Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box.

²Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins.

³“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them.

⁴For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

⁵Some of his disciples began talking about the majestic stonework of the Temple and the memorial decorations on the walls. But Jesus said,

⁶“The time is coming when all these things will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

⁷“Teacher,” they asked, “when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to take place?”

⁸He replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them.

⁹And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end won’t follow immediately.”

¹⁰Then he added, “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

¹¹There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven.

¹²“But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my followers.

¹³But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.

¹⁴So don’t worry in advance about how to answer the charges against you,

¹⁵for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you!

¹⁶Even those closest to you — your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends — will betray you. They will even kill some of you.

¹⁷And everyone will hate you because you are my followers.

¹⁸But not a hair of your head will perish!

¹⁹By standing firm, you will win your souls.

²⁰“And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived.

²¹Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. Those in Jerusalem must get out, and those out in the country should not return to the city.

²²For those will be days of God’s vengeance, and the prophetic words of the Scriptures will be fulfilled.

²³How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. For there will be disaster in the land and great anger against this people.

²⁴They will be killed by the sword or sent away as captives to all the nations of the world. And Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles comes to an end.

²⁵“And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides.

²⁶People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

²⁷Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory.

²⁸So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

²⁹Then he gave them this illustration: “Notice the fig tree, or any other tree.

³⁰When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near.

³¹In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near.

³²I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place.

³³Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

³⁴“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware,

³⁵like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth.

³⁶Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

³⁷Every day Jesus went to the Temple to teach, and each evening he returned to spend the night on the Mount of Olives.

³⁸The crowds gathered at the Temple early each morning to hear him.

¹The LORD said to Moses,

²“Give these instructions to the people of Israel: The offerings you present as special gifts are a pleasing aroma to me; they are my food. See to it that they are brought at the appointed times and offered according to my instructions.

³“Say to the people: This is the special gift you must present to the LORD as your daily burnt offering. You must offer two one-year-old male lambs with no defects.

⁴Sacrifice one lamb in the morning and the other in the evening.

⁵With each lamb you must offer a grain offering of two quarts of choice flour mixed with one quart of pure oil of pressed olives.

⁶This is the regular burnt offering instituted at Mount Sinai as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

⁷Along with it you must present the proper liquid offering of one quart of alcoholic drink with each lamb, poured out in the Holy Place as an offering to the LORD.

⁸Offer the second lamb in the evening with the same grain offering and liquid offering. It, too, is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

⁹“On the Sabbath day, sacrifice two one-year-old male lambs with no defects. They must be accompanied by a grain offering of four quarts of choice flour moistened with olive oil, and a liquid offering.

¹⁰This is the burnt offering to be presented each Sabbath day, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its accompanying liquid offering.

¹¹“On the first day of each month, present an extra burnt offering to the LORD of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects.

¹²These must be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil — six quarts with each bull, four quarts with the ram,

¹³and two quarts with each lamb. This burnt offering will be a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

¹⁴You must also present a liquid offering with each sacrifice: two quarts of wine for each bull, a third of a gallon for the ram, and one quart for each lamb. Present this monthly burnt offering on the first day of each month throughout the year.

¹⁵“On the first day of each month, you must also offer one male goat for a sin offering to the LORD. This is in addition to the regular burnt offering and its accompanying liquid offering.

¹⁶“On the fourteenth day of the first month, you must celebrate the LORD’s Passover.

¹⁷On the following day — the fifteenth day of the month — a joyous, seven-day festival will begin, but no bread made with yeast may be eaten.

¹⁸The first day of the festival will be an official day for holy assembly, and no ordinary work may be done on that day.

¹⁹As a special gift you must present a burnt offering to the LORD — two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects.

²⁰These will be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil — six quarts with each bull, four quarts with the ram,

²¹and two quarts with each of the seven lambs.

²²You must also offer a male goat as a sin offering to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the LORD.

²³Present these offerings in addition to your regular morning burnt offering.

²⁴On each of the seven days of the festival, this is how you must prepare the food offering that is presented as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. These will be offered in addition to the regular burnt offerings and liquid offerings.

²⁵The seventh day of the festival will be another official day for holy assembly, and no ordinary work may be done on that day.

²⁶“At the Festival of Harvest, when you present the first of your new grain to the LORD, you must call an official day for holy assembly, and you may do no ordinary work on that day.

²⁷Present a special burnt offering on that day as a pleasing aroma to the LORD. It will consist of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs.

²⁸These will be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil — six quarts with each bull, four quarts with the ram,

²⁹and two quarts with each of the seven lambs.

³⁰Also, offer one male goat to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the LORD.

³¹Prepare these special burnt offerings, along with their liquid offerings, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its accompanying grain offering. Be sure that all the animals you sacrifice have no defects.

¹So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries.

²Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.

³As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point.

⁴My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.

⁵So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time — before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.

⁶Dear brothers and sisters, I have used Apollos and myself to illustrate what I’ve been saying. If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures, you won’t be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another.

⁷For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?

⁸You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you.

⁹Instead, I sometimes think God has put us apostles on display, like prisoners of war at the end of a victor’s parade, condemned to die. We have become a spectacle to the entire world — to people and angels alike.

¹⁰Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed.

¹¹Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home.

¹²We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us.

¹³We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash — right up to the present moment.

¹⁴I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children.

¹⁵For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you.

¹⁶So I urge you to imitate me.

¹⁷That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.

¹⁸Some of you have become arrogant, thinking I will not visit you again.

¹⁹But I will come — and soon — if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power.

²⁰For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.

²¹Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?

¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

²“Can a person do anything to help God? Can even a wise person be helpful to him?

³Is it any advantage to the Almighty if you are righteous? Would it be any gain to him if you were perfect?

⁴Is it because you’re so pious that he accuses you and brings judgment against you?

⁵No, it’s because of your wickedness! There’s no limit to your sins.

⁶“For example, you must have lent money to your friend and demanded clothing as security. Yes, you stripped him to the bone.

⁷You must have refused water for the thirsty and food for the hungry.

⁸You probably think the land belongs to the powerful and only the privileged have a right to it!

⁹You must have sent widows away empty-handed and crushed the hopes of orphans.

¹⁰That is why you are surrounded by traps and tremble from sudden fears.

¹¹That is why you cannot see in the darkness, and waves of water cover you.

¹²“God is so great — higher than the heavens, higher than the farthest stars.

¹³But you reply, ‘That’s why God can’t see what I am doing! How can he judge through the thick darkness?

¹⁴For thick clouds swirl about him, and he cannot see us. He is way up there, walking on the vault of heaven.’

¹⁵“Will you continue on the old paths where evil people have walked?

¹⁶They were snatched away in the prime of life, the foundations of their lives washed away.

¹⁷For they said to God, ‘Leave us alone! What can the Almighty do to us?’

¹⁸Yet he was the one who filled their homes with good things, so I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.

¹⁹“The righteous will be happy to see the wicked destroyed, and the innocent will laugh in contempt.

²⁰They will say, ‘See how our enemies have been destroyed. The last of them have been consumed in the fire.’

²¹“Submit to God, and you will have peace; then things will go well for you.

²²Listen to his instructions, and store them in your heart.

²³If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored — so clean up your life.

²⁴If you give up your lust for money and throw your precious gold into the river,

²⁵the Almighty himself will be your treasure. He will be your precious silver!

²⁶“Then you will take delight in the Almighty and look up to God.

²⁷You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows to him.

²⁸You will succeed in whatever you choose to do, and light will shine on the road ahead of you.

²⁹If people are in trouble and you say, ‘Help them,’ God will save them.

³⁰Even sinners will be rescued; they will be rescued because your hands are pure.”

¹Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!

²Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!

³When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long.

⁴Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude

⁵Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Interlude

⁶Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.

⁷For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude

⁸The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.

⁹Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”

¹⁰Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD.

¹¹So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!

¹Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.

²The rich and poor have this in common: The LORD made them both.

³A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

⁴True humility and fear of the LORD lead to riches, honor, and long life.

⁵Corrupt people walk a thorny, treacherous road; whoever values life will avoid it.

⁶Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

⁷Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.

⁸Those who plant injustice will harvest disaster, and their reign of terror will come to an end.

⁹Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor.

¹⁰Throw out the mocker, and fighting goes, too. Quarrels and insults will disappear.

¹¹Whoever loves a pure heart and gracious speech will have the king as a friend.

¹²The LORD preserves those with knowledge, but he ruins the plans of the treacherous.

¹³The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion out there! If I go outside, I might be killed!”

¹⁴The mouth of an immoral woman is a dangerous trap; those who make the LORD angry will fall into it.

¹⁵A youngster’s heart is filled with foolishness, but physical discipline will drive it far away.

¹⁶A person who gets ahead by oppressing the poor or by showering gifts on the rich will end in poverty.

¹⁷Listen to the words of the wise; apply your heart to my instruction.

¹⁸For it is good to keep these sayings in your heart and always ready on your lips.

¹⁹I am teaching you today — yes, you — so you will trust in the LORD.

²⁰I have written thirty sayings for you, filled with advice and knowledge.

²¹In this way, you may know the truth and take an accurate report to those who sent you.

²²Don’t rob the poor just because you can, or exploit the needy in court.

²³For the LORD is their defender. He will ruin anyone who ruins them.

²⁴Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people,

²⁵or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.

²⁶Don’t agree to guarantee another person’s debt or put up security for someone else.

²⁷If you can’t pay it, even your bed will be snatched from under you.

²⁸Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers set up by previous generations.

²⁹Do you see any truly competent workers? They will serve kings rather than working for ordinary people.

¹That was the beginning of a long war between those who were loyal to Saul and those loyal to David. As time passed David became stronger and stronger, while Saul’s dynasty became weaker and weaker.

²These are the sons who were born to David in Hebron: The oldest was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel.

³The second was Daniel, whose mother was Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. The third was Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur.

⁴The fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith. The fifth was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital.

⁵The sixth was Ithream, whose mother was Eglah, David’s wife. These sons were all born to David in Hebron.

⁶As the war between the house of Saul and the house of David went on, Abner became a powerful leader among those loyal to Saul.

⁷One day Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, accused Abner of sleeping with one of his father’s concubines, a woman named Rizpah, daughter of Aiah.

⁸Abner was furious. “Am I some Judean dog to be kicked around like this?” he shouted. “After all I have done for your father, Saul, and his family and friends by not handing you over to David, is this my reward — that you find fault with me about this woman?

⁹May God strike me and even kill me if I don’t do everything I can to help David get what the LORD has promised him!

¹⁰I’m going to take Saul’s kingdom and give it to David. I will establish the throne of David over Israel as well as Judah, all the way from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south.”

¹¹Ishbosheth didn’t dare say another word because he was afraid of what Abner might do.

¹²Then Abner sent messengers to David, saying, “Doesn’t the entire land belong to you? Make a solemn pact with me, and I will help turn over all of Israel to you.”

¹³“All right,” David replied, “but I will not negotiate with you unless you bring back my wife Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come.”

¹⁴David then sent this message to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son: “Give me back my wife Michal, for I bought her with the lives of 100 Philistines.”

¹⁵So Ishbosheth took Michal away from her husband, Palti son of Laish.

¹⁶Palti followed along behind her as far as Bahurim, weeping as he went. Then Abner told him, “Go back home!” So Palti returned.

¹⁷Meanwhile, Abner had consulted with the elders of Israel. “For some time now,” he told them, “you have wanted to make David your king.

¹⁸Now is the time! For the LORD has said, ‘I have chosen David to save my people Israel from the hands of the Philistines and from all their other enemies.’”

¹⁹Abner also spoke with the men of Benjamin. Then he went to Hebron to tell David that all the people of Israel and Benjamin had agreed to support him.

²⁰When Abner and twenty of his men came to Hebron, David entertained them with a great feast.

²¹Then Abner said to David, “Let me go and call an assembly of all Israel to support my lord the king. They will make a covenant with you to make you their king, and you will rule over everything your heart desires.” So David sent Abner safely on his way.

²²But just after David had sent Abner away in safety, Joab and some of David’s troops returned from a raid, bringing much plunder with them.

²³When Joab arrived, he was told that Abner had just been there visiting the king and had been sent away in safety.

²⁴Joab rushed to the king and demanded, “What have you done? What do you mean by letting Abner get away?

²⁵You know perfectly well that he came to spy on you and find out everything you’re doing!”

²⁶Joab then left David and sent messengers to catch up with Abner, asking him to return. They found him at the well of Sirah and brought him back, though David knew nothing about it.

²⁷When Abner arrived back at Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gateway as if to speak with him privately. But then he stabbed Abner in the stomach and killed him in revenge for killing his brother Asahel.

²⁸When David heard about it, he declared, “I vow by the LORD that I and my kingdom are forever innocent of this crime against Abner son of Ner.

²⁹Joab and his family are the guilty ones. May the family of Joab be cursed in every generation with a man who has open sores or leprosy or who walks on crutches or dies by the sword or begs for food!”

³⁰So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner because Abner had killed their brother Asahel at the battle of Gibeon.

³¹Then David said to Joab and all those who were with him, “Tear your clothes and put on burlap. Mourn for Abner.” And King David himself walked behind the procession to the grave.

³²They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king and all the people wept at his graveside.

³³Then the king sang this funeral song for Abner: “Should Abner have died as fools die?

³⁴Your hands were not bound; your feet were not chained. No, you were murdered — the victim of a wicked plot.” All the people wept again for Abner.

³⁵David had refused to eat anything on the day of the funeral, and now everyone begged him to eat. But David had made a vow, saying, “May God strike me and even kill me if I eat anything before sundown.”

³⁶This pleased the people very much. In fact, everything the king did pleased them!

³⁷So everyone in Judah and all Israel understood that David was not responsible for Abner’s murder.

³⁸Then King David said to his officials, “Don’t you realize that a great commander has fallen today in Israel?

³⁹And even though I am the anointed king, these two sons of Zeruiah — Joab and Abishai — are too strong for me to control. So may the LORD repay these evil men for their evil deeds.”

¹The LORD gave me another message. He said,

²“Do not get married or have children in this place.

³For this is what the LORD says about the children born here in this city and about their mothers and fathers:

⁴They will die from terrible diseases. No one will mourn for them or bury them, and they will lie scattered on the ground like manure. They will die from war and famine, and their bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals.”

⁵This is what the LORD says: “Do not go to funerals to mourn and show sympathy for these people, for I have removed my protection and peace from them. I have taken away my unfailing love and my mercy.

⁶Both the great and the lowly will die in this land. No one will bury them or mourn for them. Their friends will not cut themselves in sorrow or shave their heads in sadness.

⁷No one will offer a meal to comfort those who mourn for the dead — not even at the death of a mother or father. No one will send a cup of wine to console them.

⁸“And do not go to their feasts and parties. Do not eat and drink with them at all.

⁹For this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: In your own lifetime, before your very eyes, I will put an end to the happy singing and laughter in this land. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard.

¹⁰“When you tell the people all these things, they will ask, ‘Why has the LORD decreed such terrible things against us? What have we done to deserve such treatment? What is our sin against the LORD our God?’

¹¹“Then you will give them the LORD’s reply: ‘It is because your ancestors were unfaithful to me. They worshiped other gods and served them. They abandoned me and did not obey my word.

¹²And you are even worse than your ancestors! You stubbornly follow your own evil desires and refuse to listen to me.

¹³So I will throw you out of this land and send you into a foreign land where you and your ancestors have never been. There you can worship idols day and night — and I will grant you no favors!’

¹⁴“But the time is coming,” says the LORD, “when people who are taking an oath will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’

¹⁵Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ For I will bring them back to this land that I gave their ancestors.

¹⁶“But now I am sending for many fishermen who will catch them,” says the LORD. “I am sending for hunters who will hunt them down in the mountains, hills, and caves.

¹⁷I am watching them closely, and I see every sin. They cannot hope to hide from me.

¹⁸I will double their punishment for all their sins, because they have defiled my land with lifeless images of their detestable gods and have filled my territory with their evil deeds.”

¹⁹LORD, you are my strength and fortress, my refuge in the day of trouble! Nations from around the world will come to you and say, “Our ancestors left us a foolish heritage, for they worshiped worthless idols.

²⁰Can people make their own gods? These are not real gods at all!”

²¹The LORD says, “Now I will show them my power; now I will show them my might. At last they will know and understand that I am the LORD.

¹Five days later Ananias, the high priest, arrived with some of the Jewish elders and the lawyer Tertullus, to present their case against Paul to the governor.

²When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented the charges against Paul in the following address to the governor: “You have provided a long period of peace for us Jews and with foresight have enacted reforms for us.

³For all of this, Your Excellency, we are very grateful to you.

⁴But I don’t want to bore you, so please give me your attention for only a moment.

⁵We have found this man to be a troublemaker who is constantly stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the cult known as the Nazarenes.

⁶Furthermore, he was trying to desecrate the Temple when we arrested him.

⁷

⁸You can find out the truth of our accusations by examining him yourself.”

⁹Then the other Jews chimed in, declaring that everything Tertullus said was true.

¹⁰The governor then motioned for Paul to speak. Paul said, “I know, sir, that you have been a judge of Jewish affairs for many years, so I gladly present my defense before you.

¹¹You can quickly discover that I arrived in Jerusalem no more than twelve days ago to worship at the Temple.

¹²My accusers never found me arguing with anyone in the Temple, nor stirring up a riot in any synagogue or on the streets of the city.

¹³These men cannot prove the things they accuse me of doing.

¹⁴“But I admit that I follow the Way, which they call a cult. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly believe the Jewish law and everything written in the prophets.

¹⁵I have the same hope in God that these men have, that he will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous.

¹⁶Because of this, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people.

¹⁷“After several years away, I returned to Jerusalem with money to aid my people and to offer sacrifices to God.

¹⁸My accusers saw me in the Temple as I was completing a purification ceremony. There was no crowd around me and no rioting.

¹⁹But some Jews from the province of Asia were there — and they ought to be here to bring charges if they have anything against me!

²⁰Ask these men here what crime the Jewish high council found me guilty of,

²¹except for the one time I shouted out, ‘I am on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!’”

²²At that point Felix, who was quite familiar with the Way, adjourned the hearing and said, “Wait until Lysias, the garrison commander, arrives. Then I will decide the case.”

²³He ordered an officer to keep Paul in custody but to give him some freedom and allow his friends to visit him and take care of his needs.

²⁴A few days later Felix came back with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish. Sending for Paul, they listened as he told them about faith in Christ Jesus.

²⁵As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming day of judgment, Felix became frightened. “Go away for now,” he replied. “When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.”

²⁶He also hoped that Paul would bribe him, so he sent for him quite often and talked with him.

²⁷After two years went by in this way, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jewish people, he left Paul in prison.