Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.

²Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near.

³So His brothers said to Him, “Move on from here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing.

⁴For no one does anything in secret when he himself is striving to be known publicly. If You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world.”

⁵For not even His brothers believed in Him.

⁶So Jesus *said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always ready.

⁷The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify about it, that its deeds are evil.

⁸Go up to the feast yourselves; I am not going up to this feast, because My time has not yet fully arrived.”

⁹Now having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee.

¹⁰But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as though in secret.

¹¹So the Jews were looking for Him at the feast and saying, “Where is He?”

¹²And there was a great deal of talk about Him in secret among the crowds: some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He is misleading the people.”

¹³However, no one was speaking openly about Him, for fear of the Jews.

¹⁴But when it was now the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple area, and began to teach.

¹⁵The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, not having been educated?”

¹⁶So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not My own, but His who sent Me.

¹⁷If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is of God, or I am speaking from Myself.

¹⁸The one who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

¹⁹“Did Moses not give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why are you seeking to kill Me?”

²⁰The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill You?”

²¹Jesus answered them, “I did onedeed, and you all are astonished.

²²For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and even on a Sabbath you circumcise a man.

²³If a man receives circumcision on a Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry at Me because I made an entire man well on a Sabbath?

²⁴Do not judge by the outward appearance, but judgewith righteous judgment.”

²⁵So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this man not the one whom they are seeking to kill?

²⁶And yet look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they?

²⁷However, we know where this man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”

²⁸Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know Me and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.

²⁹I do know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me.”

³⁰So they were seeking to arrest Him; and yet no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

³¹But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, “When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has done, will He?”

³²The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest Him.

³³Therefore Jesus said, “For a little while longer I am going to be with you, and then I am going to Him who sent Me.

³⁴You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”

³⁵The Jews then said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him? He does not intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, does He?

³⁶What is this statement that He said, ‘You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come’?”

³⁷Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty,let him come to Me and drink.

³⁸The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

³⁹But this He said in reference to the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

⁴⁰Some of the people therefore, after they heard these words, were saying, “This truly is the Prophet.”

⁴¹Others were saying, “This is the Christ.” But others were saying, “Surely the Christ is not coming from Galilee, is He?

⁴²Has the Scripture not said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”

⁴³So a dissension occurred in the crowd because of Him.

⁴⁴And some of them wanted to arrest Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

⁴⁵The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?”

⁴⁶The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken in this way!”

⁴⁷The Pharisees then replied to them, “You have not been led astray too, have you?

⁴⁸Not one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he?

⁴⁹But this crowd that does not know the Law is accursed!”

⁵⁰Nicodemus (the one who came to Him before, being one of them) *said to them,

⁵¹“Our Law does not judge the person unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?”

⁵²They answered and said to him, “You are not from Galilee as well, are you? Examine the Scriptures, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.”

⁵³[[And everyone went to his home.

¹“Then we turned and set out for the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea, as the LORD spoke to me, and we circled Mount Seir for many days.

²And the LORD spoke to me, saying,

³‘You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north,

⁴and command the people, saying, “You are going to pass through the territory of your brothers the sons of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful;

⁵do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even as much as a footprint, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.

⁶You are to buy food from them with money so that you may eat, and you shall also purchase water from them with money so that you may drink.

⁷For the LORD your God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wandering through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have not lacked anything.” ’

⁸“So we passed beyond our brothers the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road, away from Elath and Ezion-geber. And we turned and passed through by the way of the wilderness of Moab.

⁹Then the LORD said to me, ‘Do not attack Moab, nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons of Lot as a possession.’

¹⁰(The Emim lived there previously, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim.

¹¹Like the Anakim, they too are regarded as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim.

¹²The Horites previously lived in Seir, but the sons of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them, and settled in their place; just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the LORD gave them.)

¹³‘Now arise and cross over the Wadi Zered yourselves.’ So we crossed over the Wadi Zered.

¹⁴Now the time that it took for us to come from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the Wadi Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war perished from within the camp, just as the LORD had sworn to them.

¹⁵Indeed, the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from within the camp until they all perished.

¹⁶“So it came about, when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people,

¹⁷that the LORD spoke to me, saying,

¹⁸‘Today you shall cross over Ar, the border of Moab.

¹⁹When you come opposite the sons of Ammon, do not attack them nor provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot as a possession.’

²⁰(It is also regarded as the land of the Rephaim, because the Rephaim previously lived in it, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummin,

²¹a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim; but the LORD destroyed them before them. And they dispossessed them and settled in their place,

²²just as He did for the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them; they dispossessed them and settled in their place, where they remain even to this day.

²³And as for the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and lived in their place.)

²⁴‘Arise, set out, and pass through the Valley of Arnon. Look! I have handed over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; start taking possession and plunge into battle with him.

²⁵This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the faces of people everywhere, who, when they hear the news of you, will tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

²⁶“So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,

²⁷‘Let me pass through your land; I will travel only on the road. I will not turn aside to the right or to the left.

²⁸You will sell me food for money so that I may eat, and give me water for money so that I may drink, only let me pass through on foot,

²⁹just as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I cross over the Jordan into the land that the LORD our God is giving us.’

³⁰But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass through his land; for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to hand him over to you, as he is today.

³¹And the LORD said to me, ‘See, I have begun to turn Sihon and his land over to you. Begin taking possession, so that you may possess his land.’

³²“Then Sihon came out with all his people to meet us in battle at Jahaz.

³³And the LORD our God turned him over to us, and we defeated him with his sons and all his people.

³⁴So we captured all his cities at that time and utterly destroyed the men, women, and children of every city. We left no survivor.

³⁵We took only the animals as our plunder, and the spoils of the cities which we had captured.

³⁶From Aroer which is on the edge of the Valley of Arnon and from the city which is in the valley, even to Gilead, there was no city that was too high for us; the LORD our God turned it all over to us.

³⁷Only you did not go near the land of the sons of Ammon, all along the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, and wherever the LORD our God had commanded us to avoid.

¹Pursue love, yet earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.

²For the one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people, but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries.

³But the one who prophesies speaks to people for edification, exhortation, and consolation.

⁴The one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but the one who prophesies edifies the church.

⁵Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but rather that you would prophesy; and greater is the one who prophesies than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edification.

⁶But now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you either by way of revelation, or of knowledge, or of prophecy, or of teaching?

⁷Yet even lifeless instruments, whether flute or harp, in producing a sound, if they do not produce a distinction in the tones, how will it be known what is played on the flute or on the harp?

⁸For if the trumpet produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?

⁹So you too, unless you produce intelligible speech by the tongue, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will just be talking to the air.

¹⁰There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and none is incapable of meaning.

¹¹So if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be unintelligible to the one who speaks, and the one who speaks will be unintelligible to me.

¹²So you too, since you are eager to possess spiritual gifts, strive to excel for the edification of the church.

¹³Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue is to pray that he may interpret.

¹⁴For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unproductive.

¹⁵What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit, but I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit, but I will sing with the mind also.

¹⁶For otherwise, if you bless God in the spirit only, how will the one who occupies the place of the outsider know to say the “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you are saying?

¹⁷For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified.

¹⁸I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all;

¹⁹nevertheless, in church I prefer to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.

²⁰Brothers and sisters, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.

²¹In the Law it is written: “BY MEN OF STRANGE TONGUES AND BY THE LIPS OF STRANGERS I WILL SPEAK TO THIS PEOPLE, AND EVEN SO THEY WILL NOT LISTEN TO ME,” says the Lord.

²²So then, tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is not for unbelievers, but for those who believe.

²³Therefore if the whole church gathers together and all the people speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are insane?

²⁴But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all;

²⁵the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.

²⁶What is the outcome then, brothers and sisters? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. All things are to be done for edification.

²⁷If anyone speaks in a tongue, it must be by two or at the most three, and each one in turn, and one is to interpret;

²⁸but if there is no interpreter, he is to keep silent in church; and have him speak to himself and to God.

²⁹Have two or three prophets speak, and have the others pass judgment.

³⁰But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, then the first one is to keep silent.

³¹For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted;

³²and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets;

³³for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints,

³⁴the women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says.

³⁵If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.

³⁶Or was it from you that the word of God first went out? Or has it come to you only?

³⁷If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.

³⁸But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.

³⁹Therefore, my brothers and sisters, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.

⁴⁰But all things must be done properly and in an orderly way.

¹But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.

²For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,

³unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,

⁴treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

⁵holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these.

⁶For among them are those who slip into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses,

⁷always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

⁸Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, worthless in regard to the faith.

⁹But they will not make further progress; for their foolishness will be obvious to all, just as was that also of Jannes and Jambres.

¹⁰Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance,

¹¹persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me!

¹²Indeed, all who want to live in a godly way in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

¹³But evil people and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

¹⁴You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,

¹⁵and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁶All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness;

¹⁷so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.

¹Then these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

²But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned against Job; his anger burned because he justified himself before God.

³And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, yet they had condemned Job.

⁴Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he.

⁵But when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, his anger burned.

⁶So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite spoke out and said, “I am young in years and you are old; Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you what I think.

⁷I thought age should speak, And increased years should teach wisdom.

⁸But it is a spirit that is in mankind, And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.

⁹The abundant in years may not be wise, Nor may elders understand justice.

¹⁰So I say, ‘Listen to me, I too will tell what I think.’

¹¹“Behold, I waited for your words, I listened to your skillful speech, While you pondered what to say.

¹²I also paid close attention to you; But indeed, there was no one who refuted Job, Not one of you who answered his words.

¹³So do not say, ‘We have found wisdom: God will defeat him, not man.’

¹⁴But he has not presented his words against me, Nor will I reply to him with your arguments.

¹⁵“They are dismayed, they no longer answer; Words have failed them.

¹⁶Should I wait, because they are not speaking, Because they have stopped and no longer answer?

¹⁷I too will give my share of answers; I also will tell my opinion.

¹⁸For I am full of words; The spirit within me compels me.

¹⁹Behold, my belly is like unvented wine; Like new wineskins, it is about to burst.

²⁰Let me speak so that I may get relief; Let me open my lips and answer.

²¹Let me be partial to no one, Nor flatter any man.

²²For I do not know how to flatter, Otherwise my Maker would quickly take me away.

¹As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, God.

²My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?

³My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

⁴I remember these things and pour out my soul within me. For I used to go over with the multitude and walk them to the house of God, With a voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude celebrating a festival.

⁵Why are you in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise Him For the help of His presence, my God.

⁶My soul is in despair within me; Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.

⁷Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have passed over me.

⁸The LORD will send His goodness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life.

⁹I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

¹⁰As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries taunt me, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

¹¹Why are you in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise Him For the help of His presence, my God.

¹The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

²To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding,

³To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice, and integrity;

⁴To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion,

⁵A wise person will hear and increase in learning, And a person of understanding will acquire wise counsel,

⁶To understand a proverb and a saying, The words of the wise and their riddles.

⁷The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

⁸Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, And do not ignore your mother’s teaching;

⁹For they are a graceful wreath for your head And necklaces for your neck.

¹⁰My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.

¹¹If they say, “Come with us, Let’s lie in wait for blood, Let’s ambush the innocent without cause;

¹²Let’s swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, like those who go down to the pit;

¹³We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with plunder;

¹⁴Throw in your lot with us; We will all have one money bag,”

¹⁵My son, do not walk on the way with them. Keep your feet from their path,

¹⁶For their feet run to evil, And they are quick to shed blood.

¹⁷Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird;

¹⁸But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives.

¹⁹Such are the ways of everyone who makes unjust gain; It takes away the life of its possessors.

²⁰Wisdom shouts in the street, She raises her voice in the public square;

²¹At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she declares her sayings:

²²“How long, you naive ones, will you love simplistic thinking? And how long will scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge?

²³Turn to my rebuke, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.

²⁴Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;

²⁵And you neglected all my advice And did not want my rebuke;

²⁶I will also laugh at your disaster; I will mock when your dread comes,

²⁷When your dread comes like a storm And your disaster comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.

²⁸Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but will not find me,

²⁹Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD.

³⁰They did not accept my advice, They disdainfully rejected every rebuke from me.

³¹So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own schemes.

³²For the faithlessness of the naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them.

³³But whoever listens to me will live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

¹Now it was after this that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon the son of David was in love with her.

²But Amnon was so frustrated on account of his sister Tamar that he made himself ill, for she was a virgin, and it seemed too difficult to Amnon to do anything to her.

³But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother; and Jonadab was a very clever man.

⁴And he said to him, “Why are you, the king’s son, so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” So Amnon said to him, “I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom.”

⁵Jonadab then said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill; when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please have my sister Tamar come and give me food to eat, and have her prepare the food in my sight, so that I may see it and eat from her hand.’ ”

⁶So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill; when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please have my sister Tamar come and make me a couple of pastries in my sight, so that I may eat from her hand.”

⁷Then David sent a messenger to the house for Tamar, saying, “Go now to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare food for him.”

⁸So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, and he was lying in bed. And she took dough, kneaded it, made pastries in his sight, and baked the pastries.

⁹Then she took the tray and served them to him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, “Have everyone leave me.” So everyone left him.

¹⁰Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom, so that I may eat from your hand.” So Tamar took the pastries which she had made and brought them into the bedroom to her brother Amnon.

¹¹When she brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, sleep with me, my sister.”

¹²But she said to him, “No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this disgraceful sin!

¹³As for me, where could I get rid of my shame? And as for you, you will be like one of the fools in Israel. Now then, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.”

¹⁴However, he would not listen to her; since he was stronger than she, he violated her and slept with her.

¹⁵Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred; indeed, the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up, go away!”

¹⁶But she said to him, “No, because this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you have done to me!” Yet he would not listen to her.

¹⁷Then he called his young man who attended him and said, “Now throw this woman out of my presence, and lock the door behind her!”

¹⁸Now she had on a long-sleeved garment; for this is how the virgin daughters of the king dressed themselves in robes. Then his attendant took her out and locked the door behind her.

¹⁹Tamar took ashes and put them on her head, and tore her long-sleeved garment which was on her; and she put her hand on her head and went on her way, crying out as she went.

²⁰Then Absalom her brother said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now keep silent, my sister, he is your brother; do not take this matter to heart.” So Tamar remained and was isolated in her brother Absalom’s house.

²¹Now when King David heard about all these matters, he became very angry.

²²But Absalom did not speak with Amnon either good or bad; for Absalom hated Amnon because he had violated his sister Tamar.

²³Now it came about after two full years that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons to celebrate.

²⁴And Absalom came to the king and said, “Behold now, your servant has sheepshearers; may the king and his servants please go with your servant.”

²⁵But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, we should not all go, so that we will not be a burden to you.” Though he urged him, he would not go; but he blessed him.

²⁶Then Absalom said, “If not, please have my brother Amnon go with us.” But the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?”

²⁷Nevertheless Absalom urged him, so he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.

²⁸Then Absalom commanded his servants, saying, “See now, when Amnon’s heart is cheerful with wine, and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then put him to death. Do not fear; have I not commanded you myself? Be courageous and be valiant.”

²⁹And the servants of Absalom did to Amnon just as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons got up and each mounted his mule and fled.

³⁰Now it was while they were on the way that the report came to David, saying, “Absalom has struck and killed all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left.”

³¹Then the king stood up, tore his clothes, and lay on the ground; and all his servants were standing by with clothes torn.

³²And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, responded, “Let my lord not assume that they have put to death all the young men, the king’s sons, for only Amnon is dead; because this has been set up by the intent of Absalom since the day that he violated his sister Tamar.

³³So now, may my lord the king not take the report to heart, claiming, ‘all the king’s sons are dead’; but only Amnon is dead.”

³⁴Now Absalom had fled. And the young man who was the watchman raised his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him by the side of the mountain.

³⁵And Jonadab said to the king, “Behold, the king’s sons have come; so it has happened according to your servant’s word.”

³⁶As soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king’s sons came and raised their voices and wept; and the king and all his servants also wept very profusely.

³⁷Now Absalom had fled and gone to Talmai the son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day.

³⁸So Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, and was there for three years.

³⁹And the heart of King David longed to go out to Absalom; for he was comforted regarding Amnon, since he was dead.

¹In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the LORD, saying,

²“This is what the LORD says: ‘Stand in the courtyard of the LORD’S house, and speak to all the cities of Judah who have come to worship in the LORD’S house all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. Do not omit a word!

³Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, and I will relent of the disaster which I am planning to inflict on them because of the evil of their deeds.’

⁴And you shall say to them, ‘This is what the LORD says: “If you do not listen to Me, to walk in My Law which I have set before you,

⁵to listen to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I have been sending to you again and again, but you have not listened;

⁶then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.” ’ ”

⁷The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.

⁸Yet when Jeremiah finished speaking everything that the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You must die!

⁹Why have you prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘This house will be like Shiloh and this city will be in ruins, without inhabitant’?” And all the people gathered to Jeremiah at the house of the LORD.

¹⁰When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the LORD and sat at the entrance of the New Gate of the LORD’S house.

¹¹Then the priests and the prophets spoke to the officials and to all the people, saying, “A death sentence for this man! For he has prophesied against this city, just as you have heard with your own ears!”

¹²Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and to all the people, saying, “The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard.

¹³Now then, reform your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will relent of the disaster which He has pronounced against you.

¹⁴But as for me, behold, I am in your hands; do with me as is good and right in your sight.

¹⁵Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves, and on this city and its inhabitants; for truly the LORD has sent me to you to speak all these words so that you hear them.”

¹⁶Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “No death sentence for this man! For he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.”

¹⁷Then some of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying,

¹⁸“Micah of Moresheth used to prophesy in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘This is what the LORD of armies has said: “Zion will be plowed like a field, And Jerusalem will become heaps of ruins, And the mountain of the house like the high places of a forest.” ’

¹⁹Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah actually put him to death? Did he not fear the LORD and plead for the favor of the LORD, and the LORD relented of the disaster which He had pronounced against them? But we are committing a great evil against our own lives!”

²⁰Indeed, there was also a man who used to prophesy in the name of the LORD, Uriah the son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim; and he prophesied against this city and against this land words similar to all those of Jeremiah.

²¹When King Jehoiakim and all his warriors and all the officials heard his words, then the king sought to put him to death; but Uriah heard about it, and he was afraid, so he fled and went to Egypt.

²²Then King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: Elnathan the son of Achbor and certain men with him, to Egypt.

²³And they brought Uriah from Egypt and led him to King Jehoiakim, who killed him with a sword and threw his dead body into the burial place of the common people.

²⁴But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was not handed over to the people to put him to death.

¹Now at this time, as the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint developed on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.

²So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.

³Instead, brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.

⁴But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

⁵The announcement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.

⁶And they brought these men before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.

⁷The word of God kept spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

⁸And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.

⁹But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen.

¹⁰But they were unable to cope with his wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking.

¹¹Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”

¹²And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him away, and brought him before the Council.

¹³They put forward false witnesses who said, “This man does not stop speaking against this holy place and the Law;

¹⁴for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses handed down to us.”

¹⁵And all who were sitting in the Council stared at him, and they saw his face, which was like the face of an angel.