Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹When Jesus had finished this discourse, He said to His disciples,

²"You know that the Passover is coming in two days, and the Son of Man is to be betrayed and handed over for crucifixion."

³Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the courtyard of the [elegant home of the Jewish] high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,

⁴and plotted together to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him.

⁵But they said, "It must not be during the festival (Passover), otherwise there might be a riot among the people."

⁶Now when Jesus was [back] in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper,

⁷a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very expensive perfume and she poured it on Jesus' head as He reclined at the table.

⁸But when the disciples saw it they were indignant and angry, saying, "Why all this waste [of money]?

⁹For this perfume might have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor."

¹⁰But Jesus, aware [of the malice] of this [remark], said to them, "Why are you bothering the woman? She has done a good thing to Me.

¹¹For you always have the poor with you; but you will not always have Me.

¹²When she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial.

¹³I assure you and most solemnly say to you, wherever this gospel [of salvation] is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her [for her act of love and devotion]."

¹⁴Then one of the twelve [disciples], who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests

¹⁵and said, "What are you willing to give me if I hand Jesus over to you?" And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver.

¹⁶And from that moment Judas began looking for an opportune time to betray Jesus.

¹⁷Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread (Passover Week) the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"

¹⁸He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time [to suffer and atone for sin] is near; I am to keep the Passover at your house with My disciples."'"

¹⁹[Accordingly] the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

²⁰When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples.

²¹And as they were eating, He said, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you that one of you will betray Me."

²²Being deeply grieved and extremely distressed, each one of them began to say to Him, "Surely not I, Lord?"

²³Jesus answered, "He who has dipped his hand in the bowl with Me [as apretense of friendship] will betray Me.

²⁴The Son of Man is to go [to the cross], just as it is written [in Scripture] of Him; but woe (judgment is coming) to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."

²⁵And Judas, the betrayer, said, "Surely it is not I, Rabbi?" Jesus said to him, " You have said it yourself."

²⁶Now as they were eating Jesus took bread, and after blessing it, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."

²⁷And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you;

²⁸for this is My blood of the [new and better] covenant, which [ratifies the agreement and] is being poured out for many [as asubstitutionary atonement] for the forgiveness of sins.

²⁹But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."

³⁰After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

³¹Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of Me this night [disillusioned about Me, confused, and some even ashamed of Me], for it is written [in the Scriptures], 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

³²But after I am raised [to life], I will go ahead of you [leading the way] to Galilee."

³³Peter replied to Him, "Though they all fall away because of You [and doubt and disown You], I will never fall away!"

³⁴Jesus said to him, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this night, before a rooster crows, you will [completely] deny Me three times."

³⁵Peter said to Jesus, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And all the disciples said the same thing.

³⁶Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane (olive-press), and He told His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."

³⁷And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee [James and John], He began to be grieved and greatly distressed.

³⁸Then He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and stay awake and keep watch with Me."

³⁹And after going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible [that is, consistent with Your will], let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will."

⁴⁰And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "So, you men could not stay awake and keep watch with Me for one hour?

⁴¹Keep actively watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

⁴²He went away a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done."

⁴³Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.

⁴⁴So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words once more.

⁴⁵Then He returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Listen, the hour [of My sacrifice] is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners [whose way and nature is to oppose God].

⁴⁶Get up, let us go. Look, My betrayer is near!"

⁴⁷As Jesus was still speaking, Judas [Iscariot], one of the twelve [disciples], came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, [who came as representatives] from the chief priests and elders of the people.

⁴⁸Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him."

⁴⁹Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, "Greetings (rejoice), Rabbi!" And he kissed Him [in a deliberate act of betrayal].

⁵⁰Jesus said to Judas, "Friend, do what you came for." Then they came and seized Jesus and arrested Him.

⁵¹And one of those who were with Jesus reached out and drew his sword, and struck [Malchus] the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear.

⁵²Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back in its place; for all those who habitually draw the sword will die by the sword.

⁵³Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will immediately provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?

⁵⁴How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen this way?"

⁵⁵At that moment Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Day after day I used to sit in the porches and courts of the temple teaching, and you did not arrest Me.

⁵⁶But all this has taken place so that the Scriptures of the prophets would be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled.

⁵⁷Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) had gathered [ illegally] together.

⁵⁸But Peter followed Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the [elegant home of the Jewish] high priest, and went inside, and sat with the guards to see the outcome.

⁵⁹Now the chief priests and the whole Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) tried to get false witnesses to testify against Jesus, so that they might [have a reason to] put Him to death.

⁶⁰They found none, even though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward,

⁶¹and testified, "This man said, ' I am able to tear down the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.'"

⁶²The high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Have You no answer to give? What is it that these men are testifying against You?"

⁶³But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, "I call on You to swear a binding oath by the living God, that you tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God."

⁶⁴Jesus said to him, "You have [in fact] said it; but more than that I tell you [regardless of what you do with Me now], in the future you will see [Me revealed as] the Son of Man seated at theright hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."

⁶⁵Then the high priest tore his robes [in mock horror] and exclaimed, "He has blasphemed [by making Himself God's equal]! What further need have we of witnesses or evidence? See, you have now heard the blasphemy.

⁶⁶What do you think?" They answered, " He deserves to be put to death."

⁶⁷Then they spat in His face and struck Him with their fists; and some slapped Him,

⁶⁸saying, " Prophesy to us, You Christ (Messiah, Anointed); who was it that struck You?"

⁶⁹Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came up to him and said, "You too were with Jesus the Galilean."

⁷⁰But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about."

⁷¹And when he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus the Nazarene."

⁷²And again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man."

⁷³After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Surely you are one of them too; for even your [Galilean] accent gives you away."

⁷⁴Then he began to curse [that is, to invoke God's judgment on himself] and swear [an oath], "I do not know the man!" And at that moment a rooster crowed.

⁷⁵And Peter remembered the [prophetic] words of Jesus, when He had said, "Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly [in repentance].

¹Then the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who had died when they [irreverently] approached the presence of the LORD.

²The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron your brother that he must not enter at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil (the Holy of Holies), before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die, for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.

³Aaron [as high priest] shall enter the Holy Place in this way: with [the blood of] a young bull as a sin offering and [the blood of] a ram as a burnt offering.

⁴He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be next to his body, and he shall be belted with the linen sash, and dressed with the linen turban (these are the holy garments). He shall bathe his body in water and put them on.

⁵He shall take from the congregation of the Israelites [at their expense] two male goats as a sin offering and one ram as a burnt offering.

⁶Then Aaron shall present the bull as the sin offering for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house.

⁷He shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting.

⁸Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the LORD, the other lot for the scapegoat.

⁹Then Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord's lot fell and offer it as a sin offering.

¹⁰But the goat on which the lot fell for the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement on it; it shall be sent into the wilderness as the scapegoat.

¹¹"Aaron shall present the bull as the sin offering for himself and make atonement for himself and for his household (the other priests), and he shall kill the bull as the sin offering for himself.

¹²He shall take a censer full of burning coals from the [bronze] altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil [into the Most Holy Place],

¹³and put the incense on the fire [in the censer] before the LORD, so that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is on [the ark of] the Testimony, otherwise he will die.

¹⁴He shall take some of the bull's blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the mercy seat; also in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

¹⁵"Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for [the sins of] the people and bring its blood within the veil [into the Most Holy Place] and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat.

¹⁶So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place (Holy of Holies) because of the uncleanness and transgressions of the Israelites, for all their sins. He shall also do this for the Tent of Meeting which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness (impurities).

¹⁷There shall be no person in the Tent of Meeting when the high priest goes in to make atonement in the Holy Place [within the veil] until he comes out, so that he may make atonement for himself (his own sins) and for his household and for all the congregation of Israel.

¹⁸Then he shall go out to the altar [of burnt offering in the court] which is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the goat and put it on the horns of the altar on all sides.

¹⁹With his finger he shall sprinkle some of the blood on the altar of burnt offering seven times and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.

²⁰"When he has finished atoning for the Holy Place and the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat.

²¹Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the wickedness of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat [the scapegoat, the sin-bearer], and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is prepared [for the task].

²²The goat shall carry on itself all their (the Israelites) wickedness, carrying them to a solitary (infertile) land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.

²³"Then Aaron shall come into the Tent of Meeting and take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy Place (Holy of Holies), and shall leave them there.

²⁴He shall bathe his body with water in a holy place and put on his clothes, and come out and offer his burnt offering and that of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people.

²⁵And he shall offer up in smoke the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

²⁶The man who released the goat as the [sin-bearing] scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.

²⁷The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place (Holy of Holies), shall be taken outside the camp; their skins, their meat, and their waste shall be burned in the fire.

²⁸Then he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water, and afterward he may come into the camp.

²⁹"This shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month (nearly October) on the tenth day of the month you shall humble yourselves [by fasting] and not do any work, whether the native-born or the stranger who lives temporarily among you;

³⁰for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

³¹It is a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall humble yourselves; it is a permanent statute.

³²So the priest who is anointed and ordained to serve and minister as priest in his father's place shall make atonement: he shall wear the holy linen garments,

³³and make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the Tent of Meeting, and for the altar [of burnt offering in the court]. He shall also make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.

³⁴This shall be a permanent statute for you, so that atonement may be made for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year." So he did just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

¹Therefore if there is any encouragement and comfort in Christ [as there certainly is in abundance], if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship [that we share] in the Spirit, if [there is] any [great depth of] affection and compassion,

²make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love [toward one another], knit together in spirit, intent on one purpose [and living a life that reflects your faith and spreads the gospel—the good news regarding salvation through faith in Christ].

³Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit [through factional motives, or strife], but with [an attitude of] humility [being neither arrogant nor self-righteous], regard others as more important than yourselves.

⁴Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

⁵Have this same attitude in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus [look to Him as your example in selfless humility],

⁶who, although He existed in the form and unchanging essence of God [as One with Him, possessing the fullness of all the divine attributes—the entire nature of deity], did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or asserted [as if He did not already possess it, or was afraid of losing it];

⁷but emptied Himself [without renouncing or diminishing His deity, but only temporarily giving up the outward expression of divine equality and His rightful dignity] by assuming the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men [He became completely human but was without sin, being fully God and fully man].

⁸After He was found in [terms of His] outward appearance as a man [for a divinely-appointed time], He humbled Himself [still further] by becoming obedient [to the Father] to the point of death, even death on a cross.

⁹For this reason also [because He obeyed and so completely humbled Himself], God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,

¹⁰so that at the name of Jesusevery knee shall bow [in submission], of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

¹¹and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to the glory of God the Father.

¹²So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ].

¹³For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.

¹⁴Do everything without murmuring or questioning [the providence of God],

¹⁵so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish in the midst of a [morally] crooked and [spiritually] perverted generation, among whom you are seen as bright lights [beacons shining out clearly] in the world [of darkness],

¹⁶holding out and offering to everyone the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to rejoice greatly because I did not run [my race] in vain nor labor without result.

¹⁷But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith [for preaching the message of salvation], still I rejoice and share my joy with you all.

¹⁸You too, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.

¹⁹But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may also be encouraged by learning news about you.

²⁰For I have no one else [like him who is] so kindred a spirit who will be genuinely concerned for your [spiritual] welfare.

²¹For the others [who deserted me after my arrest] all seek [to advance] their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

²²But you know of Timothy's tested worth and his proven character, that he has served with me to advance the gospel like a son serving with his father.

²³Therefore, I hope [that it is His will] to send him immediately, just as soon as I see how my case turns out;

²⁴and I trust [confidently] in the Lord that soon I also will be coming to you.

²⁵However, I thought it necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, [who has been] my brother and companion and fellow soldier, who was also sent as your messenger to take care of my needs.

²⁶For he has been longing for all of you and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.

²⁷He certainly was sick and close to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow.

²⁸So I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you.

²⁹Welcome him home in the Lord with great joy, and appreciate and honor men like him;

³⁰because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me [which distance prevented you from rendering personally].

¹Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Jesus Christ, To those who have received and possess [by God's will] a precious faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:

²Grace and peace [that special sense of spiritual well-being] be multiplied to you in the [true, intimate] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

³For His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, through true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

⁴For by these He has bestowed on us His precious and magnificent promises [of inexpressible value], so that by them you may escape from the immoral freedom that is in the world because of disreputable desire, and become sharers of the divine nature.

⁵For this very reason, applying your diligence [to the divine promises, make every effort] in [exercising] your faith to, develop moral excellence, and in moral excellence, knowledge (insight, understanding),

⁶and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, steadfastness, and in your steadfastness, godliness,

⁷and in your godliness, brotherly affection, and in your brotherly affection, [develop Christian] love [that is, learn to unselfishly seek the best for others and to do things for their benefit].

⁸For as these qualities are yours and are increasing [in you as you grow toward spiritual maturity], they will keep you from being useless and unproductive in regard to the true knowledge and greater understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹For whoever lacks these qualities is blind—shortsighted [closing his spiritual eyes to the truth], having become oblivious to the fact that he was cleansed from his old sins.

¹⁰Therefore, believers, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you [be sure that your behavior reflects and confirms your relationship with God]; for by doing these things [actively developing these virtues], you will never stumble [in your spiritual growth and will live a life that leads others away from sin];

¹¹for in this way entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly provided to you.

¹²Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them and are established in the truth which is held firmly in your grasp.

¹³I think it right, as long as I am in this earthly tent, to inspire you by reminding you,

¹⁴knowing that the laying aside of this earthly tent of mine is imminent, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.

¹⁵Moreover, I will diligently endeavor [to see to it] that even after my departure you will be able, at all times, to call these things to mind.

¹⁶For we did not follow cleverly devised stories or myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty [His grandeur, His authority, His sovereignty].

¹⁷For when He was invested with honor and [the radiance of the Shekinah] glory from God the Father, such a voice as this came to Him from the [splendid] Majestic Glory [in the bright cloud that overshadowed Him, saying],"This is My Son, My Beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased and delighted"—

¹⁸and we [actually] heard this voice made from heaven when we were together with Him on the holy mountain.

¹⁹So we have the prophetic word made more certain. You do well to pay [close] attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and light breaks through the gloom and the morning star arises in your hearts.

²⁰But understand this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of or comes from one's own [personal or special] interpretation,

²¹for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

¹There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven—

²A time to be born and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

³A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up.

⁴A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.

⁵A time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.

⁶A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away.

⁷A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to keep silent and a time to speak.

⁸A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.

⁹What profit is there for the worker from that in which he labors?

¹⁰I have seen the task which God has given to the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.

¹¹He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.

¹²I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good as long as they live;

¹³and also that every man should eat and drink and see and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

¹⁴I know that whatever God does, it endures forever; nothing can be added to it nor can anything be taken from it, for God does it so that men will fear and worship Him [with awe-filled reverence, knowing that He is God].

¹⁵That which is has already been, and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by [so that history repeats itself].

¹⁶Moreover, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.

¹⁷I said to myself, "God will judge both the righteous and the wicked," for there is a time [appointed] for every matter and for every deed.

¹⁸I said to myself regarding the sons of men, "God is surely testing them in order for them to see that [by themselves, without God] they are [only] animals."

¹⁹For the [earthly] fate of the sons of men and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no preeminence or advantage for man [in and of himself] over an animal, for all is vanity.

²⁰All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.

²¹Who knows if the spirit of man ascends upward and the spirit of the animal descends downward to the earth?

²²So I have seen that there is nothing better than that a man should be happy in his own works and activities, for that is his portion (share). For who will bring him [back] to see what will happen after he is gone?

¹A Psalm of David. Hear my prayer, O LORD, Listen to my supplications! Answer me in Your faithfulness, and in Your righteousness.

²And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, For in Your sight no man living is righteous or justified.

³For the enemy has persecuted me, He has crushed my life down to the ground; He has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have been long dead.

⁴Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed and weak within me [wrapped in darkness]; My heart grows numb within me.

⁵I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that You have done; I ponder the work of Your hands.

⁶I reach out my hands to You; My throat thirsts for You, as a parched land [thirsts for water]. Selah.

⁷Answer me quickly, O LORD, my spirit fails; Do not hide Your face from me, Or I will become like those who go down into the pit (grave).

⁸Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For I trust in You. Teach me the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.

⁹Rescue me, O LORD, from my enemies; I take refuge in You.

¹⁰Teach me to do Your will [so that I may please You], For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

¹¹Save my life, O LORD, for Your name's sake; In Your righteousness bring my life out of trouble.

¹²In your lovingkindness, silence and destroy my enemies And destroy all those who afflict my life, For I am Your servant.

¹The wise woman builds her house [on a foundation of godly precepts, and her household thrives], But the foolish one [who lacks spiritual insight] tears it down with her own hands [by ignoring godly principles].

²He who walks in uprightness [reverently] fears the LORD [and obeys and worships Him with profound respect], But he who is devious in his ways despises Him.

³In the mouth of the [arrogant] fool [who rejects God] is a rod for his back, But the lips of the wise [when they speak with godly wisdom] will protect them.

⁴Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, But much revenue [because of good crops] comes by the strength of the ox.

⁵A faithful and trustworthy witness will not lie, But a false witness speaks lies.

⁶A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none [for his ears are closed to wisdom], But knowledge is easy for one who understands [because he is willing to learn].

⁷Leave the presence of a [shortsighted] fool, For you will not find knowledge or hear godly wisdom from his lips.

⁸The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, But the foolishness of [shortsighted] fools is deceit.

⁹Fools mock sin [but sin mocks the fools], But among the upright there is good will and the favor and blessing of God.

¹⁰The heart knows its own bitterness, And no stranger shares its joy.

¹¹The house of the wicked will be overthrown, But the tent of the upright will thrive.

¹²There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, But its end is the way of death.

¹³Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, And the end of joy may be grief.

¹⁴The backslider in heart will have his fill with his own [rotten] ways, But a good man will be satisfied with his ways [the godly thought and action which his heart pursues and in which he delights].

¹⁵The naive or inexperienced person [is easily misled and] believes every word he hears, But the prudent man [is discreet and astute and] considers well where he is going.

¹⁶A wise man suspects danger and cautiously avoids evil, But the fool is arrogant and careless.

¹⁷A quick-tempered man acts foolishly and without self-control, And a man of wicked schemes is hated.

¹⁸The naive [are unsophisticated and easy to exploit and] inherit foolishness, But the sensible [are thoughtful and far-sighted and] are crowned with knowledge.

¹⁹The evil will bow down before the good, And the wicked [will bow down] at the gates of the righteous.

²⁰The poor man is hated even by his neighbor, But those who love the rich are many.

²¹He who despises his neighbor sins [against God and his fellow man], But happy [blessed and favored by God] is he who is gracious and merciful to the poor.

²²Do they not go astray who devise evil and wander from the way of righteousness? But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.

²³In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty.

²⁴The crown of the wise is their wealth [of wisdom], But the foolishness of [closed-minded] fools is [nothing but] folly.

²⁵A truthful witness saves lives, But he who speaks lies is treacherous.

²⁶In the [reverent] fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And His children will [always] have a place of refuge.

²⁷The [reverent] fear of the LORD [that leads to obedience and worship] is a fountain of life, So that one may avoid the snares of death.

²⁸In a multitude of people is a king's glory, But in a lack of people is a [pretentious] prince's ruin.

²⁹He who is slow to anger has great understanding [and profits from his self-control], But he who is quick-tempered exposes and exalts his foolishness [for all to see].

³⁰A calm and peaceful and tranquil heart is life and health to the body, But passion and envy are like rottenness to the bones.

³¹He who oppresses the poor taunts and insults his Maker, But he who is kind and merciful and gracious to the needy honors Him.

³²The wicked is overthrown through his wrongdoing, But the righteous has hope and confidence and a refuge [with God] even in death.

³³Wisdom rests [silently] in the heart of one who has understanding, But what is in the heart of [shortsighted] fools is made known.

³⁴Righteousness [moral and spiritual integrity and virtuous character] exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people.

³⁵The king's favor and good will are toward a servant who acts wisely and discreetly, But his anger and wrath are toward him who acts shamefully.

¹Then all the sons of Israel from Dan [in the north] to Beersheba [in the south], including the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man to the LORD at Mizpah.

²The chiefs of all the people of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand men on foot who drew the sword.

³(Now the Benjamites [in whose territory the crime was committed] heard that the [other tribes of the] sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the sons of Israel said, "How did this evil thing happen?"

⁴So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, replied, "I had come with my concubine to spend the night in Gibeah, [a town] which belongs to [the tribe of] Benjamin.

⁵But the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me, but instead they raped my concubine [so brutally] that she died.

⁶So I took my concubine and cut her [corpse] in pieces and sent her [body parts] throughout the land of the inheritance of Israel; for the men of Gibeah have committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel.

⁷Now then, all you sons of Israel, all of you, give your advice and counsel here [regarding what should be done]."

⁸Then all the people stood [unified] as one man, saying, "None of us will go to his tent, and none of us will return to his home [until this is settled].

⁹But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it,

¹⁰and we will take ten men out of a hundred throughout the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand to bring provisions for the men, so that when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, they may punish them for all the despicable acts which they have committed in Israel."

¹¹So all the men of Israel assembled against the city, united as one man.

¹²Then the tribes of Israel sent men through the entire tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What is this evil thing that has been done among you?

¹³Now therefore, turn over the men [involved], the worthless and wicked men in Gibeah, so that we may put them to death and remove this wickedness from Israel." But the Benjamites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel.

¹⁴Then the [tribe of the] sons of Benjamin gathered from the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the [other] sons of Israel.

¹⁵And the Benjamites assembled out of their cities at that time twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who assembled seven hundred chosen men.

¹⁶Out of all these people were seven hundred choice left-handed men; each one could sling stones at [a target no wider than] a hair and not miss.

¹⁷Then the men of Israel, other than Benjamin, assembled four hundred thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were men of war.

¹⁸The men of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and asked of God and said, "Which of us shall take the lead to battle against the sons [tribe] of Benjamin?" And the LORD said, "Judah [shall go up] first."

¹⁹Then the [fighting men of the] sons of Israel arose in the morning and camped against Gibeah.

²⁰The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and assembled in battle formation against them at Gibeah.

²¹The sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and struck to the ground on that day twenty-two thousand [fighting] men of Israel.

²²But the people, the [fighting] men of Israel, took courage and strengthened themselves and again set their battle line in the same place where they formed it the first day.

²³The sons of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and asked of the LORD, "Shall we advance again to battle against the sons of our brother Benjamin?" And the LORD said, "Go up against them."

²⁴So the sons of Israel came against the sons of Benjamin the second day.

²⁵And [the fighting men from the tribe of] Benjamin went out of Gibeah against them the second day and again struck to the ground the sons of Israel, eighteen thousand men, all of whom were swordsmen.

²⁶Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept; and they sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

²⁷And the sons of Israel inquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there [at Bethel] in those days,

²⁸and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, "Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I quit?" And the LORD said, "Go up, for tomorrow I will hand them over to you."

²⁹So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.

³⁰The [fighting men of the] sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day and placed themselves in battle formation against Gibeah as at other times.

³¹The Benjamites went out against their army and were lured away from the city, and they began to strike and kill some of the people as at other times, on the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the open country, about thirty men of Israel.

³²And the Benjamites said, "They are defeated before us, as at the first." But the sons of Israel said, "Let us flee and lure them away from the city to the highways."

³³Then all the men of Israel got up from their places and placed themselves in battle formation at Baal-tamar; and the men of Israel [who were] in ambush rushed from their place in the plain of Maareh-geba.

³⁴When the ten thousand choice [fighting] men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle was hard and fierce; but the Benjamites did not realize that disaster was about to strike them.

³⁵And the LORD struck down [the tribe of] Benjamin before Israel, so that the sons of Israel destroyed twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin that day, all of whom were swordsmen.

³⁶So the Benjamites realized that they were defeated. Then men of Israel gave ground to the Benjamites, because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had placed against Gibeah.

³⁷Then the men in ambush quickly rushed and attacked Gibeah; and the men in ambush also deployed and struck the entire city with the edge of the sword.

³⁸Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city.

³⁹So the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel, for they said, "Certainly they are defeated before us as in the first battle!"

⁴⁰But when the [signal] cloud began to rise out of the city in a column of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them; and behold, the entire city went up in smoke to heaven.

⁴¹When the men of Israel turned back again, the men of Benjamin were terrified, for they saw that disaster had fallen upon them.

⁴²Therefore, they turned their backs before the men of Israel [and fled] toward the direction of the wilderness, but the battle followed and overtook them. As the [fighting men of the] sons of Benjamin ran among them, the Israelites of the cities came out and destroyed them.

⁴³They surrounded [the men of] Benjamin, pursued them relentlessly, and overtook them opposite Gibeah toward the east.

⁴⁴Thus eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell, all of these brave and able warriors.

⁴⁵The survivors [of Benjamin] turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel caught five thousand of them on the roads and overtook them at Gidom and killed two thousand of them.

⁴⁶So all of Benjamin who fell that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword, all of them brave and able warriors.

⁴⁷But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon and stayed at the rock of Rimmon for four months.

⁴⁸The men of Israel turned back against [the tribe of] the sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city [of Gibeah] and the livestock and all that they found. They also set on fire all the [surrounding] towns which they found.

¹But now, this is what the LORD, your Creator says, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [from captivity]; I have called you by name; you are Mine!

²"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.

³"For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt [to the Babylonians] as your ransom, Cush (ancient Ethiopia) and Seba [its province] in exchange for you.

⁴"Because you are precious in My sight, You are honored and I love you, I will give other men in return for you and other peoples in exchange for your life.

⁵"Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east [where they are scattered], And gather you from the west.

⁶"I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' And to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring My sons from far way And My daughters from the ends of the earth,

⁷Everyone who is called by My Name, Whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made."

⁸Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, And the deaf, even though they have ears.

⁹All the nations have gathered together So that the peoples may be assembled. Who among them (the idolaters) can predict this [that Judah would return from captivity] And proclaim to us the former events? Let them provide their witnesses so that they may be justified, Or let them hear and say [in acknowledgement], "It is the truth."

¹⁰"You are My witnesses," declares the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me.

¹¹"I, [only] I, am the LORD, And there is no Savior besides Me.

¹²"I have declared [the future] and saved [the nation] and proclaimed [that I am God], And there was no strange (alien) god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses [among the pagans]," declares the LORD, "That I am God.

¹³"Even from eternity I am He, And there is no one who can rescue from My hand; I act, and who can revoke or reverse it?"

¹⁴This is what the LORD your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says, "For your sake I have sent [one] to Babylon, And I will bring down all of them as fugitives, Even the Chaldeans [who reign in Babylon], into the ships over which they rejoiced.

¹⁵"I am the LORD, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King."

¹⁶This is what the LORD says, He who makes a way through the sea And a path through the mighty waters,

¹⁷He who brings out the chariot and the horse, The army and the mighty warrior, (They will lie down together, they will not rise again; They have been extinguished, they have been put out like a lamp's wick):

¹⁸"Do not remember the former things, Or ponder the things of the past.

¹⁹"Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.

²⁰"The beasts of the field will honor Me, Jackals and ostriches, Because I have given waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen.

²¹"The people whom I formed for Myself Will make known My praise.

²²"Yet you have not called on Me [in prayer and worship], O Jacob; But you have grown weary of Me, O Israel.

²³"You have not brought Me your sheep or goats for your burnt offerings, Nor honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, Nor wearied you with [demands for offerings of] incense.

²⁴"You have not bought Me sweet cane with money, Nor have you filled Me with the fat of your sacrifices; But you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your wickedness.

²⁵"I, only I, am He who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.

²⁶" Remind Me [of your merits with a thorough report], let us plead and argue our case together; State your position, that you may be proved right.

²⁷"Your first father [Jacob] sinned, And your spokesmen [the priests and the prophets—your mediators] have transgressed against Me.

²⁸"So I will profane the officials of the sanctuary, And I will consign Jacob to destruction and [I will subject] Israel to defamation and abuse.

¹Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets [who spoke a new message of God to the people] and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod [Antipas] the tetrarch, and Saul.

²While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul (Paul) for the work to which I have called them."

³Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them [in approval and dedication] and sent them away [on their first journey].

⁴So then, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

⁵When Barnabas and Saul arrived at Salamis, they began to preach the word of God [proclaiming the message of eternal salvation through faith in Christ] in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John [Mark] as their assistant.

⁶When they had traveled through the entire island [of Cyprus] as far as Paphos, they found a sorcerer, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus,

⁷who was [closely associated] with the proconsul [of the province], Sergius Paulus, an intelligent and sensible man. He called for Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ].

⁸But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is how his name is translated) opposed them, trying to turn the proconsul away from accepting the faith.

⁹But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit and led by Him, looked steadily at Elymas,

¹⁰and said, " You [Elymas] who are full of every [kind of] deceit, and every [kind of] fraud, you son of the devil, enemy of everything that is right and good, will you never stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord?

¹¹Now, watch! The hand of the Lord is on you, and you will be blind, [so blind that you will be] unable to see the sun for a time." Immediately a mist and darkness fell upon him, and he groped around, seeking people to lead him by the hand.

¹²The proconsul believed [the message of salvation] when he saw what had happened, being astonished at the teaching concerning the Lord.

¹³Now Paul and his companions sailed from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but John [Mark] left them and went back to Jerusalem.

¹⁴Now they went on from Perga and arrived at Antioch in Pisidia, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.

¹⁵After the reading of the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets, the officials of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, "Brothers (kinsmen), if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it."

¹⁶So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand, he said, "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen!

¹⁷The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great and numerous during their stay [as foreigners] in the land of Egypt, and then with an uplifted arm He led them out of there.

¹⁸For a period of about forty years He put up with their behavior in the wilderness.

¹⁹When He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He gave their land [to our ancestors] as an inheritance—this took about four hundred and fifty years.

²⁰After this, He gave them judges until the prophet Samuel.

²¹Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

²²And when He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king: of him He testified and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart [conforming to My will and purposes], who will do all My will.'

²³From this man's descendants God has brought to Israel a Savior, [in the person of] Jesus, according to His promise.

²⁴Before His coming John [the Baptist] had preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

²⁵And as John was finishing his course [of ministry], he kept saying, 'What or who do you think that I am? I am not He [the Christ]; but be aware, One is coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie [even as His slave]!'

²⁶"Brothers, sons of Abraham's family, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation [obtained through faith in Jesus Christ].

²⁷For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, who failed to recognize or understand both Jesus and the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled these [very prophecies] by condemning Him.

²⁸And though they found no cause or charge deserving death, they asked Pilate to have Him executed.

²⁹And when they had finished carrying out everything that was written [in Scripture] about Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb.

³⁰But God raised Him from the dead;

³¹and for many days (forty) He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people.

³²And we are bringing you the good news of the promise made to our fathers (ancestors),

³³that God has completely fulfilled this promise to our children by raising up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, 'You are My Son; today I have begotten (fathered) You.'

³⁴And [as for the fact] that He raised Him from the dead, never again to return to decay [in the grave], He has spoken in this way: 'I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David [those blessings and mercies that were promised to him].'

³⁵For this reason He also says in another Psalm, 'You will not allow Your Holy One to see decay.'

³⁶For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was buried among his fathers and experienced decay [in the grave];

³⁷but He whom God raised [to life] did not experience decay [in the grave].

³⁸So let it be clearly known by you, brothers, that through Him forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you;

³⁹and through Him everyone who believes [who acknowledges Jesus as Lord and Savior and follows Him] is justified and declared free of guilt from all things, from which you could not be justified and freed of guilt through the Law of Moses.

⁴⁰Therefore be careful, so that the thing spoken of in the [writings of the] Prophets does not come upon you:

⁴¹'Look, you mockers, and marvel, and perish and vanish away; For I am doing a work in your days, A work which you will never believe, even if someone describes it to you [telling you about it in detail].'"

⁴²As Paul and Barnabas were leaving [the synagogue], the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them on the next Sabbath.

⁴³When the congregation of the synagogue had been dismissed, many of the Jews and the devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, talking to them were urging them to continue in the grace of God.

⁴⁴On the next Sabbath almost the entire city gathered together to hear the word of the Lord [about salvation through faith in Christ].

⁴⁵But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things said by Paul, and were slandering him.

⁴⁶And [at the same time] Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and confidently, saying, "It was necessary that God's message [of salvation through faith in Christ] be spoken to you [Jews] first. Since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, now we turn to the Gentiles.

⁴⁷For that is what the Lord has commanded us, saying, 'I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, So that You may bring [the message of eternal] salvation to the end of the earth.'"

⁴⁸When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying [praising and giving thanks for] the word of the Lord; and all those who had been appointed (designated, ordained) to eternal life [by God] believed [in Jesus as the Christ and their Savior].

⁴⁹And so the word of the Lord [regarding salvation] was being spread through the entire region.

⁵⁰But the Jews incited the devout, prominent women and the leading men of the city, and instigated persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them forcibly out of their district.

⁵¹But they shook its dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.

⁵²And the disciples were continually filled [throughout their hearts and souls] with joy and with the Holy Spirit.