Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.

²And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.

³So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.

⁴And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving,

⁵“for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”

⁶Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.

⁷Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.

⁸For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

⁹When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”

¹⁰And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.

¹¹Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.

¹²And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her.

¹³When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

¹⁴Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

¹⁵So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.

¹⁶Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.”

¹⁷And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

¹⁸Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things.

¹⁹And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

²⁰When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ ”

²¹And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.

²²Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.

²³And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

²⁴When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

²⁵But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings’ courts.

²⁶But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.

²⁷This is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’

²⁸For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

²⁹And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.

³⁰But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

³¹And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?

³²They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying: ‘We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not weep.’

³³For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’

³⁴The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

³⁵But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

³⁶Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat.

³⁷And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil,

³⁸and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.

³⁹Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.”

⁴¹“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

⁴²And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”

⁴³Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.”

⁴⁴Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.

⁴⁵You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.

⁴⁶You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.

⁴⁷Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

⁴⁸Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

¹So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night.

²And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!

³Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”

⁴So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.”

⁵Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

⁶But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes;

⁷and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.

⁸If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’

⁹Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.”

¹⁰And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.

¹¹Then the LORD said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?

¹²I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”

¹³And Moses said to the LORD: “Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them,

¹⁴and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, LORD, are among these people; that You, LORD, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.

¹⁵Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying,

¹⁶‘Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’

¹⁷And now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying,

¹⁸‘The LORD is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’

¹⁹Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”

²⁰Then the LORD said: “I have pardoned, according to your word;

²¹but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD—

²²because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice,

²³they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.

²⁴But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.

²⁵Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley; tomorrow turn and move out into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.”

²⁶And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

²⁷“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me.

²⁸Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you:

²⁹The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.

³⁰Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.

³¹But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised.

³²But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness.

³³And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness.

³⁴According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection.

³⁵I the LORD have spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.’ ”

³⁶Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land,

³⁷those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the LORD.

³⁸But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land.

³⁹Then Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.

⁴⁰And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised, for we have sinned!”

⁴¹And Moses said, “Now why do you transgress the command of the LORD? For this will not succeed.

⁴²Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the LORD is not among you.

⁴³For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.”

⁴⁴But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed from the camp.

⁴⁵Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah.

¹What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

²Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

³Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

⁴Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

⁵For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,

⁶knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

⁷For he who has died has been freed from sin.

⁸Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

⁹knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.

¹⁰For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

¹¹Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹²Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

¹³And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

¹⁴For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!

¹⁶Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

¹⁷But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.

¹⁸And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

¹⁹I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

²⁰For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

²¹What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

²²But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.

²And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.

³They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!

⁴Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.”

⁵After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.

⁶And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands.

⁷Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever.

⁸The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

¹Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

²“How long will you speak these things, And the words of your mouth be like a strong wind?

³Does God subvert judgment? Or does the Almighty pervert justice?

⁴If your sons have sinned against Him, He has cast them away for their transgression.

⁵If you would earnestly seek God And make your supplication to the Almighty,

⁶If you were pure and upright, Surely now He would awake for you, And prosper your rightful dwelling place.

⁷Though your beginning was small, Yet your latter end would increase abundantly.

⁸“For inquire, please, of the former age, And consider the things discovered by their fathers;

⁹For we were born yesterday, and know nothing, Because our days on earth are a shadow.

¹⁰Will they not teach you and tell you, And utter words from their heart?

¹¹“Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the reeds flourish without water?

¹²While it is yet green and not cut down, It withers before any other plant.

¹³So are the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the hypocrite shall perish,

¹⁴Whose confidence shall be cut off, And whose trust is a spider’s web.

¹⁵He leans on his house, but it does not stand. He holds it fast, but it does not endure.

¹⁶He grows green in the sun, And his branches spread out in his garden.

¹⁷His roots wrap around the rock heap, And look for a place in the stones.

¹⁸If he is destroyed from his place, Then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have not seen you.’

¹⁹“Behold, this is the joy of His way, And out of the earth others will grow.

²⁰Behold, God will not cast away the blameless, Nor will He uphold the evildoers.

²¹He will yet fill your mouth with laughing, And your lips with rejoicing.

²²Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, And the dwelling place of the wicked will come to nothing.”

¹To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD, who spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said: [1] I will love You, O LORD, my strength.

²The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

³I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.

⁴The pangs of death surrounded me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

⁵The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.

⁶In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

⁷Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry.

⁸Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it.

⁹He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet.

¹⁰And He rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind.

¹¹He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters And thick clouds of the skies.

¹²From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.

¹³The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire.

¹⁴He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.

¹⁵Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered At Your rebuke, O LORD, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

¹⁶He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.

¹⁷He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me.

¹⁸They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support.

¹⁹He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.

²⁰The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.

²¹For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God.

²²For all His judgments were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me.

²³I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity.

²⁴Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

²⁵With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;

²⁶With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.

²⁷For You will save the humble people, But will bring down haughty looks.

²⁸For You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

²⁹For by You I can run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall.

³⁰As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

³¹For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?

³²It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect.

³³He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places.

³⁴He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

³⁵You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great.

³⁶You enlarged my path under me, So my feet did not slip.

³⁷I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.

³⁸I have wounded them, So that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet.

³⁹For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

⁴⁰You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me.

⁴¹They cried out, but there was none to save; Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.

⁴²Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets.

⁴³You have delivered me from the strivings of the people; You have made me the head of the nations; A people I have not known shall serve me.

⁴⁴As soon as they hear of me they obey me; The foreigners submit to me.

⁴⁵The foreigners fade away, And come frightened from their hideouts.

⁴⁶The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.

⁴⁷It is God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me;

⁴⁸He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man.

⁴⁹Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name.

⁵⁰Great deliverance He gives to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants forevermore.

¹Does not wisdom cry out, And understanding lift up her voice?

²She takes her stand on the top of the high hill, Beside the way, where the paths meet.

³She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city, At the entrance of the doors:

⁴“To you, O men, I call, And my voice is to the sons of men.

⁵O you simple ones, understand prudence, And you fools, be of an understanding heart.

⁶Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, And from the opening of my lips will come right things;

⁷For my mouth will speak truth; Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

⁸All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.

⁹They are all plain to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge.

¹⁰Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold;

¹¹For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.

¹²“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And find out knowledge and discretion.

¹³The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.

¹⁴Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength.

¹⁵By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice.

¹⁶By me princes rule, and nobles, All the judges of the earth.

¹⁷I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.

¹⁸Riches and honor are with me, Enduring riches and righteousness.

¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, And my revenue than choice silver.

²⁰I traverse the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice,

²¹That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, That I may fill their treasuries.

²²“The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old.

²³I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.

²⁴When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water.

²⁵Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills, I was brought forth;

²⁶While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, Or the primal dust of the world.

²⁷When He prepared the heavens, I was there, When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,

²⁸When He established the clouds above, When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,

²⁹When He assigned to the sea its limit, So that the waters would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth,

³⁰Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him,

³¹Rejoicing in His inhabited world, And my delight was with the sons of men.

³²“Now therefore, listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who keep my ways.

³³Hear instruction and be wise, And do not disdain it.

³⁴Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors.

³⁵For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the LORD;

³⁶But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me love death.”

¹Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and went and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”

²So Jonathan said to him, “By no means! You shall not die! Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!”

³Then David took an oath again, and said, “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”

⁴So Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.”

⁵And David said to Jonathan, “Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening.

⁶If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked permission of me that he might run over to Bethlehem, his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’

⁷If he says thus: ‘It is well,’ your servant will be safe. But if he is very angry, be sure that evil is determined by him.

⁸Therefore you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. Nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?”

⁹But Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you?”

¹⁰Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me, or what if your father answers you roughly?”

¹¹And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out into the field.

¹²Then Jonathan said to David: “The LORD God of Israel is witness! When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you,

¹³may the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And the LORD be with you as He has been with my father.

¹⁴And you shall not only show me the kindness of the LORD while I still live, that I may not die;

¹⁵but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the LORD has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”

¹⁶So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “Let the LORD require it at the hand of David’s enemies.”

¹⁷Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

¹⁸Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon; and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.

¹⁹And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel.

²⁰Then I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target;

²¹and there I will send a lad, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I expressly say to the lad, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them and come’—then, as the LORD lives, there is safety for you and no harm.

²²But if I say thus to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you’—go your way, for the LORD has sent you away.

²³And as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the LORD be between you and me forever.”

²⁴Then David hid in the field. And when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat the feast.

²⁵Now the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.

²⁶Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him; he is unclean, surely he is unclean.”

²⁷And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?”

²⁸So Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem.

²⁹And he said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the king’s table.”

³⁰Then Saul’s anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?

³¹For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.”

³²And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?”

³³Then Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David.

³⁴So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully.

³⁵And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him.

³⁶Then he said to his lad, “Now run, find the arrows which I shoot.” As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

³⁷When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?”

³⁸And Jonathan cried out after the lad, “Make haste, hurry, do not delay!” So Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master.

³⁹But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter.

⁴⁰Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.”

⁴¹As soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so.

⁴²Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘May the LORD be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.’ ” So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.

¹Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

²“Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “I remember you, The kindness of your youth, The love of your betrothal, When you went after Me in the wilderness, In a land not sown.

³Israel was holiness to the LORD, The firstfruits of His increase. All that devour him will offend; Disaster will come upon them,” says the LORD.’ ”

⁴Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel.

⁵Thus says the LORD: “What injustice have your fathers found in Me, That they have gone far from Me, Have followed idols, And have become idolaters?

⁶Neither did they say, ‘Where is the LORD, Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, Through a land of deserts and pits, Through a land of drought and the shadow of death, Through a land that no one crossed And where no one dwelt?’

⁷I brought you into a bountiful country, To eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land And made My heritage an abomination.

⁸The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’ And those who handle the law did not know Me; The rulers also transgressed against Me; The prophets prophesied by Baal, And walked after things that do not profit.

⁹“Therefore I will yet bring charges against you,” says the LORD, “And against your children’s children I will bring charges.

¹⁰For pass beyond the coasts of Cyprus and see, Send to Kedar and consider diligently, And see if there has been such a thing.

¹¹Has a nation changed its gods, Which are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory For what does not profit.

¹²Be astonished, O heavens, at this, And be horribly afraid; Be very desolate,” says the LORD.

¹³“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.

¹⁴“Is Israel a servant? Is he a homeborn slave? Why is he plundered?

¹⁵The young lions roared at him, and growled; They made his land waste; His cities are burned, without inhabitant.

¹⁶Also the people of Noph and Tahpanhes Have broken the crown of your head.

¹⁷Have you not brought this on yourself, In that you have forsaken the LORD your God When He led you in the way?

¹⁸And now why take the road to Egypt, To drink the waters of Sihor? Or why take the road to Assyria, To drink the waters of the River?

¹⁹Your own wickedness will correct you, And your backslidings will rebuke you. Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing That you have forsaken the LORD your God, And the fear of Me is not in you,” Says the Lord GOD of hosts.

²⁰“For of old I have broken your yoke and burst your bonds; And you said, ‘I will not transgress,’ When on every high hill and under every green tree You lay down, playing the harlot.

²¹Yet I had planted you a noble vine, a seed of highest quality. How then have you turned before Me Into the degenerate plant of an alien vine?

²²For though you wash yourself with lye, and use much soap, Yet your iniquity is marked before Me,” says the Lord GOD.

²³“How can you say, ‘I am not polluted, I have not gone after the Baals’? See your way in the valley; Know what you have done: You are a swift dromedary breaking loose in her ways,

²⁴A wild donkey used to the wilderness, That sniffs at the wind in her desire; In her time of mating, who can turn her away? All those who seek her will not weary themselves; In her month they will find her.

²⁵Withhold your foot from being unshod, and your throat from thirst. But you said, ‘There is no hope. No! For I have loved aliens, and after them I will go.’

²⁶“As the thief is ashamed when he is found out, So is the house of Israel ashamed; They and their kings and their princes, and their priests and their prophets,

²⁷Saying to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ And to a stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’ For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble They will say, ‘Arise and save us.’

²⁸But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, If they can save you in the time of your trouble; For according to the number of your cities Are your gods, O Judah.

²⁹“Why will you plead with Me? You all have transgressed against Me,” says the LORD.

³⁰“In vain I have chastened your children; They received no correction. Your sword has devoured your prophets Like a destroying lion.

³¹“O generation, see the word of the LORD! Have I been a wilderness to Israel, Or a land of darkness? Why do My people say, ‘We are lords; We will come no more to You’?

³²Can a virgin forget her ornaments, Or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me days without number.

³³“Why do you beautify your way to seek love? Therefore you have also taught The wicked women your ways.

³⁴Also on your skirts is found The blood of the lives of the poor innocents. I have not found it by secret search, But plainly on all these things.

³⁵Yet you say, ‘Because I am innocent, Surely His anger shall turn from me.’ Behold, I will plead My case against you, Because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’

³⁶Why do you gad about so much to change your way? Also you shall be ashamed of Egypt as you were ashamed of Assyria.

³⁷Indeed you will go forth from him With your hands on your head; For the LORD has rejected your trusted allies, And you will not prosper by them.

¹There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,

²a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.

³About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

⁴And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.

⁵Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter.

⁶He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.”

⁷And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually.

⁸So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.

⁹The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.

¹⁰Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance

¹¹and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.

¹²In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.

¹³And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

¹⁴But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

¹⁵And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”

¹⁶This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

¹⁷Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate.

¹⁸And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.

¹⁹While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you.

²⁰Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”

²¹Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?”

²²And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.”

²³Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.

²⁴And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends.

²⁵As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.

²⁶But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.”

²⁷And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together.

²⁸Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

²⁹Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?”

³⁰So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

³¹and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.

³²Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.’

³³So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”

³⁴Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.

³⁵But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

³⁶The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ— He is Lord of all—

³⁷that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:

³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

³⁹And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.

⁴⁰Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly,

⁴¹not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

⁴²And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.

⁴³To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”

⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.

⁴⁵And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

⁴⁶For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,

⁴⁷“Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

⁴⁸And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.