carry them away, a whirlwind will scatter them. But you will rejoice in the LORD; you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁷The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I will answer them. I am the LORD, the God of Israel. I will not abandon them.

¹⁸I will open rivers on the barren heights, and springs in the middle of the plains. I will turn the desert into a pool and dry land into springs.

¹⁹I will plant cedars, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees in the wilderness. I will put juniper trees, elms, and cypress trees together in the desert,

²⁰so that all may see and know, consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.

²¹“Submit your case,” says the LORD. “Present your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.

²²“Let them come and tell us what will happen. Tell us the past events, so that we may reflect on them and know the outcome, or tell us the future.

²³Tell us the coming events, then we will know that you are gods. Indeed, do something good or bad, then we will be in awe when we see it.

²⁴Look, you are nothing and your work is worthless. Anyone who chooses you is detestable.

²⁵“I have stirred up one from the north, and he has come, one from the east who invokes my name. He will march over rulers as if they were mud, like a potter who treads the clay.

²⁶Who told about this from the beginning, so that we might know, and from times past, so that we might say, ‘He is right’? No one announced it, no one told it, no one heard your words.

²⁷I was the first to say to Zion, ‘Look! Here they are!’ And I gave Jerusalem a herald with good news.

²⁸When I look, there is no one; there is no counselor among them; when I ask them, they have nothing to say.

²⁹Look, all of them are a delusion; their works are nonexistent; their images are wind and emptiness.

¹The apostles and the brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.

²When Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him,

³saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

⁴Peter began to explain to them step by step:

⁵“I was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a trance, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me.

⁶When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky.

⁷I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’

⁸“‘No, Lord! ’ I said. ‘For nothing impure or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

⁹But a voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call impure.’

¹⁰“Now this happened three times, and everything was drawn up again into heaven.

¹¹At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were.

¹²The Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we went into the man’s house.

¹³He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter.

¹⁴He will speak a message to you by which you and all your household will be saved.’

¹⁵“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning.

¹⁶I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

¹⁷If, then, God gave them the same gift that he also gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?”

¹⁸When they heard this they became silent. And they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has given repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles.”

¹⁹Now those who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.

²⁰But there were some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.

²¹The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.

²²News about them reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to travel as far as Antioch.

²³When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts,

²⁴for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And large numbers of people were added to the Lord.

²⁵Then he went to Tarsus to search for Saul,

²⁶and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.

²⁷In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.

²⁸One of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world. This took place during the reign of Claudius.

²⁹Each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers and sisters who lived in Judea.

³⁰They did this, sending it to the elders by means of Barnabas and Saul.