Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Now in the fifteenth year of [Emperor] Tiberius Caesar's reign—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod [Antipas] was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene—

²in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas [his son-in-law], the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.

³And he went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin;

⁴as it is written and forever remains written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one shouting in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.

⁵'Every ravine shall be filled up, And every mountain and hill shall be leveled; And the crooked [places] shall be made straight, And the rough roads smooth;

⁶andall mankind shall see the salvation of God.'"

⁷So he began saying to the crowds who were coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath [of God that is] to come?

⁸Therefore produce fruit that is worthy of [and consistent with your] repentance [that is, live changed lives, turn from sin and seek God and His righteousness]. And do not even begin to say to yourselves [as a defense], 'We have Abraham for our father [and so our heritage assures us of salvation]'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children (descendants) for Abraham [for God can replace the unrepentant, regardless of their heritage, with those who are obedient].

⁹Even now the axe [of God's judgment] is swinging toward the root of the trees; so every tree that does not produce good fruit is being cut down and thrown into the fire."

¹⁰The crowds asked him, "Then what are we to do?"

¹¹And John replied, "The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do the same."

¹²Even some tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked, "Teacher, what are we to do?"

¹³And he told them, "Collect no more than the fixed amount you have been ordered to [collect]."

¹⁴Some soldiers asked him, "And what about us, what are we to do?" And he replied to them, "Do not extort money from anyone or harass or blackmail anyone, and be satisfied with your wages."

¹⁵Now the people were in a state of expectation, and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).

¹⁶John answered them all by saying, "As for me, I baptize you [only] with water; but One who is mightier [more powerful, more noble] than I is coming, and I am not fit to untie the strap of His sandals [even as His slave]. He will baptize you [who truly repent] with the Holy Spirit and [you who remain unrepentant] with fire.

¹⁷His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat (believers) into His barn (kingdom); but He will burn up the chaff (the unrepentant) with unquenchable fire."

¹⁸So with many other appeals and various admonitions John preached the good news (gospel) to the people.

¹⁹But when Herod [Antipas] the tetrarch was repeatedly reprimanded [and convicted by John's disapproval] for having Herodias, his brother's wife [as his own], and for all the wicked things that Herod had done,

²⁰he also added this to them all: he locked up John in prison.

²¹Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, the [visible] heaven was opened,

²²and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, "You are My Son, My Beloved, in You I am well-pleased and delighted!"

²³When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son [by marriage] of Eli,

²⁴the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,

²⁵the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai,

²⁶the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,

²⁷the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,

²⁸the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,

²⁹the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,

³⁰the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,

³¹the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,

³²the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,

³³the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,

³⁴the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,

³⁵the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah,

³⁶the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,

³⁷the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,

³⁸the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

¹The LORD spoke further to Moses, saying,

²"Make two trumpets of silver; you shall make them of hammered work. You shall use them to summon the congregation and to have the camps move out.

³When both are blown, all the congregation [that is, all adult males] shall gather before you at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle).

⁴However, if a single trumpet is blown, then the leaders, heads of the tribes of Israel, shall gather themselves to you.

⁵When you blow an alarm, the camps on the east side [of the tabernacle] shall set out.

⁶When you blow an alarm the second time, then the camps on the south side [of the tabernacle] shall set out. They shall blow an alarm whenever they are to move out [on their journeys].

⁷When the assembly is to be gathered, you shall blow [the trumpets in short, sharp tones], but without sounding an alarm.

⁸The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and the trumpets shall be for you a perpetual statute throughout your generations.

⁹When you go to war in your land against the enemy that attacks you, then sound an alarm with the trumpets, so that you may be remembered before the LORD your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies.

¹⁰Also in the day of rejoicing, and in your appointed feasts, and at the beginnings of your months, you shall sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifice of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the LORD your God."

¹¹On the twentieth day of the second month in the second year [since leaving Egypt], the cloud [of the Lord's presence] was lifted from over the tabernacle of the Testimony,

¹²and the Israelites set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sinai, and the cloud [of the Lord's guiding presence] settled down in the Wilderness of Paran.

¹³So they moved out for the first time in accordance with the command of the LORD through Moses.

¹⁴The standard of the camp of the sons of Judah, according to their armies, moved out first, Nahshon the son of Amminadab was [commander] over its army,

¹⁵and Nethanel the son of Zuar was [commander] over the tribal army of the sons of Issachar;

¹⁶and Eliab the son of Helon was [commander] over the tribal army of the sons of Zebulun.

¹⁷Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who were carrying the tabernacle, moved out.

¹⁸Next the standard of the camp of the sons of Reuben, according to their armies, moved out, with Elizur the son of Shedeur [commander] over its army,

¹⁹and Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai was [commander] over the tribal army of the sons of Simeon,

²⁰and Eliasaph the son of Deuel was [commander] over the tribal army of the sons of Gad.

²¹Then the Kohathites moved out, carrying the holy things, and the tabernacle was set up before they arrived.

²²Next the standard of the camp of the sons of Ephraim moved out, according to their armies, with Elishama the son of Ammihud [commander] over its army,

²³and Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur was [commander] over the tribal army of the sons of Manasseh,

²⁴and Abidan the son of Gideoni was [commander] over the tribal army of the sons of Benjamin.

²⁵Then the standard of the camp of the sons of Dan, according to their armies, which formed the rear guard for all the camps, moved out, with Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai [commander] over its army,

²⁶and Pagiel the son of Ochran was [commander] over the tribal army of the sons of Asher,

²⁷and Ahira the son of Enan was [commander] over the tribal army of the sons of Naphtali.

²⁸This was the order of march of the sons of Israel by their armies as they moved out.

²⁹Then Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, "We are going to the place of which the LORD said, 'I will give it to you.' Come with us, and we will be good to you, for the LORD has promised good [things] concerning Israel."

³⁰But Hobab [Moses' brother-in-law] said to him, "I will not go; I will return to my own land and to my family."

³¹Then Moses said, " Please do not leave us, for you know how we are to camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us [as we make our trek through the desert].

³²So if you will go with us, it shall be that whatever good the LORD does for us, we will do the same for you."

³³So they set out from the mountain of the LORD (Sinai) three days' journey; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went in front of them during the three days' journey to seek out a resting place for them.

³⁴The cloud of the LORD was over them by day when they set out from the camp.

³⁵Whenever the ark set out, Moses said, "Rise up, O LORD! Let Your enemies be scattered; And let those who hate You flee before You."

³⁶And when the ark rested, Moses said, "Return, O LORD, To the myriad (many) thousands of Israel."

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.

¹Then there was given to me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, " Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar [of incense], and [count] those who worship in it.

²But leave out the court [of the Gentiles] which is outside the temple and do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles (the nations); and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months (three and one-half years).

³And I will grant authority to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days (forty-two months; three and one-half years), dressed in sackcloth."

⁴These [witnesses] are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth.

⁵And if anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way.

⁶These [two witnesses] have the power [from God] to shut up the sky, so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophesying [regarding judgment and salvation]; and they have power over the waters (seas, rivers) to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every [kind of] plague, as often as they wish.

⁷When they have finished their testimony and given their evidence, the beast that comes up out of the abyss (bottomless pit) will wage war with them, and overcome them and kill them.

⁸And their dead bodies will lie exposed in the open street of the great city (Jerusalem), which in a spiritual sense is called [by the symbolic and allegorical names of] Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.

⁹Those from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.

¹⁰And those [non-believers] who live on the earth will gloat over them and rejoice; and they will send gifts [in celebration] to one another, because these two prophets tormented and troubled those who live on the earth.

¹¹But after three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear and panic fell on those who were watching them.

¹²And the two witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." Then they ascended into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.

¹³And in that [very] hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell and was destroyed; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest [who survived] were overcome with terror, and they glorified the God of heaven [as they recognized His awesome power].

¹⁴The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

¹⁵Then the seventh angel sounded [his trumpet]; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom (dominion, rule) of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever."

¹⁶And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell face downward and worshiped God,

¹⁷saying, "To You we give thanks, O Lord God Almighty [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all], Who are and Who were, because You have taken Your great power and the sovereignty [which is rightly Yours] and have [now] begun to reign.

¹⁸And the nations (Gentiles) became enraged, and Your wrath and indignation came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and [the time came] to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints (God's people) and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and [the time came] to destroy the destroyers of the earth."

¹⁹And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning, loud rumblings and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.

¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

²"If we dare to converse with you, will you be impatient [or offended]? But who can restrain himself from speaking?

³"Behold, you have admonished and instructed many, And you have strengthened weak hands.

⁴"Your words have helped the one who was stumbling to stand, And you have strengthened feeble knees.

⁵"But now adversity comes upon you, and you are impatient and intolerant; It touches you, and you are horrified.

⁶"Is not your fear of God your confidence, And [is not] the integrity and uprightness of your ways your hope?

⁷"Remember now, who, being innocent, ever perished? Or where [and in what circumstances] were those upright and in right standing with God destroyed?

⁸"As I have seen, those who plow wickedness And those who sow trouble and harm harvest it.

⁹"By the breath of God they perish, And by the blast of His anger they are consumed.

¹⁰"The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions are broken.

¹¹"The lion perishes for lack of prey, And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

¹²"Now a word was secretly brought to me, And my ear received a whisper of it.

¹³"Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men,

¹⁴Dread and trembling came upon me, Which made all my bones shake.

¹⁵"Then a spirit passed before my face; The hair on my skin stood on end!

¹⁶"The spirit stood still, but I could not discern its appearance; A form was before my eyes; There was silence, and then I heard a voice, saying:

¹⁷'Can [mortal] man be just before God or be more righteous than He? Can a man be pure before his Maker or be more cleansed than He?

¹⁸'God puts no trust or confidence, even in His [heavenly] servants, And He charges His angels with error.

¹⁹'How much more [will He blame and charge] those who dwell in houses (bodies) of clay, Whose foundations are in the dust, Who are crushed like a moth.

²⁰'Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces and destroyed; Unobserved and unnoticed, they perish forever.

²¹'Is not their tent-cord drawn up within them [so that the tent collapses]? Do they not die, and yet without [acquiring] wisdom?'

¹To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. The [spiritually ignorant] fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they have committed repulsive and unspeakable deeds; There is no one who does good.

²The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the children of men To see if there are any who understand (act wisely), Who [truly] seek after God, [longing for His wisdom and guidance].

³They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.

⁴Have all the workers of wickedness and injustice no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call upon the LORD?

⁵There they tremble with great fear, For God is with the [consistently] righteous generation.

⁶You [evildoers] shamefully plan against the poor, But the LORD is his safe refuge.

⁷Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores His captive people, Then Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.

¹Hear, O children, the instruction of a father, And pay attention [and be willing to learn] so that you may gain understanding and intelligent discernment.

²For I give you good doctrine; Do not turn away from my instruction.

³When I was a son with my father (David), Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother (Bathsheba),

⁴He taught me and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live.

⁵"Get [skillful and godly] wisdom! Acquire understanding [actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation]! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

⁶"Do not turn away from her (Wisdom) and she will guard and protect you; Love her, and she will watch over you.

⁷"The beginning of wisdom is: Get [skillful and godly] wisdom [it is preeminent]! And with all your acquiring, get understanding [actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation].

⁸"Prize wisdom [and exalt her], and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her.

⁹"She will place on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty and glory."

¹⁰Hear, my son, and accept my sayings, And the years of your life will be many.

¹¹I have instructed you in the way of [skillful and godly] wisdom; I have led you in upright paths.

¹²When you walk, your steps will not be impeded [for your path will be clear and open]; And when you run, you will not stumble.

¹³Take hold of instruction; [actively seek it, grip it firmly and] do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life.

¹⁴Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not go the way of evil men.

¹⁵Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on.

¹⁶For the wicked cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are deprived of sleep unless they make someone stumble and fall.

¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness And drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸But the path of the just (righteous) is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day.

¹⁹The way of the wicked is like [deep] darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.

²⁰My son, pay attention to my words and be willing to learn; Open your ears to my sayings.

²¹Do not let them escape from your sight; Keep them in the center of your heart.

²²For they are life to those who find them, And healing and health to all their flesh.

²³Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

²⁴Put away from you a deceitful (lying, misleading) mouth, And put devious lips far from you.

²⁵Let your eyes look directly ahead [toward the path of moral courage] And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you [toward the path of integrity].

²⁶Consider well and watch carefully the path of your feet, And all your ways will be steadfast and sure.

²⁷Do not turn away to the right nor to the left [where evil may lurk]; Turn your foot from [the path of] evil.

¹The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve for Saul, when I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have chosen a king for Myself among his sons."

²But Samuel said, "How can I go? When Saul hears about it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer from the herd with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.'

³You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do [after that]; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate."

⁴So Samuel did what the LORD said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, "Do you come in peace?"

⁵And he said, "In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶So it happened, when they had come, he looked at Eliab [the eldest son] and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him."

⁷But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass before Samuel. But Samuel said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either."

⁹Next Jesse had Shammah pass by. And Samuel said, "The LORD has not chosen him either."

¹⁰Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen [any of] these."

¹¹Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" Jesse replied, "There is still one left, the youngest; he is tending the sheep." Samuel said to Jesse, "Send word and bring him; because we will not sit down [to eat the sacrificial meal] until he comes here."

¹²So Jesse sent word and brought him in. Now he had a ruddy complexion, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. The LORD said [to Samuel], "Arise, anoint him; for this is he."

¹³Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

¹⁴Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented and terrified him.

¹⁵Saul's servants said to him, "Behold, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.

¹⁶"Let our lord now command your servants who are here before you to find a man who plays skillfully on the harp; and when the evil spirit from God is on you, he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well."

¹⁷So Saul told his servants, "Find me a man who plays well and bring him to me."

¹⁸One of the young men said, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a brave and competent man, a warrior, discerning (prudent, eloquent) in speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is with him."

¹⁹So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me David your son, who is with the flock."

²⁰Jesse took a donkey [loaded with] bread and a jug of wine and a young goat, and sent them to Saul with David his son.

²¹Then David came to Saul and attended him. Saul loved him greatly and [later] David became his armor bearer.

²²Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, "Please let David be my attendant, for he has found favor in my sight."

²³So it came about that whenever the [evil] spirit from God was on Saul, David took a harp and played it with his hand; so Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would leave him.

¹Oh, that You would tear open the heavens and come down, That the mountains might quake at Your presence—

²As [sure as] fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil— To make Your name known to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence!

³When You did awesome and amazing things which we did not expect, You came down [at Sinai]; the mountains quaked at Your presence.

⁴For from days of old no one has heard, nor has ear perceived, Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who works and acts in behalf of the one who [gladly] waits for Him.

⁵You meet him who rejoices in doing that which is morally right, Who remembers You in Your ways. Indeed, You were angry, for we sinned; We have long continued in our sins [prolonging Your anger]. And shall we be saved [under such circumstances]?

⁶For we all have become like one who is [ceremonially] unclean [like a leper], And all our deeds of righteousness are like filthy rags; We all wither and decay like a leaf, And our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing], like the wind, takes us away [carrying us far from God's favor, toward destruction].

⁷There is no one who calls on Your name, Who awakens and causes himself to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us And have handed us over to the [consuming and destructive] power of our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing].

⁸Yet, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our Potter, And we all are the work of Your hand.

⁹Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD, Do not remember our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing] forever. Now look, consider, for we are all Your people.

¹⁰Your holy cities have become a wilderness, Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

¹¹Our holy and beautiful house [the temple built by Solomon], Where our fathers praised You, Has been burned by fire; And all our precious objects are in ruins.

¹²Considering these [tragedies], will You restrain Yourself, O LORD [and not help us]? Will You keep silent and humiliate and oppress us beyond measure?

¹Now about this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, a complaint was made by the Hellenists (Greek-speaking Jews) against the [ native] Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.

²So the Twelve called the disciples together and said, "It is not appropriate for us to neglect [teaching] the word of God in order to serve tables and manage the distribution of food.

³Therefore, brothers, choose from among you seven men with good reputations [men of godly character and moral integrity], full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.

⁴But we will [continue to] devote ourselves [steadfastly] to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

⁵The suggestion pleased the whole congregation; and they selected Stephen, a man full of faith [in Christ Jesus], and [filled with and led by] the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas (Nikolaos), a proselyte (Gentile convert) from Antioch.

⁶They brought these men before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them [to dedicate and commission them for this service].

⁷And the message of God kept on growing and spreading, and the number of disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem; and a large number of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith [accepting Jesus as Messiah and acknowledging Him as the Source of eternal salvation].

⁸Now Stephen, full of grace (divine blessing, favor) and power, was doing great wonders and signs (attesting miracles) among the people.

⁹However, some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (freed Jewish slaves), both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and [the province of] Asia, rose up and questioned and argued with Stephen.

¹⁰But they were not able to successfully withstand and cope with the wisdom and the intelligence [and the power and inspiration] of the Spirit by whom he was speaking.

¹¹Then [to attack him another way] they secretly instructed men to say, "We have heard this man [Stephen] speak blasphemous (slanderous, sacrilegious, abusive) words against Moses and against God."

¹²And they provoked and incited the people, as well as the elders and the scribes, and they came up to Stephen and seized him and brought him before the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court).

¹³They presented false witnesses who said, "This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the Law [of Moses];

¹⁴for we have heard him say that this Jesus the Nazarene will tear down this place and will change the traditions and customs which Moses handed down to us."

¹⁵Then all those who were sitting in the Council, stared [intently] at him, and they saw that Stephen's face was like the face of an angel.