Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting!

²It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin.

³So watch yourselves! “If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive.

⁴Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”

⁵The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.”

⁶The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!

⁷“When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’?

⁸No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’

⁹And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not.

¹⁰In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”

¹¹As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria.

¹²As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance,

¹³crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

¹⁴He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

¹⁵One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!”

¹⁶He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.

¹⁷Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?

¹⁸Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”

¹⁹And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you. ”

²⁰One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs.

²¹You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you. ”

²²Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see the day when the Son of Man returns, but you won’t see it.

²³People will tell you, ‘Look, there is the Son of Man,’ or ‘Here he is,’ but don’t go out and follow them.

²⁴For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes.

²⁵But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation.

²⁶“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day.

²⁷In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.

²⁸“And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business — eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building —

²⁹until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

³⁰Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

³¹On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home.

³²Remember what happened to Lot’s wife!

³³If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.

³⁴That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left.

³⁵Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. ”

³⁶

³⁷“Where will this happen, Lord?” the disciples asked. Jesus replied, “Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.”

¹By now Balaam realized that the LORD was determined to bless Israel, so he did not resort to divination as before. Instead, he turned and looked out toward the wilderness,

²where he saw the people of Israel camped, tribe by tribe. Then the Spirit of God came upon him,

³and this is the message he delivered: “This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the message of the man whose eyes see clearly,

⁴the message of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

⁵How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob; how lovely are your homes, O Israel!

⁶They spread before me like palm groves, like gardens by the riverside. They are like tall trees planted by the LORD, like cedars beside the waters.

⁷Water will flow from their buckets; their offspring have all they need. Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted.

⁸God brought them out of Egypt; for them he is as strong as a wild ox. He devours all the nations that oppose him, breaking their bones in pieces, shooting them with arrows.

⁹Like a lion, Israel crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to arouse her? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel, and cursed is everyone who curses you.”

¹⁰King Balak flew into a rage against Balaam. He angrily clapped his hands and shouted, “I called you to curse my enemies! Instead, you have blessed them three times.

¹¹Now get out of here! Go back home! I promised to reward you richly, but the LORD has kept you from your reward.”

¹²Balaam told Balak, “Don’t you remember what I told your messengers? I said,

¹³‘Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the LORD.’ I told you that I could say only what the LORD says!

¹⁴Now I am returning to my own people. But first let me tell you what the Israelites will do to your people in the future.”

¹⁵This is the message Balaam delivered: “This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the message of the man whose eyes see clearly,

¹⁶the message of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

¹⁷I see him, but not here and now. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel. It will crush the heads of Moab’s people, cracking the skulls of the people of Sheth.

¹⁸Edom will be taken over, and Seir, its enemy, will be conquered, while Israel marches on in triumph.

¹⁹A ruler will rise in Jacob who will destroy the survivors of Ir.”

²⁰Then Balaam looked over toward the people of Amalek and delivered this message: “Amalek was the greatest of nations, but its destiny is destruction!”

²¹Then he looked over toward the Kenites and delivered this message: “Your home is secure; your nest is set in the rocks.

²²But the Kenites will be destroyed when Assyria takes you captive.”

²³Balaam concluded his messages by saying: “Alas, who can survive unless God has willed it?

²⁴Ships will come from the coasts of Cyprus ; they will oppress Assyria and afflict Eber, but they, too, will be utterly destroyed.”

²⁵Then Balaam left and returned home, and Balak also went on his way.

¹I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea.

²Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.

³Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus.

⁴In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches.

⁵Also give my greetings to the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person from the province of Asia to become a follower of Christ.

⁶Give my greetings to Mary, who has worked so hard for your benefit.

⁷Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did.

⁸Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.

⁹Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.

¹⁰Greet Apelles, a good man whom Christ approves. And give my greetings to the believers from the household of Aristobulus.

¹¹Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet the Lord’s people from the household of Narcissus.

¹²Give my greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa, the Lord’s workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for the Lord.

¹³Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me.

¹⁴Give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who meet with them.

¹⁵Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas and all the believers who meet with them.

¹⁶Greet each other with a sacred kiss. All the churches of Christ send you their greetings.

¹⁷And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them.

¹⁸Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people.

¹⁹But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong.

²⁰The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

²¹Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you his greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.

²²I, Tertius, the one writing this letter for Paul, send my greetings, too, as one of the Lord’s followers.

²³Gaius says hello to you. He is my host and also serves as host to the whole church. Erastus, the city treasurer, sends you his greetings, and so does our brother Quartus.

²⁴

²⁵Now all glory to God, who is able to make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time.

²⁶But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him.

²⁷All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.

¹Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

²“How long before you stop talking? Speak sense if you want us to answer!

³Do you think we are mere animals? Do you think we are stupid?

⁴You may tear out your hair in anger, but will that destroy the earth? Will it make the rocks tremble?

⁵“Surely the light of the wicked will be snuffed out. The sparks of their fire will not glow.

⁶The light in their tent will grow dark. The lamp hanging above them will be quenched.

⁷The confident stride of the wicked will be shortened. Their own schemes will be their downfall.

⁸The wicked walk into a net. They fall into a pit.

⁹A trap grabs them by the heel. A snare holds them tight.

¹⁰A noose lies hidden on the ground. A rope is stretched across their path.

¹¹“Terrors surround the wicked and trouble them at every step.

¹²Hunger depletes their strength, and calamity waits for them to stumble.

¹³Disease eats their skin; death devours their limbs.

¹⁴They are torn from the security of their homes and are brought down to the king of terrors.

¹⁵The homes of the wicked will burn down; burning sulfur rains on their houses.

¹⁶Their roots will dry up, and their branches will wither.

¹⁷All memory of their existence will fade from the earth; no one will remember their names.

¹⁸They will be thrust from light into darkness, driven from the world.

¹⁹They will have neither children nor grandchildren, nor any survivor in the place where they lived.

²⁰People in the west are appalled at their fate; people in the east are horrified.

²¹They will say, ‘This was the home of a wicked person, the place of one who rejected God.’”

¹I pray to you, O LORD, my rock. Do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you are silent, I might as well give up and die.

²Listen to my prayer for mercy as I cry out to you for help, as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary.

³Do not drag me away with the wicked — with those who do evil — those who speak friendly words to their neighbors while planning evil in their hearts.

⁴Give them the punishment they so richly deserve! Measure it out in proportion to their wickedness. Pay them back for all their evil deeds! Give them a taste of what they have done to others.

⁵They care nothing for what the LORD has done or for what his hands have made. So he will tear them down, and they will never be rebuilt!

⁶Praise the LORD! For he has heard my cry for mercy.

⁷The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

⁸The LORD gives his people strength. He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.

⁹Save your people! Bless Israel, your special possession. Lead them like a shepherd, and carry them in your arms forever.

¹Unfriendly people care only about themselves; they lash out at common sense.

²Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.

³Doing wrong leads to disgrace, and scandalous behavior brings contempt.

⁴Wise words are like deep waters; wisdom flows from the wise like a bubbling brook.

⁵It is not right to acquit the guilty or deny justice to the innocent.

⁶Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating.

⁷The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips.

⁸Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.

⁹A lazy person is as bad as someone who destroys things.

¹⁰The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.

¹¹The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety.

¹²Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor.

¹³Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.

¹⁴The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit?

¹⁵Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.

¹⁶Giving a gift can open doors; it gives access to important people!

¹⁷The first to speak in court sounds right — until the cross-examination begins.

¹⁸Flipping a coin can end arguments; it settles disputes between powerful opponents.

¹⁹An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.

²⁰Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction.

²¹The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.

²²The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the LORD.

²³The poor plead for mercy; the rich answer with insults.

²⁴There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.

¹Three days later, when David and his men arrived home at their town of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had made a raid into the Negev and Ziklag; they had crushed Ziklag and burned it to the ground.

²They had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone.

³When David and his men saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families,

⁴they wept until they could weep no more.

⁵David’s two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel, were among those captured.

⁶David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the LORD his God.

⁷Then he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod!” So Abiathar brought it.

⁸Then David asked the LORD, “Should I chase after this band of raiders? Will I catch them?” And the LORD told him, “Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!”

⁹So David and his 600 men set out, and they came to the brook Besor.

¹⁰But 200 of the men were too exhausted to cross the brook, so David continued the pursuit with 400 men.

¹¹Along the way they found an Egyptian man in a field and brought him to David. They gave him some bread to eat and water to drink.

¹²They also gave him part of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins, for he hadn’t had anything to eat or drink for three days and nights. Before long his strength returned.

¹³“To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?” David asked him. “I am an Egyptian — the slave of an Amalekite,” he replied. “My master abandoned me three days ago because I was sick.

¹⁴We were on our way back from raiding the Kerethites in the Negev, the territory of Judah, and the land of Caleb, and we had just burned Ziklag.”

¹⁵“Will you lead me to this band of raiders?” David asked. The young man replied, “If you take an oath in God’s name that you will not kill me or give me back to my master, then I will guide you to them.”

¹⁶So he led David to them, and they found the Amalekites spread out across the fields, eating and drinking and dancing with joy because of the vast amount of plunder they had taken from the Philistines and the land of Judah.

¹⁷David and his men rushed in among them and slaughtered them throughout that night and the entire next day until evening. None of the Amalekites escaped except 400 young men who fled on camels.

¹⁸David got back everything the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued his two wives.

¹⁹Nothing was missing: small or great, son or daughter, nor anything else that had been taken. David brought everything back.

²⁰He also recovered all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock. “This plunder belongs to David!” they said.

²¹Then David returned to the brook Besor and met up with the 200 men who had been left behind because they were too exhausted to go with him. They went out to meet David and his men, and David greeted them joyfully.

²²But some evil troublemakers among David’s men said, “They didn’t go with us, so they can’t have any of the plunder we recovered. Give them their wives and children, and tell them to be gone.”

²³But David said, “No, my brothers! Don’t be selfish with what the LORD has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us.

²⁴Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike — those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.”

²⁵From then on David made this a decree and regulation for Israel, and it is still followed today.

²⁶When he arrived at Ziklag, David sent part of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends. “Here is a present for you, taken from the LORD’s enemies,” he said.

²⁷The gifts were sent to the people of the following towns David had visited: Bethel, Ramoth-negev, Jattir,

²⁸Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,

²⁹Racal, the towns of the Jerahmeelites, the towns of the Kenites,

³⁰Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach,

³¹Hebron, and all the other places David and his men had visited.

¹LORD, you always give me justice when I bring a case before you. So let me bring you this complaint: Why are the wicked so prosperous? Why are evil people so happy?

²You have planted them, and they have taken root and prospered. Your name is on their lips, but you are far from their hearts.

³But as for me, LORD, you know my heart. You see me and test my thoughts. Drag these people away like sheep to be butchered! Set them aside to be slaughtered!

⁴How long must this land mourn? Even the grass in the fields has withered. The wild animals and birds have disappeared because of the evil in the land. For the people have said, “The LORD doesn’t see what’s ahead for us!”

⁵“If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?

⁶Even your brothers, members of your own family, have turned against you. They plot and raise complaints against you. Do not trust them, no matter how pleasantly they speak.

⁷“I have abandoned my people, my special possession. I have surrendered my dearest ones to their enemies.

⁸My chosen people have roared at me like a lion of the forest, so I have treated them with contempt.

⁹My chosen people act like speckled vultures, but they themselves are surrounded by vultures. Bring on the wild animals to pick their corpses clean!

¹⁰“Many rulers have ravaged my vineyard, trampling down the vines and turning all its beauty into a barren wilderness.

¹¹They have made it an empty wasteland; I hear its mournful cry. The whole land is desolate, and no one even cares.

¹²On all the bare hilltops, destroying armies can be seen. The sword of the LORD devours people from one end of the nation to the other. No one will escape!

¹³My people have planted wheat but are harvesting thorns. They have worn themselves out, but it has done them no good. They will harvest a crop of shame because of the fierce anger of the LORD.”

¹⁴Now this is what the LORD says: “I will uproot from their land all the evil nations reaching out for the possession I gave my people Israel. And I will uproot Judah from among them.

¹⁵But afterward I will return and have compassion on all of them. I will bring them home to their own lands again, each nation to its own possession.

¹⁶And if these nations truly learn the ways of my people, and if they learn to swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives’ (just as they taught my people to swear by the name of Baal), then they will be given a place among my people.

¹⁷But any nation who refuses to obey me will be uprooted and destroyed. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

¹When the uproar was over, Paul sent for the believers and encouraged them. Then he said good-bye and left for Macedonia.

²While there, he encouraged the believers in all the towns he passed through. Then he traveled down to Greece,

³where he stayed for three months. He was preparing to sail back to Syria when he discovered a plot by some Jews against his life, so he decided to return through Macedonia.

⁴Several men were traveling with him. They were Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea; Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica; Gaius from Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.

⁵They went on ahead and waited for us at Troas.

⁶After the Passover ended, we boarded a ship at Philippi in Macedonia and five days later joined them in Troas, where we stayed a week.

⁷On the first day of the week, we gathered with the local believers to share in the Lord’s Supper. Paul was preaching to them, and since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking until midnight.

⁸The upstairs room where we met was lighted with many flickering lamps.

⁹As Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, became very drowsy. Finally, he fell sound asleep and dropped three stories to his death below.

¹⁰Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s alive!”

¹¹Then they all went back upstairs, shared in the Lord’s Supper, and ate together. Paul continued talking to them until dawn, and then he left.

¹²Meanwhile, the young man was taken home alive and well, and everyone was greatly relieved.

¹³Paul went by land to Assos, where he had arranged for us to join him, while we traveled by ship.

¹⁴He joined us there, and we sailed together to Mitylene.

¹⁵The next day we sailed past the island of Kios. The following day we crossed to the island of Samos, and a day later we arrived at Miletus.

¹⁶Paul had decided to sail on past Ephesus, for he didn’t want to spend any more time in the province of Asia. He was hurrying to get to Jerusalem, if possible, in time for the Festival of Pentecost.

¹⁷But when we landed at Miletus, he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus, asking them to come and meet him.

¹⁸When they arrived he declared, “You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now

¹⁹I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews.

²⁰I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.

²¹I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike — the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.

²²“And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me,

²³except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead.

²⁴But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus — the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

²⁵“And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again.

²⁶I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault,

²⁷for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.

²⁸“So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock — his church, purchased with his own blood — over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.

²⁹I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock.

³⁰Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.

³¹Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you — my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you.

³²“And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.

³³“I have never coveted anyone’s silver or gold or fine clothes.

³⁴You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me.

³⁵And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

³⁶When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them.

³⁷They all cried as they embraced and kissed him good-bye.

³⁸They were sad most of all because he had said that they would never see him again. Then they escorted him down to the ship.