Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,

²and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration.

³The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”

⁴“Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”

⁵But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

⁶Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons.

⁷Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled,

⁸he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.

⁹When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over.

¹⁰“A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”

¹¹This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

¹²After the wedding he went to Capernaum for a few days with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples.

¹³It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem.

¹⁴In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money.

¹⁵Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables.

¹⁶Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”

¹⁷Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.”

¹⁸But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”

¹⁹“All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

²⁰“What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?”

²¹But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body.

²²After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.

²³Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him.

²⁴But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people.

²⁵No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.

¹This is the route the Israelites followed as they marched out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.

²At the LORD’s direction, Moses kept a written record of their progress. These are the stages of their march, identified by the different places where they stopped along the way.

³They set out from the city of Rameses in early spring — on the fifteenth day of the first month — on the morning after the first Passover celebration. The people of Israel left defiantly, in full view of all the Egyptians.

⁴Meanwhile, the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn sons, whom the LORD had killed the night before. The LORD had defeated the gods of Egypt that night with great acts of judgment!

⁵After leaving Rameses, the Israelites set up camp at Succoth.

⁶Then they left Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness.

⁷They left Etham and turned back toward Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon, and camped near Migdol.

⁸They left Pi-hahiroth and crossed the Red Sea into the wilderness beyond. Then they traveled for three days into the Etham wilderness and camped at Marah.

⁹They left Marah and camped at Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees.

¹⁰They left Elim and camped beside the Red Sea.

¹¹They left the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin.

¹²They left the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah.

¹³They left Dophkah and camped at Alush.

¹⁴They left Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

¹⁵They left Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai.

¹⁶They left the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.

¹⁷They left Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.

¹⁸They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.

¹⁹They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez.

²⁰They left Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah.

²¹They left Libnah and camped at Rissah.

²²They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.

²³They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.

²⁴They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.

²⁵They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth.

²⁶They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath.

²⁷They left Tahath and camped at Terah.

²⁸They left Terah and camped at Mithcah.

²⁹They left Mithcah and camped at Hashmonah.

³⁰They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.

³¹They left Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan.

³²They left Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad.

³³They left Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.

³⁴They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.

³⁵They left Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber.

³⁶They left Ezion-geber and camped at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

³⁷They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, at the border of Edom.

³⁸While they were at the foot of Mount Hor, Aaron the priest was directed by the LORD to go up the mountain, and there he died. This happened in midsummer, on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year after Israel’s departure from Egypt.

³⁹Aaron was 123 years old when he died there on Mount Hor.

⁴⁰At that time the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard that the people of Israel were approaching his land.

⁴¹Meanwhile, the Israelites left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.

⁴²Then they left Zalmonah and camped at Punon.

⁴³They left Punon and camped at Oboth.

⁴⁴They left Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim on the border of Moab.

⁴⁵They left Iye-abarim and camped at Dibon-gad.

⁴⁶They left Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim.

⁴⁷They left Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains east of the river, near Mount Nebo.

⁴⁸They left the mountains east of the river and camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.

⁴⁹Along the Jordan River they camped from Beth-jeshimoth as far as the meadows of Acacia on the plains of Moab.

⁵⁰While they were camped near the Jordan River on the plains of Moab opposite Jericho, the LORD said to Moses,

⁵¹“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: When you cross the Jordan River into the land of Canaan,

⁵²you must drive out all the people living there. You must destroy all their carved and molten images and demolish all their pagan shrines.

⁵³Take possession of the land and settle in it, because I have given it to you to occupy.

⁵⁴You must distribute the land among the clans by sacred lot and in proportion to their size. A larger portion of land will be allotted to each of the larger clans, and a smaller portion will be allotted to each of the smaller clans. The decision of the sacred lot is final. In this way, the portions of land will be divided among your ancestral tribes.

⁵⁵But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live.

⁵⁶And I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.”

¹Am I not as free as anyone else? Am I not an apostle? Haven’t I seen Jesus our Lord with my own eyes? Isn’t it because of my work that you belong to the Lord?

²Even if others think I am not an apostle, I certainly am to you. You yourselves are proof that I am the Lord’s apostle.

³This is my answer to those who question my authority.

⁴Don’t we have the right to live in your homes and share your meals?

⁵Don’t we have the right to bring a believing wife with us as the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers do, and as Peter does?

⁶Or is it only Barnabas and I who have to work to support ourselves?

⁷What soldier has to pay his own expenses? What farmer plants a vineyard and doesn’t have the right to eat some of its fruit? What shepherd cares for a flock of sheep and isn’t allowed to drink some of the milk?

⁸Am I expressing merely a human opinion, or does the law say the same thing?

⁹For the law of Moses says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” Was God thinking only about oxen when he said this?

¹⁰Wasn’t he actually speaking to us? Yes, it was written for us, so that the one who plows and the one who threshes the grain might both expect a share of the harvest.

¹¹Since we have planted spiritual seed among you, aren’t we entitled to a harvest of physical food and drink?

¹²If you support others who preach to you, shouldn’t we have an even greater right to be supported? But we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ.

¹³Don’t you realize that those who work in the temple get their meals from the offerings brought to the temple? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings.

¹⁴In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it.

¹⁵Yet I have never used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that I want to start now. In fact, I would rather die than lose my right to boast about preaching without charge.

¹⁶Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News!

¹⁷If I were doing this on my own initiative, I would deserve payment. But I have no choice, for God has given me this sacred trust.

¹⁸What then is my pay? It is the opportunity to preach the Good News without charging anyone. That’s why I never demand my rights when I preach the Good News.

¹⁹Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ.

²⁰When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law.

²¹When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.

²²When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.

²³I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.

²⁴Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!

²⁵All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.

²⁶So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.

²⁷I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

¹Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.

²These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.

³They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth.

⁴Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks.

⁵For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer.

⁶If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed.

⁷Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly.

⁸“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”

⁹This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it.

¹⁰This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.

¹¹Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them.

¹²Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.

¹³Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.

¹⁴Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you.

¹⁵Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress.

¹⁶Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.

¹Job continued speaking:

²“I vow by the living God, who has taken away my rights, by the Almighty who has embittered my soul —

³As long as I live, while I have breath from God,

⁴my lips will speak no evil, and my tongue will speak no lies.

⁵I will never concede that you are right; I will defend my integrity until I die.

⁶I will maintain my innocence without wavering. My conscience is clear for as long as I live.

⁷“May my enemy be punished like the wicked, my adversary like those who do evil.

⁸For what hope do the godless have when God cuts them off and takes away their life?

⁹Will God listen to their cry when trouble comes upon them?

¹⁰Can they take delight in the Almighty? Can they call to God at any time?

¹¹I will teach you about God’s power. I will not conceal anything concerning the Almighty.

¹²But you have seen all this, yet you say all these useless things to me.

¹³“This is what the wicked will receive from God; this is their inheritance from the Almighty.

¹⁴They may have many children, but the children will die in war or starve to death.

¹⁵Those who survive will die of a plague, and not even their widows will mourn them.

¹⁶“Evil people may have piles of money and may store away mounds of clothing.

¹⁷But the righteous will wear that clothing, and the innocent will divide that money.

¹⁸The wicked build houses as fragile as a spider’s web, as flimsy as a shelter made of branches.

¹⁹The wicked go to bed rich but wake to find that all their wealth is gone.

²⁰Terror overwhelms them like a flood, and they are blown away in the storms of the night.

²¹The east wind carries them away, and they are gone. It sweeps them away.

²²It whirls down on them without mercy. They struggle to flee from its power.

²³But everyone jeers at them and mocks them.

¹Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.

²For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

³Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

⁴Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

⁵Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.

⁶He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

⁷Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.

⁸Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper — it only leads to harm.

⁹For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the LORD will possess the land.

¹⁰Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone.

¹¹The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity.

¹²The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance.

¹³But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming.

¹⁴The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right.

¹⁵But their swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

¹⁶It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich.

¹⁷For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the LORD takes care of the godly.

¹⁸Day by day the LORD takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.

¹⁹They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough.

²⁰But the wicked will die. The LORD’s enemies are like flowers in a field — they will disappear like smoke.

²¹The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers.

²²Those the LORD blesses will possess the land, but those he curses will die.

²³The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.

²⁴Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.

²⁵Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.

²⁶The godly always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing.

²⁷Turn from evil and do good, and you will live in the land forever.

²⁸For the LORD loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die.

²⁹The godly will possess the land and will live there forever.

³⁰The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong.

³¹They have made God’s law their own, so they will never slip from his path.

³²The wicked wait in ambush for the godly, looking for an excuse to kill them.

³³But the LORD will not let the wicked succeed or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.

³⁴Put your hope in the LORD. Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed.

³⁵I have seen wicked and ruthless people flourishing like a tree in its native soil.

³⁶But when I looked again, they were gone! Though I searched for them, I could not find them!

³⁷Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.

³⁸But the rebellious will be destroyed; they have no future.

³⁹The LORD rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble.

⁴⁰The LORD helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him.

¹Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.

²Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth — a stranger, not your own lips.

³A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier.

⁴Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous.

⁵An open rebuke is better than hidden love!

⁶Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.

⁷A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.

⁸A person who strays from home is like a bird that strays from its nest.

⁹The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.

¹⁰Never abandon a friend — either yours or your father’s. When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance. It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.

¹¹Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad. Then I will be able to answer my critics.

¹²A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

¹³Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt. Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.

¹⁴A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse!

¹⁵A quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping on a rainy day.

¹⁶Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or trying to hold something with greased hands.

¹⁷As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

¹⁸As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit, so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded.

¹⁹As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.

²⁰Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.

²¹Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.

²²You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.

²³Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds,

²⁴for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.

²⁵After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears and the mountain grasses are gathered in,

²⁶your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will provide the price of a field.

²⁷And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself, your family, and your servant girls.

¹After this, David defeated and subdued the Philistines by conquering Gath, their largest town.

²David also conquered the land of Moab. He made the people lie down on the ground in a row, and he measured them off in groups with a length of rope. He measured off two groups to be executed for every one group to be spared. The Moabites who were spared became David’s subjects and paid him tribute money.

³David also destroyed the forces of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when Hadadezer marched out to strengthen his control along the Euphrates River.

⁴David captured 1,000 chariots, 7,000 charioteers, and 20,000 foot soldiers. He crippled all the chariot horses except enough for 100 chariots.

⁵When Arameans from Damascus arrived to help King Hadadezer, David killed 22,000 of them.

⁶Then he placed several army garrisons in Damascus, the Aramean capital, and the Arameans became David’s subjects and paid him tribute money. So the LORD made David victorious wherever he went.

⁷David brought the gold shields of Hadadezer’s officers to Jerusalem,

⁸along with a large amount of bronze from Hadadezer’s towns of Tebah and Berothai.

⁹When King Toi of Hamath heard that David had destroyed the entire army of Hadadezer,

¹⁰he sent his son Joram to congratulate King David for his successful campaign. Hadadezer and Toi had been enemies and were often at war. Joram presented David with many gifts of silver, gold, and bronze.

¹¹King David dedicated all these gifts to the LORD, as he did with the silver and gold from the other nations he had defeated —

¹²from Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, and Amalek — and from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³So David became even more famous when he returned from destroying 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

¹⁴He placed army garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s subjects. In fact, the LORD made David victorious wherever he went.

¹⁵So David reigned over all Israel and did what was just and right for all his people.

¹⁶Joab son of Zeruiah was commander of the army. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the royal historian.

¹⁷Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were the priests. Seraiah was the court secretary.

¹⁸Benaiah son of Jehoiada was captain of the king’s bodyguard. And David’s sons served as priestly leaders.

¹The LORD spoke through Jeremiah when King Zedekiah sent Pashhur son of Malkijah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, to speak with him. They begged Jeremiah,

²“Please speak to the LORD for us and ask him to help us. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is attacking Judah. Perhaps the LORD will be gracious and do a mighty miracle as he has done in the past. Perhaps he will force Nebuchadnezzar to withdraw his armies.”

³Jeremiah replied, “Go back to King Zedekiah and tell him,

⁴‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I will make your weapons useless against the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside your walls attacking you. In fact, I will bring your enemies right into the heart of this city.

⁵I myself will fight against you with a strong hand and a powerful arm, for I am very angry. You have made me furious!

⁶I will send a terrible plague upon this city, and both people and animals will die.

⁷And after all that, says the LORD, I will hand over King Zedekiah, his staff, and everyone else in the city who survives the disease, war, and famine. I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and to their other enemies. He will slaughter them and show them no mercy, pity, or compassion.’

⁸“Tell all the people, ‘This is what the LORD says: Take your choice of life or death!

⁹Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die from war, famine, or disease, but those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will live. Their reward will be life!

¹⁰For I have decided to bring disaster and not good upon this city, says the LORD. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, and he will reduce it to ashes.’

¹¹“Say to the royal family of Judah, ‘Listen to this message from the LORD!

¹²This is what the LORD says to the dynasty of David: “‘Give justice each morning to the people you judge! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Otherwise, my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins.

¹³I will personally fight against the people in Jerusalem, that mighty fortress — the people who boast, “No one can touch us here. No one can break in here.”

¹⁴And I myself will punish you for your sinfulness, says the LORD. I will light a fire in your forests that will burn up everything around you.’”

¹In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach

²until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit.

³During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

⁴Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before.

⁵John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

⁶So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”

⁷He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.

⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere — in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

⁹After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.

¹⁰As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them.

¹¹“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”

¹²Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile.

¹³When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying. Here are the names of those who were present: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the zealot), and Judas (son of James).

¹⁴They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.

¹⁵During this time, when about 120 believers were together in one place, Peter stood up and addressed them.

¹⁶“Brothers,” he said, “the Scriptures had to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided those who arrested Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David.

¹⁷Judas was one of us and shared in the ministry with us.”

¹⁸(Judas had bought a field with the money he received for his treachery. Falling headfirst there, his body split open, spilling out all his intestines.

¹⁹The news of his death spread to all the people of Jerusalem, and they gave the place the Aramaic name Akeldama, which means “Field of Blood.”)

²⁰Peter continued, “This was written in the book of Psalms, where it says, ‘Let his home become desolate, with no one living in it.’ It also says, ‘Let someone else take his position.’

²¹“So now we must choose a replacement for Judas from among the men who were with us the entire time we were traveling with the Lord Jesus —

²²from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.”

²³So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.

²⁴Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen

²⁵as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.”

²⁶Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven.