Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Then the entire assembly of them set out and brought Him before Pilate.

²And they began to bring charges against Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.”

³Now Pilate asked Him, saying, “So You are the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “It is as you say.”

⁴But Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no grounds for charges in the case of this man.”

⁵But they kept on insisting, saying, “He is stirring up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee, as far as this place!”

⁶Now when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean.

⁷And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, since he also was in Jerusalem at this time.

⁸Now Herod was overjoyed when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him.

⁹And he questioned Him at some length; but He offered him no answer at all.

¹⁰Now the chief priests and the scribes stood there, vehemently charging Him.

¹¹And Herod, together with his soldiers, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, dressing Him in a brightly shining robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.

¹²And so Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for previously, they had been enemies toward each other.

¹³Now Pilate summoned to himself the chief priests, the rulers, and the people,

¹⁴and he said to them, “You brought this man to me on the ground that he is inciting the people to revolt; and behold, after examining Him before you, I have found no basis at all in the case of this man for the charges which you are bringing against Him.

¹⁵No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him.

¹⁶Therefore I will punish Him and release Him.”

¹⁷[Now he was obligated to release to them at the feast one prisoner.]

¹⁸But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas!”

¹⁹(He was one who had been thrown into prison for a revolt that took place in the city, and for murder.)

²⁰But Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again,

²¹but they kept on crying out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!”

²²And he said to them a third time, “Why, what has this man done wrong? I have found in His case no grounds for a sentence of death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him.”

²³But they were insistent, with loud voices, demanding that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail.

²⁴And so Pilate decided to have their demand carried out.

²⁵And he released the man for whom they were asking, who had been thrown into prison for a revolt and murder; but he handed Jesus over to their will.

²⁶And when they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, as he was coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.

²⁷Now following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and grieving for Him.

²⁸But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

²⁹For behold, days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are those who cannot bear, and the wombs that have not given birth, and the breasts that have not nursed.’

³⁰Then they will begin TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS, ‘FALL ON US,’ AND TO THE HILLS, ‘COVER US.’

³¹For if they do these thingswhen the tree is green, what will happenwhen it is dry?”

³²Now two others, who were criminals, were also being led away to be put to death with Him.

³³And when they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.

³⁴[But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”] And they cast lots, dividing His garments among themselves.

³⁵And the people stood by, watching. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.”

³⁶The soldiers also ridiculed Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine,

³⁷and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!”

³⁸Now there was also an inscription above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

³⁹One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”

⁴⁰But the other responded, and rebuking him, said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

⁴¹And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our crimes; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

⁴²And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!”

⁴³And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

⁴⁴It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the entire land until the ninth hour,

⁴⁵because the sun stopped shining; and the veil of the temple was torn in two.

⁴⁶And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I ENTRUST MY SPIRIT.” And having said this, He died.

⁴⁷Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, “This man was in fact innocent.”

⁴⁸And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, after watching what had happened, began to return home, beating their chests.

⁴⁹And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.

⁵⁰And a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man

⁵¹(he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God—

⁵²this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

⁵³And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain.

⁵⁴It was a preparation day, and a Sabbath was about to begin.

⁵⁵Now the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how His body was laid.

⁵⁶And then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

¹Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the word which the LORD has commanded:

²If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or takes an oath to put himself under a binding obligation, he shall not break his word; he shall act in accordance with everything that comes out of his mouth.

³“And if a woman makes a vow to the LORD, and puts herself under a binding obligation in her father’s house in her youth,

⁴and her father hears her vow and her obligation under which she has put herself, and her father says nothing to her, then all her vows shall remain valid and every binding obligation under which she has put herself shall remain valid.

⁵But if her father expresses disapproval to her on the day he hears of it, none of her vows or her obligations under which she has put herself shall remain valid; and the LORD will forgive her because her father has expressed disapproval to her.

⁶“However, if she happens to marry while under her vows or the impulsive statement of her lips by which she has obligated herself,

⁷and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day he hears it, then her vows shall remain valid and her binding obligations under which she has put herself shall remain valid.

⁸But if on the day her husband hears of it, he expresses disapproval to her, then he will annul her vow which she is under and the impulsive statement of her lips by which she has obligated herself; and the LORD will forgive her.

⁹“But as for the vow of a widow or of a divorced woman, every binding obligation under which she has put herself, shall remain valid against her.

¹⁰However, if a married woman vowed in her husband’s house, or put herself under a binding obligation with an oath,

¹¹and her husband heard it, but said nothing to her and did not express disapproval to her, then all her vows shall remain valid and every binding obligation under which she put herself shall remain valid.

¹²But if her husband actually annuls them on the day he hears them, then no utterance from her lips concerning her vows or the obligation she put on herself shall remain valid; her husband has annulled them, and the LORD will forgive her.

¹³“Every vow and every binding oath to humble herself, her husband may confirm it or her husband may annul it.

¹⁴But if her husband in fact says nothing to her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all her binding obligations which are on her; he has confirmed them, because he said nothing to her on the day he heard them.

¹⁵However, if he actually annuls them after he has heard them, then he shall bear the responsibility for her guilt.”

¹⁶These are the statutes which the LORD commanded Moses concerning matters between a man and his wife, and between a father and his daughter while she is in her youth in her father’s house.

¹Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints?

²Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to form the smallest law courts?

³Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?

⁴So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church?

⁵I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you anyone wise who will be able to decide between his brothers and sisters,

⁶but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?

⁷Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather suffer the wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?

⁸On the contrary, you yourselves do wrong and defraud. And this to your brothers and sisters!

⁹Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,

¹⁰nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

¹¹Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

¹²All things are permitted for me, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

¹³Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, however God will do away with both of them. But the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.

¹⁴Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.

¹⁵Do you not know that your bodies are parts of Christ? Shall I then take away the parts of Christ and make them parts of a prostitute? Far from it!

¹⁶Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.”

¹⁷But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

¹⁸Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin that a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

¹⁹Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

²⁰For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope,

²To Timothy, my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

³Just as I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, to remain on at Ephesus so that you would instruct certain people not to teach strange doctrines,

⁴nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to useless speculation rather than advance the plan of God, which is by faith, so I urge you now.

⁵But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from a sincere faith.

⁶Some people have strayed from these things and have turned aside to fruitless discussion,

⁷wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.

⁸But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully,

⁹realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and worldly, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers,

¹⁰for the sexually immoral, homosexuals, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,

¹¹according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.

¹²I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service,

¹³even though I was previously a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief;

¹⁴and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost.

¹⁶Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost sinner Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

¹⁷Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁸This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight,

¹⁹keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.

²⁰Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.

¹“Why are times not stored up by the Almighty, And why do those who know Him not see His days?

²People remove landmarks; They seize and devour flocks.

³They drive away the donkeys of orphans; They seize the widow’s ox as a pledge.

⁴They push the needy aside from the road; The poor of the land have to hide themselves together.

⁵Behold, like wild donkeys in the wilderness They go out scavenging for food in their activity, As bread for their children in the desert.

⁶They harvest their feed in the field And glean the vineyard of the wicked.

⁷They spend the night naked, without clothing, And have no covering against the cold.

⁸They are wet from the mountain rains, And they hug the rock for lack of a shelter.

⁹Others snatch an orphan from the breast, And they seize it as a pledge against the poor.

¹⁰The poor move about naked without clothing, And they carry sheaves, while going hungry.

¹¹Within the walls they produce oil; They tread wine presses but go thirsty.

¹²From the city people groan, And the souls of the wounded cry for help; Yet God does not pay attention to the offensiveness.

¹³“Others have been with those who rebel against the light; They do not want to know its ways Nor stay in its paths.

¹⁴The murderer arises at dawn; He kills the poor and the needy, And at night he is like a thief.

¹⁵The eye of the adulterer watches for twilight, Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’ And he disguises his face.

¹⁶In the darkness they dig into houses, They shut themselves up by day; They do not know the light.

¹⁷For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness, For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness.

¹⁸“They are insignificant on the surface of the water; Their plot of land on the earth is cursed. They do not turn toward the vineyards.

¹⁹Dryness and heat snatch away the snow waters, As Sheol snatches those who have sinned.

²⁰A mother will forget him; The maggot feeds sweetly until he is no longer remembered. And injustice will be broken like a tree.

²¹He wrongs the infertile woman, And does no good for the widow.

²²But He drags off the mighty by His power; He rises, but no one has assurance of life.

²³He provides them with security, and they are supported; And His eyes are on their ways.

²⁴They are exalted a little while, then they are gone; Moreover, they are brought low, and like everything they are gathered up; Like the heads of grain they wither.

²⁵Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar, And make my speech worthless?”

¹I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

²My soul will make its boast in the LORD; The humble will hear it and rejoice.

³Exalt the LORD with me, And let’s exalt His name together.

⁴I sought the LORD and He answered me, And rescued me from all my fears.

⁵They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces will never be ashamed.

⁶This wretched man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.

⁷The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.

⁸Taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

⁹Fear the LORD, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no lack of anything.

¹⁰The young lions do without and suffer hunger; But they who seek the LORD will not lack any good thing.

¹¹Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

¹²Who is the person who desires life And loves length of days, that he may see good?

¹³Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit.

¹⁴Turn from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous, And His ears are toward their cry for help.

¹⁶The face of the LORD is against evildoers, To eliminate the memory of them from the earth.

¹⁷The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears And rescues them from all their troubles.

¹⁸The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

¹⁹The afflictions of the righteous are many, But the LORD rescues him from them all.

²⁰He protects all his bones, Not one of them is broken.

²¹Evil will bring death to the wicked, And those who hate the righteous will suffer for their guilt.

²²The LORD redeems the souls of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will suffer for their guilt.

¹Do not be envious of evil people, Nor desire to be with them;

²For their minds plot violence, And their lips talk of trouble.

³By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established;

⁴And by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.

⁵A wise man is strong, And a person of knowledge increases power.

⁶For by wise guidance you will wage war, And in an abundance of counselors there is victory.

⁷Wisdom is too exalted for a fool, He does not open his mouth at the gate.

⁸One who plans to do evil, People will call a schemer.

⁹The devising of foolishness is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to humanity.

¹⁰If you show yourself lacking courage on the day of distress, Your strength is meager.

¹¹Rescue those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering to the slaughter, Oh hold them back!

¹²If you say, “See, we did not know this,” Does He who weighs the hearts not consider it? And does He who watches over your soul not know it? And will He not repay a person according to his work?

¹³My son, eat honey, for it is good; Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste;

¹⁴Know that wisdom is the same for your soul; If you find it, then there will be a future, And your hope will not be cut off.

¹⁵Do not lie in ambush, you wicked person, against the home of the righteous; Do not destroy his resting place;

¹⁶For a righteous person falls seven times and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of disaster.

¹⁷Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,

¹⁸Otherwise, the LORD will see and be displeased, And turn His anger away from him.

¹⁹Do not get upset because of evildoers Or be envious of the wicked;

²⁰For there will be no future for the evil person; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.

²¹My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not get involved with those of high rank,

²²For their disaster will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin that can come from both of them?

²³These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.

²⁴One who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,” Peoples will curse him, nations will scold him;

²⁵But for those who rebuke the wicked there will be delight, And a good blessing will come upon them.

²⁶One who gives a right answer Kisses the lips.

²⁷Prepare your work outside, And make it ready for yourself in the field; Afterward, then, build your house.

²⁸Do not be a witness against your neighbor for no reason, And do not deceive with your lips.

²⁹Do not say, “I shall do the same to him as he has done to me; I will repay the person according to his work.”

³⁰I passed by the field of a lazy one, And by the vineyard of a person lacking sense,

³¹And behold, it was completely overgrown with weeds; Its surface was covered with weeds, And its stone wall was broken down.

³²When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction.

³³“A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest,”

³⁴Then your poverty will come like a drifter, And your need like an armed man.

¹Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.

²Previously, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and in. And the LORD said to you, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be a leader over Israel.’ ”

³So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them before the LORD in Hebron; then they anointed David king over Israel.

⁴David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty years.

⁵At Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

⁶Now the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land; and they said to David, “You shall not come in here, but even those who are blind and those who limp will turn you away,” thinking, “David cannot enter here.”

⁷Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.

⁸And David said on that day, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites is to reach those who limp and those who are blind, who are hated by David’s soul, through the water tunnel.” For that reason they say, “People who are blind and people who limp shall not come into the house.”

⁹So David lived in the stronghold, and called it the city of David. And David built all around from the Millo and inward.

¹⁰David became greater and greater, for the LORD God of armies was with him.

¹¹Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees, carpenters, and stonemasons; and they built a house for David.

¹²And David realized that the LORD had appointed him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

¹³Meanwhile David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron; and more sons and daughters were born to David.

¹⁴Now these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

¹⁵Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

¹⁶Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

¹⁷Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek out David; and when David heard about it, he went down to the stronghold.

¹⁸Now the Philistines came and overran the Valley of Rephaim.

¹⁹So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You hand them over to me?” And the LORD said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly hand the Philistines over to you.”

²⁰Then David came to Baal-perazim and defeated them there; and he said, “The LORD has broken through my enemies before me like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore he named that place Baal-perazim.

²¹And the Philistines abandoned their idols there, so David and his men carried them away.

²²Now the Philistines came up once again and overran the Valley of Rephaim.

²³So David inquired of the LORD, but He said, “You shall not go directly up; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the baka-shrubs.

²⁴And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the baka-shrubs, then you shall act promptly, for then the LORD will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.”

²⁵Then David did so, just as the LORD had commanded him; he struck and killed the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer.

¹The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

²“Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.”

³So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel.

⁴But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.

⁵Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

⁶“Am I not able, house of Israel, to deal with you as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel.

⁷At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot it, to tear it down, or to destroy it;

⁸if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I planned to bring on it.

⁹Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it;

¹⁰if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will relent of the good with which I said that I would bless it.

¹¹So now, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘This is what the LORD says: “Behold, I am forming a disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Now turn back, each of you from his evil way, and correct your ways and your deeds!” ’

¹²But they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will persist in the stubbornness of his evil heart.’

¹³“Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘Just ask among the nations, Who ever heard anything like this? The virgin of Israel Has done a most appalling thing.

¹⁴Does the snow of Lebanon leave the rock of the open country alone? Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever dried up?

¹⁵For My people have forgotten Me, They burn incense to worthless gods. And they have stumbled in their ways, In the ancient roads, To walk on paths, Not on a highway,

¹⁶To make their land a desolation, An object of perpetual hissing; Everyone who passes by it will be astonished And shake his head.

¹⁷Like an east wind I will scatter them Before the enemy; I will show them My back and not My face In the day of their disaster.’ ”

¹⁸Then they said, “Come and let’s devise plans against Jeremiah. Certainly the Law is not going to be lost by the priest, nor advice by the wise, nor the divine word by the prophet! Come, and let’s strike at him with our tongue, and let’s pay no attention to any of his words.”

¹⁹Give Your attention to me, LORD, And listen to what my opponents are saying!

²⁰Should good be repaid with evil? For they have dug a pit for me. Remember how I stood before You To speak good in their behalf, So as to turn Your wrath away from them.

²¹Therefore, give their children over to famine And turn them over to the power of the sword; And let their wives become childless and widowed. Let their men also be slaughtered to death, Their young men struck and killed by the sword in battle.

²²May a cry be heard from their houses When You suddenly bring raiders upon them; For they have dug a pit to capture me And hidden snares for my feet.

²³But You, LORD, know All their deadly schemes against me; Do not forgive their wrongdoing Or wipe out their sin from Your sight. But may they be overthrown before You; Deal with them in the time of Your anger!

¹Now Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” Then Paul extended his hand and proceeded to make his defense:

²“Regarding all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today,

³especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

⁴“So then, all Jews know my way of life since my youth, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and in Jerusalem,

⁵since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion.

⁶And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers;

⁷the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. For this hope, O king, I am being accused by Jews.

⁸Why is it considered incredible among you people if God raises the dead?

⁹“So I thought to myself that I had to act in strong opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

¹⁰And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, after receiving authority from the chief priests, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being put to death.

¹¹And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was extremely enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.

¹²“While so engaged, as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests,

¹³at midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who were journeying with me.

¹⁴And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

¹⁵And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

¹⁶But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you as a servant and a witness not only to the things in which you have seen Me, but also to the things in which I will appear to you,

¹⁷rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,

¹⁸to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from thepower of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’

¹⁹“For that reason, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision,

²⁰but continually proclaimed to those in Damascus first, and in Jerusalem, and then all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they are to repent and turn to God, performing deeds consistent with repentance.

²¹For these reasons some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to murder me.

²²So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place,

²³as to whether the Christ was to suffer, and whether, as first from the resurrection of the dead, He would proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

²⁴While Paul was stating these things in his defense, Festus *said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you insane.”

²⁵But Paul *said, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus; on the contrary, I am speaking out with truthful and rational words.

²⁶For the king knows about these matters, and I also speak to him with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner.

²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you believe.”

²⁸Agrippa replied to Paul, “In a short time you are going to persuade me to make a Christian of myself.”

²⁹And Paul said, “I would wish to God that even in a short or long time not only you, but also all who hear me this day would become such as I myself am, except for these chains.”

³⁰The king stood up and the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them,

³¹and when they had gone out, they began talking to one another, saying, “This man is not doing anything deserving death or imprisonment.”

³²And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”