Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

²It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

³Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

⁴When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

⁵Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

⁶So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.

⁷Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”

⁸The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?”

⁹Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

¹⁰But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

¹¹These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

¹²Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.”

¹³However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.

¹⁴Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.

¹⁵And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”

¹⁶Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

¹⁷So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.

¹⁸Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.

¹⁹And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

²⁰Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.

²¹Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

²²But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

²³Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

²⁴Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

²⁵Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

²⁶And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

²⁷She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

²⁸And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.”

²⁹As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.

³⁰Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.

³¹Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”

³²Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

³³Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.

³⁴And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”

³⁵Jesus wept.

³⁶Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”

³⁷And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”

³⁸Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.

³⁹Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

⁴⁰Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

⁴¹Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.

⁴²And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”

⁴³Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”

⁴⁴And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

⁴⁵Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.

⁴⁶But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.

⁴⁷Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.

⁴⁸If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.”

⁴⁹And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all,

⁵⁰nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.”

⁵¹Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation,

⁵²and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

⁵³Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.

⁵⁴Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

⁵⁵And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.

⁵⁶Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, “What do you think—that He will not come to the feast?”

⁵⁷Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.

¹“Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess,

²that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.

³Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you— ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’

⁴“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!

⁵You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

⁶“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.

⁷You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

⁸You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

⁹You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

¹⁰“So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build,

¹¹houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant— when you have eaten and are full—

¹²then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

¹³You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.

¹⁴You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you

¹⁵(for the LORD your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the LORD your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.

¹⁶“You shall not tempt the LORD your God as you tempted Him in Massah.

¹⁷You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you.

¹⁸And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the LORD swore to your fathers,

¹⁹to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has spoken.

²⁰“When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the LORD our God has commanded you?’

²¹then you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand;

²²and the LORD showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household.

²³Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers.

²⁴And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day.

²⁵Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.’

¹But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow.

²For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?

³And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all.

⁴For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.

⁵But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe.

⁶This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man,

⁷so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow.

⁸Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.

⁹For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things.

¹⁰Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ,

¹¹lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

¹²Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord,

¹³I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia.

¹⁴Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

¹⁵For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

¹⁶To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?

¹⁷For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

¹Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work,

²to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.

³For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.

⁴But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,

⁵not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

⁶whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

⁷that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

⁸This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.

⁹But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless.

¹⁰Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition,

¹¹knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.

¹²When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicus, be diligent to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.

¹³Send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey with haste, that they may lack nothing.

¹⁴And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.

¹⁵All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.

¹Elihu also proceeded and said:

²“Bear with me a little, and I will show you That there are yet words to speak on God’s behalf.

³I will fetch my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.

⁴For truly my words are not false; One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

⁵“Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding.

⁶He does not preserve the life of the wicked, But gives justice to the oppressed.

⁷He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; But they are on the throne with kings, For He has seated them forever, And they are exalted.

⁸And if they are bound in fetters, Held in the cords of affliction,

⁹Then He tells them their work and their transgressions— That they have acted defiantly.

¹⁰He also opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they turn from iniquity.

¹¹If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures.

¹²But if they do not obey, They shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowledge.

¹³“But the hypocrites in heart store up wrath; They do not cry for help when He binds them.

¹⁴They die in youth, And their life ends among the perverted persons.

¹⁵He delivers the poor in their affliction, And opens their ears in oppression.

¹⁶“Indeed He would have brought you out of dire distress, Into a broad place where there is no restraint; And what is set on your table would be full of richness.

¹⁷But you are filled with the judgment due the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold of you.

¹⁸Because there is wrath, beware lest He take you away with one blow; For a large ransom would not help you avoid it.

¹⁹Will your riches, Or all the mighty forces, Keep you from distress?

²⁰Do not desire the night, When people are cut off in their place.

²¹Take heed, do not turn to iniquity, For you have chosen this rather than affliction.

²²“Behold, God is exalted by His power; Who teaches like Him?

²³Who has assigned Him His way, Or who has said, ‘You have done wrong’?

²⁴“Remember to magnify His work, Of which men have sung.

²⁵Everyone has seen it; Man looks on it from afar.

²⁶“Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; Nor can the number of His years be discovered.

²⁷For He draws up drops of water, Which distill as rain from the mist,

²⁸Which the clouds drop down And pour abundantly on man.

²⁹Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds, The thunder from His canopy?

³⁰Look, He scatters His light upon it, And covers the depths of the sea.

³¹For by these He judges the peoples; He gives food in abundance.

³²He covers His hands with lightning, And commands it to strike.

³³His thunder declares it, The cattle also, concerning the rising storm.

¹To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song for Alamoth. [1] God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

²Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

³Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

⁴There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

⁵God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

⁶The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

⁷The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

⁸Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has made desolations in the earth.

⁹He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.

¹⁰Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

¹¹The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

¹My son, pay attention to my wisdom; Lend your ear to my understanding,

²That you may preserve discretion, And your lips may keep knowledge.

³For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil;

⁴But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.

⁵Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of hell.

⁶Lest you ponder her path of life— Her ways are unstable; You do not know them.

⁷Therefore hear me now, my children, And do not depart from the words of my mouth.

⁸Remove your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house,

⁹Lest you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one;

¹⁰Lest aliens be filled with your wealth, And your labors go to the house of a foreigner;

¹¹And you mourn at last, When your flesh and your body are consumed,

¹²And say: “How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised correction!

¹³I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!

¹⁴I was on the verge of total ruin, In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

¹⁵Drink water from your own cistern, And running water from your own well.

¹⁶Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets?

¹⁷Let them be only your own, And not for strangers with you.

¹⁸Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth.

¹⁹As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love.

²⁰For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?

²¹For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He ponders all his paths.

²²His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, And he is caught in the cords of his sin.

²³He shall die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

¹Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Now let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight.

²I will come upon him while he is weary and weak, and make him afraid. And all the people who are with him will flee, and I will strike only the king.

³Then I will bring back all the people to you. When all return except the man whom you seek, all the people will be at peace.”

⁴And the saying pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

⁵Then Absalom said, “Now call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he says too.”

⁶And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom spoke to him, saying, “Ahithophel has spoken in this manner. Shall we do as he says? If not, speak up.”

⁷So Hushai said to Absalom: “The advice that Ahithophel has given is not good at this time.

⁸For,” said Hushai, “you know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are enraged in their minds, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field; and your father is a man of war, and will not camp with the people.

⁹Surely by now he is hidden in some pit, or in some other place. And it will be, when some of them are overthrown at the first, that whoever hears it will say, ‘There is a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’

¹⁰And even he who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will melt completely. For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and those who are with him are valiant men.

¹¹Therefore I advise that all Israel be fully gathered to you, from Dan to Beersheba, like the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person.

¹²So we will come upon him in some place where he may be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls on the ground. And of him and all the men who are with him there shall not be left so much as one.

¹³Moreover, if he has withdrawn into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city; and we will pull it into the river, until there is not one small stone found there.”

¹⁴So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring disaster on Absalom.

¹⁵Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Thus and so Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and so I have advised.

¹⁶Now therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, ‘Do not spend this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily cross over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.’ ”

¹⁷Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed at En Rogel, for they dared not be seen coming into the city; so a female servant would come and tell them, and they would go and tell King David.

¹⁸Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom. But both of them went away quickly and came to a man’s house in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down into it.

¹⁹Then the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth, and spread ground grain on it; and the thing was not known.

²⁰And when Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” So the woman said to them, “They have gone over the water brook.” And when they had searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

²¹Now it came to pass, after they had departed, that they came up out of the well and went and told King David, and said to David, “Arise and cross over the water quickly. For thus has Ahithophel advised against you.”

²²So David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed over the Jordan. By morning light not one of them was left who had not gone over the Jordan.

²³Now when Ahithophel saw that his advice was not followed, he saddled a donkey, and arose and went home to his house, to his city. Then he put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died; and he was buried in his father’s tomb.

²⁴Then David went to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

²⁵And Absalom made Amasa captain of the army instead of Joab. This Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Jithra, an Israelite, who had gone in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.

²⁶So Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.

²⁷Now it happened, when David had come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the people of Ammon, Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim,

²⁸brought beds and basins, earthen vessels and wheat, barley and flour, parched grain and beans, lentils and parched seeds,

²⁹honey and curds, sheep and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who were with him to eat. For they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”

¹The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

²“Thus speaks the LORD God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you.

³For behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the LORD. ‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’ ”

⁴Now these are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah.

⁵“For thus says the LORD: ‘We have heard a voice of trembling, Of fear, and not of peace.

⁶Ask now, and see, Whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins Like a woman in labor, And all faces turned pale?

⁷Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it.

⁸‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘That I will break his yoke from your neck, And will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more enslave them.

⁹But they shall serve the LORD their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up for them.

¹⁰‘Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says the LORD, ‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar, And your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, And no one shall make him afraid.

¹¹For I am with you,’ says the LORD, ‘to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’

¹²“For thus says the LORD: ‘Your affliction is incurable, Your wound is severe.

¹³There is no one to plead your cause, That you may be bound up; You have no healing medicines.

¹⁴All your lovers have forgotten you; They do not seek you; For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, With the chastisement of a cruel one, For the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased.

¹⁵Why do you cry about your affliction? Your sorrow is incurable. Because of the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased, I have done these things to you.

¹⁶‘Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured; And all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; Those who plunder you shall become plunder, And all who prey upon you I will make a prey.

¹⁷For I will restore health to you And heal you of your wounds,’ says the LORD, ‘Because they called you an outcast saying: “This is Zion; No one seeks her.” ’

¹⁸“Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents, And have mercy on his dwelling places; The city shall be built upon its own mound, And the palace shall remain according to its own plan.

¹⁹Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving And the voice of those who make merry; I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

²⁰Their children also shall be as before, And their congregation shall be established before Me; And I will punish all who oppress them.

²¹Their nobles shall be from among them, And their governor shall come from their midst; Then I will cause him to draw near, And he shall approach Me; For who is this who pledged his heart to approach Me?’ says the LORD.

²²‘You shall be My people, And I will be your God.’ ”

²³Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD Goes forth with fury, A continuing whirlwind; It will fall violently on the head of the wicked.

²⁴The fierce anger of the LORD will not return until He has done it, And until He has performed the intents of His heart. In the latter days you will consider it.

¹There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,

²a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.

³About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

⁴And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.

⁵Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter.

⁶He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.”

⁷And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually.

⁸So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.

⁹The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.

¹⁰Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance

¹¹and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.

¹²In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.

¹³And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

¹⁴But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

¹⁵And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”

¹⁶This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

¹⁷Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate.

¹⁸And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.

¹⁹While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you.

²⁰Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”

²¹Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?”

²²And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.”

²³Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.

²⁴And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends.

²⁵As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.

²⁶But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.”

²⁷And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together.

²⁸Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

²⁹Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?”

³⁰So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

³¹and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.

³²Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.’

³³So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”

³⁴Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.

³⁵But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

³⁶The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ— He is Lord of all—

³⁷that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:

³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

³⁹And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.

⁴⁰Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly,

⁴¹not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

⁴²And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.

⁴³To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”

⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.

⁴⁵And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

⁴⁶For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,

⁴⁷“Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

⁴⁸And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.