Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹As He was coming out of the temple [grounds], one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, look what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!"

²Jesus replied to him, "You see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another which will not be torn down!"

³As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked Him privately,

⁴"Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be fulfilled?"

⁵Jesus began to say to them, "Be careful and see to it that no one misleads you.

⁶Many will come in My name [misusing My name or claiming to be the Messiah], saying, 'I am He!' and will deceive and mislead many.

⁷When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed (frightened, troubled); these things must take place, but the end is not yet.

⁸For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These things are the beginning of the birth pangs [the intolerable anguish and suffering].

⁹"But be on your guard; they will turn you over to courts, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand [as accused] before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.

¹⁰The gospel [that is, the good news regarding the way of salvation] must first be preached to all the [Gentile] nations.

¹¹When they take you and turn you over [to the court], do not worry beforehand about what to say, but say whatever is given to you [by God] in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit [who will speak through you].

¹²Brother will betray brother to [be put to] death, and a father [will hand over] his child; and children will rise up and take a stand against parents and have them put to death.

¹³You will be hated by everyone because of [your association with] My name, but the one who [patiently perseveres empowered by the Holy Spirit and] endures to the end, he will be saved.

¹⁴"But when you see theabomination of desolation standing [in the temple sanctuary] where it ought not to be (let the reader understand) then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.

¹⁵Whoever is on the housetop must not go down [to enter the house], or go inside to take anything out of his house;

¹⁶whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his coat.

¹⁷And woe to those women who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

¹⁸Pray that it will not occur in winter,

¹⁹for at that time there will be such tribulation as has not occurred, from the beginning of the creation which God made, until now—and never will [be again].

²⁰And if the Lord had not shortened the days, no human life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose [for Himself], He shortened the days.

²¹Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)!' or, 'Look, He is there!' do not believe it;

²²for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will provide signs and wonders in order to deceive, if [such a thing were] possible, even the elect [those God has chosen for Himself].

²³But be on your guard; I have told you everything in advance.

²⁴"But in those days, after [the suffering and distress of] that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,

²⁵and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.

²⁶Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory [in royal majesty and splendor].

²⁷And then He will send out the angels, and will gather together His elect [those He has chosen for Himself] from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.

²⁸"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its branch becomes tender and it puts out its leaves, you recognize that summer is near.

²⁹Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, know [for certain] that He is near, right at the door.

³⁰I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this generation [the people living when these signs and events begin] will not pass away until all these things take place.

³¹Heaven and earth [as now known] will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

³²But of that [exact] day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son [in His humanity], but the Father alone.

³³"Be on guard and stay constantly alert[and pray]; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.

³⁴It is like a man away on a journey, who when he left home put his servants in charge, each with his particular task, and also ordered the doorkeeper to be continually alert.

³⁵Therefore, be continually on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—

³⁶[stay alert,] in case he should come suddenly and unexpectedly and find you asleep and unprepared.

³⁷What I say to you I say to everyone, 'Be on the alert [stay awake and be continually cautious]!'"

¹Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

²"Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families (clans), by their fathers' households,

³from thirty years old and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle).

⁴This is the work and responsibility of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle): the most holy things.

⁵"When the camp prepares to move out, Aaron and his sons shall come into the sanctuary and take down the veil (curtain) screening off the Holy of Holies, and cover the ark of the testimony with it;

⁶and they shall put on it a covering of porpoise skin (fine leather), and shall spread over that a cloth of pure blue, and shall insert the carrying poles of the ark.

⁷Over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall spread a cloth of blue and put on it the plates, the dishes [for incense], the sacrificial bowls, the jars for the drink offering, and the continual bread [of the Presence] shall be on it.

⁸They shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet, and cover that with a covering of porpoise skin, and they shall insert its carrying poles.

⁹Then they shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light, along with its lamps, its wick cutters, its trays, and all the oil vessels, by which it is supplied;

¹⁰and they shall put the lampstand and all its utensils in a covering of porpoise skin, and shall put it on the carrying bars.

¹¹Over the golden [incense] altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with a covering of porpoise skin, and shall insert its carrying poles;

¹²and they shall take all the utensils of the service with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth, and cover them with a covering of porpoise skin, and put them on the carrying bars.

¹³Then they shall clean away the ashes from the altar [of burnt offering], and spread a purple cloth over it.

¹⁴They shall also put on it all its utensils with which they minister in connection with it: the pans, the meat-forks, the shovels, the basins, and all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread a covering of porpoise skin over it, and insert its carrying poles.

¹⁵When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all its furniture, as the camp sets out, after all that [is done, but not before], the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them [using the poles], so that they do not touch the holy things, and die. These are the things in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) which the sons of Kohath are to carry.

¹⁶"The responsibility of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, is the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the continual grain offering, and the anointing oil—the responsibility of all the tabernacle and everything that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings."

¹⁷Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

¹⁸"Do not cut off (eliminate, destroy) the tribe of the families of the Kohathites [who are only Levites and not priests], from among the Levites [by exposing them to the sin of touching the most holy things].

¹⁹But deal with them in this way, so that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his [specific] work and to his load [to be carried on the march].

²⁰But the Kohathites shall not go in to see the holy things, even for an instant, or they will die."

²¹Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

²²"Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers' households, by their families.

²³From thirty years and upward to fifty years old, you shall number them; all who enter for service to do the work in the Tent of Meeting.

²⁴This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in carrying [when on the march]:

²⁵they shall carry the tent curtains of the tabernacle, and the Tent of Meeting, its covering and the covering of porpoise skin (fine leather) that is on top of it, and the curtain for the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle),

²⁶and the hangings of the courtyard, and the curtain for the entrance of the gate of the courtyard which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their tent ropes, and all the equipment for their service; and all that is to be done, they shall perform.

²⁷Aaron and his sons shall direct all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, all they have to carry and all they have to do. You shall assign to them as a duty all that they are to carry [on the march].

²⁸This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle); and their duties shall be under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron, the [high] priest.

²⁹"As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families (clans), by their fathers' households;

³⁰from thirty years and upward to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle).

³¹This is what they are assigned to carry [on the march], according to all their service in the Tent of Meeting: the boards [for the framework] of the tabernacle and its bars and its pillars and its sockets or bases,

³²and the pillars around the courtyard with their sockets or bases and their pegs and their cords (tent ropes), with all their equipment and with all their [accessories for] service; and you shall assign each man by name the items he is to carry [on the march].

³³This is the work of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their tasks in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron, the priest."

³⁴So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families (clans) and by their fathers' households,

³⁵from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who enters the service to do the work in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle);

³⁶the men who were numbered by their families were 2,750.

³⁷These were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all who did service in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD through Moses.

³⁸The men who were numbered of the sons of Gershon, by their families (clans), and by their fathers' households,

³⁹from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service to do the work in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle);

⁴⁰the men who were numbered by their families, by their fathers' households, were 2,630.

⁴¹These were numbered men of the families of the sons of Gershon, everyone who served in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), whom Moses and Aaron numbered just as the LORD had commanded.

⁴²The men who were numbered of the sons of Merari, by their families (clans), by their fathers' households,

⁴³from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle);

⁴⁴the men who were numbered by their families were 3,200.

⁴⁵These are the men who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered in accordance with the commandment of the LORD through Moses.

⁴⁶All the men who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted by their families (clans) and by their fathers' households,

⁴⁷from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who could enter to do the work of service and the work of carrying in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle);

⁴⁸the men that were numbered were 8,580.

⁴⁹According to the commandment of the LORD through Moses, they were numbered, each assigned to his work of serving and carrying. Thus they were numbered by him, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

¹Now even the first covenant had regulations for divine worship and for the earthly sanctuary.

²A tabernacle (sacred tent) was put up, the outer one or first section, in which were the lampstand and the table with [its loaves of] the sacred showbread; this is called the Holy Place.

³Behind the second veil there was another tabernacle [the inner one or second section] known as the Holy of Holies,

⁴having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered entirely with gold. This contained a golden jar which held the manna, and the rod of Aaron that sprouted, and the [two stone] tablets of the covenant [inscribed with the Ten Commandments];

⁵and above the ark were the [golden] cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but we cannot now go into detail about these things.

⁶Now when these things have been prepared in this way, the priests continually enter the outer [or first section of the] tabernacle [that is, the Holy Place] performing [their ritual acts of] the divine worship,

⁷but into the second [inner tabernacle, the Holy of Holies], only the high priest enters [and then only] once a year, and never without [bringing a sacrifice of] blood, which he offers [as a substitutionary atonement] for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

⁸By this the Holy Spirit signifies that the way into the Holy Place [the true Holy of Holies and the presence of God] has not yet been disclosed as long as the first or outer tabernacle is still standing [that is, as long as the Levitical system of worship remains a recognized institution],

⁹for this [first or outer tabernacle] is a symbol [that is, an archetype or paradigm] for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which are incapable of perfecting the conscience and renewing the [inner self of the] worshiper.

¹⁰For they [the gifts, sacrifices, and ceremonies] deal only with [clean and unclean] food and drink and various ritual washings, [mere] external regulations for the body imposed [to help the worshipers] until the time of reformation [that is, the time of the new order when Christ will establish the reality of what these things foreshadow—a better covenant].

¹¹But when Christ appeared as a High Priest of the good things to come [that is, true spiritual worship], He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not a part of this [material] creation.

¹²He went once for all into the Holy Place [the Holy of Holies of heaven, into the presence of God], and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, having obtained and secured eternal redemption [that is, the salvation of all who personally believe in Him as Savior].

¹³For if the sprinkling of [ceremonially] defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a [burnt] heifer is sufficient for the cleansing of the body,

¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal [Holy] Spirit willingly offered Himself unblemished [that is, without moral or spiritual imperfection as a sacrifice] to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works and lifeless observances to serve the ever living God?

¹⁵For this reason He is the Mediator and Negotiator of a new covenant [that is, an entirely new agreement uniting God and man], so that those who have been called [by God] may receive [the fulfillment of] the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has taken place [as the payment] which redeems them from the sins committed under the obsolete first covenant.

¹⁶For where there is a will and testament involved, the death of the one who made it must be established,

¹⁷for a will and testament takes effect [only] at death, since it is never in force as long as the one who made it is alive.

¹⁸So even the first covenant was not put in force without [the shedding of] blood.

¹⁹For when every commandment in the Law had been read by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of the calves and goats [which had been sacrificed], together with water and scarlet wool and with a bunch of hyssop, and he sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people,

²⁰saying, "This is the blood of the covenant [that seals and ratifies the agreement] which God ordained and commanded [me to deliver to] you."

²¹And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the containers and sacred utensils of worship with the blood.

²²In fact under the Law almost everything is cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness [neither release from sin and its guilt, nor cancellation of the merited punishment].

²³Therefore it was necessary for the [earthly] copies of the heavenly things to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves required far better sacrifices than these.

²⁴For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but [He entered] into heaven itself, now to appear in the very presence of God on our behalf;

²⁵nor did He [enter into the heavenly sanctuary to] offer Himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.

²⁶Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer over and over since the foundation of the world; but now once for all at the consummation of the ages He has appeared and been publicly manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

²⁷And just as it is appointed and destined for all men to die once and after this [comes certain] judgment,

²⁸so Christ, having been offered once and once for all to bear [as a burden] the sins of many, will appear a second time [when he returns to earth], not to deal with sin, but to bring salvation to those who are eagerly and confidently waiting for Him.

¹I saw in the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, closed and sealed with seven seals.

²And I saw a strong angel announcing with a loud voice, "Who is worthy [having the authority and virtue] to open the scroll and to break its seals?"

³And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth [in Hades, the realm of the dead] was able to open the scroll or look into it.

⁴And I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look into it.

⁵Then one of the [twenty-four] elders said to me, "Stop weeping! Look closely, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome and conquered! He can open the scroll and [break] its seven seals."

⁶And there between the throne (with the four living creatures) and among the elders I saw a Lamb (Christ) standing, [bearing scars and wounds] as though it had been slain, with seven horns (complete power) and with seven eyes (complete knowledge), which are the seven Spirits of God who have been sent [on duty] into all the earth.

⁷And He came and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

⁸And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb (Christ), each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of fragrant incense, which are the prayers of the saints (God's people).

⁹And they sang a new song [of glorious redemption], saying, "Worthy and deserving are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slain (sacrificed), and with Your blood You purchased people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

¹⁰"You have made them to be a kingdom [of royal subjects] and priests to our God; and they will reign on the earth."

¹¹Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and [the voice] of the living creatures and the elders; and they numbered myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands (innumerable),

¹²saying in a loud voice, "Worthy and deserving is the Lamb that was sacrificed to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."

¹³And I heard every created thing that is in heaven or on earth or under the earth [in Hades, the realm of the dead] or on the sea, and everything that is in them, saying [together], "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb (Christ), be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever."

¹⁴And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped [Him who lives forever and ever].

¹(The Chorus) "Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Where is your beloved hiding himself, That we may seek him with you?"

²(The Shulammite Bride) "My beloved has gone down to his garden, To the beds of balsam, To feed his flock in the gardens And gather lilies.

³"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine, He who feeds his flock among the lilies."

⁴(The Bridegroom) "You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling, As lovely as Jerusalem, As majestic as an army with banners!

⁵"Turn your [flashing] eyes away from me, For they have confused and overcome me; Your hair is like [the shimmering black fleece of] a flock of [Arabian] goats That have descended from Mount Gilead.

⁶"Your teeth are like a flock of ewes Which have come up from their washing, All of which bear twins, And not one among them has lost her young.

⁷"Your temples are like a slice of the pomegranate Behind your veil.

⁸"There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, And maidens without number;

⁹But my dove, my perfect one, stands alone [above them all]; She is her mother's only daughter; She is the pure child of the one who bore her. The maidens saw her and called her blessed and happy, The queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,

¹⁰'Who is this that looks down like the dawn, Fair and beautiful as the full moon, Clear and pure as the sun, As majestic as an army with banners?'

¹¹"I went down to the orchard of nut trees To see the flowers of the valley, To see whether the grapevine had budded And the pomegranates were in flower.

¹²"Before I was aware [of what was happening], my desire had brought me Into the area of the princes of my people [the king's retinue]."

¹³(The Chorus) "Return, return, O Shulammite; Return, return, that we may gaze at you." (The Bridegroom) "Why should you gaze at the Shulammite, As at the dance of the two armies?

¹To the Chief Musician; set to a Philistine lute [or perhaps to a particular Hittite tune]. A Psalm of David. O LORD, our Lord, How majestic and glorious and excellent is Your name in all the earth! You have displayed Your splendor above the heavens.

²Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, That You might silence the enemy and make the revengeful cease.

³When I see and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have established,

⁴What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?

⁵Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

⁶You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,

⁷All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field,

⁸The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

⁹O LORD, our Lord, How majestic and glorious and excellent is Your name in all the earth!

¹He who hardens his neck and refuses instruction after being often reproved (corrected, criticized), Will suddenly be broken beyond repair.

²When the righteous are in authority and become great, the people rejoice; But when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh.

³A man who loves [skillful and godly] wisdom makes his father joyful, But he who associates with prostitutes wastes his wealth.

⁴The king establishes (stabilizes) the land by justice, But a man who takes bribes overthrows it.

⁵A man who flatters his neighbor [with smooth words intending to do harm] Is spreading a net for his own feet.

⁶By his wicked plan an evil man is trapped, But the righteous man sings and rejoices [for his plan brings good things to him].

⁷The righteous man cares for the rights of the poor, But the wicked man has no interest in such knowledge.

⁸Scoffers set a city afire [by stirring up trouble], But wise men turn away anger [and restore order with their good judgment].

⁹If a wise man has a controversy with a foolish and arrogant man, The foolish man [ignores logic and fairness and] only rages or laughs, and there is no peace (rest, agreement).

¹⁰The bloodthirsty hate the blameless [because of his integrity], But the upright are concerned for his life.

¹¹A [shortsighted] fool always loses his temper and displays his anger, But a wise man [uses self-control and] holds it back.

¹²If a ruler pays attention to lies [and encourages corruption], All his officials will become wicked.

¹³The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives light to the eyes of both.

¹⁴If a king faithfully and truthfully judges the poor, His throne shall be established forever.

¹⁵The rod and reproof (godly instruction) give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.

¹⁶When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases, But the righteous will see the downfall of the wicked.

¹⁷Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; Yes, he will delight your soul.

¹⁸Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].

¹⁹A servant will not be corrected by words alone; For though he understands, he will not respond [nor pay attention].

²⁰Do you see a [conceited] man who speaks quickly [offering his opinions or answering without thinking]? There is more hope for a [thickheaded] fool than for him.

²¹He who pampers his slave from childhood Will find him to be a son in the end.

²²An angry man stirs up strife, And a hot-tempered and undisciplined man commits many transgressions.

²³A man's pride and sense of self-importance will bring him down, But he who has a humble spirit will obtain honor.

²⁴Whoever is partner with a thief hates his own life; He hears the curse [when swearing an oath to testify], but discloses nothing [and commits perjury by omission].

²⁵The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in and puts his confidence in the LORD will be exalted and safe.

²⁶Many seek the ruler's favor, But justice for man comes from the LORD.

²⁷An unjust man is repulsive to the righteous, And he who is upright in the way [of the LORD] is repulsive to the wicked.

¹Then Samuel took the flask of oil and poured it on Saul's head, kissed him, and said, "Has the LORD not anointed you as ruler over His inheritance (Israel)?

²When you leave me today, you will meet two men beside Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; they will say to you, 'The donkeys you went to look for have been found. And your father has stopped caring about them and is worried about you, saying, "What shall I do about my son?"'

³Then you will go on further from there, and you will come to the terebinth tree of Tabor, and three men going up to [sacrifice to] God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a jug of wine.

⁴They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hand.

⁵After that you will come to the hill of God where the garrison of the Philistines is; and when you come there to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place [of worship] with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, and they will be prophesying.

⁶Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you mightily, and you will prophesy with them, and you will be changed into another man.

⁷When these signs come to you, do for yourself whatever the situation requires, for God is with you.

⁸You shall go down ahead of me to Gilgal; and behold, I will be coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you must do."

⁹Then it happened when Saul turned his back to leave Samuel, God changed his heart; and all those signs came to pass that day.

¹⁰When they came to the hill [Gibeah], behold, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came on him mightily, and he prophesied [under divine guidance] among them.

¹¹Now when all who knew Saul previously saw that he actually prophesied now [by inspiration] with the prophets, the people said one to another, "What has happened to [Saul, who is nobody but] the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"

¹²And a man from there answered, "But who is the father of the others?" So it became a proverb, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

¹³When Saul had finished prophesying, he went to the high place [of worship].

¹⁴Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, "Where did you go?" And Saul said, "To look for the donkeys. And when we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel [for help]."

¹⁵Saul's uncle said, "Please tell me, what did Samuel say to you?"

¹⁶And Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found." But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had mentioned.

¹⁷Then Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah,

¹⁸and he said to Israel, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'It was I who brought Israel up from Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.'

¹⁹But today you have rejected your God, who Himself saves you from all your disasters and distresses; yet you have said, 'No! Set a king over us.' Now then, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your families (clans)."

²⁰And when Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot.

²¹Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their families, and the family of Matri was chosen by lot. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen by lot; but when they looked for him, he could not be found.

²²So they inquired further of the LORD, "Has the man come here yet?" And the LORD answered, "He is there, hiding himself by the provisions and supplies."

²³So they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.

²⁴Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? For there is no one like him among all the people." So all the people shouted and said, "Long live the king!"

²⁵Then Samuel told the people the requirements of the kingdom, and wrote them in a book and placed it before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home.

²⁶Saul also went home to Gibeah; and the brave men whose hearts God had touched went with him.

²⁷But some worthless men said, "How can this man save and rescue us?" And they regarded Saul with contempt and did not bring him a gift. But he ignored the insult and kept silent.

¹"Cry aloud, do not hold back; Lift up your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their transgression And to the house of Jacob their sins.

²"Yet they seek Me day by day and delight [superficially] to know My ways, As [if they were in reality] a nation that has done righteousness And has not abandoned (turned away from) the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me righteous judgments, They delight in the nearness of God.

³'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and You do not see it? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?' Hear this [O Israel], on the day of your fast [when you should be grieving for your sins] you find something you desire [to do], And you force your hired servants to work [instead of stopping all work, as the law teaches].

⁴"The facts are that you fast only for strife and brawling and to strike with the fist of wickedness. You do not fast as you do today to make your voice heard on high.

⁵"Is a fast such as this what I have chosen, a day for a man to humble himself [with sorrow in his soul]? Is it only to bow down his head like a reed And to make sackcloth and ashes as a bed [pretending to have a repentant heart]? Do you call this a fast and a day pleasing to the LORD?

⁶"[Rather] is this not the fast which I choose, To undo the bonds of wickedness, To tear to pieces the ropes of the yoke, To let the oppressed go free And break apart every [enslaving] yoke?

⁷"Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not to hide yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood?

⁸"Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your healing (restoration, new life) will quickly spring forth; Your righteousness will go before you [leading you to peace and prosperity], The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

⁹"Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry for help, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you take away from your midst the yoke [of oppression], The finger pointed in scorn [toward the oppressed or the godly], and [every form of] wicked (sinful, unjust) speech,

¹⁰And if you offer yourself to [assist] the hungry And satisfy the need of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday.

¹¹"And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your soul in scorched and dry places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

¹²"And your people will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up and restore the age-old foundations [of buildings that have been laid waste]; You will be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

¹³"If you turn back your foot from [ unnecessary travel on] the Sabbath, From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a [spiritual] delight, and the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it, not going your own way Or engaging in your own pleasure Or speaking your own [idle] words,

¹⁴Then you will take pleasure in the LORD, And I will make you ride on the high places of the earth, And I will feed you with the [promised] heritage of Jacob your father; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

¹After we were safe [on land], we found out that the island was called Malta.

²And the natives showed us extraordinary kindness and hospitality; for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, since it had begun to rain and was cold.

³But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper crawled out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.

⁴When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, "Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, Justice [the avenging goddess] has not permitted him to live."

⁵Then Paul [simply] shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.

⁶But they stood watching and expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began saying that he was a god.

⁷In the vicinity of that place there were estates belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed and entertained us hospitably for three days.

⁸And it happened that the father of Publius was sick [in bed] with recurring attacks of fever and dysentery; and Paul went to him, and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him.

⁹After this occurred, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and being healed.

¹⁰They also gave us many honors [gifts and courtesies expressing respect]; and when we were setting sail, they supplied us with all the things we needed.

¹¹At the end of three months we set sail on a ship which had wintered at the island, an Alexandrian ship with the Twin Brothers [Castor and Pollux] as its figurehead.

¹²We landed at Syracuse [on Sicily] and stayed there three days.

¹³From there we sailed around and arrived at Rhegium [on Italy's southern tip]; and a day later a south wind came up, and on the second day we arrived at Puteoli.

¹⁴There we found some believers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome.

¹⁵And the brothers and sisters, having heard news about us, came from as far away as the Forum of Appius and Three Inns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and was encouraged.

¹⁶When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself [in rented quarters] with the soldier who was guarding him.

¹⁷Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews; and when they had gathered, he said to them, "Kinsmen, though I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our fathers, yet I was turned over as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.

¹⁸After they had interrogated me, they were ready to release me because I was not guilty of any offense deserving death.

¹⁹But when the Jews objected [to my release], I was forced to appeal to Caesar (Emperor Nero), not because I had any charge to make against my nation.

²⁰For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you, since it is for the sake of the hope of Israel (the Messiah, the resurrection) that I am bound with this chain."

²¹They said to him, "We have not received [any] letters about you from Judea, nor have any of the [Jewish] brothers come here and reported or said anything bad about you.

²²But we would like to hear from you what your views are [that is, exactly what you believe]; for in regard to this sect (Christianity), we are fully aware that it is denounced everywhere."

²³When they had set a day for Paul, they came to his lodging in large numbers. And he carefully explained [Christianity] to them from morning until evening, solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, both from the Law of Moses and from the [writings of the] Prophets.

²⁴Some were persuaded by what he said, but others would not believe.

²⁵They disagreed among themselves and they began to leave after Paul had made one last statement: "The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying,

²⁶'Go to this people and say, "You will keep on hearing, but will not understand, You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;

²⁷"For the heart (the understanding, the soul) of this people has become dull (calloused), And with their ears they scarcely hear, And they have shut their eyes [to the truth]; Otherwise they might see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return [to Me], And I would heal them."'

²⁸Therefore let it be known to you that [this message of] the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they indeed will listen!"

²⁹[And when he had said these things, the Jews left, arguing among themselves.]

³⁰And Paul lived there for two full years [at his own expense] in his own rented lodging and welcomed all who came to him,

³¹preaching and proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness and boldness, unhindered and unrestrained.