Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.

²And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,

³but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

⁴While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in gleaming clothing;

⁵and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why are you seeking the living One among the dead?

⁶He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee,

⁷saying that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise from the dead.”

⁸And they remembered His words,

⁹and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest.

¹⁰Now these women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.

¹¹But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe the women.

¹²Nevertheless, Peter got up and ran to the tomb; and when he stooped and looked in, he *saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.

¹³And behold, on that very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty stadia from Jerusalem.

¹⁴And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place.

¹⁵While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them.

¹⁶But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.

¹⁷And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they came to a stop, looking sad.

¹⁸One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You possibly the only one living near Jerusalem who does not know about the things that happened here in these days?”

¹⁹And He said to them, “What sort of things?” And they said to Him, “Those about Jesus the Nazarene, who proved to be a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people,

²⁰and how the chief priests and our rulers handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and crucified Him.

²¹But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.

²²But also some women among us left us bewildered. When they were at the tomb early in the morning,

²³and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive.

²⁴And so some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.”

²⁵And then He said to them, “You foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

²⁶Was it not necessary for theChrist to suffer these things and to come into His glory?”

²⁷Then beginning with Moses and with all the Prophets, He explained to them the things written about Himself in all the Scriptures.

²⁸And they approached the village where they were going, and He gave the impression that He was going farther.

²⁹And so they strongly urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them.

³⁰And it came about, when He had reclined at the table with them, that He took the bread and blessed it, and He broke it and began giving it to them.

³¹And then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.

³²They said to one another, “Were our hearts not burning within us when He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”

³³And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them,

³⁴saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon!”

³⁵They began to relate their experiences on the road, and how He was recognized by them at the breaking of the bread.

³⁶Now while they were telling these things, Jesus Himself suddenly stood in their midst and *said to them, “Peace be to you.”

³⁷But they were startled and frightened, and thought that they were looking at a spirit.

³⁸And He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why are doubts arising in yourhearts?

³⁹See My hands and My feet, thatit is I Myself; touch Me and see, because a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you plainly see that I have.”

⁴⁰And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

⁴¹While they still could not believe it because of their joy and astonishment, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”

⁴²They served Him a piece of broiled fish;

⁴³and He took it and ate it in front of them.

⁴⁴Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all the things that are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

⁴⁵Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

⁴⁶and He said to them, “So it is written, that theChrist would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,

⁴⁷and that repentancefor forgiveness of sins would be proclaimedin His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things.

⁴⁹And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

⁵⁰And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.

⁵¹While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

⁵²And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

⁵³and were continually in the temple praising God.

¹Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

²“Take vengeance on the Midianites for the sons of Israel; afterward you will be gathered to your people.”

³So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, so that they may go against Midian to execute the LORD’S vengeance on Midian.

⁴You shall send a thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel to the war.”

⁵So there were selected from the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

⁶And Moses sent them, a thousand from each tribe, to the war, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war with them, and the holy implements and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.

⁷So they made war against Midian, just as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male.

⁸They killed the kings of Midian along with the rest of those killed: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.

⁹And the sons of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and they plundered all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their property.

¹⁰Then they burned all their cities where they lived and all their encampments.

¹¹And they took all the plunder and all the spoils, both of people and of livestock.

¹²They brought the captives and the spoils and the plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the sons of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab which are by the Jordan, opposite Jericho.

¹³And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went out to meet them outside the camp.

¹⁴But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war.

¹⁵And Moses said to them, “Have you spared all the women?

¹⁶Behold, they caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to be unfaithful to the LORD in the matter of Peor, so that the plague took place among the congregation of the LORD!

¹⁷Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately.

¹⁸However, all the girls who have not known a man intimately, keep alive for yourselves.

¹⁹And as for you, camp outside the camp for seven days; whoever has killed a person and whoever has touched anyone killed, purify yourselves, you and your captives, on the third day and on the seventh day.

²⁰And you shall purify for yourselves every garment, every article of leather, every work of goats’ hair, and every article of wood.”

²¹Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to battle, “This is the statute of the Law which the LORD has commanded Moses:

²²only the gold and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

²³everything that can withstand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it will be clean, only it shall be purified with water for impurity. But whatever cannot withstand the fire you shall pass through the water.

²⁴And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and you will be clean; and afterward you may enter the camp.”

²⁵Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

²⁶“You and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers’ households of the congregation take a count of the spoils that were captured, both of people and of livestock;

²⁷and divide the spoils between the warriors who went to battle and all the congregation.

²⁸Also, collect a tribute tax for the LORD from the men of war who went to battle, one in five hundred of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the sheep;

²⁹take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest, as an offering to the LORD.

³⁰And from the sons of Israel’s half, you shall take one drawn from every fifty of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the sheep, from all the animals; and give them to the Levites who perform the duty of the tabernacle of the LORD.”

³¹Moses and Eleazar the priest did just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

³²Now the spoils that remained from the plunder which the men of war had plundered was 675,000 sheep,

³³seventy-two thousand cattle,

³⁴sixty-one thousand donkeys,

³⁵and of captive people, of the women who had not known a man intimately, in all were thirty-two thousand people.

³⁶The half, the share of those who went to war, was as follows: the number of sheep was 337,500,

³⁷the LORD’S tribute tax of the sheep was 675;

³⁸the cattle were thirty-six thousand, from which the LORD’S tribute tax was seventy-two;

³⁹the donkeys were 30,500, from which the LORD’S tribute tax was sixty-one;

⁴⁰and the captive people were sixteen thousand, from whom the LORD’S tribute tax was thirty-two persons.

⁴¹And Moses gave the tribute tax, which was the LORD’S offering, to Eleazar the priest, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

⁴²As for the sons of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from the men who had gone to war—

⁴³now the congregation’s half was 337,500 sheep,

⁴⁴thirty-six thousand cattle,

⁴⁵30,500 donkeys,

⁴⁶and the captive people were sixteen thousand—

⁴⁷from the sons of Israel’s half Moses took one drawn from every fifty, both of people and of animals, and gave them to the Levites, who performed the duty of the tabernacle of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

⁴⁸Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, approached Moses,

⁴⁹and they said to Moses, “Your servants have taken a census of the men of war who are under our authority, and no man of us is missing.

⁵⁰So we have brought as an offering to the LORD what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.”

⁵¹Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all kinds of crafted articles.

⁵²All the gold of the offering which they offered up to the LORD, from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, was 16,750 shekels.

⁵³The men of war had taken plunder, every man for himself.

⁵⁴So Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it to the tent of meeting as a memorial for the sons of Israel before the LORD.

¹Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman.

²But because of sexual immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband.

³The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise the wife also to her husband.

⁴The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise the husband also does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

⁵Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

⁶But this I say by way of concession, not of command.

⁷Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. However, each has his own gift from God, one in this way, and another in that.

⁸But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I.

⁹But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

¹⁰But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife is not to leave her husband

¹¹(but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband is not to divorce his wife.

¹²But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her.

¹³And if any woman has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not divorce her husband.

¹⁴For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.

¹⁵Yet if the unbelieving one is leaving, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us in peace.

¹⁶For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

¹⁷Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this way let him walk. And so I direct in all the churches.

¹⁸Was any man called when he was already circumcised? He is not to become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? He is not to be circumcised.

¹⁹Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.

²⁰Each person is to remain in that state in which he was called.

²¹Were you called as a slave? Do not let it concern you. But if you are also able to become free, take advantage of that.

²²For the one who was called in the Lord as a slave, is the Lord’s freed person; likewise the one who was called as free, is Christ’s slave.

²³You were bought for a price; do not become slaves of people.

²⁴Brothers and sisters, each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called.

²⁵Now concerning virgins, I have no command of the Lord, but I am offering direction as one who by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy.

²⁶I think, then, that this is good in view of the present distress, that it is good for a man to remain as he is.

²⁷Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife.

²⁸But if you marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such people as yourselves will have trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you.

²⁹But this I say, brothers, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none;

³⁰and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess;

³¹and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the present form of this world is passing away.

³²But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord;

³³but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife,

³⁴and his interests are divided. The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.

³⁵I say this for your own benefit, not to put a restraint on you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.

³⁶But if anyone thinks that he is acting dishonorably toward his virgin, if she is past her youth and it ought to be so, let him do what he wishes, he is not sinning; let them marry.

³⁷But the one who stands firm in his heart, if he is not under constraint, but has authority over his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin, he will do well.

³⁸So then, both the one who gives his own virgin in marriage does well, and the one who does not give her in marriage will do better.

³⁹A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.

⁴⁰But in my opinion she is happier if she remains as she is; and I think that I also have the Spirit of God.

¹First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people,

²for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

³This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

⁴who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

⁵For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,

⁶who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

⁷For this I was appointed as a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

⁸Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and dispute.

⁹Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive apparel,

¹⁰but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.

¹¹A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness.

¹²But I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.

¹³For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve.

¹⁴And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a wrongdoer.

¹⁵But women will be preserved through childbirth—if they continue in faith, love, and sanctity, with moderation.

¹Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,

²“Dominion and awe belong to Him Who makes peace in His heights.

³Is there any number to His troops? And upon whom does His light not rise?

⁴How then can mankind be righteous with God? Or how can anyone who is born of woman be pure?

⁵If even the moon has no brightness And the stars are not pure in His sight,

⁶How much less man, that maggot, And a son of man, that worm!”

¹Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me; Fight against those who fight against me.

²Take hold of buckler and shield And rise up as my help.

³Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me; Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”

⁴Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life; Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.

⁵Let them be like chaff before the wind, With the angel of the LORD driving them on.

⁶Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

⁷For they hid their net for me without cause; Without cause they dug a pit for my soul.

⁸Let destruction come upon him when he is unaware, And let the net which he hid catch him; Let him fall into that very destruction.

⁹So my soul shall rejoice in the LORD; It shall rejoice in His salvation.

¹⁰All my bones will say, “LORD, who is like You, Who rescues the afflicted from one who is too strong for him, And the afflicted and the poor from one who robs him?”

¹¹Malicious witnesses rise up; They ask me things that I do not know.

¹²They repay me evil for good, To the bereavement of my soul.

¹³But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, But my prayer kept returning to me.

¹⁴I went about as though it were my friend or brother; I bowed down in mourning, like one who mourns for a mother.

¹⁵But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together; The afflicted people whom I did not know gathered together against me, They slandered me without ceasing.

¹⁶Like godless jesters at a feast, They gnashed at me with their teeth.

¹⁷Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, My only life from the lions.

¹⁸I will give You thanks in the great congregation; I will praise You among a mighty people.

¹⁹Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me; Nor let those who hate me for no reason wink maliciously.

²⁰For they do not speak peace, But they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.

²¹They opened their mouth wide against me; They said, “Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it!”

²²You have seen it, LORD, do not keep silent; Lord, do not be far from me.

²³Stir Yourself, and awake to my right And to my cause, my God and my Lord.

²⁴Judge me, LORD my God, according to Your righteousness, And do not let them rejoice over me.

²⁵Do not let them say in their heart, “Aha, our desire!” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him up!”

²⁶May those be ashamed and altogether humiliated who rejoice at my distress; May those who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and dishonor.

²⁷May those shout for joy and rejoice, who take delight in my vindication; And may they say continually, “The LORD be exalted, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant.”

²⁸And my tongue shall proclaim Your righteousness And Your praise all day long.

¹These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed.

²It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

³As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, So the heart of kings is unsearchable.

⁴Take away the impurities from the silver, And there comes out a vessel for the smith;

⁵Take away the wicked before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness.

⁶Do not boast in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the same place as great people;

⁷For it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,” Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince, Whom your eyes have seen.

⁸Do not go out hastily to argue your case; Otherwise, what will you do in the end, When your neighbor humiliates you?

⁹Argue your case with your neighbor, And do not reveal the secret of another,

¹⁰Or one who hears it will put you to shame, And the evil report about you will not pass away.

¹¹Like apples of gold in settings of silver, Is a word spoken at the proper time.

¹²Like an earring of gold and a jewelry piece of fine gold, Is a wise person who offers rebukes to a listening ear.

¹³Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest Is a faithful messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters.

¹⁴Like clouds and wind without rain Is a person who boasts of his gifts falsely.

¹⁵Through patience a ruler may be persuaded, And a gentle tongue breaks bone.

¹⁶Have you found honey? Eat only what you need, So that you do not have it in excess and vomit it.

¹⁷Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor’s house, Or he will become weary of you and hate you.

¹⁸Like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow Is a person who gives false testimony against his neighbor.

¹⁹Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot Is confidence in a treacherous person in time of trouble.

²⁰Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda, Is one who sings songs to a troubled heart.

²¹If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;

²²For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the LORD will reward you.

²³The north wind brings rain, And a gossiping tongue brings an angry face.

²⁴It is better to live on a corner of the roof, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

²⁵Like cold water to a weary soul, So is good news from a distant land.

²⁶Like a trampled spring and a polluted well, So is a righteous person who gives way before the wicked.

²⁷It is not good to eat much honey, Nor is it glory to search out one’s own glory.

²⁸Like a city that is broken into and without walls So is a person who has no self-control over his spirit.

¹Now David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.

²And David departed from Baale-judah, with all the people who were with him, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of the LORD of armies who is enthroned above the cherubim.

³They had mounted the ark of God on a new cart and moved it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart.

⁴So they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark.

⁵Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of instruments made of juniper wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

⁶But when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen nearly overturned it.

⁷And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God.

⁸Then David became angry because of the LORD’S outburst against Uzzah; and that place has been called Perez-uzzah to this day.

⁹So David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?”

¹⁰And David was unwilling to move the ark of the LORD into the city of David with him; but David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom, the Gittite.

¹¹The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household.

¹²Now it was reported to King David, saying, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God.” So David went and brought the ark of God up from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with joy.

¹³And so it was, that when those carrying the ark of the LORD marched six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened steer.

¹⁴And David was dancing before the LORD with all his strength, and David was wearing a linen ephod.

¹⁵So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with joyful shouting and the sound of the trumpet.

¹⁶Then it happened, as the ark of the LORD was coming into the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she was contemptuous of him in her heart.

¹⁷Now they brought in the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

¹⁸When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of armies.

¹⁹Further, he distributed to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a cake of bread, one of dates, and one of raisins to each one. Then all the people left, each to his house.

²⁰But when David returned to bless his own household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel dignified himself today! For he exposed himself today in the sight of his servants’ female slaves, as one of the rabble shamelessly exposes himself!”

²¹But David said to Michal, “I was before the LORD, who preferred me to your father and to all his house, to appoint me as ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel. So I will celebrate before the LORD!

²²And I might demean myself even more than this and be lowly in my own sight, but with the female slaves of whom you have spoken, with them I am to be held in honor!”

²³And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

¹This is what the LORD says: “Go and buy a potter’s earthenware jar, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the senior priests.

²Then go out to the Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you,

³and say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, you kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. This is what the LORD of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold I am going to bring a disaster upon this place, at which the ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle.

⁴Since they have abandoned Me and have made this place foreign, and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and since they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent

⁵and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I did not command nor speak of, nor did it ever enter My mind;

⁶therefore, behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the Valley of Slaughter.

⁷And I will frustrate the planning of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will make their carcasses food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the earth.

⁸I will also turn this city into an object of horror and hissing; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and hiss because of all its disasters.

⁹And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh during the siege and in the hardship with which their enemies and those who seek their life will torment them.” ’

¹⁰“Then you are to break the jar in the sight of the men who accompany you,

¹¹and say to them, ‘This is what the LORD of armies says: “To the same extent I will break this people and this city, just as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will bury their dead in Topheth, because there is no other place for burial.

¹²This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants,” declares the LORD, “so as to make this city like Topheth.

¹³The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like the place Topheth, because of all the houses on whose rooftops they burned sacrifices to all the heavenly lights and poured out drink offerings to other gods.” ’ ”

¹⁴Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the courtyard of the LORD’S house and said to all the people,

¹⁵“This is what the LORD of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Behold, I am going to bring on this city and all its towns the entire disaster that I have declared against it, because they have stiffened their necks so as not to listen to My words.’ ”

¹Now when it was decided that we would sail for Italy, they proceeded to turn Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion of the Augustan cohort, named Julius.

²And we boarded an Adramyttian ship that was about to sail to the regions along the coast of Asia, and put out to sea accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica.

³The next day we put in at Sidon; and Julius treated Paul with consideration and allowed him to go to his friends and receive care.

⁴From there we put out to sea and sailed under the shelter of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.

⁵When we had sailed through the sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia.

⁶There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it.

⁷When we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of Crete, off Salmone;

⁸and with difficulty sailing past it, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

⁹When considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even the fast was already over, Paul started admonishing them,

¹⁰saying to them, “Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.”

¹¹But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul.

¹²The harbor was not suitable for wintering, so the majority reached a decision to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.

¹³When a moderate south wind came up, thinking that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began sailing along Crete, closer to shore.

¹⁴But before very long a violent wind, called Euraquilo, rushed down from the land;

¹⁵and when the ship was caught in it and could not head up into the wind, we gave up and let ourselves be driven by the wind.

¹⁶Running under the shelter of a small island called Cauda, we were able to get the ship’s boat under control only with difficulty.

¹⁷After they had hoisted it up, they used supporting cables in undergirding the ship; and fearing that they might run aground on the shallows of Syrtis, they let down the sea anchor and let themselves be driven along in this way.

¹⁸The next day as we were being violently tossed by the storm, they began to jettison the cargo;

¹⁹and on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands.

²⁰Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was slowly abandoned.

²¹When many had lost their appetites, Paul then stood among them and said, “Men, you should have followed my advice and not have set sail from Crete, and thereby spared yourselves this damage and loss.

²²And yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.

²³For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong, whom I also serve, came to me,

²⁴saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has graciously granted you all those who are sailing with you.’

²⁵Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.

²⁶But we must run aground on a certain island.”

²⁷But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to suspect that they were approaching some land.

²⁸And they took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be fifteen fathoms.

²⁹Fearing that we might run aground somewhere on the rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and prayed for daybreak.

³⁰But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had let down the ship’s boat into the sea, on the pretense that they were going to lay out anchors from the bow,

³¹Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain on the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved.”

³²Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it fall away.

³³Until the day was about to dawn, Paul kept encouraging them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly watching and going without eating, having taken in nothing.

³⁴Therefore, I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your survival, for not a hair from the head of any of you will perish.”

³⁵Having said this, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all, and he broke it and began to eat.

³⁶All of them were encouraged and they themselves also took food.

³⁷We were 276 people on the ship in all.

³⁸When they had eaten enough, they began lightening the ship by throwing the wheat out into the sea.

³⁹Now when day came, they could not recognize the land; but they did notice a bay with a beach, and they resolved to run the ship onto it if they could.

⁴⁰And casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea while at the same time they were loosening the ropes of the rudders; and they hoisted the foresail to the wind and were heading for the beach.

⁴¹But they struck a reef where two seas met and ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck firmly and remained immovable, while the stern started to break up due to the force of the waves.

⁴²The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape;

⁴³but the centurion, wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from accomplishing their intention, and commanded that those who could swim were to jump overboard first and get to land,

⁴⁴and the rest were to follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land.