Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Soon afterward, Jesus began going around from one city and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve [disciples] were with Him,

²and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, called Magdalene [from the city of Magdala in Galilee], from whom seven demons had come out,

³and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means [as was the custom for a rabbi's disciples].

⁴When a large crowd was gathering together, and people from city after city were coming to Him, He spoke [to them] using a parable:

⁵"The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road and it was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the sky ate it up.

⁶And some seed fell on [shallow soil covering] the rocks, and as soon as it sprouted, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

⁷Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out.

⁸And some fell into good soil, and grew up and produced a crop a hundred times as great." As He said these things, He called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words."

⁹Now His disciples began asking Him what this parable meant.

¹⁰And He said, "To you [who have been chosen] it has been granted to know and recognize the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that though seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

¹¹"Now [the meaning of] the parable is this: The seed is the word of God [concerning eternal salvation].

¹²Those beside the road are the people who have heard; then the devil comes and takes the message [of God] away from their hearts, so that they will not believe [in Me as the Messiah] and be saved.

¹³Those on the rocky soil are the people who, when they hear, receive and welcome the word with joy; but these have no firmly grounded root. They believe for a while, and in time of trial and temptation they fall away [from Me and abandon their faith].

¹⁴The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, but as they go on their way they are suffocated with the anxieties and riches and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity.

¹⁵But as for that seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and noble heart, and hold on to it tightly, and bear fruit with patience.

¹⁶"Now no one lights a lamp and then covers it with a container [to hide it], or puts it under a bed; instead, he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.

¹⁷For there is nothing hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come out into the open.

¹⁸So be careful how you listen; for whoever has [a teachable heart], to him more [understanding] will be given; and whoever does not have [a longing for truth], even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him."

¹⁹Then Jesus' mother and His brothers came up toward Him, but they could not reach Him because of the crowd.

²⁰And He was told, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, asking to see You."

²¹But He answered, "My mother and My brothers are these who listen to the word of God and do it!"

²²Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake (Sea of Galilee)." So they set out.

²³But as they were sailing, He fell asleep. And a fierce gale of wind swept down [as if through a wind tunnel] on the lake, and they began to be swamped, and were in great danger.

²⁴They came to Jesus and woke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are about to die!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging, violent waves, and they ceased, and it became calm [a perfect peacefulness].

²⁵And He said to them, "Where is your faith [your confidence in Me]?" They were afraid and astonished, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the sea, and they obey Him?"

²⁶Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is east of Galilee.

²⁷Now when Jesus stepped out on land, He was met by a man from the city [of Gerasa] who was possessed with demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and was not living in a house, but among the tombs.

²⁸Seeing Jesus, he cried out [with a terrible voice from the depths of his throat] and fell down before Him [in dread and terror], and shouted loudly, " What business do we have [in common] with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me [before the appointed time of judgment]!"

²⁹Now He was [already] commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him [violently] many times; and he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.

³⁰Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, "Legion"; because many demons had entered him.

³¹They continually begged Him not to command them to go into the abyss.

³²Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the mountain. The demons begged Jesus to allow them to enter the pigs, and He gave them permission.

³³Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

³⁴When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and told it in the city and out in the country.

³⁵And people came out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind (mentally healthy); and they were frightened.

³⁶Those who had seen it told them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been healed.

³⁷Then all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, because they were overwhelmed with fear. So Jesus got into the boat and returned [to the west side of the Sea of Galilee].

³⁸But the man from whom the demons had gone out kept begging Him, pleading to go with Him; but Jesus sent him away, saying,

³⁹"Return home and tell [about] all the great things God has done for you." So the man went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

⁴⁰Now as Jesus was returning [to Galilee], the people welcomed Him, for they had all been expecting Him.

⁴¹Now a man named Jairus, a synagogue official, came [to Him]; and he fell at Jesus' feet and began begging Him to come to his house;

⁴²for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as Jesus went, the people were crowding against Him [almost crushing Him].

⁴³And a woman who had [suffered from] a hemorrhage for twelve years[and had spent all her money on physicians], and could not be healed by anyone,

⁴⁴came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His outer robe, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

⁴⁵Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" While they all were denying it, Peter[and those who were with him] said, "Master, the people are crowding and pushing against You!"

⁴⁶But Jesus said, "Someone did touch Me, because I was aware that power [to heal] had gone out of Me."

⁴⁷When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came up trembling and fell down before Him. She declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed.

⁴⁸He said to her, "Daughter, your faith [your personal trust and confidence in Me] has made you well. Go in peace (untroubled, undisturbed well-being)."

⁴⁹While He was still speaking, someone from the synagogue official's house came and said [to Jairus], "Your daughter is dead; do not inconvenience the Teacher any further."

⁵⁰But Jesus, hearing this, answered him, "Do not be afraid any longer; only believe and trust [in Me and have faith in My ability to do this], and she will be made well."

⁵¹When He came to the house, He allowed no one to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl's father and mother.

⁵²Now they were all weeping loudly and mourning for her; but He said, "Do not weep, for she is not dead, but is sleeping."

⁵³Then they began laughing scornfully at Him and ridiculing Him, knowing [without any doubt] that she was dead.

⁵⁴But Jesus took hold of her hand and spoke, saying, "Child, arise!"

⁵⁵And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He ordered that she be given something to eat.

⁵⁶Her parents were greatly astonished [by the miracle]; but He instructed them to tell no one what had happened.

¹Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

²"Speak to the Israelites and say to them, 'When you come into the land where you are to live, which I am giving you,

³then make an offering by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering or a sacrifice to fulfill a special vow, or as a freewill offering or in your appointed feasts, to make a sweet and soothing aroma to the LORD, from the herd or from the flock.

⁴The one who presents his offering shall present to the LORD a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a fourth of a hin of oil,

⁵and you shall prepare wine for the drink offering, a fourth of a hin, with the burnt offering or for the sacrifice, for each lamb.

⁶Or for a ram you shall prepare as a grain offering two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil.

⁷And for the drink offering you shall offer a third of a hin of wine, as a sweet and soothing aroma to the LORD.

⁸When you prepare a bull as a burnt offering or as a sacrifice, in fulfilling a special vow or peace offering to the LORD,

⁹then you shall offer with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil;

¹⁰and you shall bring as the drink offering one-half a hin of wine as an offering by fire, as a sweet and soothing aroma to the LORD.

¹¹'Thus shall it be done for each bull, or for each ram, or for each of the male lambs, or of the goats.

¹²According to the number that you prepare, so shall you do to everyone according to their number.

¹³All who are native-born shall do these things in this way, in presenting an offering by fire, as a sweet and soothing aroma to the LORD.

¹⁴If a stranger lives as a resident alien with you, or whoever may be among you throughout your generations, and he wishes to make an offering by fire, as a sweet and soothing aroma to the LORD, just as you do, so shall he do.

¹⁵As for the assembly, there shall be one [and the same] statute for you [of the congregation] and for the stranger who is a resident alien with you, a permanent statute throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD.

¹⁶There is to be one law and one ordinance for you and for the stranger who lives with you as a resident alien.'"

¹⁷Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

¹⁸"Speak to the Israelites and say to them, 'When you enter the land to which I am bringing you,

¹⁹then, when you eat the food of the land, you shall lift up an offering (heave offering) to the LORD.

²⁰You shall lift up a cake made of the first of your [ground grain which has been made into] dough as an offering [to the Lord]; as an offering from the threshing floor, so shall you lift it up.

²¹From the first of your dough (ground grain) you shall give to the LORD an offering throughout your generations.

²²'But when you unintentionally fail and do not observe all these commandments, which the LORD has spoken to Moses,

²³even all that the LORD has commanded you through Moses, from the day that the LORD gave commandments and onward throughout your generations,

²⁴then it shall be, if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bull as a burnt offering, as a sweet and soothing aroma to the LORD, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the ordinance, and one male goat as a sin offering.

²⁵Then the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and they will be forgiven, for it was an error and they have brought their offering, an offering by fire to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their error.

²⁶So all the congregation of the Israelites will be forgiven as well as the stranger who lives among them as a resident alien, because all the people were involved in the error.

²⁷'Also if one person sins unintentionally, then he shall offer a female goat one year old as a sin offering.

²⁸The priest shall make atonement before the LORD for the person who commits an error when he sins unintentionally, making atonement for him so that he may be forgiven.

²⁹You shall have one law for him who sins unintentionally, whether he is native-born among the Israelites or a stranger who is living among them as a resident alien.

³⁰But the person who does [anything wrong] willfully and defiantly, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one is blaspheming the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from among his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].

³¹Because he has despised and rejected the word of the LORD, and has broken His commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; [the responsibility for] his wickedness and guilt will be upon him.'"

³²Now while the Israelites were in the wilderness, they found a man who was gathering wood on the Sabbath day.

³³Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation;

³⁴and they put him in custody, because it had not been explained [by God] what should be done to him.

³⁵Then the LORD said to Moses, "The man shall certainly be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp."

³⁶So all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

³⁷The LORD said to Moses,

³⁸"Speak to the sons of Israel and tell them to make for themselves tassels on the hems of their garments throughout their generations, and put a cord of blue on the tassel of each hem.

³⁹It shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, so that you do not follow after [the desires of] your own heart and eyes, [desires] after which you used to follow and play the prostitute,

⁴⁰so that you may remember to do all My commandments and be holy (set apart) to your God.

⁴¹I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God."

¹Or do you not know, brothers and sisters (for I am speaking to those who know the Law), that the Law has jurisdiction [to rule] over a person as long as he lives?

²For the married woman [as an example] is bound and remains bound by law to her husband while he lives; but if her husband dies, she is released and exempt from the law concerning her husband.

³Accordingly, she will be designated as an adulteress if she unites herself to another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from the law [regarding marriage], so that she is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

⁴Therefore, my fellow believers, you too died to the Law through the [crucified] body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

⁵When we were living in the flesh [trapped by sin], the sinful passions, which were awakened by [that which] the Law [identifies as sin], were at work in our body to bear fruit for death [since the willingness to sin led to death and separation from God].

⁶But now we have been released from the Law and its penalty, having died [through Christ] to that by which we were held captive, so that we serve [God] in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter [of the Law].

⁷What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, if it had not been for the Law, I would not have recognized sin. For I would not have known [for example] about coveting [what belongs to another, and would have had no sense of guilt] if the Law had not [repeatedly] said, "You shall not covet."

⁸But sin, finding an opportunity through the commandment [to express itself] produced in me every kind of coveting and selfish desire. For without the Law sin is dead [the recognition of sin is inactive].

⁹I was once alive without [knowledge of] the Law; but when the commandment came [and I understood its meaning], sin became alive and I died [since the Law sentenced me to death].

¹⁰And the very commandment which was intended to bring life, actually proved to bring death for me.

¹¹For sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, beguiled and completely deceived me, and using it as a weapon killed me [separating me from God].

¹²So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

¹³Did that which is good [the Law], then become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, in order that it might be revealed as sin, was producing death in me by [using] this good thing [as a weapon], so that through the commandment sin would become exceedingly sinful.

¹⁴We know that the Law is spiritual, but I am a creature of the flesh [worldly, self-reliant—carnal and unspiritual], sold into slavery to sin [and serving under its control].

¹⁵For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled and bewildered by them]. I do not practice what I want to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate [and yielding to my human nature, my worldliness—my sinful capacity].

¹⁶Now if I habitually do what I do not want to do, [that means] I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good (morally excellent).

¹⁷So now [if that is the case, then] it is no longer I who do it [the disobedient thing which I despise], but the sin [nature] which lives in me.

¹⁸For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh [my human nature, my worldliness—my sinful capacity]. For the willingness [to do good] is present in me, but the doing of good is not.

¹⁹For the good that I want to do, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

²⁰But if I am doing the very thing I do not want to do, I am no longer the one doing it [that is, it is not me that acts], but the sin [nature] which lives in me.

²¹So I find it to be the law [of my inner self], that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.

²²For I joyfully delight in the law of God in my inner self [with my new nature],

²³but I see a different law and rule of action in the members of my body [in its appetites and desires], waging war against the law of my mind and subduing me and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is within my members.

²⁴Wretched and miserable man that I am! Who will [rescue me and] set me free from this body of death [this corrupt, mortal existence]?

²⁵Thanks be to God [for my deliverance] through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind serve the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh [my human nature, my worldliness, my sinful capacity—I serve] the law of sin.

¹Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath and indignation of God."

²So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and loathsome and malignant sores came on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.

³The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a corpse [foul and disgusting]; and every living thing in the sea died.

⁴Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water; and they turned into blood.

⁵And I heard the angel of the waters saying, "Righteous and just are You, Who are and Who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things;

⁶for they have poured out the blood of the saints (God's people) and the prophets, and You [in turn] have given them blood to drink. They deserve Your judgment."

⁷And I heard [another from] the altar saying, "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all], Your judgments are true and fair and righteous."

⁸Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given power to scorch humanity with [raging] fire.

⁹People were [severely] burned by the great heat; and they reviled the name of God who has power over these plagues, but they did not repent [of their sin] and glorify Him.

¹⁰Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness; and people gnawed their tongues because of the pain [of their excruciating anguish and severe torment],

¹¹and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their anguish and their sores (abscesses, boils); and they did not repent of what they had done nor hate their wickedness.

¹²Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for [the coming of] the kings from the east.

¹³And I saw three loathsome spirits like frogs, leaping from the mouth of the dragon (Satan) and from the mouth of the beast (Antichrist, dictator) and from the mouth of the false prophet;

¹⁴for they are [actually] the spirits of demons, performing [miraculous] signs. And they go out to the kings of the entire inhabited earth, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.

¹⁵("Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is he who stays awake and who keeps his clothes [that is, stays spiritually ready for the Lord's return], so that he will not be naked—spiritually unprepared—and men will not see his shame.")

¹⁶And they (demons) gathered the kings and armies of the world together at the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon (Armageddon).

¹⁷Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne [of God], saying, "It is done. [It is all over, it is all accomplished, it has come.]"

¹⁸And there were flashes of lightning and loud rumblings and peals of thunder; and there was a massive earthquake—nothing like it has ever occurred since mankind originated on the earth, so severe and far-reaching was that earthquake.

¹⁹The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And God kept in mind Babylon the great, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce and furious wrath.

²⁰Then every island fled away, and no mountains could be found.

²¹And giant hailstones, as heavy as a talent, fell from the sky on the people; and people reviled and spoke abusively of God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so very great.

¹Then Job answered and said,

²"Yes, I know it is true. But how can a mortal man be right before God?

³"If one should want to contend or dispute with Him, He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.

⁴"God is wise in heart and mighty in strength; Who has [ever] defied or challenged Him and remained unharmed?

⁵"It is God who removes the mountains, and they do not know it, When He overturns them in His anger;

⁶Who shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble;

⁷Who commands the sun, and it does not shine; Who seals up the stars [from view];

⁸Who alone stretches out the heavens And tramples down the waves of the sea;

⁹Who made [the constellations] the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the [vast starry] spaces of the south;

¹⁰Who does great things, [beyond understanding,] unfathomable, Yes, marvelous and wondrous things without number.

¹¹"Behold, He passes by me, and I do not see Him; He moves past me, but I do not perceive Him.

¹²"Behold, He snatches away; who can restrain or turn Him back? Who will say to Him, 'What are You doing?'

¹³"God will not turn back His anger; The [proud] helpers of Rahab [the arrogant monster of the sea] bow under Him.

¹⁴"How can I answer Him [and plead my case], Choosing my words [to reason] with Him?

¹⁵For though I were righteous, I could not answer. I must appeal for mercy to my Opponent and Judge.

¹⁶"If I called and He answered me, I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.

¹⁷"For He bruises me with a tempest And multiplies my wounds without cause.

¹⁸"He will not allow me to catch my breath, But fills and saturates me with bitterness.

¹⁹"If it is a matter of strength and power, behold, He is mighty! And if of justice, who can summon and challenge Him?

²⁰"Though I am innocent and in the right, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty; Though I am blameless, He would denounce me as guilty.

²¹"[Though] I am blameless, I do not care about myself; I despise my life.

²²"It is all one; therefore I say, 'He destroys [both] the blameless and the wicked.'

²³"When [His] scourge kills suddenly, He mocks at the despair of the innocent.

²⁴"The earth is given into the hands of the wicked; He covers the faces of its judges [so that they are blind to justice]. If it is not He, then who is it [that is responsible for all this injustice]?

²⁵"Now my days are swifter than a runner; They vanish, they see no good.

²⁶"They pass by like the [swift] boats made of reeds, Like an eagle that swoops down on its prey.

²⁷"If I say, 'I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my sad appearance, and be cheerful and brighten up,'

²⁸I am afraid of all my pains and worries [yet to come]; I know that You will not acquit me and leave me unpunished.

²⁹"I am accounted wicked and held guilty; Why then should I labor in vain [to appear innocent]?

³⁰"If I were to wash myself with snow And cleanse my hands with lye,

³¹You would still plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes would hate me [and refuse to cover my foul body].

³²"For God is not a [mere] man, as I am, that I may answer Him, That we may go to court and judgment together.

³³"There is no arbitrator between us, Who could lay his hand upon us both [would that there were].

³⁴"Let Him take His rod away from me, And let not the dread and fear of Him terrify me.

³⁵"Then I would speak [my defense] and not fear Him; But I am not like that in myself.

¹To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And the expanse [of heaven] is declaring the work of His hands.

²Day after day pours forth speech, And night after night reveals knowledge.

³There is no speech, nor are there [spoken] words [from the stars]; Their voice is not heard.

⁴Yet their voice [in quiet evidence] has gone out through all the earth, Their words to the end of the world. In them and in the heavens He has made a tent for the sun,

⁵Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.

⁶The sun's rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

⁷The law of the LORD is perfect (flawless), restoring and refreshing the soul; The statutes of the LORD are reliable and trustworthy, making wise the simple.

⁸The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

⁹The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true, they are righteous altogether.

¹⁰They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

¹¹Moreover, by them Your servant is warned [reminded, illuminated, and instructed]; In keeping them there is great reward.

¹²Who can understand his errors or omissions? Acquit me of hidden (unconscious, unintended) faults.

¹³Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous (deliberate, willful) sins; Let them not rule and have control over me. Then I will be blameless (complete), And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.

¹⁴Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my [firm, immovable] rock and my Redeemer.

¹Wisdom has built her [spacious and sufficient] house; She has hewn out and set up her seven pillars.

²She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine; She has also set her table.

³She has sent out her maidens, she calls From the highest places of the city:

⁴"Whoever is naive or inexperienced, let him turn in here!" As for him who lacks understanding, she says,

⁵"Come, eat my food And drink the wine I have mixed [and accept my gifts].

⁶"Leave [behind] your foolishness [and the foolish] and live, And walk in the way of insight and understanding."

⁷He who corrects and instructs a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man gets insults for himself.

⁸Do not correct a scoffer [who foolishly ridicules and takes no responsibility for his error] or he will hate you; Correct a wise man [who learns from his error], and he will love you.

⁹Give instruction to a wise man and he will become even wiser; Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

¹⁰The [reverent] fear of the LORD [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.

¹¹For by me (wisdom from God) your days will be multiplied, And years of life shall be increased.

¹²If you are wise, you are wise for yourself [for your own benefit]; If you scoff [thoughtlessly ridicule and disdain], you alone will pay the penalty.

¹³The foolish woman is restless and noisy; She is naive and easily misled and thoughtless, and knows nothing at all [of eternal value].

¹⁴She sits at the doorway of her house, On a seat by the high and conspicuous places of the city,

¹⁵Calling to those who pass by, Who are making their paths straight:

¹⁶"Whoever is naive or inexperienced, let him turn in here!" And to him who lacks understanding (common sense), she says,

¹⁷"Stolen waters (pleasures) are sweet [because they are forbidden]; And bread eaten in secret is pleasant."

¹⁸But he does not know that the spirits of the dead are there, And that her guests are [already] in the depths of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).

¹Then David went to Nob to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech came trembling [in fear] to meet David and said to him, "Why are you alone, and no one with you?"

²David said to Ahimelech the priest, "The king has commissioned me with a matter and has told me, 'Let no one know anything about the matter for which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you. I have directed the young men to a certain place.'

³Now what [food] do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found."

⁴The priest answered David, "There is no ordinary (unconsecrated) bread on hand, but there is consecrated bread; [you may have it] if only the young men have kept themselves from women."

⁵David answered the priest, "Be assured that women have been kept from us in these three days since I set out, and the bodies of the young men were consecrated (ceremonially clean), although it was an ordinary (unconsecrated) journey; so how much more will their vessels be holy today?"

⁶So the priest gave him the consecrated bread; for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence which was removed from before the LORD in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away.

⁷Now one of Saul's servants was there that day, detained before the LORD; his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's shepherds.

⁸David said to Ahimelech, "Do you not have a sword or spear here on hand? For I brought neither my sword nor my [other] weapons with me, because the king's business was urgent."

⁹Then the priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you would take it for yourself, do so. For there is no other here except for it." And David said, "There is none like that; give it to me."

¹⁰Then David arose and fled from Saul that day, and went to Achish king of Gath.

¹¹The servants of Achish said to him, "Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing in praise of this one as they danced, saying, 'Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands'?"

¹²David took these words to heart and was greatly afraid of Achish king of Gath.

¹³So [fearing for his life] he changed his behavior in their sight, and acted insanely in their hands, and he scribbled on the doors of the gate, and drooled on his beard.

¹⁴Then Achish said to his servants, "Look, you see that the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me?

¹⁵Do I lack madmen, that you bring this one to behave like a madman in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?"

¹That is to say, "If a man divorces his wife And she goes [away] from him And becomes another man's [wife], Will he return to her again? [Of course not!] Will not that land [where such a thing happened] be completely desecrated? But you [rebelled against Me and you] are a prostitute with many lovers; Yet you turn to Me." says the LORD.

²"Lift up your eyes to the barren heights and see; Where have you not been violated? You sat by the road waiting [eagerly] for them [those man-made gods] Like an Arab [tribesman who waits to attack] in the desert, And you have desecrated the land With your [vile] prostitution and your wickedness (disobedience to God).

³"Therefore the showers have been withheld, And there has been no spring rain. Yet you have the forehead (appearance) of a prostitute; You refuse to be ashamed.

⁴"Will you not just now call out to Me, 'My Father, you were the guide and companion of my youth?

⁵'Will He be angry forever? Will He be indignant to the end?' Behold, you have spoken, And you have done all the evil things [you could], And you have had your way and have carried out your wickedness."

⁶Moreover, the LORD said to me in the days of Josiah the king [of Judah], "Have you seen what that faithless Israel has done—how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there she was a prostitute?

⁷I thought, 'After she has done all these things she will return to Me'; but she did not return, and her treacherous (faithless) sister Judah saw it.

⁸And I saw [that even though Judah knew] that for all the acts of adultery (idolatry) of faithless Israel, I [the LORD] had sent her away and given her a certificate of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah was not afraid; but she went and was a prostitute also [following after idols].

⁹Because of the thoughtlessness of Israel's prostitution [her immorality mattered little to her], she desecrated the land and committed adultery with [idols of] stones and trees.

¹⁰Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with her whole heart, but rather in [blatant] deception [she merely pretended obedience to King Josiah's reforms]," declares the LORD.

¹¹And the LORD said to me, "Faithless Israel has proved herself less guilty than treacherous Judah [a land of renegades].

¹²Go and proclaim these words toward the north [where the ten tribes have been taken as captives] and say, 'Return, faithless Israel,' says the LORD; 'I will not look on you in anger. For I am gracious and merciful,' says the LORD; 'I will not be angry forever.

¹³'Only understand fully and acknowledge your wickedness and guilt, That you have rebelled (transgressed) against the LORD your God And have scattered your favors among strangers under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,' says the LORD.

¹⁴'Return, O faithless children [of the twelve tribes],' says the LORD, 'For I am a master and husband to you, And I will take you [not as a nation, but individually]—one from a city and two from a [tribal] family— And I will bring you to Zion.'

¹⁵"Then [in the final time] I will give you [spiritual] shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and [true] understanding.

¹⁶"It will be in those days when you have [repented and] multiplied and increased in the land," says the LORD, "they will no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the LORD.' It will not come to mind, nor will they [seriously] remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again [for instead of the ark, which symbolized My presence, I will be present].

¹⁷At that time they will call Jerusalem 'The Throne of the LORD,' and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name (renown) of the LORD; and they will not walk anymore after the stubbornness of their [own] evil heart.

¹⁸In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.

¹⁹"Then I said, 'How [gloriously and honorably] I would set you among My children And give you a pleasant land—a wonderful heritage, The most beautiful inheritance of the nations!' And I said, 'You shall call Me, My Father And not turn away from following Me.'

²⁰"Surely, as a wife treacherously (unfaithfully) leaves her husband, So you have dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel," says the LORD.

²¹A voice is heard on the barren heights, The weeping and pleading of the children of Israel, Because they have lost their way, They have [deliberately] forgotten the LORD their God.

²²"Return, O faithless sons," [says the LORD], "I will heal your unfaithfulness." [They answer] "Behold, we come to You, For You are the LORD our God.

²³"Truly, [the hope of salvation from] the hill [where idols are worshiped] is a deception, A tumult and noisy multitude on the mountains; Truly in the LORD our God Is the salvation of Israel.

²⁴"But the shameful act [of idolatry] has consumed the labor of our fathers since our youth—their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.

²⁵Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor and humiliation cover us; for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers; from our youth even to this day we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God."

¹Now the apostles and the believers who were throughout Judea heard [with astonishment] that the Gentiles also had received and accepted the word of God [the message concerning salvation through Christ].

²So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision [certain Jewish believers who followed the Law] took issue with him [for violating Jewish customs],

³saying, "You went to uncircumcised men and [even] ate with them!"

⁴But Peter began [at the beginning] and explained [the events] to them step by step, saying,

⁵"I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision of an object coming down from heaven, like a huge sheet being lowered by the four corners; and [it descended until] it came right down to me,

⁶and looking closely at it, I saw all kinds of the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air [both clean and unclean according to the Law],

⁷and I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat.'

⁸But I said, 'Not at all, Lord; for nothing common (unholy) or [ceremonially] unclean has ever entered my mouth.'

⁹But the voice from heaven answered a second time, 'What God has cleansed and pronounced clean, no longer consider common (unholy).'

¹⁰This happened three times, and everything was drawn up again into heaven.

¹¹And right then the three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were staying.

¹²The Spirit told me to go with them without the slightest hesitation. So these six brothers also went with me and we went to the man's house.

¹³And Cornelius told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, saying, 'Send word to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here;

¹⁴he will bring a message to you by which you will be saved [and granted eternal life], you and all your household.'

¹⁵When I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as He did on us at the beginning [at Pentecost].

¹⁶Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'

¹⁷So, if God gave Gentiles the same gift [equally] as He gave us after we accepted and believed and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ [as Savior], who was I to interfere or stand in God's way?"

¹⁸When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified and praised God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance that leads to eternal life [that is, real life after earthly death]."

¹⁹So then [since they were unaware of these developments] those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with [the stoning of] Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, without telling the message [of salvation through Christ] to anyone except Jews.

²⁰But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks as well, proclaiming [to them] the good news about the Lord Jesus.

²¹And the hand (the power and presence) of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord [for salvation, accepting and drawing near to Jesus as Messiah and Savior].

²²The news of this reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

²³When he arrived and saw the grace of God [that was bestowed on them], he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with an unwavering heart to stay true and devoted to the Lord.

²⁴For Barnabas was a good man [privately and publicly—his godly character benefited both himself and others] and he was full of the Holy Spirit and full of faith [in Jesus the Messiah, through whom believers have everlasting life]. And a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

²⁵And Barnabas left for Tarsus to search for Saul;

²⁶and when he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. For an entire year they met [with others] in the church and instructed large numbers; and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

²⁷Now at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.

²⁸One of them named Agabus stood up and prophesied through the [Holy] Spirit that a severe famine would come on the entire world. And this did happen during the reign of Claudius.

²⁹So the disciples decided to send a contribution, each according to his individual ability, to the believers who lived in Judea.

³⁰And this they did, sending the contribution to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.