Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him.

²They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”

³“Let me ask you a question first,” he replied.

⁴“Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”

⁵They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John.

⁶But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.”

⁷So they finally replied that they didn’t know.

⁸And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”

⁹Now Jesus turned to the people again and told them this story: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and moved to another country to live for several years.

¹⁰At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers attacked the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed.

¹¹So the owner sent another servant, but they also insulted him, beat him up, and sent him away empty-handed.

¹²A third man was sent, and they wounded him and chased him away.

¹³“‘What will I do?’ the owner asked himself. ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.’

¹⁴“But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they said to each other, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’

¹⁵So they dragged him out of the vineyard and murdered him. “What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do to them?” Jesus asked.

¹⁶“I’ll tell you — he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.” “How terrible that such a thing should ever happen,” his listeners protested.

¹⁷Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture mean? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’

¹⁸Everyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”

¹⁹The teachers of religious law and the leading priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling the story against them — they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the people’s reaction.

²⁰Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus.

²¹“Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully.

²²Now tell us — is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

²³He saw through their trickery and said,

²⁴“Show me a Roman coin. Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied.

²⁵“Well then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

²⁶So they failed to trap him by what he said in front of the people. Instead, they were amazed by his answer, and they became silent.

²⁷Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees — religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead.

²⁸They posed this question: “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name.

²⁹Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children.

³⁰So the second brother married the widow, but he also died.

³¹Then the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them, who died without children.

³²Finally, the woman also died.

³³So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her!”

³⁴Jesus replied, “Marriage is for people here on earth.

³⁵But in the age to come, those worthy of being raised from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.

³⁶And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection.

³⁷“But now, as to whether the dead will be raised — even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, he referred to the Lord as ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’

³⁸So he is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him.”

³⁹“Well said, Teacher!” remarked some of the teachers of religious law who were standing there.

⁴⁰And then no one dared to ask him any more questions.

⁴¹Then Jesus presented them with a question. “Why is it,” he asked, “that the Messiah is said to be the son of David?

⁴²For David himself wrote in the book of Psalms: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at my right hand

⁴³until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.’

⁴⁴Since David called the Messiah ‘Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?”

⁴⁵Then, with the crowds listening, he turned to his disciples and said,

⁴⁶“Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets.

⁴⁷Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be severely punished.”

¹One day a petition was presented by the daughters of Zelophehad — Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. Their father, Zelophehad, was a descendant of Hepher son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph.

²These women stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the tribal leaders, and the entire community at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

³“Our father died in the wilderness,” they said. “He was not among Korah’s followers, who rebelled against the LORD; he died because of his own sin. But he had no sons.

⁴Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan just because he had no sons? Give us property along with the rest of our relatives.”

⁵So Moses brought their case before the LORD.

⁶And the LORD replied to Moses,

⁷“The claim of the daughters of Zelophehad is legitimate. You must give them a grant of land along with their father’s relatives. Assign them the property that would have been given to their father.

⁸“And give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If a man dies and has no son, then give his inheritance to his daughters.

⁹And if he has no daughter either, transfer his inheritance to his brothers.

¹⁰If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers.

¹¹But if his father has no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan. This is a legal requirement for the people of Israel, just as the LORD commanded Moses.”

¹²One day the LORD said to Moses, “Climb one of the mountains east of the river, and look out over the land I have given the people of Israel.

¹³After you have seen it, you will die like your brother, Aaron,

¹⁴for you both rebelled against my instructions in the wilderness of Zin. When the people of Israel rebelled, you failed to demonstrate my holiness to them at the waters.” (These are the waters of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

¹⁵Then Moses said to the LORD,

¹⁶“O LORD, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community.

¹⁷Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the LORD will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

¹⁸The LORD replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him.

¹⁹Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people.

²⁰Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him.

²¹When direction from the LORD is needed, Joshua will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will use the Urim — one of the sacred lots cast before the LORD — to determine his will. This is how Joshua and the rest of the community of Israel will determine everything they should do.”

²²So Moses did as the LORD commanded. He presented Joshua to Eleazar the priest and the whole community.

²³Moses laid his hands on him and commissioned him to lead the people, just as the LORD had commanded through Moses.

¹Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ.

²I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,

³for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?

⁴When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?

⁵After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.

⁶I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.

⁷It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.

⁸The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.

⁹For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.

¹⁰Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.

¹¹For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have — Jesus Christ.

¹²Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials — gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.

¹³But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.

¹⁴If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.

¹⁵But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.

¹⁶Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?

¹⁷God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

¹⁸Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.

¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.”

²⁰And again, “The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise; he knows they are worthless.”

²¹So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you —

²²whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you,

²³and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

¹Then Job spoke again:

²“Listen closely to what I am saying. That’s one consolation you can give me.

³Bear with me, and let me speak. After I have spoken, you may resume mocking me.

⁴“My complaint is with God, not with people. I have good reason to be so impatient.

⁵Look at me and be stunned. Put your hand over your mouth in shock.

⁶When I think about what I am saying, I shudder. My body trembles.

⁷“Why do the wicked prosper, growing old and powerful?

⁸They live to see their children grow up and settle down, and they enjoy their grandchildren.

⁹Their homes are safe from every fear, and God does not punish them.

¹⁰Their bulls never fail to breed. Their cows bear calves and never miscarry.

¹¹They let their children frisk about like lambs. Their little ones skip and dance.

¹²They sing with tambourine and harp. They celebrate to the sound of the flute.

¹³They spend their days in prosperity, then go down to the grave in peace.

¹⁴And yet they say to God, ‘Go away. We want no part of you and your ways.

¹⁵Who is the Almighty, and why should we obey him? What good will it do us to pray?’

¹⁶(They think their prosperity is of their own doing, but I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.)

¹⁷“Yet the light of the wicked never seems to be extinguished. Do they ever have trouble? Does God distribute sorrows to them in anger?

¹⁸Are they driven before the wind like straw? Are they carried away by the storm like chaff? Not at all!

¹⁹“‘Well,’ you say, ‘at least God will punish their children!’ But I say he should punish the ones who sin, so that they understand his judgment.

²⁰Let them see their destruction with their own eyes. Let them drink deeply of the anger of the Almighty.

²¹For they will not care what happens to their family after they are dead.

²²“But who can teach a lesson to God, since he judges even the most powerful?

²³One person dies in prosperity, completely comfortable and secure,

²⁴the picture of good health, vigorous and fit.

²⁵Another person dies in bitter poverty, never having tasted the good life.

²⁶But both are buried in the same dust, both eaten by the same maggots.

²⁷“Look, I know what you’re thinking. I know the schemes you plot against me.

²⁸You will tell me of rich and wicked people whose houses have vanished because of their sins.

²⁹But ask those who have been around, and they will tell you the truth.

³⁰Evil people are spared in times of calamity and are allowed to escape disaster.

³¹No one criticizes them openly or pays them back for what they have done.

³²When they are carried to the grave, an honor guard keeps watch at their tomb.

³³A great funeral procession goes to the cemetery. Many pay their respects as the body is laid to rest, and the earth gives sweet repose.

³⁴“How can your empty clichés comfort me? All your explanations are lies!”

¹O LORD, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced. Save me, for you do what is right.

²Turn your ear to listen to me; rescue me quickly. Be my rock of protection, a fortress where I will be safe.

³You are my rock and my fortress. For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger.

⁴Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me, for I find protection in you alone.

⁵I entrust my spirit into your hand. Rescue me, LORD, for you are a faithful God.

⁶I hate those who worship worthless idols. I trust in the LORD.

⁷I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul.

⁸You have not handed me over to my enemies but have set me in a safe place.

⁹Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am in distress. Tears blur my eyes. My body and soul are withering away.

¹⁰I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness. Sin has drained my strength; I am wasting away from within.

¹¹I am scorned by all my enemies and despised by my neighbors — even my friends are afraid to come near me. When they see me on the street, they run the other way.

¹²I am ignored as if I were dead, as if I were a broken pot.

¹³I have heard the many rumors about me, and I am surrounded by terror. My enemies conspire against me, plotting to take my life.

¹⁴But I am trusting you, O LORD, saying, “You are my God!”

¹⁵My future is in your hands. Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.

¹⁶Let your favor shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, rescue me.

¹⁷Don’t let me be disgraced, O LORD, for I call out to you for help. Let the wicked be disgraced; let them lie silent in the grave.

¹⁸Silence their lying lips — those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the godly.

¹⁹How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.

²⁰You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues.

²¹Praise the LORD, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack.

²²In panic I cried out, “I am cut off from the LORD!” But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help.

²³Love the LORD, all you godly ones! For the LORD protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes the arrogant.

²⁴So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the LORD!

¹The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases.

²People may be right in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their heart.

³The LORD is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices.

⁴Haughty eyes, a proud heart, and evil actions are all sin.

⁵Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

⁶Wealth created by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap.

⁷The violence of the wicked sweeps them away, because they refuse to do what is just.

⁸The guilty walk a crooked path; the innocent travel a straight road.

⁹It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.

¹⁰Evil people desire evil; their neighbors get no mercy from them.

¹¹If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded become wise; if you instruct the wise, they will be all the wiser.

¹²The Righteous One knows what is going on in the homes of the wicked; he will bring disaster on them.

¹³Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.

¹⁴A secret gift calms anger; a bribe under the table pacifies fury.

¹⁵Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.

¹⁶The person who strays from common sense will end up in the company of the dead.

¹⁷Those who love pleasure become poor; those who love wine and luxury will never be rich.

¹⁸The wicked are punished in place of the godly, and traitors in place of the honest.

¹⁹It’s better to live alone in the desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife.

²⁰The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.

²¹Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.

²²The wise conquer the city of the strong and level the fortress in which they trust.

²³Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.

²⁴Mockers are proud and haughty; they act with boundless arrogance.

²⁵Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin, for their hands refuse to work.

²⁶Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give!

²⁷The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable, especially when it is offered with wrong motives.

²⁸A false witness will be cut off, but a credible witness will be allowed to speak.

²⁹The wicked bluff their way through, but the virtuous think before they act.

³⁰No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the LORD.

³¹The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.

¹After this, David asked the LORD, “Should I move back to one of the towns of Judah?” “Yes,” the LORD replied. Then David asked, “Which town should I go to?” “To Hebron,” the LORD answered.

²David’s two wives were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. So David and his wives

³and his men and their families all moved to Judah, and they settled in the villages near Hebron.

⁴Then the men of Judah came to David and anointed him king over the people of Judah. When David heard that the men of Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul,

⁵he sent them this message: “May the LORD bless you for being so loyal to your master Saul and giving him a decent burial.

⁶May the LORD be loyal to you in return and reward you with his unfailing love! And I, too, will reward you for what you have done.

⁷Now that Saul is dead, I ask you to be my strong and loyal subjects like the people of Judah, who have anointed me as their new king.”

⁸But Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had already gone to Mahanaim with Saul’s son Ishbosheth.

⁹There he proclaimed Ishbosheth king over Gilead, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, the land of the Ashurites, and all the rest of Israel.

¹⁰Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he became king, and he ruled from Mahanaim for two years. Meanwhile, the people of Judah remained loyal to David.

¹¹David made Hebron his capital, and he ruled as king of Judah for seven and a half years.

¹²One day Abner led Ishbosheth’s troops from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

¹³About the same time, Joab son of Zeruiah led David’s troops out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. The two groups sat down there, facing each other from opposite sides of the pool.

¹⁴Then Abner suggested to Joab, “Let’s have a few of our warriors fight hand to hand here in front of us.” “All right,” Joab agreed.

¹⁵So twelve men were chosen to fight from each side — twelve men of Benjamin representing Ishbosheth son of Saul, and twelve representing David.

¹⁶Each one grabbed his opponent by the hair and thrust his sword into the other’s side so that all of them died. So this place at Gibeon has been known ever since as the Field of Swords.

¹⁷A fierce battle followed that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the forces of David.

¹⁸Joab, Abishai, and Asahel — the three sons of Zeruiah — were among David’s forces that day. Asahel could run like a gazelle,

¹⁹and he began chasing Abner. He pursued him relentlessly, not stopping for anything.

²⁰When Abner looked back and saw him coming, he called out, “Is that you, Asahel?” “Yes, it is,” he replied.

²¹“Go fight someone else!” Abner warned. “Take on one of the younger men, and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel kept right on chasing Abner.

²²Again Abner shouted to him, “Get away from here! I don’t want to kill you. How could I ever face your brother Joab again?”

²³But Asahel refused to turn back, so Abner thrust the butt end of his spear through Asahel’s stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He stumbled to the ground and died there. And everyone who came by that spot stopped and stood still when they saw Asahel lying there.

²⁴When Joab and Abishai found out what had happened, they set out after Abner. The sun was just going down as they arrived at the hill of Ammah near Giah, along the road to the wilderness of Gibeon.

²⁵Abner’s troops from the tribe of Benjamin regrouped there at the top of the hill to take a stand.

²⁶Abner shouted down to Joab, “Must we always be killing each other? Don’t you realize that bitterness is the only result? When will you call off your men from chasing their Israelite brothers?”

²⁷Then Joab said, “God only knows what would have happened if you hadn’t spoken, for we would have chased you all night if necessary.”

²⁸So Joab blew the ram’s horn, and his men stopped chasing the troops of Israel.

²⁹All that night Abner and his men retreated through the Jordan Valley. They crossed the Jordan River, traveling all through the morning, and didn’t stop until they arrived at Mahanaim.

³⁰Meanwhile, Joab and his men also returned home. When Joab counted his casualties, he discovered that only 19 men were missing in addition to Asahel.

³¹But 360 of Abner’s men had been killed, all from the tribe of Benjamin.

³²Joab and his men took Asahel’s body to Bethlehem and buried him there in his father’s tomb. Then they traveled all night and reached Hebron at daybreak.

¹Then the LORD said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading for these people, I wouldn’t help them. Away with them! Get them out of my sight!

²And if they say to you, ‘But where can we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the LORD says: “‘Those who are destined for death, to death; those who are destined for war, to war; those who are destined for famine, to famine; those who are destined for captivity, to captivity.’

³“I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,” says the LORD. “I will send the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the vultures to devour, and the wild animals to finish up what is left.

⁴Because of the wicked things Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem, I will make my people an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

⁵“Who will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem? Who will weep for you? Who will even bother to ask how you are?

⁶You have abandoned me and turned your back on me,” says the LORD. “Therefore, I will raise my fist to destroy you. I am tired of always giving you another chance.

⁷I will winnow you like grain at the gates of your cities and take away the children you hold dear. I will destroy my own people, because they refuse to change their evil ways.

⁸There will be more widows than the grains of sand on the seashore. At noontime I will bring a destroyer against the mothers of young men. I will cause anguish and terror to come upon them suddenly.

⁹The mother of seven grows faint and gasps for breath; her sun has gone down while it is still day. She sits childless now, disgraced and humiliated. And I will hand over those who are left to be killed by the enemy. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

¹⁰Then I said, “What sorrow is mine, my mother. Oh, that I had died at birth! I am hated everywhere I go. I am neither a lender who threatens to foreclose nor a borrower who refuses to pay — yet they all curse me.”

¹¹The LORD replied, “I will take care of you, Jeremiah. Your enemies will ask you to plead on their behalf in times of trouble and distress.

¹²Can a man break a bar of iron from the north, or a bar of bronze?

¹³At no cost to them, I will hand over your wealth and treasures as plunder to your enemies, for sin runs rampant in your land.

¹⁴I will tell your enemies to take you as captives to a foreign land. For my anger blazes like a fire that will burn forever. ”

¹⁵Then I said, “LORD, you know what’s happening to me. Please step in and help me. Punish my persecutors! Please give me time; don’t let me die young. It’s for your sake that I am suffering.

¹⁶When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies.

¹⁷I never joined the people in their merry feasts. I sat alone because your hand was on me. I was filled with indignation at their sins.

¹⁸Why then does my suffering continue? Why is my wound so incurable? Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook, like a spring that has gone dry.”

¹⁹This is how the LORD responds: “If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you!

²⁰They will fight against you like an attacking army, but I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze. They will not conquer you, for I am with you to protect and rescue you. I, the LORD, have spoken!

²¹Yes, I will certainly keep you safe from these wicked men. I will rescue you from their cruel hands.”

¹Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: “Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!”

²Instantly Ananias the high priest commanded those close to Paul to slap him on the mouth.

³But Paul said to him, “God will slap you, you corrupt hypocrite! What kind of judge are you to break the law yourself by ordering me struck like that?”

⁴Those standing near Paul said to him, “Do you dare to insult God’s high priest?”

⁵“I’m sorry, brothers. I didn’t realize he was the high priest,” Paul replied, “for the Scriptures say, ‘You must not speak evil of any of your rulers.’ ”

⁶Paul realized that some members of the high council were Sadducees and some were Pharisees, so he shouted, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, as were my ancestors! And I am on trial because my hope is in the resurrection of the dead!”

⁷This divided the council — the Pharisees against the Sadducees —

⁸for the Sadducees say there is no resurrection or angels or spirits, but the Pharisees believe in all of these.

⁹So there was a great uproar. Some of the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees jumped up and began to argue forcefully. “We see nothing wrong with him,” they shouted. “Perhaps a spirit or an angel spoke to him.”

¹⁰As the conflict grew more violent, the commander was afraid they would tear Paul apart. So he ordered his soldiers to go and rescue him by force and take him back to the fortress.

¹¹That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.”

¹²The next morning a group of Jews got together and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.

¹³There were more than forty of them in the conspiracy.

¹⁴They went to the leading priests and elders and told them, “We have bound ourselves with an oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵So you and the high council should ask the commander to bring Paul back to the council again. Pretend you want to examine his case more fully. We will kill him on the way.”

¹⁶But Paul’s nephew — his sister’s son — heard of their plan and went to the fortress and told Paul.

¹⁷Paul called for one of the Roman officers and said, “Take this young man to the commander. He has something important to tell him.”

¹⁸So the officer did, explaining, “Paul, the prisoner, called me over and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”

¹⁹The commander took his hand, led him aside, and asked, “What is it you want to tell me?”

²⁰Paul’s nephew told him, “Some Jews are going to ask you to bring Paul before the high council tomorrow, pretending they want to get some more information.

²¹But don’t do it! There are more than forty men hiding along the way ready to ambush him. They have vowed not to eat or drink anything until they have killed him. They are ready now, just waiting for your consent.”

²²“Don’t let anyone know you told me this,” the commander warned the young man.

²³Then the commander called two of his officers and ordered, “Get 200 soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o’clock tonight. Also take 200 spearmen and 70 mounted troops.

²⁴Provide horses for Paul to ride, and get him safely to Governor Felix.”

²⁵Then he wrote this letter to the governor:

²⁶“From Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings!

²⁷“This man was seized by some Jews, and they were about to kill him when I arrived with the troops. When I learned that he was a Roman citizen, I removed him to safety.

²⁸Then I took him to their high council to try to learn the basis of the accusations against him.

²⁹I soon discovered the charge was something regarding their religious law — certainly nothing worthy of imprisonment or death.

³⁰But when I was informed of a plot to kill him, I immediately sent him on to you. I have told his accusers to bring their charges before you.”

³¹So that night, as ordered, the soldiers took Paul as far as Antipatris.

³²They returned to the fortress the next morning, while the mounted troops took him on to Caesarea.

³³When they arrived in Caesarea, they presented Paul and the letter to Governor Felix.

³⁴He read it and then asked Paul what province he was from. “Cilicia,” Paul answered.

³⁵“I will hear your case myself when your accusers arrive,” the governor told him. Then the governor ordered him kept in the prison at Herod’s headquarters.