Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

²Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon.

³Give us each day the food we need,

⁴and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation. ”

⁵Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him,

⁶‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’

⁷And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’

⁸But I tell you this — though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.

⁹“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

¹⁰For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹“You fathers — if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?

¹²Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!

¹³So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

¹⁴One day Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn’t speak, and when the demon was gone, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed,

¹⁵but some of them said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.”

¹⁶Others, trying to test Jesus, demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.

¹⁷He knew their thoughts, so he said, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart.

¹⁸You say I am empowered by Satan. But if Satan is divided and fighting against himself, how can his kingdom survive?

¹⁹And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said.

²⁰But if I am casting out demons by the power of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.

²¹For when a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe —

²²until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings.

²³“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.

²⁴“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’

²⁵So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order.

²⁶Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.”

²⁷As he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, “God bless your mother — the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!”

²⁸Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”

²⁹As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, he said, “This evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah.

³⁰What happened to him was a sign to the people of Nineveh that God had sent him. What happens to the Son of Man will be a sign to these people that he was sent by God.

³¹“The queen of Sheba will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here — but you refuse to listen.

³²The people of Nineveh will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here — but you refuse to repent.

³³“No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.

³⁴“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is unhealthy, your body is filled with darkness.

³⁵Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.

³⁶If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”

³⁷As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table.

³⁸His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom.

³⁹Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy — full of greed and wickedness!

⁴⁰Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside?

⁴¹So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.

⁴²“What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.

⁴³“What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you love to sit in the seats of honor in the synagogues and receive respectful greetings as you walk in the marketplaces.

⁴⁴Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on.”

⁴⁵“Teacher,” said an expert in religious law, “you have insulted us, too, in what you just said.”

⁴⁶“Yes,” said Jesus, “what sorrow also awaits you experts in religious law! For you crush people with unbearable religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden.

⁴⁷What sorrow awaits you! For you build monuments for the prophets your own ancestors killed long ago.

⁴⁸But in fact, you stand as witnesses who agree with what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you join in their crime by building the monuments!

⁴⁹This is what God in his wisdom said about you: ‘I will send prophets and apostles to them, but they will kill some and persecute the others.’

⁵⁰“As a result, this generation will be held responsible for the murder of all God’s prophets from the creation of the world —

⁵¹from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, it will certainly be charged against this generation.

⁵²“What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.”

⁵³As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with many questions.

⁵⁴They wanted to trap him into saying something they could use against him.

¹Then the LORD said to Aaron: “You, your sons, and your relatives from the tribe of Levi will be held responsible for any offenses related to the sanctuary. But you and your sons alone will be held responsible for violations connected with the priesthood.

²“Bring your relatives of the tribe of Levi — your ancestral tribe — to assist you and your sons as you perform the sacred duties in front of the Tabernacle of the Covenant.

³But as the Levites go about all their assigned duties at the Tabernacle, they must be careful not to go near any of the sacred objects or the altar. If they do, both you and they will die.

⁴The Levites must join you in fulfilling their responsibilities for the care and maintenance of the Tabernacle, but no unauthorized person may assist you.

⁵“You yourselves must perform the sacred duties inside the sanctuary and at the altar. If you follow these instructions, the LORD’s anger will never again blaze against the people of Israel.

⁶I myself have chosen your fellow Levites from among the Israelites to be your special assistants. They are a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD for service in the Tabernacle.

⁷But you and your sons, the priests, must personally handle all the priestly rituals associated with the altar and with everything behind the inner curtain. I am giving you the priesthood as your special privilege of service. Any unauthorized person who comes too near the sanctuary will be put to death.”

⁸The LORD gave these further instructions to Aaron: “I myself have put you in charge of all the holy offerings that are brought to me by the people of Israel. I have given all these consecrated offerings to you and your sons as your permanent share.

⁹You are allotted the portion of the most holy offerings that is not burned on the fire. This portion of all the most holy offerings — including the grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings — will be most holy, and it belongs to you and your sons.

¹⁰You must eat it as a most holy offering. All the males may eat of it, and you must treat it as most holy.

¹¹“All the sacred offerings and special offerings presented to me when the Israelites lift them up before the altar also belong to you. I have given them to you and to your sons and daughters as your permanent share. Any member of your family who is ceremonially clean may eat of these offerings.

¹²“I also give you the harvest gifts brought by the people as offerings to the LORD — the best of the olive oil, new wine, and grain.

¹³All the first crops of their land that the people present to the LORD belong to you. Any member of your family who is ceremonially clean may eat this food.

¹⁴“Everything in Israel that is specially set apart for the LORD also belongs to you.

¹⁵“The firstborn of every mother, whether human or animal, that is offered to the LORD will be yours. But you must always redeem your firstborn sons and the firstborn of ceremonially unclean animals.

¹⁶Redeem them when they are one month old. The redemption price is five pieces of silver (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs).

¹⁷“However, you may not redeem the firstborn of cattle, sheep, or goats. They are holy and have been set apart for the LORD. Sprinkle their blood on the altar, and burn their fat as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

¹⁸The meat of these animals will be yours, just like the breast and right thigh that are presented by lifting them up as a special offering before the altar.

¹⁹Yes, I am giving you all these holy offerings that the people of Israel bring to the LORD. They are for you and your sons and daughters, to be eaten as your permanent share. This is an eternal and unbreakable covenant between the LORD and you, and it also applies to your descendants.”

²⁰And the LORD said to Aaron, “You priests will receive no allotment of land or share of property among the people of Israel. I am your share and your allotment.

²¹As for the tribe of Levi, your relatives, I will compensate them for their service in the Tabernacle. Instead of an allotment of land, I will give them the tithes from the entire land of Israel.

²²“From now on, no Israelites except priests or Levites may approach the Tabernacle. If they come too near, they will be judged guilty and will die.

²³Only the Levites may serve at the Tabernacle, and they will be held responsible for any offenses against it. This is a permanent law for you, to be observed from generation to generation. The Levites will receive no allotment of land among the Israelites,

²⁴because I have given them the Israelites’ tithes, which have been presented as sacred offerings to the LORD. This will be the Levites’ share. That is why I said they would receive no allotment of land among the Israelites.”

²⁵The LORD also told Moses,

²⁶“Give these instructions to the Levites: When you receive from the people of Israel the tithes I have assigned as your allotment, give a tenth of the tithes you receive — a tithe of the tithe — to the LORD as a sacred offering.

²⁷The LORD will consider this offering to be your harvest offering, as though it were the first grain from your own threshing floor or wine from your own winepress.

²⁸You must present one-tenth of the tithe received from the Israelites as a sacred offering to the LORD. This is the LORD’s sacred portion, and you must present it to Aaron the priest.

²⁹Be sure to give to the LORD the best portions of the gifts given to you.

³⁰“Also, give these instructions to the Levites: When you present the best part as your offering, it will be considered as though it came from your own threshing floor or winepress.

³¹You Levites and your families may eat this food anywhere you wish, for it is your compensation for serving in the Tabernacle.

³²You will not be considered guilty for accepting the LORD’s tithes if you give the best portion to the priests. But be careful not to treat the holy gifts of the people of Israel as though they were common. If you do, you will die.”

¹Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.

²I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal.

³For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.

⁴For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.

⁵For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.

⁶But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth).

⁷And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).”

⁸In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach:

⁹If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

¹⁰For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

¹¹As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”

¹²Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.

¹³For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”

¹⁴But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?

¹⁵And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

¹⁶But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “LORD, who has believed our message?”

¹⁷So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

¹⁸But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have: “The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world.”

¹⁹But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said, “I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation. I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiles.”

²⁰And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying, “I was found by people who were not looking for me. I showed myself to those who were not asking for me.”

²¹But regarding Israel, God said, “All day long I opened my arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious.”

¹After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting, “Praise the LORD! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.

²His judgments are true and just. He has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the murder of his servants.”

³And again their voices rang out: “Praise the LORD! The smoke from that city ascends forever and ever!”

⁴Then the twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried out, “Amen! Praise the LORD!”

⁵And from the throne came a voice that said, “Praise our God, all his servants, all who fear him, from the least to the greatest.”

⁶Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: “Praise the LORD! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

⁷Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself.

⁸She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.

⁹And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”

¹⁰Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus. ”

¹¹Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.

¹²His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself.

¹³He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God.

¹⁴The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses.

¹⁵From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress.

¹⁶On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

¹⁷Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared.

¹⁸Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.”

¹⁹Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army.

²⁰And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast — miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

²¹Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.

¹Then Job spoke again:

²“You people really know everything, don’t you? And when you die, wisdom will die with you!

³Well, I know a few things myself — and you’re no better than I am. Who doesn’t know these things you’ve been saying?

⁴Yet my friends laugh at me, for I call on God and expect an answer. I am a just and blameless man, yet they laugh at me.

⁵People who are at ease mock those in trouble. They give a push to people who are stumbling.

⁶But robbers are left in peace, and those who provoke God live in safety — though God keeps them in his power.

⁷“Just ask the animals, and they will teach you. Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.

⁸Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you. Let the fish in the sea speak to you.

⁹For they all know that my disaster has come from the hand of the LORD.

¹⁰For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being.

¹¹The ear tests the words it hears just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.

¹²Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old.

¹³“But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are his.

¹⁴What he destroys cannot be rebuilt. When he puts someone in prison, there is no escape.

¹⁵If he holds back the rain, the earth becomes a desert. If he releases the waters, they flood the earth.

¹⁶Yes, strength and wisdom are his; deceivers and deceived are both in his power.

¹⁷He leads counselors away, stripped of good judgment; wise judges become fools.

¹⁸He removes the royal robe of kings. They are led away with ropes around their waist.

¹⁹He leads priests away, stripped of status; he overthrows those with long years in power.

²⁰He silences the trusted adviser and removes the insight of the elders.

²¹He pours disgrace upon princes and disarms the strong.

²²“He uncovers mysteries hidden in darkness; he brings light to the deepest gloom.

²³He builds up nations, and he destroys them. He expands nations, and he abandons them.

²⁴He strips kings of understanding and leaves them wandering in a pathless wasteland.

²⁵They grope in the darkness without a light. He makes them stagger like drunkards.

¹My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?

²Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.

³Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

⁴Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them.

⁵They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced.

⁶But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all!

⁷Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying,

⁸“Is this the one who relies on the LORD? Then let the LORD save him! If the LORD loves him so much, let the LORD rescue him!”

⁹Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.

¹⁰I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born.

¹¹Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me.

¹²My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!

¹³Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey.

¹⁴My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me.

¹⁵My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.

¹⁶My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet.

¹⁷I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at me and gloat.

¹⁸They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing.

¹⁹O LORD, do not stay far away! You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!

²⁰Save me from the sword; spare my precious life from these dogs.

²¹Snatch me from the lion’s jaws and from the horns of these wild oxen.

²²I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people.

²³Praise the LORD, all you who fear him! Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!

²⁴For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help.

²⁵I will praise you in the great assembly. I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.

²⁶The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the LORD will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.

²⁷The whole earth will acknowledge the LORD and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him.

²⁸For royal power belongs to the LORD. He rules all the nations.

²⁹Let the rich of the earth feast and worship. Bow before him, all who are mortal, all whose lives will end as dust.

³⁰Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.

³¹His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done.

¹To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.

²The LORD approves of those who are good, but he condemns those who plan wickedness.

³Wickedness never brings stability, but the godly have deep roots.

⁴A worthy wife is a crown for her husband, but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones.

⁵The plans of the godly are just; the advice of the wicked is treacherous.

⁶The words of the wicked are like a murderous ambush, but the words of the godly save lives.

⁷The wicked die and disappear, but the family of the godly stands firm.

⁸A sensible person wins admiration, but a warped mind is despised.

⁹Better to be an ordinary person with a servant than to be self-important but have no food.

¹⁰The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.

¹¹A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.

¹²Thieves are jealous of each other’s loot, but the godly are well rooted and bear their own fruit.

¹³The wicked are trapped by their own words, but the godly escape such trouble.

¹⁴Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.

¹⁵Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.

¹⁶A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.

¹⁷An honest witness tells the truth; a false witness tells lies.

¹⁸Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.

¹⁹Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed.

²⁰Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil; joy fills hearts that are planning peace!

²¹No harm comes to the godly, but the wicked have their fill of trouble.

²²The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth.

²³The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness.

²⁴Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.

²⁵Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.

²⁶The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.

²⁷Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find.

²⁸The way of the godly leads to life; that path does not lead to death.

¹After Saul returned from fighting the Philistines, he was told that David had gone into the wilderness of En-gedi.

²So Saul chose 3,000 elite troops from all Israel and went to search for David and his men near the rocks of the wild goats.

³At the place where the road passes some sheepfolds, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. But as it happened, David and his men were hiding farther back in that very cave!

⁴“Now’s your opportunity!” David’s men whispered to him. “Today the LORD is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish.’” So David crept forward and cut off a piece of the hem of Saul’s robe.

⁵But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe.

⁶He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the LORD’s anointed one, for the LORD himself has chosen him.”

⁷So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul. After Saul had left the cave and gone on his way,

⁸David came out and shouted after him, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked around, David bowed low before him.

⁹Then he shouted to Saul, “Why do you listen to the people who say I am trying to harm you?

¹⁰This very day you can see with your own eyes it isn’t true. For the LORD placed you at my mercy back there in the cave. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, ‘I will never harm the king — he is the LORD’s anointed one.’

¹¹Look, my father, at what I have in my hand. It is a piece of the hem of your robe! I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. This proves that I am not trying to harm you and that I have not sinned against you, even though you have been hunting for me to kill me.

¹²“May the LORD judge between us. Perhaps the LORD will punish you for what you are trying to do to me, but I will never harm you.

¹³As that old proverb says, ‘From evil people come evil deeds.’ So you can be sure I will never harm you.

¹⁴Who is the king of Israel trying to catch anyway? Should he spend his time chasing one who is as worthless as a dead dog or a single flea?

¹⁵May the LORD therefore judge which of us is right and punish the guilty one. He is my advocate, and he will rescue me from your power!”

¹⁶When David had finished speaking, Saul called back, “Is that really you, my son David?” Then he began to cry.

¹⁷And he said to David, “You are a better man than I am, for you have repaid me good for evil.

¹⁸Yes, you have been amazingly kind to me today, for when the LORD put me in a place where you could have killed me, you didn’t do it.

¹⁹Who else would let his enemy get away when he had him in his power? May the LORD reward you well for the kindness you have shown me today.

²⁰And now I realize that you are surely going to be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will flourish under your rule.

²¹Now swear to me by the LORD that when that happens you will not kill my family and destroy my line of descendants!”

²²So David promised this to Saul with an oath. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went back to their stronghold.

¹“Run for your lives, you people of Benjamin! Get out of Jerusalem! Sound the alarm in Tekoa! Send up a signal at Beth-hakkerem! A powerful army is coming from the north, coming with disaster and destruction.

²O Jerusalem, you are my beautiful and delicate daughter — but I will destroy you!

³Enemies will surround you, like shepherds camped around the city. Each chooses a place for his troops to devour.

⁴They shout, ‘Prepare for battle! Attack at noon!’ ‘No, it’s too late; the day is fading, and the evening shadows are falling.’

⁵‘Well then, let’s attack at night and destroy her palaces!’”

⁶This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: “Cut down the trees for battering rams. Build siege ramps against the walls of Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished, for she is wicked through and through.

⁷She spouts evil like a fountain. Her streets echo with the sounds of violence and destruction. I always see her sickness and sores.

⁸Listen to this warning, Jerusalem, or I will turn from you in disgust. Listen, or I will turn you into a heap of ruins, a land where no one lives.”

⁹This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: “Even the few who remain in Israel will be picked over again, as when a harvester checks each vine a second time to pick the grapes that were missed.”

¹⁰To whom can I give warning? Who will listen when I speak? Their ears are closed, and they cannot hear. They scorn the word of the LORD. They don’t want to listen at all.

¹¹So now I am filled with the LORD’s fury. Yes, I am tired of holding it in! “I will pour out my fury on children playing in the streets and on gatherings of young men, on husbands and wives and on those who are old and gray.

¹²Their homes will be turned over to their enemies, as will their fields and their wives. For I will raise my powerful fist against the people of this land,” says the LORD.

¹³“From the least to the greatest, their lives are ruled by greed. From prophets to priests, they are all frauds.

¹⁴They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace.

¹⁵Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions? Not at all — they don’t even know how to blush! Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered. They will be brought down when I punish them,” says the LORD.

¹⁶This is what the LORD says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’

¹⁷I posted watchmen over you who said, ‘Listen for the sound of the alarm.’ But you replied, ‘No! We won’t pay attention!’

¹⁸“Therefore, listen to this, all you nations. Take note of my people’s situation.

¹⁹Listen, all the earth! I will bring disaster on my people. It is the fruit of their own schemes, because they refuse to listen to me. They have rejected my word.

²⁰There’s no use offering me sweet frankincense from Sheba. Keep your fragrant calamus imported from distant lands! I will not accept your burnt offerings. Your sacrifices have no pleasing aroma for me.”

²¹Therefore, this is what the LORD says: “I will put obstacles in my people’s path. Fathers and sons will both fall over them. Neighbors and friends will die together.”

²²This is what the LORD says: “Look! A great army coming from the north! A great nation is rising against you from far-off lands.

²³They are armed with bows and spears. They are cruel and show no mercy. They sound like a roaring sea as they ride forward on horses. They are coming in battle formation, planning to destroy you, beautiful Jerusalem. ”

²⁴We have heard reports about the enemy, and we wring our hands in fright. Pangs of anguish have gripped us, like those of a woman in labor.

²⁵Don’t go out to the fields! Don’t travel on the roads! The enemy’s sword is everywhere and terrorizes us at every turn!

²⁶Oh, my people, dress yourselves in burlap and sit among the ashes. Mourn and weep bitterly, as for the loss of an only son. For suddenly the destroying armies will be upon you!

²⁷“Jeremiah, I have made you a tester of metals, that you may determine the quality of my people.

²⁸They are the worst kind of rebel, full of slander. They are as hard as bronze and iron, and they lead others into corruption.

²⁹The bellows fiercely fan the flames to burn out the corruption. But it does not purify them, for the wickedness remains.

³⁰I will label them ‘Rejected Silver,’ for I, the LORD, am discarding them.”

¹The same thing happened in Iconium. Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers.

²Some of the Jews, however, spurned God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas.

³But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders.

⁴But the people of the town were divided in their opinion about them. Some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles.

⁵Then a mob of Gentiles and Jews, along with their leaders, decided to attack and stone them.

⁶When the apostles learned of it, they fled to the region of Lycaonia — to the towns of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding area.

⁷And there they preached the Good News.

⁸While they were at Lystra, Paul and Barnabas came upon a man with crippled feet. He had been that way from birth, so he had never walked. He was sitting

⁹and listening as Paul preached. Looking straight at him, Paul realized he had faith to be healed.

¹⁰So Paul called to him in a loud voice, “Stand up!” And the man jumped to his feet and started walking.

¹¹When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in their local dialect, “These men are gods in human form!”

¹²They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Zeus and that Paul was Hermes, since he was the chief speaker.

¹³Now the temple of Zeus was located just outside the town. So the priest of the temple and the crowd brought bulls and wreaths of flowers to the town gates, and they prepared to offer sacrifices to the apostles.

¹⁴But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting,

¹⁵“Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings — just like you! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.

¹⁶In the past he permitted all the nations to go their own ways,

¹⁷but he never left them without evidence of himself and his goodness. For instance, he sends you rain and good crops and gives you food and joyful hearts.”

¹⁸But even with these words, Paul and Barnabas could scarcely restrain the people from sacrificing to them.

¹⁹Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowds to their side. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead.

²⁰But as the believers gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

²¹After preaching the Good News in Derbe and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia,

²²where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.

²³Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.

²⁴Then they traveled back through Pisidia to Pamphylia.

²⁵They preached the word in Perga, then went down to Attalia.

²⁶Finally, they returned by ship to Antioch of Syria, where their journey had begun. The believers there had entrusted them to the grace of God to do the work they had now completed.

²⁷Upon arriving in Antioch, they called the church together and reported everything God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, too.

²⁸And they stayed there with the believers for a long time.