Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.

²They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.

³So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.

⁴As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.

⁵The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive?

⁶He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee,

⁷that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

⁸Then they remembered that he had said this.

⁹So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples — and everyone else — what had happened.

¹⁰It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened.

¹¹But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it.

¹²However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.

¹³That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem.

¹⁴As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened.

¹⁵As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them.

¹⁶But God kept them from recognizing him.

¹⁷He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?” They stopped short, sadness written across their faces.

¹⁸Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.”

¹⁹“What things?” Jesus asked. “The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people.

²⁰But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him.

²¹We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.

²²“Then some women from our group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning, and they came back with an amazing report.

²³They said his body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive!

²⁴Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, his body was gone, just as the women had said.”

²⁵Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures.

²⁶Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?”

²⁷Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

²⁸By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on,

²⁹but they begged him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So he went home with them.

³⁰As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them.

³¹Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!

³²They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”

³³And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven disciples and the others who had gathered with them,

³⁴who said, “The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter. ”

³⁵Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread.

³⁶And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said.

³⁷But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!

³⁸“Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt?

³⁹Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.”

⁴⁰As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet.

⁴¹Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”

⁴²They gave him a piece of broiled fish,

⁴³and he ate it as they watched.

⁴⁴Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

⁴⁵Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

⁴⁶And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day.

⁴⁷It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’

⁴⁸You are witnesses of all these things.

⁴⁹“And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”

⁵⁰Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them.

⁵¹While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven.

⁵²So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy.

⁵³And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.

¹Then the LORD said to Moses,

²“On behalf of the people of Israel, take revenge on the Midianites for leading them into idolatry. After that, you will die and join your ancestors.”

³So Moses said to the people, “Choose some men, and arm them to fight the LORD’s war of revenge against Midian.

⁴From each tribe of Israel, send 1,000 men into battle.”

⁵So they chose 1,000 men from each tribe of Israel, a total of 12,000 men armed for battle.

⁶Then Moses sent them out, 1,000 men from each tribe, and Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest led them into battle. They carried along the holy objects of the sanctuary and the trumpets for sounding the charge.

⁷They attacked Midian as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed all the men.

⁸All five of the Midianite kings — Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba — died in the battle. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.

⁹Then the Israelite army captured the Midianite women and children and seized their cattle and flocks and all their wealth as plunder.

¹⁰They burned all the towns and villages where the Midianites had lived.

¹¹After they had gathered the plunder and captives, both people and animals,

¹²they brought them all to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to the whole community of Israel, which was camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.

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

¹⁴But Moses was furious with all the generals and captains who had returned from the battle.

¹⁵“Why have you let all the women live?” he demanded.

¹⁶“These are the very ones who followed Balaam’s advice and caused the people of Israel to rebel against the LORD at Mount Peor. They are the ones who caused the plague to strike the LORD’s people.

¹⁷So kill all the boys and all the women who have had intercourse with a man.

¹⁸Only the young girls who are virgins may live; you may keep them for yourselves.

¹⁹And all of you who have killed anyone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days. You must purify yourselves and your captives on the third and seventh days.

²⁰Purify all your clothing, too, and everything made of leather, goat hair, or wood.”

²¹Then Eleazar the priest said to the men who were in the battle, “The LORD has given Moses this legal requirement:

²²Anything made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead —

²³that is, all metals that do not burn — must be passed through fire in order to be made ceremonially pure. These metal objects must then be further purified with the water of purification. But everything that burns must be purified by the water alone.

²⁴On the seventh day you must wash your clothes and be purified. Then you may return to the camp.”

²⁵And the LORD said to Moses,

²⁶“You and Eleazar the priest and the family leaders of each tribe are to make a list of all the plunder taken in the battle, including the people and animals.

²⁷Then divide the plunder into two parts, and give half to the men who fought the battle and half to the rest of the people.

²⁸From the army’s portion, first give the LORD his share of the plunder — one of every 500 of the prisoners and of the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.

²⁹Give this share of the army’s half to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the LORD.

³⁰From the half that belongs to the people of Israel, take one of every fifty of the prisoners and of the cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, and other animals. Give this share to the Levites, who are in charge of maintaining the LORD’s Tabernacle.”

³¹So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.

³²The plunder remaining from everything the fighting men had taken totaled 675,000 sheep and goats,

³³72,000 cattle,

³⁴61,000 donkeys,

³⁵and 32,000 virgin girls.

³⁶Half of the plunder was given to the fighting men. It totaled 337,500 sheep and goats,

³⁷of which 675 were the LORD’s share;

³⁸36,000 cattle, of which 72 were the LORD’s share;

³⁹30,500 donkeys, of which 61 were the LORD’s share;

⁴⁰and 16,000 virgin girls, of whom 32 were the LORD’s share.

⁴¹Moses gave all the LORD’s share to Eleazar the priest, just as the LORD had directed him.

⁴²Half of the plunder belonged to the people of Israel, and Moses separated it from the half belonging to the fighting men.

⁴³It totaled 337,500 sheep and goats,

⁴⁴36,000 cattle,

⁴⁵30,500 donkeys,

⁴⁶and 16,000 virgin girls.

⁴⁷From the half-share given to the people, Moses took one of every fifty prisoners and animals and gave them to the Levites, who maintained the LORD’s Tabernacle. All this was done as the LORD had commanded Moses.

⁴⁸Then all the generals and captains came to Moses

⁴⁹and said, “We, your servants, have accounted for all the men who went out to battle under our command; not one of us is missing!

⁵⁰So we are presenting the items of gold we captured as an offering to the LORD from our share of the plunder — armbands, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces. This will purify our lives before the LORD and make us right with him. ”

⁵¹So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from all the military commanders — all kinds of jewelry and crafted objects.

⁵²In all, the gold that the generals and captains presented as a gift to the LORD weighed about 420 pounds.

⁵³All the fighting men had taken some of the plunder for themselves.

⁵⁴So Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gifts from the generals and captains and brought the gold to the Tabernacle as a reminder to the LORD that the people of Israel belong to him.

¹Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to abstain from sexual relations.

²But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.

³The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs.

⁴The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife.

⁵Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

⁶I say this as a concession, not as a command.

⁷But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another.

⁸So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows — it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am.

⁹But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.

¹⁰But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband.

¹¹But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him. And the husband must not leave his wife.

¹²Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a fellow believer has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her.

¹³And if a believing woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him.

¹⁴For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy.

¹⁵(But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the believing husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.)

¹⁶Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you?

¹⁷Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches.

¹⁸For instance, a man who was circumcised before he became a believer should not try to reverse it. And the man who was uncircumcised when he became a believer should not be circumcised now.

¹⁹For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God’s commandments.

²⁰Yes, each of you should remain as you were when God called you.

²¹Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you — but if you get a chance to be free, take it.

²²And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ.

²³God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world.

²⁴Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you.

²⁵Now regarding your question about the young women who are not yet married. I do not have a command from the Lord for them. But the Lord in his mercy has given me wisdom that can be trusted, and I will share it with you.

²⁶Because of the present crisis, I think it is best to remain as you are.

²⁷If you have a wife, do not seek to end the marriage. If you do not have a wife, do not seek to get married.

²⁸But if you do get married, it is not a sin. And if a young woman gets married, it is not a sin. However, those who get married at this time will have troubles, and I am trying to spare you those problems.

²⁹But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage.

³⁰Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions.

³¹Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.

³²I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him.

³³But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife.

³⁴His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband.

³⁵I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.

³⁶But if a man thinks that he’s treating his fiancée improperly and will inevitably give in to his passion, let him marry her as he wishes. It is not a sin.

³⁷But if he has decided firmly not to marry and there is no urgency and he can control his passion, he does well not to marry.

³⁸So the person who marries his fiancée does well, and the person who doesn’t marry does even better.

³⁹A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only if he loves the Lord.

⁴⁰But in my opinion it would be better for her to stay single, and I think I am giving you counsel from God’s Spirit when I say this.

¹I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.

²Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.

³This is good and pleases God our Savior,

⁴who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

⁵For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity — the man Christ Jesus.

⁶He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.

⁷And I have been chosen as a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles this message about faith and truth. I’m not exaggerating — just telling the truth.

⁸In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.

⁹And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes.

¹⁰For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.

¹¹Women should learn quietly and submissively.

¹²I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly.

¹³For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve.

¹⁴And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result.

¹⁵But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.

¹Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

²“God is powerful and dreadful. He enforces peace in the heavens.

³Who is able to count his heavenly army? Doesn’t his light shine on all the earth?

⁴How can a mortal be innocent before God? Can anyone born of a woman be pure?

⁵God is more glorious than the moon; he shines brighter than the stars.

⁶In comparison, people are maggots; we mortals are mere worms.”

¹O LORD, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me.

²Put on your armor, and take up your shield. Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.

³Lift up your spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Let me hear you say, “I will give you victory!”

⁴Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me; turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.

⁵Blow them away like chaff in the wind — a wind sent by the angel of the LORD.

⁶Make their path dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

⁷I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me. I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.

⁸So let sudden ruin come upon them! Let them be caught in the trap they set for me! Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.

⁹Then I will rejoice in the LORD. I will be glad because he rescues me.

¹⁰With every bone in my body I will praise him: “LORD, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”

¹¹Malicious witnesses testify against me. They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.

¹²They repay me evil for good. I am sick with despair.

¹³Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered.

¹⁴I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother.

¹⁵But they are glad now that I am in trouble; they gleefully join together against me. I am attacked by people I don’t even know; they slander me constantly.

¹⁶They mock me and call me names; they snarl at me.

¹⁷How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing? Rescue me from their fierce attacks. Protect my life from these lions!

¹⁸Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly. I will praise you before all the people.

¹⁹Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat. Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.

²⁰They don’t talk of peace; they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.

²¹They shout, “Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we saw him do it!”

²²O LORD, you know all about this. Do not stay silent. Do not abandon me now, O Lord.

²³Wake up! Rise to my defense! Take up my case, my God and my Lord.

²⁴Declare me not guilty, O LORD my God, for you give justice. Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.

²⁵Don’t let them say, “Look, we got what we wanted! Now we will eat him alive!”

²⁶May those who rejoice at my troubles be humiliated and disgraced. May those who triumph over me be covered with shame and dishonor.

²⁷But give great joy to those who came to my defense. Let them continually say, “Great is the LORD, who delights in blessing his servant with peace!”

²⁸Then I will proclaim your justice, and I will praise you all day long.

¹These are more proverbs of Solomon, collected by the advisers of King Hezekiah of Judah.

²It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them.

³No one can comprehend the height of heaven, the depth of the earth, or all that goes on in the king’s mind!

⁴Remove the impurities from silver, and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith.

⁵Remove the wicked from the king’s court, and his reign will be made secure by justice.

⁶Don’t demand an audience with the king or push for a place among the great.

⁷It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table than to be sent away in public disgrace. Just because you’ve seen something,

⁸don’t be in a hurry to go to court. For what will you do in the end if your neighbor deals you a shameful defeat?

⁹When arguing with your neighbor, don’t betray another person’s secret.

¹⁰Others may accuse you of gossip, and you will never regain your good reputation.

¹¹Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket.

¹²To one who listens, valid criticism is like a gold earring or other gold jewelry.

¹³Trustworthy messengers refresh like snow in summer. They revive the spirit of their employer.

¹⁴A person who promises a gift but doesn’t give it is like clouds and wind that bring no rain.

¹⁵Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can break bones.

¹⁶Do you like honey? Don’t eat too much, or it will make you sick!

¹⁷Don’t visit your neighbors too often, or you will wear out your welcome.

¹⁸Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them with a sharp arrow.

¹⁹Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking on a lame foot.

²⁰Singing cheerful songs to a person with a heavy heart is like taking someone’s coat in cold weather or pouring vinegar in a wound.

²¹If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink.

²²You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the LORD will reward you.

²³As surely as a north wind brings rain, so a gossiping tongue causes anger!

²⁴It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.

²⁵Good news from far away is like cold water to the thirsty.

²⁶If the godly give in to the wicked, it’s like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring.

²⁷It’s not good to eat too much honey, and it’s not good to seek honors for yourself.

²⁸A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.

¹Then David again gathered all the elite troops in Israel, 30,000 in all.

²He led them to Baalah of Judah to bring back the Ark of God, which bears the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim.

³They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart

⁴that carried the Ark of God. Ahio walked in front of the Ark.

⁵David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the LORD, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments — lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

⁶But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God.

⁷Then the LORD’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God.

⁸David was angry because the LORD’s anger had burst out against Uzzah. He named that place Perez-uzzah (which means “to burst out against Uzzah”), as it is still called today.

⁹David was now afraid of the LORD, and he asked, “How can I ever bring the Ark of the LORD back into my care?”

¹⁰So David decided not to move the Ark of the LORD into the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath.

¹¹The Ark of the LORD remained there in Obed-edom’s house for three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.

¹²Then King David was told, “The LORD has blessed Obed-edom’s household and everything he has because of the Ark of God.” So David went there and brought the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with a great celebration.

¹³After the men who were carrying the Ark of the LORD had gone six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.

¹⁴And David danced before the LORD with all his might, wearing a priestly garment.

¹⁵So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the LORD with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns.

¹⁶But as the Ark of the LORD entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she was filled with contempt for him.

¹⁷They brought the Ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the special tent David had prepared for it. And David sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD.

¹⁸When he had finished his sacrifices, David blessed the people in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

¹⁹Then he gave to every Israelite man and woman in the crowd a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people returned to their homes.

²⁰When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!”

²¹David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the LORD, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the LORD, so I celebrate before the LORD.

²²Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!”

²³So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life.

¹This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and buy a clay jar. Then ask some of the leaders of the people and of the priests to follow you.

²Go out through the Gate of Broken Pots to the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and give them this message.

³Say to them, ‘Listen to this message from the LORD, you kings of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem! This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will bring a terrible disaster on this place, and the ears of those who hear about it will ring!

⁴“‘For Israel has forsaken me and turned this valley into a place of wickedness. The people burn incense to foreign gods — idols never before acknowledged by this generation, by their ancestors, or by the kings of Judah. And they have filled this place with the blood of innocent children.

⁵They have built pagan shrines to Baal, and there they burn their sons as sacrifices to Baal. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing!

⁶So beware, for the time is coming, says the LORD, when this garbage dump will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben-Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.

⁷“‘For I will upset the careful plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will allow the people to be slaughtered by invading armies, and I will leave their dead bodies as food for the vultures and wild animals.

⁸I will reduce Jerusalem to ruins, making it a monument to their stupidity. All who pass by will be astonished and will gasp at the destruction they see there.

⁹I will see to it that your enemies lay siege to the city until all the food is gone. Then those trapped inside will eat their own sons and daughters and friends. They will be driven to utter despair.’

¹⁰“As these men watch you, Jeremiah, smash the jar you brought.

¹¹Then say to them, ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: As this jar lies shattered, so I will shatter the people of Judah and Jerusalem beyond all hope of repair. They will bury the bodies here in Topheth, the garbage dump, until there is no more room for them.

¹²This is what I will do to this place and its people, says the LORD. I will cause this city to become defiled like Topheth.

¹³Yes, all the houses in Jerusalem, including the palace of Judah’s kings, will become like Topheth — all the houses where you burned incense on the rooftops to your star gods, and where liquid offerings were poured out to your idols.’”

¹⁴Then Jeremiah returned from Topheth, the garbage dump where he had delivered this message, and he stopped in front of the Temple of the LORD. He said to the people there,

¹⁵“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will bring disaster upon this city and its surrounding towns as I promised, because you have stubbornly refused to listen to me.’”

¹When the time came, we set sail for Italy. Paul and several other prisoners were placed in the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment.

²Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was also with us. We left on a ship whose home port was Adramyttium on the northwest coast of the province of Asia; it was scheduled to make several stops at ports along the coast of the province.

³The next day when we docked at Sidon, Julius was very kind to Paul and let him go ashore to visit with friends so they could provide for his needs.

⁴Putting out to sea from there, we encountered strong headwinds that made it difficult to keep the ship on course, so we sailed north of Cyprus between the island and the mainland.

⁵Keeping to the open sea, we passed along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, landing at Myra, in the province of Lycia.

⁶There the commanding officer found an Egyptian ship from Alexandria that was bound for Italy, and he put us on board.

⁷We had several days of slow sailing, and after great difficulty we finally neared Cnidus. But the wind was against us, so we sailed across to Crete and along the sheltered coast of the island, past the cape of Salmone.

⁸We struggled along the coast with great difficulty and finally arrived at Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

⁹We had lost a lot of time. The weather was becoming dangerous for sea travel because it was so late in the fall, and Paul spoke to the ship’s officers about it.

¹⁰“Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on — shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.”

¹¹But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul.

¹²And since Fair Havens was an exposed harbor — a poor place to spend the winter — most of the crew wanted to go on to Phoenix, farther up the coast of Crete, and spend the winter there. Phoenix was a good harbor with only a southwest and northwest exposure.

¹³When a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete.

¹⁴But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a “northeaster”) burst across the island and blew us out to sea.

¹⁵The sailors couldn’t turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it run before the gale.

¹⁶We sailed along the sheltered side of a small island named Cauda, where with great difficulty we hoisted aboard the lifeboat being towed behind us.

¹⁷Then the sailors bound ropes around the hull of the ship to strengthen it. They were afraid of being driven across to the sandbars of Syrtis off the African coast, so they lowered the sea anchor to slow the ship and were driven before the wind.

¹⁸The next day, as gale-force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard.

¹⁹The following day they even took some of the ship’s gear and threw it overboard.

²⁰The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone.

²¹No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss.

²²But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down.

²³For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me,

²⁴and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’

²⁵So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said.

²⁶But we will be shipwrecked on an island.”

²⁷About midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm, as we were being driven across the Sea of Adria, the sailors sensed land was near.

²⁸They dropped a weighted line and found that the water was 120 feet deep. But a little later they measured again and found it was only 90 feet deep.

²⁹At this rate they were afraid we would soon be driven against the rocks along the shore, so they threw out four anchors from the back of the ship and prayed for daylight.

³⁰Then the sailors tried to abandon the ship; they lowered the lifeboat as though they were going to put out anchors from the front of the ship.

³¹But Paul said to the commanding officer and the soldiers, “You will all die unless the sailors stay aboard.”

³²So the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and let it drift away.

³³Just as day was dawning, Paul urged everyone to eat. “You have been so worried that you haven’t touched food for two weeks,” he said.

³⁴“Please eat something now for your own good. For not a hair of your heads will perish.”

³⁵Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it.

³⁶Then everyone was encouraged and began to eat —

³⁷all 276 of us who were on board.

³⁸After eating, the crew lightened the ship further by throwing the cargo of wheat overboard.

³⁹When morning dawned, they didn’t recognize the coastline, but they saw a bay with a beach and wondered if they could get to shore by running the ship aground.

⁴⁰So they cut off the anchors and left them in the sea. Then they lowered the rudders, raised the foresail, and headed toward shore.

⁴¹But they hit a shoal and ran the ship aground too soon. The bow of the ship stuck fast, while the stern was repeatedly smashed by the force of the waves and began to break apart.

⁴²The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to make sure they didn’t swim ashore and escape.

⁴³But the commanding officer wanted to spare Paul, so he didn’t let them carry out their plan. Then he ordered all who could swim to jump overboard first and make for land.

⁴⁴The others held on to planks or debris from the broken ship. So everyone escaped safely to shore.