Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.

²Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.

³And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.

⁴Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.

⁵Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”

⁶But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

⁷Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”

⁸One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,

⁹“There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

¹⁰Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

¹¹And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.

¹²So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.”

¹³Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.

¹⁴Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

¹⁵Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

¹⁶Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,

¹⁷got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.

¹⁸Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.

¹⁹So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.

²⁰But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”

²¹Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

²²On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone—

²³however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks—

²⁴when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

²⁵And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”

²⁶Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

²⁷Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

²⁸Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

²⁹Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

³⁰Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do?

³¹Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

³²Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

³³For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

³⁴Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”

³⁵And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

³⁶But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.

³⁷All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

³⁸For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

³⁹This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.

⁴⁰And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

⁴¹The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.”

⁴²And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

⁴³Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves.

⁴⁴No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

⁴⁵It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

⁴⁶Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.

⁴⁷Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.

⁴⁸I am the bread of life.

⁴⁹Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

⁵⁰This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.

⁵¹I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

⁵²The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”

⁵³Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.

⁵⁴Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

⁵⁵For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.

⁵⁶He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

⁵⁷As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.

⁵⁸This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

⁵⁹These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

⁶⁰Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”

⁶¹When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you?

⁶²What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?

⁶³It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

⁶⁴But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.

⁶⁵And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

⁶⁶From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.

⁶⁷Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”

⁶⁸But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

⁶⁹Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

⁷⁰Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?”

⁷¹He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

¹These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain opposite Suph, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

²It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea.

³Now it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him as commandments to them,

⁴after he had killed Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who dwelt at Ashtaroth in Edrei.

⁵On this side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying,

⁶“The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain.

⁷Turn and take your journey, and go to the mountains of the Amorites, to all the neighboring places in the plain, in the mountains and in the lowland, in the South and on the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates.

⁸See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to give to them and their descendants after them.’

⁹“And I spoke to you at that time, saying: ‘I alone am not able to bear you.

¹⁰The LORD your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude.

¹¹May the LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you!

¹²How can I alone bear your problems and your burdens and your complaints?

¹³Choose wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.’

¹⁴And you answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have told us to do is good.’

¹⁵So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and made them heads over you, leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, leaders of tens, and officers for your tribes.

¹⁶“Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him.

¹⁷You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.’

¹⁸And I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do.

¹⁹“So we departed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, as the LORD our God had commanded us. Then we came to Kadesh Barnea.

²⁰And I said to you, ‘You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us.

²¹Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’

²²“And every one of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.’

²³“The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe.

²⁴And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out.

²⁵They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, ‘It is a good land which the LORD our God is giving us.’

²⁶“Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God;

²⁷and you complained in your tents, and said, ‘Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

²⁸Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.” ’

²⁹“Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them.

³⁰The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,

³¹and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’

³²Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God,

³³who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.

³⁴“And the LORD heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying,

³⁵‘Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers,

³⁶except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the LORD.’

³⁷The LORD was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, ‘Even you shall not go in there.

³⁸Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

³⁹‘Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.

⁴⁰But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.’

⁴¹“Then you answered and said to me, ‘We have sinned against the LORD; we will go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us.’ And when everyone of you had girded on his weapons of war, you were ready to go up into the mountain.

⁴²“And the LORD said to me, ‘Tell them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; lest you be defeated before your enemies.”

⁴³So I spoke to you; yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the LORD, and presumptuously went up into the mountain.

⁴⁴And the Amorites who dwelt in that mountain came out against you and chased you as bees do, and drove you back from Seir to Hormah.

⁴⁵Then you returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you.

⁴⁶“So you remained in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you spent there.

¹Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

²And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

³And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

⁴Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

⁵does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;

⁶does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

⁷bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part.

¹⁰But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

¹¹When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

¹²For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

¹³And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

¹You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

²And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

³You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

⁴No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

⁵And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

⁶The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.

⁷Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

⁸Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel,

⁹for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.

¹⁰Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

¹¹This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him.

¹²If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.

¹³If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

¹⁴Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.

¹⁵Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

¹⁶But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.

¹⁷And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort,

¹⁸who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.

¹⁹Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

²⁰But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.

²¹Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

²²Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

²³But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.

²⁴And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,

²⁵in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,

²⁶and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

¹“I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?

²For what is the allotment of God from above, And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

³Is it not destruction for the wicked, And disaster for the workers of iniquity?

⁴Does He not see my ways, And count all my steps?

⁵“If I have walked with falsehood, Or if my foot has hastened to deceit,

⁶Let me be weighed on honest scales, That God may know my integrity.

⁷If my step has turned from the way, Or my heart walked after my eyes, Or if any spot adheres to my hands,

⁸Then let me sow, and another eat; Yes, let my harvest be rooted out.

⁹“If my heart has been enticed by a woman, Or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,

¹⁰Then let my wife grind for another, And let others bow down over her.

¹¹For that would be wickedness; Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment.

¹²For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction, And would root out all my increase.

¹³“If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me,

¹⁴What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?

¹⁵Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

¹⁶“If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

¹⁷Or eaten my morsel by myself, So that the fatherless could not eat of it

¹⁸(But from my youth I reared him as a father, And from my mother’s womb I guided the widow);

¹⁹If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or any poor man without covering;

²⁰If his heart has not blessed me, And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

²¹If I have raised my hand against the fatherless, When I saw I had help in the gate;

²²Then let my arm fall from my shoulder, Let my arm be torn from the socket.

²³For destruction from God is a terror to me, And because of His magnificence I cannot endure.

²⁴“If I have made gold my hope, Or said to fine gold, ‘You are my confidence’;

²⁵If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gained much;

²⁶If I have observed the sun when it shines, Or the moon moving in brightness,

²⁷So that my heart has been secretly enticed, And my mouth has kissed my hand;

²⁸This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment, For I would have denied God who is above.

²⁹“If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, Or lifted myself up when evil found him

³⁰(Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for a curse on his soul);

³¹If the men of my tent have not said, ‘Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?’

³²(But no sojourner had to lodge in the street, For I have opened my doors to the traveler);

³³If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,

³⁴Because I feared the great multitude, And dreaded the contempt of families, So that I kept silence And did not go out of the door—

³⁵Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my mark. Oh, that the Almighty would answer me, That my Prosecutor had written a book!

³⁶Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, And bind it on me like a crown;

³⁷I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him.

³⁸“If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together;

³⁹If I have eaten its fruit without money, Or caused its owners to lose their lives;

⁴⁰Then let thistles grow instead of wheat, And weeds instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.

¹To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. [1] Blessed is he who considers the poor; The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

²The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive, And he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.

³The LORD will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed.

⁴I said, “LORD, be merciful to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”

⁵My enemies speak evil of me: “When will he die, and his name perish?”

⁶And if he comes to see me, he speaks lies; His heart gathers iniquity to itself; When he goes out, he tells it.

⁷All who hate me whisper together against me; Against me they devise my hurt.

⁸“An evil disease,” they say, “clings to him. And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more.”

⁹Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.

¹⁰But You, O LORD, be merciful to me, and raise me up, That I may repay them.

¹¹By this I know that You are well pleased with me, Because my enemy does not triumph over me.

¹²As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And set me before Your face forever.

¹³Blessed be the LORD God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.

¹The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him:

²What, my son? And what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows?

³Do not give your strength to women, Nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

⁴It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating drink;

⁵Lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted.

⁶Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart.

⁷Let him drink and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more.

⁸Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die.

⁹Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.

¹⁰Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.

¹¹The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain.

¹²She does him good and not evil All the days of her life.

¹³She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands.

¹⁴She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar.

¹⁵She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants.

¹⁶She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard.

¹⁷She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms.

¹⁸She perceives that her merchandise is good, And her lamp does not go out by night.

¹⁹She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle.

²⁰She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.

²¹She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet.

²²She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

²³Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.

²⁴She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants.

²⁵Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come.

²⁶She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.

²⁷She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.

²⁸Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her:

²⁹“Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.”

³⁰Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

³¹Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.

¹Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor.

²The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds.

³But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him.

⁴And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”

⁵So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die!

⁶And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”

⁷Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.

⁸I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more!

⁹Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.

¹⁰Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’

¹¹Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.

¹²For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ ”

¹³So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

¹⁴However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.”

¹⁵Then Nathan departed to his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill.

¹⁶David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.

¹⁷So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them.

¹⁸Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, “Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!”

¹⁹When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.”

²⁰So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate.

²¹Then his servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”

²²And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’

²³But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”

²⁴Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her and lay with her. So she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. Now the LORD loved him,

²⁵and He sent word by the hand of Nathan the prophet: So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.

²⁶Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the people of Ammon, and took the royal city.

²⁷And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, “I have fought against Rabbah, and I have taken the city’s water supply.

²⁸Now therefore, gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called after my name.”

²⁹So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah, fought against it, and took it.

³⁰Then he took their king’s crown from his head. Its weight was a talent of gold, with precious stones. And it was set on David’s head. Also he brought out the spoil of the city in great abundance.

³¹And he brought out the people who were in it, and put them to work with saws and iron picks and iron axes, and made them cross over to the brick works. So he did to all the cities of the people of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

¹The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon),

²which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying:

³“From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, this is the twenty-third year in which the word of the LORD has come to me; and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened.

⁴And the LORD has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear.

⁵They said, ‘Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers forever and ever.

⁶Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not harm you.’

⁷Yet you have not listened to Me,” says the LORD, “that you might provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.

⁸“Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Because you have not heard My words,

⁹behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ says the LORD, ‘and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations.

¹⁰Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp.

¹¹And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

¹²‘Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,’ says the LORD; ‘and I will make it a perpetual desolation.

¹³So I will bring on that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied concerning all the nations.

¹⁴(For many nations and great kings shall be served by them also; and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the works of their own hands.)’ ”

¹⁵For thus says the LORD God of Israel to me: “Take this wine cup of fury from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it.

¹⁶And they will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.”

¹⁷Then I took the cup from the LORD’s hand, and made all the nations drink, to whom the LORD had sent me:

¹⁸Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and its princes, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is this day;

¹⁹Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his princes, and all his people;

²⁰all the mixed multitude, all the kings of the land of Uz, all the kings of the land of the Philistines (namely, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod);

²¹Edom, Moab, and the people of Ammon;

²²all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the coastlands which are across the sea;

²³Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who are in the farthest corners;

²⁴all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the mixed multitude who dwell in the desert;

²⁵all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes;

²⁶all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the world which are on the face of the earth. Also the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.

²⁷“Therefore you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Drink, be drunk, and vomit! Fall and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.” ’

²⁸And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “You shall certainly drink!

²⁹For behold, I begin to bring calamity on the city which is called by My name, and should you be utterly unpunished? You shall not be unpunished, for I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth,” says the LORD of hosts.’

³⁰“Therefore prophesy against them all these words, and say to them: ‘The LORD will roar from on high, And utter His voice from His holy habitation; He will roar mightily against His fold. He will give a shout, as those who tread the grapes, Against all the inhabitants of the earth.

³¹A noise will come to the ends of the earth— For the LORD has a controversy with the nations; He will plead His case with all flesh. He will give those who are wicked to the sword,’ says the LORD.”

³²Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Behold, disaster shall go forth From nation to nation, And a great whirlwind shall be raised up From the farthest parts of the earth.

³³And at that day the slain of the LORD shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall become refuse on the ground.

³⁴“Wail, shepherds, and cry! Roll about in the ashes, You leaders of the flock! For the days of your slaughter and your dispersions are fulfilled; You shall fall like a precious vessel.

³⁵And the shepherds will have no way to flee, Nor the leaders of the flock to escape.

³⁶A voice of the cry of the shepherds, And a wailing of the leaders to the flock will be heard. For the LORD has plundered their pasture,

³⁷And the peaceful dwellings are cut down Because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

³⁸He has left His lair like the lion; For their land is desolate Because of the fierceness of the Oppressor, And because of His fierce anger.”

¹But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.

²And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

³But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?

⁴While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

⁵Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.

⁶And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.

⁷Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

⁸And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for so much.”

⁹Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

¹⁰Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband.

¹¹So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.

¹²And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch.

¹³Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.

¹⁴And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

¹⁵so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.

¹⁶Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

¹⁷Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation,

¹⁸and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison.

¹⁹But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,

²⁰“Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.”

²¹And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

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

²³saying, “Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!”

²⁴Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be.

²⁵So one came and told them, saying, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!”

²⁶Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned.

²⁷And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them,

²⁸saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!”

²⁹But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.

³⁰The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.

³¹Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

³²And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

³³When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them.

³⁴Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while.

³⁵And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men.

³⁶For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing.

³⁷After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed.

³⁸And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing;

³⁹but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.”

⁴⁰And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

⁴¹So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.

⁴²And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.