Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹They came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes.

²When Jesus got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him,

³and the man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with chains.

⁴For he had often been bound with shackles [for the feet] and with chains, and he tore apart the chains and broke the shackles into pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue and tame him.

⁵Night and day he was constantly screaming and shrieking among the tombs and on the mountains, and cutting himself with [sharp] stones.

⁶Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him [in homage];

⁷and screaming with a loud voice, he said, " What business do we have in common with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore you by God [swear to me], do not torment me!"

⁸For Jesus had been saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!"

⁹He was asking him, "What is your name?" And he replied, "My name is Legion; for we are many."

¹⁰And he began begging Him repeatedly not to send them out of the region.

¹¹Now there was a large herd of pigs grazing there on the mountain.

¹²And the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the pigs so that we may go into them!"

¹³Jesus gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out [of the man] and entered the pigs. The herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea; and they were drowned [one after the other] in the sea.

¹⁴The herdsmen [tending the pigs] ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what had happened.

¹⁵They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the man who had [previously] had the "legion" [of demons]; and they were frightened.

¹⁶Those who had seen it described [in detail] to the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man, and [told them all] about the pigs.

¹⁷So the people began to beg with Jesus to leave their region.

¹⁸As He was stepping into the boat, the [Gentile] man who had been demon-possessed was begging with Him [asking] that he might go with Him [as a disciple].

¹⁹Jesus did not let him [come], but [instead] He said to him, "Go home to your family and tell them all the great things that the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you."

²⁰So he [obeyed and] went away and began to publicly proclaim in Decapolis [the region of the ten Hellenistic cities] all the great things that Jesus had done for him; and all the people were astonished.

²¹When Jesus had again crossed over in the boat to the other side [of the sea], a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore.

²²One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up; and seeing Him, fell at His feet

²³and begged anxiously with Him, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death; [please] come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live."

²⁴And Jesus went with him; and a large crowd followed Him and pressed in around Him [from all sides].

²⁵A woman [in the crowd] had [suffered from] a hemorrhage for twelve years,

²⁶and had endured much [suffering] at the hands of many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but instead had become worse.

²⁷She had heard [reports] about Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His outer robe.

²⁸For she thought, "If I just touch His clothing, I will get well."

²⁹Immediately her flow of blood was dried up; and she felt in her body [and knew without any doubt] that she was healed of her suffering.

³⁰Immediately Jesus, recognizing in Himself that power had gone out from Him, turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched My clothes?"

³¹His disciples said to Him, "You see the crowd pressing in around You [from all sides], and You ask, 'Who touched Me?'"

³²Still He kept looking around to see the woman who had done it.

³³And the woman, though she was afraid and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.

³⁴Then He said to her, "Daughter, your faith [your personal trust and confidence in Me] has restored you to health; go in peace and be [permanently] healed from your suffering."

³⁵While He was still speaking, some people came from the synagogue official's house, saying [to Jairus], "Your daughter has died; why bother the Teacher any longer?"

³⁶Overhearing what was being said, Jesus said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid; only keep on believing [in Me and my power]."

³⁷And He allowed no one to go with Him [as witnesses], except Peter and James and John the brother of James.

³⁸They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He looked [with understanding] at the uproar and commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing [in mourning].

³⁹When He had gone in, He said to them, "Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is sleeping."

⁴⁰They began laughing [scornfully] at Him [because they knew the child was dead]. But He made them all go outside, and took along the child's father and mother and His own [three] companions, and entered the room where the child was.

⁴¹Taking the child's hand, He said [tenderly] to her, "Talitha kum!"—which translated [from Aramaic] means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!"

⁴²The little girl immediately got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they [who witnessed the child's resurrection] were overcome with great wonder and utter amazement.

⁴³He gave strict orders that no one should know about this, and He told them to give her something to eat.

¹Then Jacob looked up, and saw Esau coming with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maids.

²He put the maids and their children in front, Leah and her children after them, and Rachel and Joseph last of all.

³Then Jacob crossed over [the stream] ahead of them and bowed himself to the ground seven times [bowing and moving forward each time], until he approached his brother.

⁴But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and hugged his neck and kissed him, and they wept [for joy].

⁵Esau looked up and saw the women and the children, and said, "Who are these with you?" So Jacob replied, "They are the children whom God has graciously given your servant."

⁶Then the maids approached with their children, and they bowed down.

⁷Leah also approached with her children, and they bowed down. Afterward Joseph and Rachel approached, and they bowed down.

⁸Esau asked, "What do you mean by all this company which I have met?" And he answered, "[These are] to find favor in the sight of my lord."

⁹But Esau said, "I have plenty, my brother; keep what you have for yourself."

¹⁰Jacob replied, "No, please, if now I have found favor in your sight, then accept my gift [as a blessing] from my hand, for I see your face as if I had seen the face of God, and you have received me favorably.

¹¹Please accept my blessing (gift) which has been brought to you, for God has dealt graciously with me and I have everything [that I could possibly want]." So Jacob kept urging him and Esau accepted it.

¹²Then Esau said, "Let us get started on our journey and I will go in front of you [to lead the way]."

¹³But Jacob replied, "You know, my lord, that the children are frail and need gentle care, and the nursing flocks and herds [with young] are of concern to me; for if the men should drive them hard for a single day, all the flocks will die.

¹⁴Please let my lord go on ahead of his servant, and I will move on slowly, governed by the pace of the livestock that are in front of me and according to the endurance of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir [in Edom]."

¹⁵Then Esau said, "Please let me leave with you some of the people who are with me." But Jacob said, " What need is there [for it]? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord."

¹⁶So Esau turned back [toward the south] that day on his way to Seir.

¹⁷But Jacob journeyed [north] to Succoth, and built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock; so the name of the place is Succoth (huts, shelters).

¹⁸When Jacob came from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely and in peace at the city of Shechem, in the land of Canaan, and camped in front of the [walled] city.

¹⁹Then he bought the piece of land on which he had pitched his tents from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of money.

²⁰There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.

¹Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah) by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, and to all the saints (God's people) throughout Achaia (southern Greece):

²Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort,

⁴who comforts and encourages us in every trouble so that we will be able to comfort and encourage those who are in any kind of trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

⁵For just as Christ's sufferings are ours in abundance [as they overflow to His followers], so also our comfort [our reassurance, our encouragement, our consolation] is abundant through Christ [it is truly more than enough to endure what we must].

⁶But if we are troubled and distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted and encouraged, it is for your comfort, which works [in you] when you patiently endure the same sufferings which we experience.

⁷And our hope for you [our confident expectation of good for you] is firmly grounded [assured and unshaken], since we know that just as you share as partners in our sufferings, so also you share as partners in our comfort.

⁸For we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about our trouble in [the west coast province of] Asia [Minor], how we were utterly weighed down, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life [itself].

⁹Indeed, we felt within ourselves that we had received the sentence of death [and were convinced that we would die, but this happened] so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead.

¹⁰He rescued us from so great a threat of death, and will continue to rescue us. On Him we have set our hope. And He will again rescue us [from danger and draw us near],

¹¹while you join in helping us by your prayers. Then thanks will be given by many persons on our behalf for the gracious gift [of deliverance] granted to us through the prayers of many [believers].

¹²This is our [reason for] proud confidence: our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world [in general], and especially toward you, with pure motives and godly sincerity, not in human wisdom, but in the grace of God [that is, His gracious lovingkindness that leads people to Christ and spiritual maturity].

¹³For we write you nothing other than what you read and understand [there is no double meaning in what we say]. And I hope you will [accurately] understand [divine things] until the end;

¹⁴just as you have [already] partially understood us, [and one day will recognize] that you can be proud of us just as we are of you, in the day of our Lord Jesus.

¹⁵It was with this confidence that I planned at first to visit you, so that you might receive twice a token of grace;

¹⁶that is, [I wanted] to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and [then] to come back to you [on my return] from Macedonia, and have you send me on my way to Judea.

¹⁷So then, was I indecisive or capricious when I was [originally] planning this? Or the things I plan, do I plan in a self-serving way like a worldly man, ready to say, "Yes, yes" and "No, no" [at the same time]?

¹⁸But [as surely as] God is faithful and means what He says, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No" [at the same time].

¹⁹For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, by me, Silvanus, and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but has proved to be "Yes" in Him [true and faithful, the divine "Yes" affirming God's promises].

²⁰For as many as are the promises of God, in Christ they are [all answered] "Yes." So through Him we say our "Amen" to the glory of God.

²¹Now it is God who establishes and confirms us [in joint fellowship] with you in Christ, and who has anointed us [empowering us with the gifts of the Spirit];

²²it is He who has also put His seal on us [that is, He has appropriated us and certified us as His] and has given us the [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as a pledge [like a security deposit to guarantee the fulfillment of His promise of eternal life].

²³But I call on God as my soul's witness, that it was to spare you [pain and discouragement] that I did not come again to Corinth—

²⁴not that we rule [like dictators] over your faith, but rather we work with you for [the increase of] your joy; for in your faith you stand firm [in your strong conviction that Jesus of Nazareth—the Messiah—is the Son of God, through whom we obtain eternal salvation].

¹Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Jesus Christ, To those who have received and possess [by God's will] a precious faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:

²Grace and peace [that special sense of spiritual well-being] be multiplied to you in the [true, intimate] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

³For His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, through true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

⁴For by these He has bestowed on us His precious and magnificent promises [of inexpressible value], so that by them you may escape from the immoral freedom that is in the world because of disreputable desire, and become sharers of the divine nature.

⁵For this very reason, applying your diligence [to the divine promises, make every effort] in [exercising] your faith to, develop moral excellence, and in moral excellence, knowledge (insight, understanding),

⁶and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, steadfastness, and in your steadfastness, godliness,

⁷and in your godliness, brotherly affection, and in your brotherly affection, [develop Christian] love [that is, learn to unselfishly seek the best for others and to do things for their benefit].

⁸For as these qualities are yours and are increasing [in you as you grow toward spiritual maturity], they will keep you from being useless and unproductive in regard to the true knowledge and greater understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹For whoever lacks these qualities is blind—shortsighted [closing his spiritual eyes to the truth], having become oblivious to the fact that he was cleansed from his old sins.

¹⁰Therefore, believers, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you [be sure that your behavior reflects and confirms your relationship with God]; for by doing these things [actively developing these virtues], you will never stumble [in your spiritual growth and will live a life that leads others away from sin];

¹¹for in this way entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly provided to you.

¹²Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them and are established in the truth which is held firmly in your grasp.

¹³I think it right, as long as I am in this earthly tent, to inspire you by reminding you,

¹⁴knowing that the laying aside of this earthly tent of mine is imminent, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.

¹⁵Moreover, I will diligently endeavor [to see to it] that even after my departure you will be able, at all times, to call these things to mind.

¹⁶For we did not follow cleverly devised stories or myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty [His grandeur, His authority, His sovereignty].

¹⁷For when He was invested with honor and [the radiance of the Shekinah] glory from God the Father, such a voice as this came to Him from the [splendid] Majestic Glory [in the bright cloud that overshadowed Him, saying],"This is My Son, My Beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased and delighted"—

¹⁸and we [actually] heard this voice made from heaven when we were together with Him on the holy mountain.

¹⁹So we have the prophetic word made more certain. You do well to pay [close] attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and light breaks through the gloom and the morning star arises in your hearts.

²⁰But understand this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of or comes from one's own [personal or special] interpretation,

²¹for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

¹"However, Job, please listen to my words, And pay attention to everything I say.

²"Behold, I have opened my mouth [to begin my speech]; My tongue in my mouth is going to speak.

³"My words will express the uprightness of my heart, And my lips will speak what they know with utter sincerity.

⁴"The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life [which inspires me].

⁵"Answer me, if you can; Set yourselves before me, take your stand.

⁶"Behold, I belong to God like you; I too was formed out of the clay.

⁷"Behold, I will not make you afraid or terrified of me [for I am only mortal and not God], Nor should any pressure from me weigh heavily upon you.

⁸"Surely you have spoken in my hearing, And I have heard the sound of your words, saying:

⁹'I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent and there is no guilt in me.

¹⁰'Behold, God finds pretexts against me; He counts me as His enemy.

¹¹'He puts my feet in the stocks [to hinder and humiliate me]; He [suspiciously] watches all my paths,' [you say].

¹²"Look, let me answer you, in this you are not right or just; For God is greater and far superior to man.

¹³"Why do you complain against Him? That He does not answer [you with] all His doings.

¹⁴"For God speaks once, And even twice, yet no one notices it [including you, Job].

¹⁵"In a dream, a vision of the night [one may hear God's voice], When deep sleep falls on men While slumbering upon the bed,

¹⁶Then He opens the ears of men And seals their instruction,

¹⁷That He may turn man aside from his conduct, And keep him from pride;

¹⁸He holds back his soul from the pit [of destruction], And his life from passing over into Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).

¹⁹"Man is also disciplined with pain on his bed, And with unceasing complaint in his bones,

²⁰So that his life makes him loathe food, And his soul [loathe] even his favorite dishes.

²¹"His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen, And his bones which were not seen now stick out.

²²"Then his soul draws near to the pit [of destruction], And his life to those who bring death (the destroyers).

²³"If there is an angel as a mediator for him, One out of a thousand, To explain to a man what is right for him [that is, how to be in right standing with God],

²⁴Then the angel is gracious to him, and says, 'Spare him from going down to the pit [of destruction]; I have found a ransom [a consideration, or reason for redemption, an atonement]!'

²⁵"Let his flesh be restored and become fresher than in youth; Let him return to the days of his youthful strength.

²⁶"He will pray to God, and He shall be favorable to him, So that he looks at His face with joy; For God restores to man His righteousness [that is, his right standing with God—with its joys].

²⁷"He sings out to other men, 'I have sinned and perverted that which was right, And it was not proper for me!

²⁸'God has redeemed my life from going to the pit [of destruction], And my life shall see the light.'"

²⁹[Elihu comments,] "Behold, God does all these things twice, yes, three times, with a man,

³⁰To bring his life back from the pit [of destruction], That he may be enlightened with the light of the living.

³¹"Pay attention, Job, listen to me; Keep silent, and I will speak.

³²"If you have anything to say, answer me; Speak, for I desire to justify you.

³³"If not [and you have nothing to say], listen to me; Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom."

¹Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous ones; Praise is becoming and appropriate for those who are upright [in heart—those with moral integrity and godly character].

²Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with the harp of ten strings.

³Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully [on the strings] with a loud and joyful sound.

⁴For the word of the LORD is right; And all His work is done in faithfulness.

⁵He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.

⁶By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, And all their host by the breath of His mouth.

⁷He gathers the waters of the sea together as in a wineskin; He puts the deeps in storehouses.

⁸Let all the earth fear and worship the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

⁹For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.

¹⁰The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations; He makes the thoughts and plans of the people ineffective.

¹¹The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The thoughts and plans of His heart through all generations.

¹²Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen as His own inheritance.

¹³The LORD looks [down] from heaven; He sees all the sons of man;

¹⁴From His dwelling place He looks closely Upon all the inhabitants of the earth—

¹⁵He who fashions the hearts of them all, Who considers and understands all that they do.

¹⁶The king is not saved by the great size of his army; A warrior is not rescued by his great strength.

¹⁷A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.

¹⁸Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon those who fear Him [and worship Him with awe-inspired reverence and obedience], On those who hope [confidently] in His compassion and lovingkindness,

¹⁹To rescue their lives from death And keep them alive in famine.

²⁰We wait [expectantly] for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

²¹For in Him our heart rejoices, Because we trust [lean on, rely on, and are confident] in His holy name.

²²Let Your [steadfast] lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us, In proportion as we have hoped in You.

¹My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you,

²So that your ear is attentive to [skillful and godly] wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding [seeking it conscientiously and striving for it eagerly];

³Yes, if you cry out for insight, And lift up your voice for understanding;

⁴If you seek skillful and godly wisdom as you would silver And search for her as you would hidden treasures;

⁵Then you will understand the [reverent] fear of the LORD [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] And discover the knowledge of God.

⁶For the LORD gives [skillful and godly] wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

⁷He stores away sound wisdom for the righteous [those who are in right standing with Him]; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity [those of honorable character and moral courage],

⁸He guards the paths of justice; And He preserves the way of His saints (believers).

⁹Then you will understand righteousness and justice [in every circumstance] And integrity and every good path.

¹⁰For [skillful and godly] wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

¹¹Discretion will watch over you, Understanding and discernment will guard you,

¹²To keep you from the way of evil and the evil man, From the man who speaks perverse things;

¹³From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness;

¹⁴Who find joy in doing evil And delight in the perversity of evil,

¹⁵Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways;

¹⁶To keep you from the immoral woman; From the seductress with her flattering words,

¹⁷Who leaves the companion (husband) of her youth, And forgets the covenant of her God.

¹⁸For her house leads down to death And her paths lead to the dead;

¹⁹None who go to her return again, Nor do they regain the paths of life—

²⁰So you will walk in the way of good men [that is, those of personal integrity, moral courage and honorable character], And keep to the paths of the righteous.

²¹For the upright [those who are in right standing with God] will live in the land And those [of integrity] who are blameless [in God's sight] will remain in it;

²²But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous shall be [forcibly] uprooted and removed from it.

¹Now Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal (Gideon) went to Shechem to his mother's relatives, and said to them and to the whole clan of the household of his mother's father,

²"Speak now in the hearing of all the leaders of Shechem, 'Which is better for you, that seventy men, all of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one man rule over you?' Also, remember that I am your own bone and flesh."

³So his mother's relatives spoke all these words concerning him so that all the leaders of Shechem could hear; and their hearts were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, "He is our relative."

⁴And they gave him seventy pieces of silver from the house of Baal-berith, with which Abimelech hired worthless and undisciplined men, and they followed (supported) him.

⁵Then he went to his father's house at Ophrah and murdered his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, [in a public execution] on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left alive, because he had hidden himself.

⁶All the men of Shechem and all of Beth-millo assembled together, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak (terebinth) of the pillar (memorial stone) at Shechem.

⁷When they told Jotham, he went and stood at the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them, "Hear me, O men of Shechem, so that God may hear you.

⁸Once the trees went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us!'

⁹But the olive tree said to them, 'Should I give up my fatness by which God and men are honored, and go to wave over the trees?'

¹⁰Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'You come and reign over us!'

¹¹But the fig tree said to them, 'Should I give up my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to wave over the trees?'

¹²Then the trees said to the vine, 'You come and reign over us.'

¹³And the vine replied, 'Should I give up my new wine, which makes God and men happy, and go to wave over the trees?'

¹⁴Then all the trees said to the bramble, 'You come and reign over us.'

¹⁵So the bramble said to the trees, 'If in truth you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.'

¹⁶"Now then, if you acted in truth and integrity when you made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have dealt with him as he deserved—

¹⁷for my father fought for you and risked his life and rescued you from the hand of Midian;

¹⁸but you have risen against my father's house today and have murdered his sons, seventy men, on one stone, and have made Abimelech, son of his maidservant, king over the people of Shechem, because he is your relative—

¹⁹if then you have acted in truth and integrity with Jerubbaal and his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you.

²⁰But if not, may fire come out from Abimelech and devour the people of Shechem and Beth-millo; and may fire come out from the people of Shechem and Beth-millo, and devour Abimelech."

²¹Then Jotham escaped and fled, and went to Beer and lived there because of Abimelech his brother.

²²Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years.

²³Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem; and the leaders of Shechem acted treacherously against Abimelech,

²⁴so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal (Gideon) might come [on the guilty], and that their [innocent] blood might be laid on Abimelech their brother, who had killed them, and on the leaders of Shechem, who strengthened his hands (encouraged him) to kill his brothers.

²⁵The leaders of Shechem set men in ambush against Abimelech on the mountaintops, and they robbed all who passed by them along the road; and it was reported to Abimelech.

²⁶Now Gaal the son of Ebed came with his relatives, and moved into Shechem; and the leaders of Shechem trusted him.

²⁷They went out into the field, gathered the grapes of their vineyard and trod them, and held a festival; and they entered the house of their god, and they ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech.

²⁸Gaal the son of Ebed said, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not [merely] the son of Jerubbaal and is Zebul not his lieutenant? Serve the men of Hamor the father (founder) of Shechem. Why then should we serve Abimelech?

²⁹If only this people were under my authority! Then I would remove Abimelech and say to him, 'Increase [the size of] your army and come out [to fight].'"

³⁰When Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger burned.

³¹He sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, "Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem; and they are stirring up the city against you.

³²Now then, get up during the night, you and the people who are with you, and set up an ambush in the field.

³³Then in the morning, at sunrise, you will get up early and rush upon and attack the city; and when Gaal and the people who are with him come out against you, you shall do to them whatever you can."

³⁴So Abimelech and all the people who were with him got up during the night, and set up an ambush against Shechem, in four companies.

³⁵Now Gaal the son of Ebed came out and stood in the entrance of the city gate; then Abimelech and the people who were with him got up from the ambush.

³⁶When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, "Look, people are coming down from the mountaintops." But Zebul said to him, "You are only seeing the shadow of the mountains as if they were men."

³⁷Gaal spoke again and said, "Look! People are coming down from the highest part of the land, and one company is coming by way of the sorcerers' oak tree."

³⁸Then Zebul said to Gaal, "Where is your [boasting] mouth now, you who said, 'Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?' Is this not the people whom you despised? Go out now and fight with them!"

³⁹So Gaal went out ahead of the leaders of Shechem and fought with Abimelech.

⁴⁰Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him; and many fell wounded as far as the entrance of the gate.

⁴¹Then Abimelech stayed at Arumah, and Zebul drove out Gaal and his relatives so that they could not remain in Shechem.

⁴²The next day the people went out to the field, and it was reported to Abimelech.

⁴³So he took his people and divided them into three companies, and set an ambush in the field; and he looked and saw the people coming out of the city. And he rose up against them and struck them down.

⁴⁴Then Abimelech and the company with him advanced forward and stood in the entrance of the city gate; the two other companies attacked all who were in the field and killed them.

⁴⁵Abimelech fought against the city that entire day. He took the city and killed the people who were in it; he demolished the city and sowed it with salt.

⁴⁶When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem heard about it, they entered the inner chamber (stronghold) of the temple of El-berith (the god of a covenant).

⁴⁷Abimelech was told that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were assembled together.

⁴⁸So Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a branch from the trees, picked it up, and laid it on his shoulder. And he said to the people with him, "What you have seen me do, hurry and do just as I have done."

⁴⁹So everyone of the people also cut down his branch and followed Abimelech, and they put the branches on top of the inner chamber and set it on fire over those inside, so that all the people in the Tower of Shechem also died, about a thousand men and women.

⁵⁰Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and camped against Thebez and took it.

⁵¹But there was a strong (fortified) tower in the center of the city, and all the men and women with all the leaders of the city fled to it and shut themselves in; and they went up on the roof of the tower.

⁵²So Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and approached the entrance of the tower to burn it down with fire.

⁵³But a certain woman threw an upper millstone [down] on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull.

⁵⁴Then he called quickly to the young man who was his armor bearer, and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that it will not be said of me, 'A woman killed him.'" So the young man pierced him through, and he died.

⁵⁵When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, each departed to his home.

⁵⁶In this way God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father [Jerubbaal] by killing his seventy brothers.

⁵⁷Also God repaid all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal (Gideon) came upon them.

¹Woe (judgment is coming) to you, O destroyer, You who were not destroyed, And he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him. As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed; As soon as you stop dealing treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you.

²O LORD, be gracious to us; we have waited [expectantly] for You. Be the arm of Your servants every morning [that is, their strength and their defense], Our salvation also in the time of trouble.

³At the sound of the tumult, the peoples flee; At the lifting up of Yourself nations scatter.

⁴Your spoil [of Israel's foe] is gathered [by the people of Jerusalem] as the caterpillar gathers; As locusts swarming so people swarm on it.

⁵The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

⁶And He will be the security and stability of your times, A treasure of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; The fear of the LORD is your treasure.

⁷Now look, their brave men shout outside; The ambassadors [seeking a treaty] of peace weep bitterly.

⁸The highways are deserted, the traveler has ceased [to appear]. The enemy has broken the covenant, he has rejected the cities, He has no regard for [any] man.

⁹The land mourns and dries out, Lebanon is shamed and [its lush foliage] withers; Sharon is like a desert plain, And Bashan and [Mount] Carmel shake off their leaves.

¹⁰"Now I will arise," says the LORD. "Now I will be exalted; now I will be lifted up.

¹¹"You have conceived dried grass, you will give birth to stubble; My breath is a fire that will consume you.

¹²"The peoples will be burned to lime, Like thorns cut down which are burned in the fire.

¹³"You who are far away, hear what I have done; And you who are near, acknowledge My might."

¹⁴The sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless. [They cry] "Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with everlasting burning?"

¹⁵He who walks righteously and speaks with integrity, Who rejects gain from fraud and from oppression, Who shakes his hand free from the taking of bribes, Who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes to avoid looking upon evil;

¹⁶He will dwell on the heights, His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks, His bread will be given him; His water will be permanent.

¹⁷Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will see a far-distant land.

¹⁸Your mind will meditate on the terror [asking]: "Where is he who counts? Where is he who weighs [the tribute]? Where is he who counts the towers?"

¹⁹You will no longer see the fierce and insolent people, A people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends, Of a strange and stammering tongue which no one understands.

²⁰Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts and observances; Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a undisturbed settlement, A tent which will not be taken down; Not one of its stakes will ever be pulled up, Nor any of its ropes be severed.

²¹But there the mighty and magnificent LORD will be for us A place of broad rivers and streams, Where no oar-driven boat will go, And on which no mighty and stately ship will pass.

²²For the LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our Ruler, The LORD is our King; He will save us.

²³Your ship's ropes (tackle) hang loose; They cannot hold the base of their mast firmly, Nor spread out the sail. Then an abundance of spoil and plunder will be divided; Even the lame will take the plunder.

²⁴And no inhabitant [of Zion] will say, "I am sick"; The people who dwell there will be forgiven their wickedness [their sin, their injustice, their wrongdoing].

¹Now a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,

²and with his wife's full knowledge [and complicity] he kept back some of the proceeds, bringing only a portion of it, and set it at the apostles' feet.

³But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and [secretly] keep back for yourself some of the proceeds [from the sale] of the land?

⁴As long as it remained [unsold], did it not remain your own [to do with as you pleased]? And after it was sold, was the money not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this act [of hypocrisy and deceit] in your heart? You have not [simply] lied to people, but to God."

⁵And hearing these words, Ananias fell down suddenly and died; and great fear and awe gripped those who heard of it.

⁶And the young men [in the congregation] got up and wrapped up the body, and carried it out and buried it.

⁷Now after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

⁸Peter asked her, "Tell me whether you sold your land for so much?" And she said, "Yes, for so much."

⁹Then Peter said to her, "How could you two have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also."

¹⁰And at once she fell down at his feet and died; and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

¹¹And great fear and awe gripped the whole church, and all who heard about these things.

¹²At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders (attesting miracles) were continually taking place among the people. And by common consent they all met together [at the temple] in [the covered porch called] Solomon's portico.

¹³But none of the rest [of the people, the non-believers] dared to associate with them; however, the people were holding them in high esteem and were speaking highly of them.

¹⁴More and more believers in the Lord, crowds of men and women, were constantly being added to their number,

¹⁵to such an extent that they even carried their sick out into the streets and put them on cots and sleeping pads, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on one of them [with healing power].

¹⁶And the people from the towns in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing the sick and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.

¹⁷But the high priest stood up, along with all his associates (that is, the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy and resentment.

¹⁸They arrested the apostles and put them in a public jail.

¹⁹But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, and leading them out, he said,

²⁰"Go, stand and continue to tell the people in the temple [courtyards] the whole message of this Life [the eternal life revealed by Christ and found through faith in Him]."

²¹When they heard this, they went into the temple [courtyards] about daybreak and began teaching. Now when the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), even all the council of elders of the sons of Israel, and sent word to the prison for the apostles to be brought [before them].

²²But when the officers arrived, they did not find them in the prison; and they came back and reported,

²³"We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened [the doors], we found no one inside."

²⁴Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these things, they were greatly perplexed, wondering what would come of this.

²⁵But someone came and told them, "The men whom you put in prison are standing [right here] in the temple [area], teaching the people!"

²⁶Then the captain went with the officers and brought them back, without hurting them (because they were afraid of the people, worried that they might be stoned).

²⁷So they brought them and presented them before the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court). The high priest questioned them,

²⁸saying, "We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend to bring this Man's blood on us [by accusing us as His murderers]."

²⁹Then Peter and the apostles replied, "We must obey God rather than men [we have no other choice].

³⁰The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross [and you are responsible].

³¹God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior and Deliverer, in order to grant repentance to Israel, and [to grant] forgiveness of sins.

³²And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has bestowed on those who obey Him."

³³Now when they heard this, they were infuriated and they intended to kill the apostles.

³⁴But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law [of Moses], highly esteemed by all the people, stood up in the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) and ordered that the men be taken outside for a little while.

³⁵Then he said to the Council, "Men of Israel, be careful in regard to what you propose to do to these men.

³⁶For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody [of importance], and a group of about four hundred men allied themselves with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were scattered and came to nothing.

³⁷After this man, Judas the Galilean rose up, [and led an uprising] during the time of the census, and drew people after him; he was also killed, and all his followers were scattered.

³⁸So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men [merely human in origin], it will fail and be destroyed;

³⁹but if it is of God [and it appears that it is], you will not be able to stop them; or else you may even be found fighting against God!"

⁴⁰The Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) took his advice; and after summoning the apostles, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them.

⁴¹So they left the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy [dignified by indignity] to suffer shame for [the sake of] His name.

⁴²And every single day, in the temple [area] and in homes, they did not stop teaching and telling the good news of Jesus as the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).