Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king (Herod the Great), magi (wise men) from the east came to Jerusalem, asking,

²"Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him."

³When Herod the king heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

⁴So he called together all the chief priests and scribes of the people and [anxiously] asked them where the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) was to be born.

⁵They replied to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is what has been written by the prophet [Micah]:

⁶'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not in any way least among the leaders of Judah; For from you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.'"

⁷Then Herod secretly sent for the magi and learned from them the [exact] time the star [had first] appeared.

⁸Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him."

⁹After hearing the king, they went their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them [continually leading the way] until it came and stood over the place where the young Child was.

¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

¹¹And after entering the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, after opening their treasure chests, they presented to Him gifts [fit for a king, gifts] of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

¹²And having been warned [by God] in a dream not to go back to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

¹³Now when they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod intends to search for the Child in order to destroy Him."

¹⁴So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.

¹⁵He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet [Hosea]: "Out of Egypt I called My Son."

¹⁶Then Herod, when he realized that he had been tricked by the magi, was extremely angry, and he sent [soldiers] and put to death all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that area who were two years old and under, according to the date which he had learned from the magi.

¹⁷Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

¹⁸"A voice was heard inRamah, Weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; She refused to be comforted, Because they were no more."

¹⁹But when Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said,

²⁰"Get up! Take the Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child's life are dead."

²¹Then Joseph got up, and took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

²²But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod [the Great], he was afraid to go there. Then being warned by God in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee,

²³and went and settled in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: "He shall be called a Nazarene."

¹So the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts (inhabitants).

²And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested (ceased) on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

³So God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it [as His own, that is, set it apart as holy from other days], because in it He rested from all His work which He had created and done.

⁴This is the history of [the origin of] the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day [that is, days of creation] that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens—

⁵no shrub or plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground,

⁶but a mist (fog, dew, vapor) used to rise from the land and water the entire surface of the ground—

⁷then the LORD God formed [that is, created the body of] man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being [an individual complete in body and spirit].

⁸And the LORD God planted a garden (oasis) in the east, in Eden (delight, land of happiness); and He put the man whom He had formed (created) there.

⁹And [in that garden] the LORD God caused to grow from the ground every tree that is desirable and pleasing to the sight and good (suitable, pleasant) for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the [experiential] knowledge (recognition) of [the difference between] good and evil.

¹⁰Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four [branching] rivers.

¹¹The first [river] is named Pishon; it flows around the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.

¹²The gold of that land is good; bdellium (a fragrant, valuable resin) and the onyx stone are found there.

¹³The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the entire land of Cush [in Mesopotamia].

¹⁴The third river is named Hiddekel (Tigris); it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

¹⁵So the LORD God took the man [He had made] and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.

¹⁶And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely (unconditionally) eat [the fruit] from every tree of the garden;

¹⁷but [only] from the tree of the knowledge (recognition) of good and evil you shall not eat, otherwise on the day that you eat from it, you shall most certainly die [because of your disobedience]."

¹⁸Now the LORD God said, "It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [one who balances him—a counterpart who is] suitable and complementary for him."

¹⁹So the LORD God formed out of the ground every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.

²⁰And the man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper [that was] suitable (a companion) for him.

²¹So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; and while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.

²²And the rib which the LORD God had taken from the man He made (fashioned, formed) into a woman, and He brought her and presented her to the man.

²³Then Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."

²⁴For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

²⁵And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed or embarrassed.

¹Therefore you have no excuse or justification, everyone of you who [hypocritically] judges and condemns others; for in passing judgment on another person, you condemn yourself, because you who judge [from a position of arrogance or self-righteousness] are habitually practicing the very same things [which you denounce].

²And we know that the judgment of God falls justly and in accordance with truth on those who practice such things.

³But do you think this, O man, when you judge and condemn those who practice such things, and yet do the same yourself, that you will escape God's judgment and elude His verdict?

⁴Or do you have no regard for the wealth of His kindness and tolerance and patience [in withholding His wrath]? Are you [actually] unaware or ignorant [of the fact] that God's kindness leads you to repentance [that is, to change your inner self, your old way of thinking—seek His purpose for your life]?

⁵But because of your callous stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are [deliberately] storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

⁶He will pay back to each person according to his deeds [justly, as his deeds deserve]:

⁷to those who by persistence in doing good seek [unseen but certain heavenly] glory, honor, and immortality, [He will give the gift of] eternal life.

⁸But for those who are selfishly ambitious and self-seeking and disobedient to the truth but responsive to wickedness, [there will be] wrath and indignation.

⁹There will be tribulation and anguish [torturing confinement] for every human soul who does [or permits] evil, to the Jew first and also to the Greek,

¹⁰but glory and honor and inner peace [will be given] to everyone who habitually does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

¹¹For God shows no partiality [no arbitrary favoritism; with Him one person is not more important than another].

¹²For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without [regard to] the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged and condemned by the Law.

¹³For it is not those who merely hear the Law [as it is read aloud] who are just or righteous before God, but it is those who [actually] obey the Law who will be justified [pronounced free of the guilt of sin and declared acceptable to Him].

¹⁴When Gentiles, who do not have the Law [since it was given only to Jews], do instinctively the things the Law requires [guided only by their conscience], they are a law to themselves, though they do not have the Law.

¹⁵They show that the essential requirements of the Law are written in their hearts; and their conscience [their sense of right and wrong, their moral choices] bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or perhaps defending them

¹⁶on that day when, as my gospel proclaims, God will judge the secrets [all the hidden thoughts and concealed sins] of men through Christ Jesus.

¹⁷But if you bear the name "Jew" and rely on the Law [for your salvation] and boast in [your special relationship to] God,

¹⁸and [if you claim to] know His will and approve the things that are essential or have a sense of what is excellent, based on your instruction from the Law,

¹⁹and [if you] are confident that you are a [qualified] guide to the blind [those untaught in theology], a light to those who are in darkness,

²⁰and [that you are] a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the [spiritually] childish, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth—

²¹well then, you who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal [in ways that are discrete, but just as sinful]?

²²You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob [pagan] temples [of valuable idols and offerings]?

²³You who boast in the Law, do you [repeatedly] dishonor God by breaking the Law?

²⁴For, "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you," just as it is written [in Scripture].

²⁵Circumcision [the sign of the covenant of Abraham] is indeed of value if you practice the Law; but if you habitually break the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision [it is meaningless in God's sight].

²⁶So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded [by God] as circumcision?

²⁷Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps [the spirit of] the Law will judge you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, break the Law.

²⁸For he is not a [real] Jew who is only one outwardly, nor is [true] circumcision something external and physical.

²⁹But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and [true] circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by [the fulfillment of] the letter [of the Law]. His praise is not from men, but from God.

¹For you know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you has not been ineffective (fruitless, in vain),

²but after we had already suffered and been outrageously treated in Philippi, as you know, yet in [the strength of] our God we summoned the courage to proclaim boldly to you the good news of God [regarding salvation] amid great opposition.

³For our appeal does not come from delusion or impure motives, nor [is it motivated] by deceit [our message is complete, accurate, and based on the truth—it does not change].

⁴But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel [that tells the good news of salvation through faith in Christ], so we speak, not as [if we were trying] to please people [to gain power and popularity], but to please God who examines our hearts [expecting our best].

⁵For as you well know, we never came with words of flattery nor with a pretext for greed—God is our witness—

⁶nor did we seek glory and honor from people, neither from you nor from anyone else, though as apostles of Christ we had the power to assert our authority.

⁷But we behaved gently when we were among you, like a devoted mother tenderly caring for her own children.

⁸Having such a deep affection for you, we were delighted to share with you not only God's good news but also our own lives, because you had become so very dear to us.

⁹For you remember, believers, our labor and hardship. We worked night and day [practicing our trade] in order not to be a [financial] burden to any of you while we proclaimed the gospel of God to you.

¹⁰You are witnesses, and so is God, how unworldly and just and blameless was our behavior toward you who believe [in our Lord Jesus Christ].

¹¹For you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you just as a father does [in dealing with] his own children, [guiding you]

¹²to live lives [of honor, moral courage, and personal integrity] worthy of the God who [saves you and] calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

¹³And we also thank God continually for this, that when you received the word of God [concerning salvation] which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of [mere] men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its inherent, supernatural power in those of faith].

¹⁴For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, because you too suffered the same [kind of] persecution from your own countrymen, as they did from the Jews,

¹⁵who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and harassed and drove us out; and [they] continue to be highly displeasing to God and [to show themselves] hostile to all people,

¹⁶forbidding us from speaking to the Gentiles (non-Jews) so that they may be saved. So, as always, they fill up [to the brim] the measure of their sins [allotted to them by God]. But [God's] wrath has come upon them at last [completely and forever].

¹⁷But since we were taken away from you, believers, for a little while—in person, but not in heart—we endeavored, with great longing to see you face to face.

¹⁸For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again [wanted to come], but Satan hindered us.

¹⁹For who is [the object of] our hope or joy or our victor's wreath of triumphant celebration [when we stand] in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you?

²⁰For you are [indeed] our glory and our joy!

¹Again there was a day when the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan (adversary, accuser) also came among them to present himself before the LORD.

²The LORD said to Satan, "From where have you come?" Then Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming around on the earth and from walking around on it."

³The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered and reflected on My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God [with reverence] and abstains from and turns away from evil [because he honors God]. And still he maintains and holds tightly to his integrity, although you incited Me against him to destroy him without cause."

⁴Satan answered the LORD, " Skin for skin! Yes, a man will give all he has for his life.

⁵But put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh [and severely afflict him]; and he will curse You to Your face."

⁶So the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand, only spare his life."

⁷So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome boils and agonizingly painful sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

⁸And Job took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself, and he sat [down] among the ashes (rubbish heaps).

⁹Then his wife said to him, "Do you still cling to your integrity [and your faith and trust in God, without blaming Him]? Curse God and die!"

¹⁰But he said to her, "You speak as one of the [spiritually] foolish women speaks [ignorant and oblivious to God's will]. Shall we indeed accept [only] good from God and not [also] accept adversity and disaster?" In [spite of] all this Job did not sin with [words from] his lips.

¹¹Now when Job's three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; for they had made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him.

¹²When they looked from a distance and did not recognize him [because of his disfigurement], they raised their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe [in grief] and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky [in sorrow].

¹³So they sat down on the ground with Job for seven days and seven nights and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.

¹Why are the nations in an uproar [in turmoil against God], And why do the people devise a vain and hopeless plot?

²The kings of the earth take their stand; And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and His Anointed (the Davidic King, the Messiah, the Christ), saying,

³"Let us break apart their [divine] bands [of restraint] And cast away their cords [of control] from us."

⁴He who sits [enthroned] in the heavens laughs [at their rebellion]; The [Sovereign] Lord scoffs at them [and in supreme contempt He mocks them].

⁵Then He will speak to them in His [profound] anger And terrify them with His displeasure, saying,

⁶"Yet as for Me, I have anointed and firmly installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain."

⁷"I will declare the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son; This day [I proclaim] I have begotten You.

⁸'Ask of Me, and I will assuredly give [You] the nations as Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth as Your possession.

⁹'You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall shatter them [in pieces] like earthenware.'"

¹⁰Now therefore, O kings, act wisely; Be instructed and take warning, O leaders (judges, rulers) of the earth.

¹¹Worship the LORD and serve Him with reverence [with awe-inspired fear and submissive wonder]; Rejoice [yet do so] with trembling.

¹²Kiss (pay respect to) the Son, so that He does not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled and set aflame. How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] are all those who take refuge in Him!

¹My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you,

²So that your ear is attentive to [skillful and godly] wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding [seeking it conscientiously and striving for it eagerly];

³Yes, if you cry out for insight, And lift up your voice for understanding;

⁴If you seek skillful and godly wisdom as you would silver And search for her as you would hidden treasures;

⁵Then you will understand the [reverent] fear of the LORD [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] And discover the knowledge of God.

⁶For the LORD gives [skillful and godly] wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

⁷He stores away sound wisdom for the righteous [those who are in right standing with Him]; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity [those of honorable character and moral courage],

⁸He guards the paths of justice; And He preserves the way of His saints (believers).

⁹Then you will understand righteousness and justice [in every circumstance] And integrity and every good path.

¹⁰For [skillful and godly] wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

¹¹Discretion will watch over you, Understanding and discernment will guard you,

¹²To keep you from the way of evil and the evil man, From the man who speaks perverse things;

¹³From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness;

¹⁴Who find joy in doing evil And delight in the perversity of evil,

¹⁵Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways;

¹⁶To keep you from the immoral woman; From the seductress with her flattering words,

¹⁷Who leaves the companion (husband) of her youth, And forgets the covenant of her God.

¹⁸For her house leads down to death And her paths lead to the dead;

¹⁹None who go to her return again, Nor do they regain the paths of life—

²⁰So you will walk in the way of good men [that is, those of personal integrity, moral courage and honorable character], And keep to the paths of the righteous.

²¹For the upright [those who are in right standing with God] will live in the land And those [of integrity] who are blameless [in God's sight] will remain in it;

²²But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous shall be [forcibly] uprooted and removed from it.

¹Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as scouts secretly from Shittim, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho [the walled city]." So they went and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab, and lodged there.

²Now the king of Jericho was told, "Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to spy and search out the land."

³So the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, because they have come [as spies] to search out all the land."

⁴But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them; so she said, "Yes, two men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.

⁵When it was time to close the [city] gate at dark, the men left; I do not know where they went. Pursue them quickly, for [if you do] you will overtake them."

⁶But [in fact] she had brought the scouts up to the roof and had hidden them under the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof [to dry].

⁷So the [king's] men pursued them on the road to the Jordan as far as the fords [east of Jericho]; as soon as the pursuers had gone out after them, the gate [of the city] was shut.

⁸Now before the two men lay down [to sleep], Rahab came up to them on the roof,

⁹and she said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror and dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted [in despair] because of you.

¹⁰For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan [on the east], to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.

¹¹When we heard it, our hearts melted [in despair], and a [fighting] spirit no longer remained in any man because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.

¹²And now, please swear [an oath] to me by the LORD, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's household (family), and give me a pledge of truth and faithfulness,

¹³and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, along with everyone who belongs to them, and let us all live."

¹⁴So the men said to her, "Our lives for yours if you do not tell [anyone about] this business of ours; then when the LORD gives us the land we will show you kindness and faithfulness [and keep our agreement with you]."

¹⁵Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she was living on the wall.

¹⁶And she said to them, "Go [west] to the hill country, so that the pursuers [who have headed east] will not encounter you; hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers return. Then afterward you can go your way."

¹⁷The men said to her, "We shall be blameless and free from this oath which you have made us swear,

¹⁸unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and bring into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father's household [so that they will be safe].

¹⁹But if anyone goes out the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head [that is, his own responsibility], and we shall be blameless and free [from our oath]; however, if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head.

²⁰But if you tell [anyone] this business of ours, we shall be blameless and free from the oath which you made us swear."

²¹She said, "According to your words, so be it." Then Rahab sent them off, and they departed; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

²²They left and went [on their way] to the hill country [west of Jericho], and stayed there [hidden in the caves] three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers had searched all along the road but had not found them.

²³Then the two men turned back and came down from the hill country and crossed over [the Jordan] and came to Joshua the son of Nun [at Shittim], and told him everything that had happened to them.

²⁴They said to Joshua, "Certainly the LORD has given all the land into our hands; for all the inhabitants of the land have melted [in despair] because of us."

¹The word [from God] which Isaiah son of Amoz saw [in a vision] concerning [the nation of] Judah and [its capital city] Jerusalem.

²Now it will come to pass that In the last days The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be [firmly] established as the highest of the mountains, And will be exalted above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it.

³And many peoples shall come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house (temple) of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go out from Zion And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

⁴And He will judge between the nations, And will mediate [disputes] for many peoples; And they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up the sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.

⁵O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD.

⁶Most certainly [LORD] You have abandoned your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with influences from the east, And they are soothsayers [who foretell] like the Philistines; Also they strike bargains with the children of foreigners (pagans).

⁷Their land has also been filled with silver and gold And there is no end to their treasures; Their land has also been filled with horses And there is no end to their chariots.

⁸Their land has also been filled with idols; They worship the work of their hands, That which their own fingers have made.

⁹So the common man has been humbled [before idols] And the man of importance has been degraded, Therefore do not forgive them [O LORD].

¹⁰Go among the rocks and hide in the dust From the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty.

¹¹The proud look of man will be degraded And the arrogance of men will be humbled, And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

¹²For the LORD of hosts will have a day of reckoning Against all who are proud and arrogant And against all who are lifted up, That they may be degraded.

¹³And the wrath of God will be against all the cedars of Lebanon [west of the Jordan] that are high and lifted up, Against all the oaks of Bashan [east of the Jordan],

¹⁴Against all the high mountains, Against all the hills that are lifted up,

¹⁵Against every high tower, Against every fortified wall,

¹⁶Against all the ships of Tarshish And against all the beautiful craft.

¹⁷Then the pride of man will be humbled And the arrogance of men will be degraded; The LORD alone shall be exalted in that day,

¹⁸And the idols will completely vanish (be abolished).

¹⁹They [the stricken, deprived of all in which they had trusted] will go into the caves of the rocks And into the holes of the ground [fleeing] From the terror and dread of the LORD And from the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to terrify the earth.

²⁰In that day men will throw away to the moles and to the bats Their idols of silver and their idols of gold, Which they made for themselves [as objects] to worship,

²¹To go into the caverns of the rocks and into the clefts of the [ragged] cliffs [as they flee] From the terror and dread of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to terrify the earth.

²²Stop regarding man, whose breath [of life] is in his nostrils [for so little time]; For why should he be esteemed?

¹When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place,

²and suddenly a sound came from heaven like a rushing violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

³There appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were being distributed [among them], and they rested on each one of them [as each person received the Holy Spirit].

⁴And they were all filled [that is, diffused throughout their being] with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues (different languages), as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out [clearly and appropriately].

⁵Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout and God-fearing men from every nation under heaven.

⁶And when this sound was heard, a crowd gathered, and they were bewildered because each one was hearing those in the upper room speaking in his own language or dialect.

⁷They were completely astonished, saying, "Look! Are not all of these who are speaking Galileans?

⁸Then how is it that each of us hears in our own language or native dialect?

⁹[Among us there are] Parthians, Medes and Elamites, and people of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia [Minor],

¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and the visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes (Gentile converts to Judaism),

¹¹Cretans and Arabs—we all hear them speaking in our [native] tongues about the mighty works of God!"

¹²And they were beside themselves with amazement and were greatly perplexed, saying one to another, "What could this mean?"

¹³But others were laughing and joking and ridiculing them, saying, "They are full of sweet wine and are drunk!"

¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be explained to you; listen closely and pay attention to what I have to say.

¹⁵These people are not drunk, as you assume, since it is [only] the third hour of the day (9:00 a.m.);

¹⁶but this is [the beginning of] what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷'And it shall be in the last days,' says God, 'That I will pour out My Spirit upon all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see [divinely prompted] visions, And your old men shall dream [divinely prompted] dreams;

¹⁸Even on My bond-servants, both men and women, I will in those days pour out My Spirit And they shall prophesy.

¹⁹'And I will bring about wonders in the sky above And signs (attesting miracles) on the earth below, Blood and fire and smoking vapor.

²⁰'The sun shall be turned into darkness And the moon into blood, Before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.

²¹'And it shall be that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking, adoring, and worshiping the Lord Jesus] shall be saved (rescued spiritually).'

²²"Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man accredited and pointed out and attested to you by God with [the power to perform] miracles and wonders and signs which God worked through Him in your [very] midst, just as you yourselves know—

²³this Man, when handed over [to the Roman authorities] according to the predetermined decision and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross and put to death by the hands of lawless and godless men.

²⁴But God raised Him up, releasing Him and bringing an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in death's power.

²⁵For David says of Him, 'I saw the Lord constantly before me; For He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken [from my state of security].

²⁶'Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue exulted exceedingly; Moreover my flesh also will live in hope [that is, will encamp in anticipation of the resurrection];

²⁷'For You will not forsake me and abandon my soul to Hades (the realm of the dead), Nor let Your Holy One undergo decay [after death].

²⁸'You have made known to me the ways of life; You will fill me [infusing my soul] with joy with Your presence.'

²⁹"Brothers, I may confidently and freely say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

³⁰And so, being a prophet and knowing fully that God had sworn to him with an oath that He would seat one of his descendants on his throne,

³¹he foresaw and spoke [prophetically] of the resurrection of the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), that He was not abandoned [in death] to Hades (the realm of the dead), nor did His body undergo decay.

³²God raised this Jesus [bodily from the dead], and of that [fact] we are all witnesses.

³³Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this [blessing] which you both see and hear.

³⁴For David did not ascend into the heavens, yet he himself says, 'The Lord [the Father] said to my LORD [the Son], "Sit at My right hand,

³⁵Until I make Your enemies afootstool for Your feet."'

³⁶Therefore let all the house of Israel recognize beyond all doubt that God has made Him both Lord and Christ (Messiah, Anointed)—this Jesus whom you crucified."

³⁷Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart [with remorse and anxiety], and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what are we to do?"

³⁸And Peter said to them, "Repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways, accept and follow Jesus as the Messiah] and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

³⁹For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is for you and your children and for all who are far away [including the Gentiles], as many as the Lord our God calls to Himself."

⁴⁰And Peter solemnly testified and continued to admonish and urge them with many more words, saying, " Be saved from this crooked and unjust generation!"

⁴¹So then, those who accepted his message were baptized; and on that day about3,000 souls were added [to the body of believers].

⁴²They were continually and faithfully devoting themselves to the instruction of the apostles, and to fellowship, to eating meals together and to prayers.

⁴³A sense of awe was felt by everyone, and many wonders and signs (attesting miracles) were taking place through the apostles.

⁴⁴And all those who had believed [in Jesus as Savior] were together and had all things in common [considering their possessions to belong to the group as a whole].

⁴⁵And they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing the proceeds with all [the other believers], as anyone had need.

⁴⁶Day after day they met in the temple [area] continuing with one mind, and breaking bread in various private homes. They were eating their meals together with joy and generous hearts,

⁴⁷praising God continually, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were being saved.