Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹It was now two days before the Passover and [the festival of] Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes were searching for a deceitful way to arrest Jesus and kill Him;

²but they were saying, "Not during the festival, for the people might riot."

³While He was in Bethany [as a guest] at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster vial of very costly and precious perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured the perfume over His head.

⁴But there were some who were indignantly remarking to one another, "Why has this perfume been wasted?

⁵For this perfume might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii [a laborer's wages for almost a year], and the money given to the poor." And they scolded her.

⁶But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why are you bothering her and causing trouble? She has done a good and beautiful thing to Me.

⁷For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do something good to them; but you will not always have Me.

⁸She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.

⁹I assure you and most solemnly say to you, wherever the good news [regarding salvation] is proclaimed throughout the world, what she has done will be told in memory of her."

¹⁰Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve [disciples], went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.

¹¹When they heard this they were delighted, and promised to give him money. And he began looking for an opportune time to betray Jesus.

¹²On the first day [of the festival] of Unleavened Bread, when [as was customary] they sacrificed the Passover lamb, His disciples asked Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?"

¹³And He sent two of His disciples, saying to them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him;

¹⁴and say to the owner of the house he enters, 'The Teacher asks, "Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'

¹⁵He will show you a large upstairs room, furnished and ready [with carpets and dining couches]; prepare [the supper] for us there."

¹⁶The disciples left and went to the city and found everything just as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

¹⁷When it was evening, He came with the twelve [disciples].

¹⁸While they were reclining at the table, Jesus said, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you that one of you will betray Me—one who is eating with Me."

¹⁹They began to be grieved and deeply distressed and to say to Him one by one, "Surely not I?"

²⁰And He replied, "It is one of the twelve [disciples], one who is dipping bread in the bowl with Me.

²¹For the Son of Man goes [to the cross] just as it is written [in Scripture] of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."

²²While they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it [giving thanks and praise], and He broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take it. This is My body."

²³And when He had taken a cup [of wine] and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

²⁴And He said to them, "This is My blood of the [new] covenant, [My blood] which is being poured out for many [for the forgiveness of sins].

²⁵I assure you and most solemnly say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

²⁶After they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

²⁷Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away [and be ashamed and be afraid to be associated with Me as disciples], because it is written, 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'

²⁸But after I have been raised [from the dead], I will go ahead of you to Galilee."

²⁹But Peter said to Him, "Even if they all fall away [and desert You, ashamed and afraid of being associated with You], yet I will not [do so]!"

³⁰Jesus said to him, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you will deny [that you even know] Me three times."

³¹But Peter kept saying insistently, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And they all were saying the same thing as well.

³²Then they went to a place called Gethsemane; and Jesus said to His disciples, "Sit down here until I have prayed."

³³He took Peter and James and John with Him, and He began to be deeply distressed and troubled [extremely anguished at the prospect of what was to come].

³⁴And He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved and overwhelmed with sorrow, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch."

³⁵After going a little farther, He fell to the ground [distressed by the weight of His spiritual burden] and began to pray that if it were possible [in the Father's will], the hour [of suffering and death for the sins of mankind] might pass from Him.

³⁶He was saying, " Abba, Father! All things are possible for You; take this cup [of judgment] away from Me; but not what I will, but what You will."

³⁷And He came back and found them sleeping, and He said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Were you unable to keep watch for one hour?

³⁸Keep [actively] watching and praying so that you do not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

³⁹He went away again and prayed, saying the same words.

⁴⁰And again He came back and found them sleeping, because their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know how to answer Him.

⁴¹He came back a third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough [of that]! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.

⁴²Get up, let us go. Look, my betrayer is near!"

⁴³And at once, while He was still speaking, Judas [Iscariot], one of the twelve [disciples], came up, and with him a crowd of men with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders [of the Sanhedrin].

⁴⁴Now the betrayer had given them a signal, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him and lead Him away safely [under guard]."

⁴⁵When Judas came, immediately he went up to Jesus and said, "Rabbi (Master)!" and he kissed Him [forcefully].

⁴⁶They laid hands on Him and seized Him.

⁴⁷But one of the bystanders [Simon Peter] drew his sword and struck [Malchus] the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear.

⁴⁸Jesus said to them, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a robber?

⁴⁹Day after day I was with you, teaching in the [courts and porches of the] temple, and you did not seize Me; but this has happened so that the Scriptures would be fulfilled."

⁵⁰Then all of His disciples abandoned Him and fled.

⁵¹A young man was following Him, wearing [only] a linen sheet over his naked body; and some men seized him.

⁵²But pulling free of the linen sheet, he escaped [from them] naked.

⁵³They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) gathered together.

⁵⁴Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers [guards and servants] and warming himself at the fire.

⁵⁵Now the chief priests and the entire Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) were trying to obtain testimony against Jesus [which they could use] to have Him [condemned and] executed, but they were not finding any.

⁵⁶For many [people] were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimonies were not consistent.

⁵⁷Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying,

⁵⁸"We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple (sanctuary) that was made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.'"

⁵⁹Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent.

⁶⁰The high priest stood up and came forward and asked Jesus, "Have You no answer to give [in response] to what these men are testifying against You?"

⁶¹But Jesus kept silent and gave no answer at all. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, "Are You the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of the Blessed One?"

⁶²Jesus said, "I am; and you will [all] see the Son of Man seated [with authority] at the right hand of Power (the Father), and coming with the clouds of heaven."

⁶³Then tearing his robe [to express his indignation], the high priest said, "What further need do we have of witnesses?

⁶⁴You have heard the blasphemy [that is, His claim to be the Son of God]. What is your decision?" And they all condemned Him to be [guilty and] deserving of death.

⁶⁵And some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, "Prophesy [by telling us who hit you]!" Then the officers took custody of Him and struck him in the face.

⁶⁶While Peter was down below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came,

⁶⁷and when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked intently at him and said, "You were with Jesus the Nazarene, too."

⁶⁸But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are talking about." Then he went out [of the courtyard] to the porch,[and a rooster crowed.]

⁶⁹The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to tell the bystanders, "This [man] is one of them."

⁷⁰But again he denied it. After a little while, the bystanders again said to Peter, "You are in fact one of them, for [it is clear from your accent, that] you are a Galilean, too."

⁷¹But he began to invoke a curse [on himself] and to swear [an oath], "I do not know this man you are talking about!"

⁷²Immediately a rooster crowed the second time. And Peter remembered what Jesus said to him: "Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." And thinking of this, he began weeping [in anguish].

¹The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

²"Command the Israelites to send away from the camp every leper and everyone who has a discharge, and whoever is defiled [that is, ceremonially unclean] by [coming in contact with] the dead.

³You shall send away both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp so that they will not defile their camp where I dwell in their midst."

⁴The Israelites did so, and sent them outside the camp; just as the LORD had said to Moses, so the Israelites did.

⁵And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

⁶"Say to the Israelites, 'When a man or woman commits any of the sins of mankind [against other people], thus breaking faith with the LORD, and that person is guilty,

⁷then he shall confess the sin which he has committed, and he shall make restitution for his wrong in full, and add a fifth to it, and give it to [the person] whom he has wronged.

⁸But if the man [who was wronged] has no redeemer (relative) to whom the restitution may be made, it is to be given to the LORD for the priest, besides the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for the offender.

⁹Also every contribution pertaining to all the holy gifts of the Israelites which they offer to the priest, shall be his.

¹⁰And every man's holy gifts shall be the priest's; whatever any man gives the priest, it becomes his.'"

¹¹Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

¹²"Speak to the Israelites and say to them, 'If any man's wife goes astray (deviates) and is unfaithful to him,

¹³and a man is intimate with her, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and it is kept secret, although she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act,

¹⁴and if a spirit (sense, attitude) of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous and angry at his wife who has defiled herself—or if a spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife when she has not defiled herself—

¹⁵then the man shall bring his wife to the priest, and he shall bring as an offering for her, a tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall not pour oil on it nor put frankincense on it [the symbols of favor and joy], because it is a grain offering of jealousy, a memorial grain offering, a reminder of [the consequences of] wickedness.

¹⁶'Then the priest shall have her approach and have her stand before the LORD,

¹⁷and the priest shall take holy water [from the sacred basin] in an earthenware vessel; and he shall take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it in the water.

¹⁸The priest shall then have the woman stand before the LORD, and let the hair of the woman's head hang loose, and put the memorial grain offering in her hands, which is the jealousy offering, and in the hand of the priest is to be the water of bitterness that brings a curse.

¹⁹Then the priest shall have her take an oath and say to the woman, "If no man has lain with you and if you have not gone astray into uncleanness [while married], then be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse;

²⁰but if you have gone astray [while married] and you have defiled yourself and a man other than your husband has been intimate with you"

²¹(then the priest shall have the woman swear the oath of the curse, and say to the woman), "The LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people when the LORD makes your thigh waste away and your abdomen swell;

²²and this water that brings a curse shall go into your stomach, and make your abdomen swell and your thigh waste away." And the woman shall say, "Amen. Amen (so let it be)."

²³'The priest shall then write these curses on a scroll and shall wash them off into the water of bitterness;

²⁴and he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings a curse, and the water that brings the curse will go into her and cause bitterness.

²⁵Then the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy out of the woman's hand, and he shall wave the grain offering before the LORD and offer it on the altar.

²⁶Then the priest shall take a handful of the grain offering as the memorial portion of it and offer it up in smoke on the altar, and afterward he shall make the woman drink the water.

²⁷When he has made her drink the water, then it shall come about, that if she has defiled herself and has been unfaithful to her husband, the curse water will go into her and cause bitterness and cause her abdomen to swell and her thigh to waste away, and the woman will become a curse among her people.

²⁸But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she will be free and conceive children.

²⁹'This is the law of jealousy: when a wife goes astray [while married] and defiles herself,

³⁰or when a spirit (sense, attitude) of jealousy and suspicion comes on a man and he is jealous of his wife; then he shall have the woman stand before the LORD, and the priest shall apply this law to her.

³¹Further, the husband will be free from guilt, but that woman [if guilty] shall bear her guilt.'"

¹For since the Law has only a shadow [just a pale representation] of the good things to come—not the very image of those things—it can never, by offering the same sacrifices continually year after year, make perfect those who approach [its altars].

²For if it were otherwise, would not these sacrifices have stopped being offered? For the worshipers, having once [for all time] been cleansed, would no longer have a consciousness of sin.

³But [as it is] these [continual] sacrifices bring a fresh reminder of sins [to be atoned for] year after year,

⁴for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵Therefore, when Christ enters into the world, He says, "Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But [instead] You have prepared a body for Me [to offer];

⁶In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no delight.

⁷"Then I said, 'Behold, I have come To do Your will, O GOD— [To fulfill] what is written of Me in the scroll of the book.'"

⁸After saying [in the citation] above, "You have neither desired, nor have You taken delight in sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin" (which are offered according to the Law)

⁹then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will." [And so] He does away with the first [covenant as a means of atoning for sin based on animal sacrifices] so that He may inaugurate and establish the second [covenant by means of obedience].

¹⁰And in accordance with this will [of God] we [who believe in the message of salvation] have been sanctified [that is, set apart as holy for God and His purposes] through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) once for all.

¹¹Every priest stands [at his altar of service] ministering daily, offering the same sacrifices over and over, which are never able to strip away sins [that envelop and cover us];

¹²whereas Christ, having offered the one sacrifice [the all-sufficient sacrifice of Himself] for sins for all time, sat down [signifying the completion of atonement for sin] at the right hand of God [the position of honor],

¹³waiting from that time onward until his enemies are made a footstool for His feet.

¹⁴For by the one offering He has perfected forever and completely cleansed those who are being sanctified [bringing each believer to spiritual completion and maturity].

¹⁵And the Holy Spirit also adds His testimony to us [in confirmation of this]; for after having said,

¹⁶"This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their heart, And on their mind I will inscribe them [producing an inward change]," He then says,

¹⁷"And their sins and their lawless acts I will remember no more [no longer holding their sins against them]."

¹⁸Now where there is [absolute] forgiveness and complete cancellation of the penalty of these things, there is no longer any offering [to be made to atone] for sin.

¹⁹Therefore, believers, since we have confidence and full freedom to enter the Holy Place [the place where God dwells] by [means of] the blood of Jesus,

²⁰by this new and living way which He initiated and opened for us through the veil [as in the Holy of Holies], that is, through His flesh,

²¹and since we have a great and wonderful Priest [Who rules] over the house of God,

²²let us approach [God] with a true and sincere heart in unqualified assurance of faith, having had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

²³Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful [to His word];

²⁴and let us consider [thoughtfully] how we may encourage one another to love and to do good deeds,

²⁵not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ's return] approaching.

²⁶For if we go on willfully and deliberately sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice [to atone] for our sins [that is, no further offering to anticipate],

²⁷but a kind of awful and terrifying expectation of [divine] judgment and the fury of a fire and burning wrath which will consume the adversaries [those who put themselves in opposition to God].

²⁸Anyone who has ignored and set aside the Law of Moses is put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

²⁹How much greater punishment do you think he will deserve who has rejected and trampled under foot the Son of God, and has considered unclean and common the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and has insulted the Spirit of grace [who imparts the unmerited favor and blessing of God]?

³⁰For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine [retribution and the deliverance of justice rest with Me], I will repay [the wrongdoer]." And again, "The Lord will judge His people."

³¹It is a fearful and terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God [incurring His judgment and wrath].

³²But remember the earlier days, when, after being [spiritually] enlightened, you [patiently] endured a great conflict of sufferings,

³³sometimes by being made a spectacle, publicly exposed to insults and distress, and sometimes by becoming companions with those who were so treated.

³⁴For you showed sympathy and deep concern for those who were imprisoned, and you joyfully accepted the [unjust] seizure of your belongings and the confiscation of your property, conscious of the fact that you have a better possession and a lasting one [prepared for you in heaven].

³⁵Do not, therefore, fling away your [fearless] confidence, for it has a glorious and great reward.

³⁶For you have need of patient endurance [to bear up under difficult circumstances without compromising], so that when you have carried out the will of God, you may receive and enjoy to the full what is promised.

³⁷For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.

³⁸But My righteous one [the one justified by faith] shall live by faith [respecting man's relationship to God and trusting Him]; And if he draws back [shrinking in fear], My soul has no delight in him.

³⁹But our way is not that of those who shrink back to destruction, but [we are] of those who believe [relying on God through faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah] and by this confident faith preserve the soul.

¹Then I saw as the Lamb (Christ) broke one of the seven seals [of the scroll initiating the judgments], and I heard one of the four living creatures call out as with a voice of thunder, " Come."

²I looked, and behold, a white horse [of victory] whose rider carried a bow; and a crown [of victory] was given to him, and he rode forth conquering and to conquer.

³When He (the Lamb) broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, "Come."

⁴And another, a fiery red horse [of bloodshed], came out; and its rider was empowered to take peace from the earth, so that men would slaughter one another; and a great sword [of war and violent death] was given to him.

⁵When He (the Lamb) broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse [of famine]; and the rider had in his hand a pair of scales (a balance).

⁶And I heard something like a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius (a day's wages), and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine."

⁷When He (the Lamb) broke open the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out, "Come."

⁸So I looked, and behold, an ashen (pale greenish gray) horse [like a corpse, representing death and pestilence]; and its rider's name was Death; and Hades (the realm of the dead) was following with him. They were given authority and power over a fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword and with famine and with plague (pestilence, disease) and by the wild beasts of the earth.

⁹When He (the Lamb) broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained [out of loyalty to Christ].

¹⁰They cried in a loud voice, saying, "O Lord, holy and true, how long now before You will sit in judgment and avenge our blood on those [unregenerate ones] who dwell on the earth?"

¹¹Then they were each given a white robe; and they were told to rest and wait quietly for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed.

¹²I looked when He (the Lamb) broke open the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth [made] of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;

¹³and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, like a fig tree shedding its late [summer] figs when shaken by a strong wind.

¹⁴The sky was split [separated from the land] and rolled up like a scroll, and every mountain and island were dislodged and moved out of their places.

¹⁵Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the military commanders and the wealthy and the strong and everyone, [whether] slave or free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains;

¹⁶and they called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne, and from the [righteous] wrath and indignation of the Lamb;

¹⁷for the great day of their wrath and vengeance and retribution has come, and who is able to [face God and] stand [before the wrath of the Lamb]?"

¹"How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O prince's daughter! The curves of your hips are like jewels, The work of the hands of an artist.

²"Your navel is a round goblet Which never lacks mixed wine. Your belly is like a heap of wheat Surrounded with lilies.

³"Your two breasts are like two fawns, The twins of a gazelle.

⁴"Your neck is like a tower of ivory, Your eyes the [sparkling] pools of Heshbon By the gate of Bath-rabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon Which looks toward Damascus.

⁵"Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel, And the flowing hair of your head like purple threads; I, the king, am held captive by your tresses.

⁶"How beautiful and how delightful you are, My love, with all your delights!

⁷"Your stature is like that of a palm tree And your breasts like its clusters [of dates].

⁸"I said, 'I will climb the palm tree; I will grasp its branches. Let your breasts be like clusters of the grapevine, And the fragrance of your breath like apples,

⁹'And your kisses like the best wine!'" (The Shulammite Bride) "It goes down smoothly and sweetly for my beloved, Gliding gently over his lips while he sleeps.

¹⁰"I am my beloved's, And his desire is for me.

¹¹"Come, my beloved, let us go out into the country, Let us spend the night in the villages.

¹²"Let us go out early to the vineyards; Let us see whether the vine has budded And its blossoms have opened, And whether the pomegranates have flowered. There I will give you my love.

¹³"The mandrakes give forth fragrance, And over our doors are all [kinds of] choice fruits, Both new and old, Which I have saved up for you, my beloved.

¹To the Chief Musician; on Muth-labben. A Psalm of David. I will give thanks and praise the LORD, with all my heart; I will tell aloud all Your wonders and marvelous deeds.

²I will rejoice and exult in you; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

³When my enemies turn back, They stumble and perish before You.

⁴For You have maintained my right and my cause; You have sat on the throne judging righteously.

⁵You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked and unrepentant; You have wiped out their name forever and ever.

⁶The enemy has been cut off and has vanished in everlasting ruins, You have uprooted their cities; The very memory of them has perished.

⁷But the LORD will remain and sit enthroned forever; He has prepared and established His throne for judgment.

⁸And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the nations with fairness (equity).

⁹The LORD also will be a refuge and a stronghold for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble;

¹⁰And those who know Your name [who have experienced Your precious mercy] will put their confident trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not abandoned those who seek You.

¹¹Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; Declare among the peoples His [great and wondrous] deeds.

¹²For He who avenges blood [unjustly shed] remembers them (His people); He does not forget the cry of the afflicted and abused.

¹³Have mercy on me and be gracious to me, O LORD; See how I am afflicted by those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death,

¹⁴That I may tell aloud all Your praises, That in the gates of the daughter of Zion (Jerusalem) I may rejoice in Your salvation and Your help.

¹⁵The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made; In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught.

¹⁶The LORD has made Himself known; He executes judgment; The wicked are trapped by the work of their own hands. Higgaion (meditation) Selah.

¹⁷The wicked will turn to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), Even all the nations who forget God.

¹⁸For the poor will not always be forgotten, Nor the hope of the burdened perish forever.

¹⁹Arise, O LORD, do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged before You.

²⁰Put them in [reverent] fear of You, O LORD, So that the nations may know they are but [frail and mortal] men. Selah.

¹The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle: The man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ucal:

²Surely I am more brutish and stupid than any man, And I do not have the understanding of a man [for I do not know what I do not know].

³I have not learned [skillful and godly] wisdom, Nor do I have knowledge of the Holy One [who is the source of wisdom].

⁴Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name? Certainly you know!

⁵Every word of God is tested and refined [like silver]; He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him.

⁶Do not add to His words, Or He will reprove you, and you will be found a liar.

⁷Two things I have asked of You; Do not deny them to me before I die:

⁸Keep deception and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion,

⁹So that I will not be full and deny You and say, "Who is the LORD?" Or that I will not be poor and steal, And so profane the name of my God.

¹⁰Do not slander or malign a servant before his master [stay out of another's personal life], Or he will curse you [for your interference], and you will be found guilty.

¹¹There is a generation (class of people) that curses its father And does not bless its mother.

¹²There is a generation (class of people) that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from its filthiness.

¹³There is a generation (class of people)—oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are raised in arrogance.

¹⁴There is a generation (class of people) whose teeth are like swords And whose jaw teeth are like knives, To devour the afflicted from the earth And the needy from among men.

¹⁵The leech has two daughters, "Give, give!" There are three things that are never satisfied, Four that do not say, "It is enough":

¹⁶Sheol, and the barren womb, Earth that is never satisfied with water, And fire that never says, "It is enough."

¹⁷The eye that mocks a father And scorns a mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young vultures will devour it.

¹⁸There are three things which are too astounding and unexpectedly wonderful for me, Four which I do not understand:

¹⁹The way of an eagle in the air, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the middle of the sea, And the way of a man with a maid.

²⁰This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth And says, "I have done no wrong."

²¹Under three things the earth is disquieted and quakes, And under four it cannot bear up:

²²Under a servant when he reigns, Under a [spiritually blind] fool when he is filled with food,

²³Under an unloved woman when she gets married, And under a maidservant when she supplants her mistress.

²⁴There are four things that are small on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:

²⁵The ants are not a strong people, Yet they prepare their food in the summer;

²⁶The shephanim are not a mighty folk, Yet they make their houses in the rocks;

²⁷The locusts have no king, Yet all of them go out in groups;

²⁸You may grasp the lizard with your hands, Yet it is in kings' palaces.

²⁹There are three things which are stately in step, Even four which are stately in their stride:

³⁰The lion, which is mighty among beasts And does not turn back before any;

³¹The strutting rooster, the male goat also, And the king when his army is with him.

³²If you have foolishly exalted yourself, Or if you have plotted evil, put your hand on your mouth.

³³Surely the churning of milk produces butter, And wringing the nose produces blood; So the churning of anger produces strife.

¹Now Nahash the Ammonite [king] went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty [of peace] with us and we will serve you."

²But Nahash the Ammonite told them, "I will make a treaty with you on this condition, that I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you, and make it a disgrace upon all Israel."

³The elders of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Give us seven days so that we may send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out [and surrender] to you."

⁴Then the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news to the people; and all the people raised their voices and wept aloud.

⁵Now Saul was coming out of the field behind the oxen, and he said, "What is the matter with the people that they are weeping?" So they told him about the report of the men of Jabesh.

⁶The Spirit of God came upon Saul mightily when he heard these words, and he became extremely angry.

⁷He took a team of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, "Whoever does not come out to follow Saul and Samuel, the same shall be done to his oxen." Then fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out [united] as one man [with one purpose].

⁸He assembled and counted them at Bezek; and the sons of Israel numbered 300,000, and the men of Judah 30,000.

⁹They said to the messengers who had come, "You shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will have help [against the Ammonites].'" So the messengers came and reported this to the men of Jabesh; and they were overjoyed.

¹⁰So the men of Jabesh said [to Nahash the Ammonite], "Tomorrow we will come out to you [to surrender], and you may do to us whatever seems good to you."

¹¹The next morning Saul put the men into three companies; and they entered the [Ammonites'] camp during the [darkness of the early] morning watch and killed the Ammonites until the heat of the day; and the survivors were scattered, and no two of them were left together.

¹²The people said to Samuel, "Who is the one who said, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring the men, and we will put them to death."

¹³But Saul said, "No man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has brought victory to Israel."

¹⁴Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and there restore the kingdom."

¹⁵So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they also sacrificed peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

¹Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short That it cannot save, Nor His ear so impaired That it cannot hear.

²But your wickedness has separated you from your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

³For your hands are defiled with blood And your fingers with wickedness [with sin, with injustice, with wrongdoing]; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue mutters wickedness.

⁴No one sues righteously [but for the sake of doing injury to others—to take some undue advantage], and no one pleads [his case] in truth; [but rather] They trust in empty arguments and speak lies; They conceive trouble and bring forth injustice.

⁵They hatch vipers' eggs and weave the spider's webs; He who eats of their eggs dies, And from an egg which is crushed a viper breaks out.

⁶Their webs will not serve as clothing, Nor will they cover themselves with what they make; Their works are works of wickedness [of sin, of injustice, of wrongdoing], And the act of violence is in their hands.

⁷Their feet run to evil, And they rush to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of wickedness [of sin, of injustice, of wrongdoing]; Devastation and destruction are in their highways.

⁸They do not know the way of peace, And there is no justice in their tracks. They have made them into crooked paths; Whoever walks on them does not know peace.

⁹Therefore justice is far from us, And righteousness does not overtake us. We [expectantly] hope for light, but only see darkness; We hope for gleam of light, but we walk in darkness and gloom.

¹⁰We grope for a wall like the blind, We grope like those who have no eyes. We stumble at midday as in the twilight; Among those who are healthy we are like dead men.

¹¹We all groan and growl like bears, And coo sadly like doves; We hope for justice, but there is none, For salvation, but it is far from us.

¹²For our transgressions are multiplied before You [O LORD], And our sins testify against us; For our transgressions are with us, And we know and recognize our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]:

¹³Rebelling against and denying the LORD, Turning away from [following] our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving and muttering from the heart lying words.

¹⁴Justice is pushed back, And righteous behavior stands far away; For truth has fallen in the city square, And integrity cannot enter.

¹⁵Yes, truth is missing; And he who turns away from evil makes himself a prey. Now the LORD saw it, And it displeased Him that there was no justice.

¹⁶He saw that there was no man, And was amazed that there was no one to intercede [on behalf of truth and right]; Therefore His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His own righteousness sustained Him.

¹⁷For He [the LORD] put on righteousness like a coat of armor, And salvation like a helmet on His head; He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And covered Himself with zeal [and great love for His people] as a cloak.

¹⁸As their deeds deserve, so He will repay: Wrath to His adversaries, retribution to His enemies; To the islands and coastlands He will repay.

¹⁹So they will fear the name of the LORD from the west And His glory from the rising of the sun. For He will come in like a narrow, rushing stream Which the breath of the LORD drives [overwhelming the enemy].

²⁰"A Redeemer (Messiah) will come to Zion, And to those in Jacob (Israel) who turn from transgression (sin)," declares the LORD.

²¹"As for Me, this is My covenant with them," says the LORD: "My Spirit which is upon you [writing the law of God on the heart], and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouths of your [true, spiritual] children, nor from the mouth of your children's children," says the LORD, "from now and forever."

¹The first account I made, Theophilus, was [a continuous report] about all the things that Jesus began to do and to teach

²until the day when He ascended to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given instruction to the apostles (special messengers) whom He had chosen.

³To these [men] He also showed Himself alive after His suffering [in Gethsemane and on the cross], by [a series of] many infallible proofs and unquestionable demonstrations, appearing to them over a period of forty days and talking to them about the things concerning the kingdom of God.

⁴While being together and eating with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Of which," He said, "you have heard Me speak.

⁵For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized and empowered and united with the Holy Spirit, not long from now."

⁶So when they had come together, they asked Him repeatedly, "Lord, are You at this time reestablishing the kingdom and restoring it to Israel?"

⁷He said to them, "It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.

⁸But you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses [to tell people about Me] both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth."

⁹And after He said these things, He was caught up as they looked on, and a cloud took Him up out of their sight.

¹⁰While they were looking intently into the sky as He was going, two men in white clothing suddenly stood beside them,

¹¹who said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This [same] Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will return in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."

¹²Then the disciples returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet (Olive Grove), which is near Jerusalem, [only] a Sabbath day's journey (less than one mile) away.

¹³When they had entered the city, they went upstairs to the upper room where they were staying [indefinitely]; that is, Peter, and John and [his brother] James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew (Nathanael) and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas (Thaddaeus) the son of James.

¹⁴All these with one mind and one purpose were continually devoting themselves to prayer, [waiting together] along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

¹⁵Now on one of these days Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters (a gathering of about a hundred and twenty believers was there) and he said,

¹⁶"Brothers and sisters, it was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the lips of David [king of Israel] about Judas [Iscariot], who acted as guide to those who arrested Jesus.

¹⁷For he (Judas) was counted among us and received his share [by divine allotment] in this ministry."

¹⁸(Now Judas Iscariot acquired a piece of land [indirectly] with the [money paid him as a] reward for his treachery, and falling headlong, his body burst open in the middle and all his intestines poured out.

¹⁹All the people in Jerusalem learned about this, so in their own dialect—Aramaic—they called the piece of land Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

²⁰"For in the book of Psalms it is written, 'Let his place of residence become desolate, And let there be no one to live in it'; and [again], 'Let another take his position as overseer.'

²¹So of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus spent with us,

²²beginning with the baptism by John [at the outset of Jesus' ministry] until the day when He was taken up from us—one of these men must become a witness with us [to testify] of His resurrection."

²³And they put forward two men, Joseph, the one called Barsabbas (who was surnamed Justus), and Matthias.

²⁴They prayed and said, "You, Lord, who know all hearts [their thoughts, motives, desires], show us which one of these two You have chosen

²⁵to occupy this ministry and apostleship which Judas left to go to his own place [of evil]."

²⁶And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.