Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Again Jesus began to teach beside the sea [of Galilee]. And a very large crowd gathered around Him, so He got into a boat [anchoring it a short distance out] on the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore.

²And He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said to them,

³"Listen! A sower went out to sow seed;

⁴and as he was sowing, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and ate it up.

⁵Other seed fell on rocks where there was not much soil; and immediately a plant sprang up because the soil had no depth.

⁶And when the sun came up, the plant was scorched; and because it had no root, it dried up and withered away.

⁷Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.

⁸And other seed fell into good soil, and as the plants grew and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundred times [as much as had been sown]."

⁹And He said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words."

¹⁰As soon as He was alone, those who were around Him, together with the twelve [disciples], began asking Him about [the interpretation of] the parables.

¹¹He said to them, "The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you [who have teachable hearts], but those who are outside [the unbelievers, the spiritually blind] get everything in parables,

¹²so that they will continually look but not see, and they will continually hear but not understand, otherwise they might turn [from their rejection of the truth] and be forgiven."

¹³Then He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand and grasp the meaning of all the parables?

¹⁴The sower sows the word [of God, the good news regarding the way of salvation].

¹⁵These [in the first group] are the ones along the road where the word is sown; but when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.

¹⁶In a similar way these [in the second group] are the ones on whom seed was sown on rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy [but accept it only superficially];

¹⁷and they have no real root in themselves, so they endure only for a little while; then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they [are offended and displeased at being associated with Me and] stumble and fall away.

¹⁸And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,

¹⁹but the worries and cares of the world [the distractions of this age with its worldly pleasures], and the deceitfulness [and the false security or glamour] of wealth [or fame], and the passionate desires for all the other things creep in and choke out the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

²⁰And those [in the last group] are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word [of God, the good news regarding the way of salvation] and accept it and bear fruit—thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much [as was sown]."

²¹He said to them, "A lamp is not brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? Is it not [brought in] to be put on the lampstand?

²²For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been kept secret, but that it would come to light [that is, things are hidden only temporarily, until the appropriate time comes for them to be known].

²³If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words."

²⁴Then He said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear. By your own standard of measurement [that is, to the extent that you study spiritual truth and apply godly wisdom] it will be measured to you [and you will be given even greater ability to respond]—and more will be given to you besides.

²⁵For whoever has [a teachable heart], to him more [understanding] will be given; and whoever does not have [a yearning for truth], even what he has will be taken away from him."

²⁶Then He said, "The kingdom of God is like a man who throws seed on the ground;

²⁷and he goes to bed at night and gets up every day, and [in the meantime] the seed sprouts and grows; how [it does this], he does not know.

²⁸The earth produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head [of grain], then the mature grain in the head.

²⁹But when the crop ripens, he immediately puts in the sickle [to reap], because [the time for] the harvest has come."

³⁰And He said, "How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use to illustrate and explain it?

³¹It is like a mustard seed, which, when it is sown on the ground, even though it is smaller than all the [other] seeds that are [sown] on the soil,

³²yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden herbs; and it puts out large branches, so that the birds of the sky are able to make nests and live under its shade."

³³With many such parables, Jesus spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear and understand it;

³⁴and He did not say anything to them without [using] a parable; He did, however, explain everything privately to His own disciples.

³⁵On that [same] day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us go over to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee]."

³⁶So leaving the crowd, they took Him with them, just as He was, in the boat. And other boats were with Him.

³⁷And a fierce windstorm began to blow, and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already being swamped.

³⁸But Jesus was in the stern, asleep [with His head] on the [sailor's leather] cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are about to die?"

³⁹And He got up and [sternly] rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still (muzzled)!" And the wind died down [as if it had grown weary] and there was [at once] a great calm [a perfect peacefulness].

⁴⁰Jesus said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith and confidence [in Me]?"

⁴¹They were filled with great fear, and said to each other, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"

¹Then as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him [to reassure and protect him].

²When Jacob saw them, he said, "This is God's camp." So he named that place Mahanaim ( double camps).

³Then Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

⁴He commanded them, saying, "This is what to say to my lord Esau: 'Your servant Jacob says this, "I have been living temporarily with Laban, and have stayed there until now;

⁵I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants; and I have sent [this message] to tell my lord, so that I may find grace and kindness in your sight."'"

⁶The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him."

⁷Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps;

⁸and he said, "If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the other camp which is left will escape."

⁹Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD, who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your people, and I will make you prosper,'

¹⁰I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and compassion and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant. With only my staff [long ago] I crossed over this Jordan, and now I have become [blessed and increased into these] two groups [of people].

¹¹Save me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children.

¹²And You [LORD] said, 'I will certainly make you prosper and make your descendants as [numerous as] the sand of the sea, which is too great to be counted.'"

¹³So Jacob spent the night there. Then he selected a present for his brother Esau from the livestock he had acquired:

¹⁴two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes, twenty rams,

¹⁵thirty milking camels with their colts, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten [donkey] colts.

¹⁶He put them into the care of his servants, every herd by itself, and said to his servants, "Go on ahead of me, and put an interval [of space] between the individual herds."

¹⁷Then he commanded the one in front, saying, "When Esau my brother meets you and asks to whom you belong, and where you are going, and whose are the animals in front of you?

¹⁸then you shall say, 'They are your servant Jacob's; they are a gift sent to my lord Esau. And he also is behind us.'"

¹⁹And so Jacob commanded the second and the third as well, and all that followed the herds, saying, "This is what you shall say to Esau when you meet him;

²⁰and you shall say, 'Look, your servant Jacob is behind us.'" For he said [to himself], "I will try to appease him with the gift that is going ahead of me. Then afterward I will see him; perhaps he will accept and forgive me."

²¹So the gift [of the herds of livestock] went on ahead of him, and he himself spent that night back in the camp.

²²But he got up that same night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and waded over the ford of the Jabbok.

²³Then he took them and sent them across the brook. And he also sent across whatever he had.

²⁴So Jacob was left alone, and a Man [came and] wrestled with him until daybreak.

²⁵When the Man saw that He had not prevailed against Jacob, He touched his hip joint; and Jacob's hip was dislocated as he wrestled with Him.

²⁶Then He said, "Let Me go, for day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let You go unless You declare a blessing on me."

²⁷So He asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob."

²⁸And He said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed."

²⁹Then Jacob asked Him, "Please tell me Your name." But He said, "Why is it that you ask My name?" And He declared a blessing [of the covenant promises] on Jacob there.

³⁰So Jacob named the place Peniel (the face of God), saying, "For I have seen God face to face, yet my life has not been snatched away."

³¹Now the sun rose on him as he passed Penuel (Peniel), and he was limping because of his hip.

³²Therefore, to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because He touched the socket of Jacob's thigh by the tendon of the hip.

¹Now concerning the money collected for [the relief of] the saints [in Jerusalem], you are to do the same as I directed the churches of Galatia to do.

²On the first day of every week each one of you is to put something aside, in proportion to his prosperity, and save it so that no collections [will need to] be made when I come.

³When I arrive, I will send whomever you approve with letters [of authorization] to take your gift [of charity and love] to Jerusalem;

⁴and if it is fitting for me to go too, they will accompany me.

⁵I will visit you after I go through Macedonia, for I am only passing through Macedonia;

⁶but it may be that I will stay with you [for a while], or even spend the winter, so that you may send me on my way to wherever I may go afterward.

⁷For I do not wish to see you right now just in passing, but I hope to remain with you for some time [later on], if the Lord permits.

⁸But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost,

⁹because a wide door for effective service has opened to me [in Ephesus, a very promising opportunity], and there are many adversaries.

¹⁰If Timothy comes, see to it that [you put him at ease, so that] he has nothing to fear in regard to you, for he is [devotedly] doing the Lord's work, just as I am.

¹¹So allow no one to treat him with disdain [as if he were inconsequential]. But send him off [cordially, and speed him on his way] in peace, so that he may come to me, for I am expecting him [to come along] with the other brothers.

¹²As for our brother Apollos, I have strongly encouraged him to visit you with the other brothers. It was not at all his desire to come now, but he will come when he has the opportunity.

¹³Be on guard; stand firm in your faith [in God, respecting His precepts and keeping your doctrine sound]. Act like [mature] men and be courageous; be strong.

¹⁴Let everything you do be done in love [motivated and inspired by God's love for us].

¹⁵Brothers and sisters, you know that those of the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to God's people—now I urge you

¹⁶to be subject to such leaders [treating them with courtesy and respect], and to everyone who helps in the work and labors [for the benefit of yourselves and the church].

¹⁷I rejoice because Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus have arrived, for they have made up for your absence.

¹⁸They have refreshed my spirit as well as yours. So fully acknowledge such men and deeply appreciate them.

¹⁹The churches of Asia send you their greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church [that meets] in their house, send you their warm greetings in the Lord.

²⁰All the believers greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

²¹This greeting is in my own hand—Paul.

²²If anyone does not love the Lord [does not obey and respect and believe in Jesus Christ and His message], he is to be accursed. Maranatha (O our Lord, come)!

²³The grace of our Lord Jesus [His unmerited favor, His spiritual blessing, His profound mercy] be with you.

²⁴My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

¹Therefore, I strongly urge the elders among you [pastors, spiritual leaders of the church], as a fellow elder and as an eyewitness [called to testify] of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory that is to be revealed:

²shepherd and guide and protect the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not [motivated] for shameful gain, but with wholehearted enthusiasm;

³not lording it over those assigned to your care [do not be arrogant or overbearing], but be examples [of Christian living] to the flock [set a pattern of integrity for your congregation].

⁴And when the Chief Shepherd (Christ) appears, you will receive the [conqueror's] unfading crown of glory.

⁵Likewise, you younger men [of lesser rank and experience], be subject to your elders [seek their counsel]; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another [tie on the servant's apron], for God is opposed to the proud [the disdainful, the presumptuous, and He defeats them], but He gives grace to the humble.

⁶Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time,

⁷casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].

⁸Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.

⁹But resist him, be firm in your faith [against his attack—rooted, established, immovable], knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being experienced by your brothers and sisters throughout the world. [You do not suffer alone.]

¹⁰After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace [who imparts His blessing and favor], who called you to His own eternal glory in Christ, will Himself complete, confirm, strengthen, and establish you [making you what you ought to be].

¹¹To Him be dominion (power, authority, sovereignty) forever and ever. Amen.

¹²By Silvanus, our faithful brother (as I consider him), I have written to you briefly, to counsel and testify that this is the true grace [the undeserved favor] of God. Stand firm in it!

¹³She [the church] who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son [in the faith], Mark.

¹⁴Greet one another with a kiss of love. To all of you who are in Christ, may there be peace.

¹So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes [and could not be persuaded otherwise by them].

²But Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became indignant. His indignation was kindled and burned and he became upset with Job because he justified himself rather than God [and even expressed doubts about God's character].

³Elihu's anger burned against Job's three friends because they had found no answer [and were unable to determine Job's error], and yet they had condemned Job and declared him to be in the wrong [and responsible for his own afflictions].

⁴Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because the others were years older than he.

⁵And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouths of these three men, he burned with anger.

⁶Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite said, "I am young, and you are aged; For that reason I was anxious and dared not tell you what I think.

⁷"I thought age should speak, And a multitude of years should teach wisdom.

⁸"But there is [a vital force and] a spirit [of intelligence] in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.

⁹"Those [who are] abundant in years may not [always] be wise, Nor may the elders [always] understand justice.

¹⁰"Therefore I say, 'Listen to me; I also will give you my opinion [about Job's situation] and tell you plainly what I think.'

¹¹"You see, I waited for your words, I listened to your [wise] reasons, While you pondered and searched out what to say.

¹²"I even paid close attention to [what] you [said], Indeed, not one of you convinced Job [nor could you refute him], Not one of you supplied [satisfactory] answers to his words.

¹³"Beware if you say, 'We have found wisdom; God thrusts Job down [justly], not man [for God alone is dealing with him].'

¹⁴"Now Job has not directed his words against me [therefore I have no reason to be offended], Nor will I answer him with arguments like yours. [I speak for truth, not for revenge.]

¹⁵"They (Job's friends) are dismayed and embarrassed, they no longer answer; The words have moved away and failed them," [says Elihu].

¹⁶"And shall I wait, because they say nothing, But stand still and say no more?

¹⁷"I too will give my share of answers; I too will express my opinion and share my knowledge.

¹⁸"For I am full of words; The spirit within me constrains me.

¹⁹"My belly is like unvented wine; Like new wineskins it is about to burst.

²⁰"I must speak so that I may get relief; I will open my lips and answer.

²¹"I will not [I warn you] be partial to any man [that is, let my respect for you mitigate what I say]; Nor flatter any man.

²²"For I do not know how to flatter, [in an appropriate way, and I fear that], My Maker would soon take me away.

¹A Psalm of David. A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem. Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, favored by God] is he whose transgression is forgiven, And whose sin is covered.

²Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute wickedness, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

³When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all the day long.

⁴For day and night Your hand [of displeasure] was heavy upon me; My energy (vitality, strength) was drained away as with the burning heat of summer. Selah.

⁵I acknowledged my sin to You, And I did not hide my wickedness; I said, "I will confess [all] my transgressions to the LORD"; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.

⁶Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [for forgiveness] in a time when You [are near and] may be found; Surely when the great waters [of trial and distressing times] overflow they will not reach [the spirit in] him.

⁷You are my hiding place; You, LORD, protect me from trouble; You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance. Selah.

⁸I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you [who are willing to learn] with My eye upon you.

⁹Do not be like the horse or like the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bridle and rein to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you.

¹⁰Many are the sorrows of the wicked, But he who trusts in and relies on the LORD shall be surrounded with compassion and lovingkindness.

¹¹Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous [who actively seek right standing with Him]; Shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

¹The proverbs (truths obscurely expressed, maxims) of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

²To know [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction; To discern and comprehend the words of understanding and insight,

³To receive instruction in wise behavior and the discipline of wise thoughtfulness, Righteousness, justice, and integrity;

⁴That prudence (good judgment, astute common sense) may be given to the naive or inexperienced [who are easily misled], And knowledge and discretion (intelligent discernment) to the youth,

⁵The wise will hear and increase their learning, And the person of understanding will acquire wise counsel and the skill [to steer his course wisely and lead others to the truth],

⁶To understand a proverb and a figure [of speech] or an enigma with its interpretation, And the words of the wise and their riddles [that require reflection].

⁷The [reverent] fear of the LORD [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; But arrogant fools despise [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction and self-discipline.

⁸My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not reject the teaching of your mother.

⁹For they are a garland of grace on your head, And chains and ornaments [of gold] around your neck.

¹⁰My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.

¹¹If they say, "Come with us; Let us lie in wait to shed blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause;

¹²Let us swallow them alive like Sheol (the place of the dead), Even whole, as those who go down to the pit [of death];

¹³We will find and take all kinds of precious possessions, We will fill our houses with spoil;

¹⁴Throw in your lot with us [they insist]; We will all have one money bag [in common],"

¹⁵My son, do not walk on the road with them; Keep your foot [far] away from their path,

¹⁶For their feet run to evil, And they hurry to shed blood.

¹⁷Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird;

¹⁸But [when these people set a trap for others] they lie in wait for their own blood; They set an ambush for their own lives [and rush to their destruction].

¹⁹So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; Greed takes away the lives of its possessors.

²⁰Wisdom shouts in the street, She raises her voice in the markets;

²¹She calls out at the head of the noisy streets [where large crowds gather]; At the entrance of the city gates she speaks her words:

²²"How long, O naive ones [you who are easily misled], will you love being simple-minded and undiscerning? How long will scoffers [who ridicule and deride] delight in scoffing, How long will fools [who obstinately mock truth] hate knowledge?

²³"If you will turn and pay attention to my rebuke, Behold, I [Wisdom] will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.

²⁴"Because I called and you refused [to answer], I stretched out my hand and no one has paid attention [to my offer];

²⁵And you treated all my counsel as nothing And would not accept my reprimand,

²⁶I also will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when your dread and panic come,

²⁷When your dread and panic come like a storm, And your disaster comes like a whirlwind, When anxiety and distress come upon you [as retribution].

²⁸"Then they will call upon me (Wisdom), but I will not answer; They will seek me eagerly but they will not find me,

²⁹Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD [that is, obeying Him with reverence and awe-filled respect],

³⁰They would not accept my counsel, And they spurned all my rebuke.

³¹"Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own [wicked] way And be satiated with [the penalty of] their own devices.

³²"For the turning away of the naive will kill them, And the careless ease of [self-righteous] fools will destroy them.

³³"But whoever listens to me (Wisdom) will live securely and in confident trust And will be at ease, without fear or dread of evil."

¹And the men of [the tribe of] Ephraim said to Gideon, "What is this thing that you have done to us, not calling us when you went to fight with Midian?" And they quarreled with him vehemently.

²But he said to them, "What have I done now [that is so significant] in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning (leftovers) of the grapes of [your tribe of] Ephraim better than the vintage (entire harvest) of [my clan of] Abiezer?

³God has given the leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb into your hands; and what was I able to do in comparison with you?" Then their anger toward him subsided when he made this statement.

⁴So Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over [the river], he and the three hundred men who were with him—exhausted, yet [still] pursuing [the enemy].

⁵He said to the men of Succoth, "Please give loaves of bread to the people who are following me since they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian."

⁶But the leaders of Succoth said, "Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hands, that we should give bread to your army?"

⁷Gideon said, "For that [response], when the LORD has handed over Zebah and Zalmunna to me, I will thrash your bodies with the thorns and briars of the wilderness."

⁸He went from there up to Penuel and spoke similarly to them; and the men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth had answered.

⁹So Gideon said also to the men of Penuel, "When I come again in peace, I will tear down this tower."

¹⁰Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their armies, about fifteen thousand [fighting] men, all who were left of the entire army of the sons of the east; for a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen.

¹¹Gideon went up by the route of those who lived in tents to the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their camp when the camp was unsuspecting.

¹²When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and terrified the entire army.

¹³Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres.

¹⁴He captured a young man of Succoth and questioned him. And the youth wrote down for him [the names of] the leaders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.

¹⁵He came to the men of Succoth and said, "Look here, Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, 'Are Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are exhausted?'"

¹⁶He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briars, and with them he punished the men of Succoth.

¹⁷He tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

¹⁸Then Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?" And they replied, "They were like you, each one of them resembled the son of a king."

¹⁹He said, "They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the LORD lives, if only you had let them live, I would not kill you."

²⁰So [to humiliate them] Gideon said to Jether his firstborn, "Stand up, and kill them!" But the youth did not draw his sword, because he was afraid, for he was still [just] a boy.

²¹Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Rise up yourself and strike us; for as the man is, so is his strength." So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent amulets that were on their camels' necks.

²²Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, "Rule [as king] over us, both you and your son, also your son's son, for you have rescued us from the hand of Midian."

²³But Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you."

²⁴And Gideon said to them, "I would make a request of you, that each one of you give me an earring from his spoil." For the Midianites had gold earrings, because they were Ishmaelites [who customarily wore them].

²⁵They answered, "We will certainly give them to you." And they spread out a garment, and every one of them threw an earring there from his spoil.

²⁶And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was seventeen hundred shekels of gold, apart from the crescent amulets and pendants and the purple garments which were worn by the kings of Midian, and apart from the chains that were on their camels' necks.

²⁷Gideon made [all the golden earrings into] an ephod [a sacred, high priest's garment], and put it in his city of Ophrah, and all Israel worshiped it as an idol there, and it became a trap for Gideon and his household.

²⁸So Midian was subdued and humbled before the sons of Israel, and they no longer lifted up their heads [in pride]. And the land was at rest for forty years in the days of Gideon.

²⁹Jerubbaal (Gideon) the son of Joash went and lived in his own house.

³⁰Now Gideon had seventy sons born to him, because he had many wives.

³¹And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelech.

³²Gideon the son of Joash died at a good advanced age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

³³Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the Israelites again played the prostitute with the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god.

³⁴And the Israelites did not remember the LORD their God, who had rescued them from the hand of all their enemies on every side;

³⁵nor did they show kindness to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done for Israel.

¹Behold, a King will reign in righteousness, And princes will rule with justice.

²Each [one of them] will be like a hiding place from the wind And a shelter from the storm, Like streams of water in a dry land, Like the shade of a huge rock in a parched and weary land [to those who turn to them].

³Then the eyes of those who see will not be blinded, And the ears of those who hear will listen attentively.

⁴The heart (mind) of those who act impulsively will discern the truth, And the tongue of the stammerers will hurry to speak clearly.

⁵The fool (the good-for-nothing) will no longer be called noble, Nor the rogue said to be generous.

⁶For the fool speaks nonsense, And his heart (mind) plans wickedness: To practice ungodliness and to speak error concerning the LORD, To keep the craving of the hungry unsatisfied And to deprive the thirsty of drink.

⁷As for the rogue, his weapons are evil; He conceives wicked plans To ruin the poor with lies, Even when the plea of the needy one is just and right.

⁸But the noble man conceives noble and magnificent things; And he stands by what is noble and magnificent.

⁹Rise up, you women who are carefree, And hear my voice, You confident and unsuspecting daughters! Listen to what I am saying.

¹⁰In little more than a year You will tremble [with anxiety], you unsuspecting and complacent women; For the vintage has ended, And the harvest will not come.

¹¹Tremble, you women who are carefree; Tremble with fear, you complacent ones! Strip, undress and wear sackcloth on your waist [in grief],

¹²Beat your breasts [in mourning] for the beautiful fields, for the fruitful vine,

¹³For the land of my people growing over with thorns and briars— Yes, [mourn] for all the houses of joy in the joyous city.

¹⁴For the palace has been abandoned, the populated city deserted; The hill [of the city] and the watchtower have become caves [for wild animals] forever, A delight for wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks,

¹⁵Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fertile field, And the fertile field is valued as a forest.

¹⁶Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, And righteousness will live in the fertile field.

¹⁷And the effect of righteousness will be peace, And the result of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever.

¹⁸Then my people will live in a peaceful surrounding, And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places.

¹⁹But it will hail, when the forest comes down, And the [capital] city will fall in utter humiliation.

²⁰Blessed (happy, fortunate) are you who cast your seed upon all waters [ when the river overflows its banks and irrigates the land], You who allow the ox and the donkey to roam freely.

¹And while Peter and John were talking to the people, the priests and the captain [who was in charge of the temple area and] of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,

²being extremely disturbed and thoroughly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in [the case of] Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

³So they arrested them and put them in jail until the next day, because it was evening.

⁴But many of those who heard the message [of salvation] believed [in Jesus and accepted Him as the Christ]. And the number of the men came to be about 5,000.

⁵On the next day, their magistrates and elders and scribes (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) were gathered together in Jerusalem;

⁶and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all others who were of high-priestly descent.

⁷When they had put the men in front of them, they repeatedly asked, "By what sort of power, or in what name [that is, by what kind of authority], did you do this [healing]?"

⁸Then Peter, filled with [the power of] the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers and elders of the people [members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Court],

⁹if we are being put on trial today [to interrogate us] for a good deed done to [benefit] a disabled man, as to how this man has been restored to health,

¹⁰let it be known and clearly understood by all of you, and by all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you [demanded be] crucified [by the Romans and], whom God raised from the dead—in this name [that is, by the authority and power of Jesus] this man stands here before you in good health.

¹¹This Jesus is the stone which was despised and rejected by you, the builders, but which became thechief Cornerstone.

¹²And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among people by which we must be saved [for God has provided the world no alternative for salvation]."

¹³Now when the men of the Sanhedrin (Jewish High Court) saw the confidence and boldness of Peter and John, and grasped the fact that they were uneducated and untrained [ordinary] men, they were astounded, and began to recognize that they had been with Jesus.

¹⁴And seeing the man who had been healed standing there with them, they had nothing to say in reply.

¹⁵But after ordering them to step out of the Council [chamber], they began to confer among themselves,

¹⁶saying, "What are we to do with these men? For the fact that an extraordinary miracle has taken place through them is public knowledge and clearly evident to all the residents of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

¹⁷But to keep it from spreading further among the people and the nation, let us [sternly] warn them not to speak again to anyone in this name."

¹⁸So they sent for them, and commanded them not to speak [as His representatives] or teach at all in the name of Jesus [using Him as their authority].

¹⁹But Peter and John replied to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you and obey you rather than God, you must judge [for yourselves];

²⁰for we, on our part, cannot stop telling [people] about what we have seen and heard."

²¹When the rulers and Council members had threatened them further, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because [of their fear] of the people, for they were all praising and glorifying and honoring God for what had happened;

²²for the man to whom this sign (attesting miracle) of healing had happened was more than forty years old.

²³After Peter and John were released, they returned to their own [people] and reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them.

²⁴And when they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, "O Sovereign Lord [having complete power and authority], it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them,

²⁵who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David, Your servant, said, 'Why did the nations (Gentiles) become arrogant and rage, And the peoples devise futile things [against the Lord]?

²⁶'The kings of the earth took their stand [to attack], And the rulers were assembled together Against the Lord and against His Anointed (the Christ, the Messiah).'

²⁷For in this city there were gathered together against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,

²⁸to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined [before the creation of the world] to occur [and so without knowing it, they served Your own purpose].

²⁹And now, Lord, observe their threats [take them into account] and grant that Your bond-servants may declare Your message [of salvation] with great confidence,

³⁰while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders (attesting miracles) take place through the name [and the authority and power] of Your holy Servant and Son Jesus."

³¹And when they had prayed, the place where they were meeting together was shaken [a sign of God's presence]; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness and courage.

³²Now the company of believers was of one heart and soul, and not one [of them] claimed that anything belonging to him was [exclusively] his own, but everything was common property and for the use of all.

³³And with great ability and power the apostles were continuously testifying to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace [God's remarkable lovingkindness and favor and goodwill] rested richly upon them all.

³⁴There was not a needy person among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them, and bringing the proceeds of the sales

³⁵and placing the money down at the apostles' feet. Then it was distributed to each as anyone had need.

³⁶Now Joseph, a Levite and native of Cyprus, who was surnamed Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement),

³⁷sold a field belonging to him and brought the money and set it at the apostles' feet.