Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

²He existed in the beginning with God.

³God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

⁴The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.

⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

⁶God sent a man, John the Baptist,

⁷to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony.

⁸John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light.

⁹The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

¹⁰He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him.

¹¹He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.

¹²But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

¹³They are reborn — not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

¹⁴So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

¹⁵John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’”

¹⁶From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.

¹⁷For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.

¹⁸No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.

¹⁹This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?”

²⁰He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”

²¹“Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?” “No,” he replied. “Are you the Prophet we are expecting?” “No.”

²²“Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”

²³John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Clear the way for the LORD’s coming!’”

²⁴Then the Pharisees who had been sent

²⁵asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”

²⁶John told them, “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize.

²⁷Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”

²⁸This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.

²⁹The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

³⁰He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’

³¹I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”

³²Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him.

³³I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’

³⁴I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God. ”

³⁵The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples.

³⁶As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!”

³⁷When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.

³⁸Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them. They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

³⁹“Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day.

⁴⁰Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus.

⁴¹Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ” ).

⁴²Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John — but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter” ).

⁴³The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.”

⁴⁴Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown.

⁴⁵Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

⁴⁶“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.

⁴⁷As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel — a man of complete integrity.”

⁴⁸“How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.”

⁴⁹Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God — the King of Israel!”

⁵⁰Jesus asked him, “Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.”

⁵¹Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth. ”

¹The tribes of Reuben and Gad owned vast numbers of livestock. So when they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were ideally suited for their flocks and herds,

²they came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the other leaders of the community. They said,

³“Notice the towns of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sibmah, Nebo, and Beon.

⁴The LORD has conquered this whole area for the community of Israel, and it is ideally suited for all our livestock.

⁵If we have found favor with you, please let us have this land as our property instead of giving us land across the Jordan River.”

⁶“Do you intend to stay here while your brothers go across and do all the fighting?” Moses asked the men of Gad and Reuben.

⁷“Why do you want to discourage the rest of the people of Israel from going across to the land the LORD has given them?

⁸Your ancestors did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land.

⁹After they went up to the valley of Eshcol and explored the land, they discouraged the people of Israel from entering the land the LORD was giving them.

¹⁰Then the LORD was very angry with them, and he vowed,

¹¹‘Of all those I rescued from Egypt, no one who is twenty years old or older will ever see the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they have not obeyed me wholeheartedly.

¹²The only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have wholeheartedly followed the LORD.’

¹³“The LORD was angry with Israel and made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until the entire generation that sinned in the LORD’s sight had died.

¹⁴But here you are, a brood of sinners, doing exactly the same thing! You are making the LORD even angrier with Israel.

¹⁵If you turn away from him like this and he abandons them again in the wilderness, you will be responsible for destroying this entire nation!”

¹⁶But they approached Moses and said, “We simply want to build pens for our livestock and fortified towns for our wives and children.

¹⁷Then we will arm ourselves and lead our fellow Israelites into battle until we have brought them safely to their land. Meanwhile, our families will stay in the fortified towns we build here, so they will be safe from any attacks by the local people.

¹⁸We will not return to our homes until all the people of Israel have received their portions of land.

¹⁹But we do not claim any of the land on the other side of the Jordan. We would rather live here on the east side and accept this as our grant of land.”

²⁰Then Moses said, “If you keep your word and arm yourselves for the LORD’s battles,

²¹and if your troops cross the Jordan and keep fighting until the LORD has driven out his enemies,

²²then you may return when the LORD has conquered the land. You will have fulfilled your duty to the LORD and to the rest of the people of Israel. And the land on the east side of the Jordan will be your property from the LORD.

²³But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.

²⁴Go ahead and build towns for your families and pens for your flocks, but do everything you have promised.”

²⁵Then the men of Gad and Reuben replied, “We, your servants, will follow your instructions exactly.

²⁶Our children, wives, flocks, and cattle will stay here in the towns of Gilead.

²⁷But all who are able to bear arms will cross over to fight for the LORD, just as you have said.”

²⁸So Moses gave orders to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the clans of Israel.

²⁹He said, “The men of Gad and Reuben who are armed for battle must cross the Jordan with you to fight for the LORD. If they do, give them the land of Gilead as their property when the land is conquered.

³⁰But if they refuse to arm themselves and cross over with you, then they must accept land with the rest of you in the land of Canaan.”

³¹The tribes of Gad and Reuben said again, “We are your servants, and we will do as the LORD has commanded!

³²We will cross the Jordan into Canaan fully armed to fight for the LORD, but our property will be here on this side of the Jordan.”

³³So Moses assigned land to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph. He gave them the territory of King Sihon of the Amorites and the land of King Og of Bashan — the whole land with its cities and surrounding lands.

³⁴The descendants of Gad built the towns of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,

³⁵Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,

³⁶Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran. These were all fortified towns with pens for their flocks.

³⁷The descendants of Reuben built the towns of Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,

³⁸Nebo, Baal-meon, and Sibmah. They changed the names of some of the towns they conquered and rebuilt.

³⁹Then the descendants of Makir of the tribe of Manasseh went to Gilead and conquered it, and they drove out the Amorites living there.

⁴⁰So Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites, descendants of Manasseh, and they settled there.

⁴¹The people of Jair, another clan of the tribe of Manasseh, captured many of the towns in Gilead and changed the name of that region to the Towns of Jair.

⁴²Meanwhile, a man named Nobah captured the town of Kenath and its surrounding villages, and he renamed that area Nobah after himself.

¹Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.

²Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much.

³But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.

⁴So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God.

⁵There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords.

⁶But for us, There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live.

⁷However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated.

⁸It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do.

⁹But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble.

¹⁰For if others see you — with your “superior knowledge” — eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol?

¹¹So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed.

¹²And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ.

¹³So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live — for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.

¹This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position.”

²So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach.

³He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money.

⁴He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him.

⁵For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?

⁶A church leader must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall.

⁷Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap.

⁸In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money.

⁹They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience.

¹⁰Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons.

¹¹In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do.

¹²A deacon must be faithful to his wife, and he must manage his children and household well.

¹³Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon,

¹⁵so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.

¹⁶Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith : Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.

¹Then Job spoke again:

²“How you have helped the powerless! How you have saved the weak!

³How you have enlightened my stupidity! What wise advice you have offered!

⁴Where have you gotten all these wise sayings? Whose spirit speaks through you?

⁵“The dead tremble — those who live beneath the waters.

⁶The underworld is naked in God’s presence. The place of destruction is uncovered.

⁷God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing.

⁸He wraps the rain in his thick clouds, and the clouds don’t burst with the weight.

⁹He covers the face of the moon, shrouding it with his clouds.

¹⁰He created the horizon when he separated the waters; he set the boundary between day and night.

¹¹The foundations of heaven tremble; they shudder at his rebuke.

¹²By his power the sea grew calm. By his skill he crushed the great sea monster.

¹³His Spirit made the heavens beautiful, and his power pierced the gliding serpent.

¹⁴These are just the beginning of all that he does, merely a whisper of his power. Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?”

¹Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all.

²In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are.

³Everything they say is crooked and deceitful. They refuse to act wisely or do good.

⁴They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots. Their actions are never good. They make no attempt to turn from evil.

⁵Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

⁶Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O LORD.

⁷How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.

⁸You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights.

⁹For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.

¹⁰Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you; give justice to those with honest hearts.

¹¹Don’t let the proud trample me or the wicked push me around.

¹²Look! Those who do evil have fallen! They are thrown down, never to rise again.

¹Honor is no more associated with fools than snow with summer or rain with harvest.

²Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.

³Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a fool with a rod to his back!

⁴Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are.

⁵Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.

⁶Trusting a fool to convey a message is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison!

⁷A proverb in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralyzed leg.

⁸Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.

⁹A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk.

¹⁰An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots at random.

¹¹As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.

¹²There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise.

¹³The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road! Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”

¹⁴As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed.

¹⁵Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.

¹⁶Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors.

¹⁷Interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.

¹⁸Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon

¹⁹is someone who lies to a friend and then says, “I was only joking.”

²⁰Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.

²¹A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.

²²Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.

²³Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.

²⁴People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they’re deceiving you.

²⁵They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them. Their hearts are full of many evils.

²⁶While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.

²⁷If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will crush you instead.

²⁸A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattering words cause ruin.

¹When King David was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all the surrounding enemies,

²the king summoned Nathan the prophet. “Look,” David said, “I am living in a beautiful cedar palace, but the Ark of God is out there in a tent!”

³Nathan replied to the king, “Go ahead and do whatever you have in mind, for the LORD is with you.”

⁴But that same night the LORD said to Nathan,

⁵“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD has declared: Are you the one to build a house for me to live in?

⁶I have never lived in a house, from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until this very day. I have always moved from one place to another with a tent and a Tabernacle as my dwelling.

⁷Yet no matter where I have gone with the Israelites, I have never once complained to Israel’s tribal leaders, the shepherds of my people Israel. I have never asked them, “Why haven’t you built me a beautiful cedar house?”’

⁸“Now go and say to my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel.

⁹I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes. Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth!

¹⁰And I will provide a homeland for my people Israel, planting them in a secure place where they will never be disturbed. Evil nations won’t oppress them as they’ve done in the past,

¹¹starting from the time I appointed judges to rule my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. “‘Furthermore, the LORD declares that he will make a house for you — a dynasty of kings!

¹²For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong.

¹³He is the one who will build a house — a temple — for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever.

¹⁴I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he sins, I will correct and discipline him with the rod, like any father would do.

¹⁵But my favor will not be taken from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from your sight.

¹⁶Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.’”

¹⁷So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the LORD had said in this vision.

¹⁸Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

¹⁹And now, Sovereign LORD, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign LORD?

²⁰“What more can I say to you? You know what your servant is really like, Sovereign LORD.

²¹Because of your promise and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known to your servant.

²²“How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you!

²³What other nation on earth is like your people Israel? What other nation, O God, have you redeemed from slavery to be your own people? You made a great name for yourself when you redeemed your people from Egypt. You performed awesome miracles and drove out the nations and gods that stood in their way.

²⁴You made Israel your very own people forever, and you, O LORD, became their God.

²⁵“And now, O LORD God, I am your servant; do as you have promised concerning me and my family. Confirm it as a promise that will last forever.

²⁶And may your name be honored forever so that everyone will say, ‘The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is God over Israel!’ And may the house of your servant David continue before you forever.

²⁷“O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, I have been bold enough to pray this prayer to you because you have revealed all this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you — a dynasty of kings!’

²⁸For you are God, O Sovereign LORD. Your words are truth, and you have promised these good things to your servant.

²⁹And now, may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you have spoken, and when you grant a blessing to your servant, O Sovereign LORD, it is an eternal blessing!”

¹Now Pashhur son of Immer, the priest in charge of the Temple of the LORD, heard what Jeremiah was prophesying.

²So he arrested Jeremiah the prophet and had him whipped and put in stocks at the Benjamin Gate of the LORD’s Temple.

³The next day, when Pashhur finally released him, Jeremiah said, “Pashhur, the LORD has changed your name. From now on you are to be called ‘The Man Who Lives in Terror.’

⁴For this is what the LORD says: ‘I will send terror upon you and all your friends, and you will watch as they are slaughtered by the swords of the enemy. I will hand the people of Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will take them captive to Babylon or run them through with the sword.

⁵And I will let your enemies plunder Jerusalem. All the famed treasures of the city — the precious jewels and gold and silver of your kings — will be carried off to Babylon.

⁶As for you, Pashhur, you and all your household will go as captives to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you prophesied that everything would be all right.’”

⁷O LORD, you misled me, and I allowed myself to be misled. You are stronger than I am, and you overpowered me. Now I am mocked every day; everyone laughs at me.

⁸When I speak, the words burst out. “Violence and destruction!” I shout. So these messages from the LORD have made me a household joke.

⁹But if I say I’ll never mention the LORD or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!

¹⁰I have heard the many rumors about me. They call me “The Man Who Lives in Terror.” They threaten, “If you say anything, we will report it.” Even my old friends are watching me, waiting for a fatal slip. “He will trap himself,” they say, “and then we will get our revenge on him.”

¹¹But the LORD stands beside me like a great warrior. Before him my persecutors will stumble. They cannot defeat me. They will fail and be thoroughly humiliated. Their dishonor will never be forgotten.

¹²O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, you test those who are righteous, and you examine the deepest thoughts and secrets. Let me see your vengeance against them, for I have committed my cause to you.

¹³Sing to the LORD! Praise the LORD! For though I was poor and needy, he rescued me from my oppressors.

¹⁴Yet I curse the day I was born! May no one celebrate the day of my birth.

¹⁵I curse the messenger who told my father, “Good news — you have a son!”

¹⁶Let him be destroyed like the cities of old that the LORD overthrew without mercy. Terrify him all day long with battle shouts,

¹⁷because he did not kill me at birth. Oh, that I had died in my mother’s womb, that her body had been my grave!

¹⁸Why was I ever born? My entire life has been filled with trouble, sorrow, and shame.

¹Once we were safe on shore, we learned that we were on the island of Malta.

²The people of the island were very kind to us. It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us.

³As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand.

⁴The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.”

⁵But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed.

⁶The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god.

⁷Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days.

⁸As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him.

⁹Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed.

¹⁰As a result we were showered with honors, and when the time came to sail, people supplied us with everything we would need for the trip.

¹¹It was three months after the shipwreck that we set sail on another ship that had wintered at the island — an Alexandrian ship with the twin gods as its figurehead.

¹²Our first stop was Syracuse, where we stayed three days.

¹³From there we sailed across to Rhegium. A day later a south wind began blowing, so the following day we sailed up the coast to Puteoli.

¹⁴There we found some believers, who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome.

¹⁵The brothers and sisters in Rome had heard we were coming, and they came to meet us at the Forum on the Appian Way. Others joined us at The Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he was encouraged and thanked God.

¹⁶When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to have his own private lodging, though he was guarded by a soldier.

¹⁷Three days after Paul’s arrival, he called together the local Jewish leaders. He said to them, “Brothers, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Roman government, even though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors.

¹⁸The Romans tried me and wanted to release me, because they found no cause for the death sentence.

¹⁹But when the Jewish leaders protested the decision, I felt it necessary to appeal to Caesar, even though I had no desire to press charges against my own people.

²⁰I asked you to come here today so we could get acquainted and so I could explain to you that I am bound with this chain because I believe that the hope of Israel — the Messiah — has already come.”

²¹They replied, “We have had no letters from Judea or reports against you from anyone who has come here.

²²But we want to hear what you believe, for the only thing we know about this movement is that it is denounced everywhere.”

²³So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening.

²⁴Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe.

²⁵And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: “The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet,

²⁶‘Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.

²⁷For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes — so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’

²⁸So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.”

²⁹

³⁰For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him,

³¹boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.