Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹"I have told you these things so that you will not stumble or be caught off guard and fall away.

²They will put you out of the synagogues and make you outcasts. And a time is coming when whoever kills you will think that he is offering service to God.

³And they will do these things because they have not known the Father or Me.

⁴I have told you these things [now], so that when their time comes, you will remember that I told you about them. I did not say these things to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

⁵"But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'

⁶But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts [and taken complete possession of them].

⁷But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you].

⁸And He, when He comes, will convict the world about [the guilt of] sin [and the need for a Savior], and about righteousness, and about judgment:

⁹about sin [and the true nature of it], because they do not believe in Me [and My message];

¹⁰about righteousness [personal integrity and godly character], because I am going to My Father and you will no longer see Me;

¹¹about judgment [the certainty of it], because the ruler of this world (Satan) has been judged and condemned.

¹²"I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear [to hear] them now.

¹³But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth]. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future].

¹⁴He will glorify and honor Me, because He (the Holy Spirit) will take from what is Mine and will disclose it to you.

¹⁵All things that the Father has are Mine. Because of this I said that He [the Spirit] will take from what is Mine and will reveal it to you.

¹⁶"A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me."

¹⁷Some of His disciples said to one another, "What does He mean when He tells us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I am going to My Father'?"

¹⁸So they were saying, "What does He mean when He says, 'A little while'? We do not know what He is talking about."

¹⁹Jesus knew that they wanted to ask Him, so He said to them, "Are you wondering among yourselves about what I meant when I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me'?

²⁰I assure you and most solemnly say to you, that you will weep and grieve [in great mourning], but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.

²¹A woman, when she is in labor, has pain because her time [to give birth] has come; but when she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of her joy that a child has come into the world.

²²So for now you are in grief; but I will see you again, and [then] your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away from you your [great] joy.

²³In that day you will not [need to] ask Me about anything. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name [as My representative], He will give you.

²⁴Until now you have not asked [the Father] for anything in My name; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy may be full and complete.

²⁵"I have told you these things in figurative language (veiled language, proverbs); the hour is now coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but I will tell you plainly about the Father.

²⁶In that day you will ask in My name, and I am not saying to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf [because it will be unnecessary];

²⁷for the Father Himself [tenderly] loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from the Father.

²⁸I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father."

²⁹His disciples said, "Ah, now You are speaking plainly to us and not in figures of speech!

³⁰Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; because of this we believe [without any doubt] that you came from God."

³¹Jesus answered them, "Do you now [at last] believe?

³²Take careful notice: an hour is coming, and has arrived, when you will all be scattered, each to his own home, leaving Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

³³I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world." [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]

¹"Therefore you shall love the LORD your God, and always keep His charge, His statutes, His precepts, and His commandments [it is your obligation to Him].

²Know this day that I am not speaking to your children who have not known [by personal experience] and who have not seen [firsthand] the instruction and discipline of the LORD your God—His greatness, His mighty hand and His outstretched arm;

³and His signs and His works which He did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land;

⁴and what He did to the army of Egypt, to its horses and its chariots, when He made the water of the Red Sea engulf them as they pursued you, and how the LORD completely destroyed them;

⁵and what He did to you in the wilderness until you came to this place;

⁶and what He did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the midst of all Israel.

⁷For your eyes have seen all the great work of the LORD which He did.

⁸"Therefore, you shall keep all the commandments which I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and take possession of the land which you are crossing over [the Jordan] to possess;

⁹so that you may live long on the land which the LORD swore (solemnly promised) to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land [of great abundance,] flowing with milk and honey.

¹⁰For the land which you are entering to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it with your foot like a garden of vegetables.

¹¹But the land into which you are about to cross to possess, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven,

¹²a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.

¹³"It shall come about, if you listen obediently and pay attention to My commandments which I command you today—to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul [your choices, your thoughts, your whole being]—

¹⁴that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early [fall] rain and the late [spring] rain, so that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your [olive] oil.

¹⁵And He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.

¹⁶Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away [from the LORD] and serve other gods and worship them,

¹⁷or [else] the Lord's anger will be kindled and burn against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the land will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you.

¹⁸"Therefore, you shall impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul, and tie them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as bands (frontals, frontlets) on your forehead.

¹⁹You shall teach them [diligently] to your children [impressing God's precepts on their minds and penetrating their hearts with His truths], speaking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up.

²⁰You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,

²¹so that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.

²²For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the LORD your God, to walk [that is, to live each and every day] in all His ways and to hold tightly to Him—

²³then the LORD will drive out all these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.

²⁴Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall become yours; your territory shall be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as the western sea (the Mediterranean).

²⁵No man will be able to stand before you; the LORD your God will lay the fear and the dread of you on all the land on which you set foot, just as He has spoken to you.

²⁶"Behold, today I am setting before you a blessing and a curse—

²⁷the blessing, if you listen to and obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today;

²⁸and the curse, if you do not listen to and obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following (acknowledging, worshiping) other gods which you have not known.

²⁹"It shall come about, when the LORD your God brings you into the land which you are entering to possess, that you shall place the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.

³⁰Are they not across the Jordan, west of the road, toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh?

³¹For you are about to cross the Jordan to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall possess it and live in it,

³²and you shall be careful to do all the statutes and the judgments which I am setting before you today.

¹Therefore, since we have these [great and wonderful] promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, completing holiness [living a consecrated life—a life set apart for God's purpose] in the fear of God.

²Make room for us in your hearts; we have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have cheated no one.

³I do not say this to condemn you, for I have said before that you are [nested] in our hearts [and you will remain there] to die together and to live together [with us].

⁴Great is my confidence in you; great is my pride and boasting on your behalf. I am filled [to the brim] with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in spite of all our trouble.

⁵For even when we arrived in Macedonia our bodies had no rest, but we were oppressed at every turn—conflicts and disputes without, fears and dread within.

⁶But God, who comforts and encourages the depressed and the disquieted, comforted us by the arrival of Titus.

⁷And not only by his arrival, but also by [his account of] the encouragement which he received in regard to you. He told us about your longing [for us], your mourning [over sin], and how eagerly you took my part and supported me, so that I rejoiced even more.

⁸For even though I did grieve you with my letter, I do not regret it [now]; though I did regret it —for I see that the letter hurt you, though only for a little while—

⁹yet I am glad now, not because you were hurt and made sorry, but because your sorrow led to repentance [and you turned back to God]; for you felt a grief such as God meant you to feel, so that you might not suffer loss in anything on our account.

¹⁰For [godly] sorrow that is in accord with the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but worldly sorrow [the hopeless sorrow of those who do not believe] produces death.

¹¹For [you can look back and] see what an earnestness and authentic concern this godly sorrow has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves [against charges that you tolerate sin], what indignation [at sin], what fear [of offending God], what longing [for righteousness and justice], what passion [to do what is right], what readiness to punish [those who sin and those who tolerate sin]! At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in the matter.

¹²So even though I wrote to you [as I did], it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but in order to make evident to you before God how earnestly you do care for us [and your willingness to accept our authority].

¹³It is for this reason that we are comforted and encouraged. And in addition to our comfort, we were especially delighted at the joy of Titus, because you have refreshed his spirit.

¹⁴For if I have boasted to him at all concerning you, I was not disappointed. But just as everything we ever said to you was true, so our boasting [about you] to Titus has proved true also.

¹⁵His affection is greater than ever as he remembers the obedience [to his guidance] that all of you exhibited, and how you received him with the greatest respect.

¹⁶I rejoice that in everything I have [perfect] confidence in you.

¹What leads to [the unending] quarrels and conflicts among you? Do they not come from your [hedonistic] desires that wage war in your [bodily] members [fighting for control over you]?

²You are jealous and covet [what others have] and your lust goes unfulfilled; so you murder. You are envious and cannot obtain [the object of your envy]; so you fight and battle. You do not have because you do not ask [it of God].

³You ask [God for something] and do not receive it, because you ask with wrong motives [out of selfishness or with an unrighteous agenda], so that [when you get what you want] you may spend it on your [hedonistic] desires.

⁴You adulteresses [disloyal sinners—flirting with the world and breaking your vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world's friend [that is, loving the things of the world] is being God's enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

⁵Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose that the [human] spirit which He has made to dwell in us lusts with envy?

⁶But He gives us more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, "God is opposed to the proud and haughty, but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness]."

⁷So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you.

⁸Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded [people].

⁹Be miserable and grieve and weep [over your sin]. Let your [foolish] laughter be turned to mourning and your [reckless] joy to gloom.

¹⁰Humble yourselves [with an attitude of repentance and insignificance] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up, He will give you purpose].

¹¹Believers, do not speak against or slander one another. He who speaks [self-righteously] against a brother or judges his brother [hypocritically], speaks against the Law and judges the Law. If you judge the Law, you are not a doer of the Law but a judge of it.

¹²There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy [the one God who has the absolute power of life and death]; but who are you to [hypocritically or self-righteously] pass judgment on your neighbor?

¹³Come now [and pay attention to this], you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and carry on our business and make a profit."

¹⁴Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen in your life tomorrow. [What is secure in your life?] You are merely a vapor [like a puff of smoke or a wisp of steam from a cooking pot] that is visible for a little while and then vanishes [into thin air].

¹⁵Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and we will do this or that."

¹⁶But as it is, you boast [vainly] in your pretension and arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

¹⁷So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin.

¹" Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook? Or press down his tongue with a cord?

²"Can you put a rope [made] of rushes into his nose Or pierce his jaw through with a hook?

³"Will he make many supplications to you [begging to be spared]? Or will he speak soft words to you [to coax you to treat him kindly]?

⁴"Will he make a covenant or an arrangement with you? Will you take him for your servant forever?

⁵"Will you play with him as with a bird? Or will you bind him [and put him on a leash] for your maidens?

⁶"Will traders bargain over him? Will they divide him up among the merchants?

⁷"Can you fill his skin with harpoons, Or his head with fishing spears?

⁸"Lay your hand on him; Remember the battle [with him]; you will not do such [an ill-advised thing] again!

⁹" Behold, his [assailant's] hope and expectation [of defeating Leviathan] is false; Will not one be overwhelmed even at the sight of him?

¹⁰"No one is so fierce [and foolhardy] that he dares to stir up Leviathan; Who then is he who can stand before Me [or dares to contend with Me, the beast's creator]?

¹¹"Who has first given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine. [Who can have a claim against Me who made the unmastered beast?]

¹²"I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, Nor his mighty strength, nor his orderly frame.

¹³"Who can penetrate or strip off his outer armor? Who can come to his jaws with a double bridle?

¹⁴"Who can open the doors (jaws) of his face? Around his [open jaws and] teeth there is terror.

¹⁵"His strong scales are his pride, Bound together as with a tight seal.

¹⁶"One is so near to another That no air can come between them.

¹⁷"They are joined one to another; They stick together and cannot be separated.

¹⁸"His sneezes flash forth light, And his eyes are like the [reddish] eyelids of the dawn.

¹⁹"Out of his mouth go burning torches, And sparks of fire leap out.

²⁰"Out of his nostrils smoke goes forth As from a boiling pot and [as from] burning rushes.

²¹"His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes forth from his mouth.

²²"In Leviathan's neck resides strength, And dismay and terror dance before him.

²³"The folds of his flesh are joined together, Firm on him and immobile [when he moves].

²⁴"His heart is as hard as a stone, Indeed, as solid as a lower millstone.

²⁵"When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; Because of the crashing they are bewildered.

²⁶"The sword that reaches him cannot avail, Nor [does] the spear, the dart, or the javelin.

²⁷"He considers iron as straw, Bronze as rotten wood.

²⁸"The arrow cannot make him flee; Slingstones are treated as stubble by him.

²⁹"Clubs [also] are regarded as stubble; He laughs at the rushing and the rattling of the javelin.

³⁰"His underparts are like sharp pieces of broken pottery; He moves across and spreads out [grooves] like a threshing sledge on the mire (muddy river banks).

³¹"He makes the deep water boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a [foaming] pot of ointment.

³²"Behind him he makes a shining wake; One would think the deep to be gray-haired [with foam].

³³"Upon earth there is nothing like him—no equal exists, A creature made without fear.

³⁴"He looks on everything that is high [without terror]; He is monarch over all the sons of pride. [And now, Job, who are you who does not dare to disturb the beast, yet who dares resist Me, the beast's creator? Everything under the heavens is Mine; therefore, who can have a claim against God?]"

¹To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David; when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had sinned with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.

²Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness and guilt And cleanse me from my sin.

³For I am conscious of my transgressions and I acknowledge them; My sin is always before me.

⁴Against You, You only, have I sinned And done that which is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak [Your sentence] And faultless in Your judgment.

⁵I was brought forth in [a state of] wickedness; In sin my mother conceived me [and from my beginning I, too, was sinful].

⁶Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part [of my heart] You will make me know wisdom.

⁷Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

⁸Make me hear joy and gladness and be satisfied; Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.

⁹Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right and steadfast spirit within me.

¹¹Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

¹²Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.

¹³Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted and return to You.

¹⁴Rescue me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will sing joyfully of Your righteousness and Your justice.

¹⁵O Lord, open my lips, That my mouth may declare Your praise.

¹⁶For You do not delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering.

¹⁷My [only] sacrifice [acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; A broken and contrite heart [broken with sorrow for sin, thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.

¹⁸By Your favor do good to Zion; May You rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

¹⁹Then will You delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, In burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.

¹The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish [stubborn] son [who refuses to learn] is a grief to his mother.

²Treasures of wickedness and ill-gotten gains do not profit, But righteousness and moral integrity in daily life rescues from death.

³The LORD will not allow the righteous to hunger [God will meet all his needs], But He will reject and cast away the craving of the wicked.

⁴Poor is he who works with a negligent and idle hand, But the hand of the diligent makes him rich.

⁵He who gathers during summer and takes advantage of his opportunities is a son who acts wisely, But he who sleeps during harvest and ignores the moment of opportunity is a son who acts shamefully.

⁶Blessings are on the head of the righteous [the upright, those in right standing with God], But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

⁷The memory of the righteous [person] is a [source of] blessing, But the name of the wicked will [be forgotten and] rot [like a corpse].

⁸The wise in heart [are willing to learn so they] will accept and obey commands (instruction), But the babbling fool [who is arrogant and thinks himself wise] will come to ruin.

⁹He who walks in integrity and with moral character walks securely, But he who takes a crooked way will be discovered and punished.

¹⁰He who [maliciously] winks the eye [of evil intent] causes trouble; And the babbling fool [who is arrogant and thinks himself wise] will come to ruin.

¹¹The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life and his words of wisdom are a source of blessing, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence and evil.

¹²Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers and overwhelms all transgressions [forgiving and overlooking another's faults].

¹³On the lips of the discerning, [skillful and godly] wisdom is found, But discipline and the rod are for the back of the one who is without common sense and understanding.

¹⁴Wise men store up and treasure knowledge [in mind and heart], But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.

¹⁵The rich man's wealth is his fortress; The ruin of the poor is their poverty.

¹⁶The wages of the righteous [the upright, those in right standing with God] is [a worthwhile, meaningful] life, The income of the wicked, punishment.

¹⁷He who learns from instruction and correction is on the [right] path of life [and for others his example is a path toward wisdom and blessing], But he who ignores and refuses correction goes off course [and for others his example is a path toward sin and ruin].

¹⁸He who hides hatred has lying lips, And he who spreads slander is a fool.

¹⁹When there are many words, transgression and offense are unavoidable, But he who controls his lips and keeps thoughtful silence is wise.

²⁰The tongue of the righteous is like precious silver (greatly valued); The heart of the wicked is worth little.

²¹The lips of the righteous feed and guide many, But fools [who reject God and His wisdom] die for lack of understanding.

²²The blessing of the LORD brings [true] riches, And He adds no sorrow to it [for it comes as a blessing from God].

²³Engaging in evil is like sport to the fool [who refuses wisdom and chases sin], But to a man of understanding [skillful and godly] wisdom brings joy.

²⁴What the wicked fears will come upon him, But the desire of the righteous [for the blessings of God] will be granted.

²⁵When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.

²⁶Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, So is the lazy one to those who send him to work.

²⁷The [reverent] fear of the LORD [worshiping, obeying, serving, and trusting Him with awe-filled respect] prolongs one's life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

²⁸The hope of the righteous [those of honorable character and integrity] is joy, But the expectation of the wicked [those who oppose God and ignore His wisdom] comes to nothing.

²⁹The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the upright, But it is ruin to those who do evil.

³⁰The [consistently] righteous will never be shaken, But the wicked will not inhabit the earth.

³¹The mouth of the righteous flows with [skillful and godly] wisdom, But the perverted tongue will be cut out.

³²The lips of the righteous know (speak) what is acceptable, But the mouth of the wicked knows (speaks) what is perverted (twisted).

¹David spoke the words of this song to the LORD when the LORD rescued him from the hands of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

²He said: "The LORD is my rock and my fortress [on the mountain] and my rescuer;

³My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, My Savior—You save me from violence.

⁴"I call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.

⁵"For the waves of death encompassed me; The torrents of destruction overwhelmed and terrified me.

⁶"The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.

⁷"In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried out to my God, And from His temple [in the heavens] He heard my voice; My cry for help came into His ears.

⁸"Then the earth shook and quaked, The foundations of the heavens trembled And were shaken, because He was angry.

⁹"Smoke went up out of His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it.

¹⁰"He bowed the heavens also, and came down With thick darkness under His feet.

¹¹"He rode on a cherub and flew; He appeared upon the wings of the wind.

¹²"He made darkness canopies around Him, A mass of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

¹³"Out of the brightness before Him Coals of fire were set aflame.

¹⁴"The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice.

¹⁵"He sent out arrows and scattered them; Lightning, and confused them.

¹⁶"The channels of the sea appeared, The foundations of the world were uncovered At the rebuke of the LORD, At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

¹⁷"He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of great waters.

¹⁸"He rescued me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.

¹⁹"They came upon me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support.

²⁰"He also brought me out to an open place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.

²¹"The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me.

²²"For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not acted wickedly against my God.

²³"For all His judgments (legal decisions) were before me, And from His statutes I did not turn aside.

²⁴"I was also blameless before Him, And kept myself from wrongdoing.

²⁵"Therefore the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in His sight.

²⁶"With the loving and loyal You show Yourself loving and loyal, With the blameless You show Yourself blameless.

²⁷"With the pure You show Yourself pure, With the perverted You show Yourself astute.

²⁸"And You save the afflicted people; But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You abase (humiliate).

²⁹"For You, O LORD, are my lamp; The LORD illumines and dispels my darkness.

³⁰"For by You I can run upon a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall.

³¹"As for God, His way is blameless and perfect; The word of the LORD is tested. He is a shield to all those who take refuge and trust in Him.

³²"For who is God, besides the LORD? And who is a rock, besides our God?

³³"God is my strong fortress; He sets the blameless in His way.

³⁴"He makes my feet like the doe's feet [firm and swift]; He sets me [secure and confident] on my high places.

³⁵"He trains my hands for war, So that my arms can bend (pull back) a bow of bronze.

³⁶"You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your help and gentleness make me great.

³⁷"You enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.

³⁸"I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, And I did not turn back until they were consumed (eliminated).

³⁹"I consumed them and shattered them, so that they did not rise; They fell under my feet.

⁴⁰"For You have surrounded me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who stood against me.

⁴¹"You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me [in retreat], And I destroyed those who hated me.

⁴²"They looked, but there was no savior for them— Even to the LORD [they looked], but He did not answer them.

⁴³"Then I beat them as [small as] the dust of the earth; I crushed and stamped them as the mire (dirt, mud) of the streets.

⁴⁴"You also have rescued me from strife with my [own] people; You have kept me as the head of the nations. People whom I have not known served me.

⁴⁵"Foreigners pretend obedience to me; As soon as they hear [me], they obey me.

⁴⁶"Foreigners lose heart; They come trembling out of their strongholds.

⁴⁷"The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, And exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation.

⁴⁸"It is God who executes vengeance for me, And brings down [and disciplines] the peoples under me,

⁴⁹Who also brings me out from my enemies. You even lift me above those who rise up against me; You rescue me from the violent man.

⁵⁰"For this I will give thanks and praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.

⁵¹"He is a tower of salvation and great deliverance to His king, And shows lovingkindness to His anointed, To David and his offspring forever."

¹The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

²"Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak to them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the [side] chambers; then give them [who are pledged not to drink wine] some wine to drink."

³So I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons and the whole house of the Rechabites,

⁴and I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was near the chamber of the princes, above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum the doorkeeper.

⁵Then I set before the men of the house of the Rechabites pitchers full of wine, and cups, and I said to them, "Drink wine."

⁶But they said, "We will not drink wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us: 'You shall not drink wine, neither you nor your sons, forever.

⁷Nor shall you build a house or sow seed or plant a vineyard or own one; but you shall live in tents all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you are sojourners (temporary residents).'

⁸We have obeyed the words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, in all our days we have never drunk wine, nor have our wives, our sons, or our daughters,

⁹nor have we built ourselves houses to live in; nor do we have vineyards or fields or seed.

¹⁰We have lived only in tents, and have obeyed and done [everything] according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

¹¹But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, 'Come and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans [who rule Babylon] and for fear of the army of the Arameans.' So we have lived in Jerusalem."

¹²Then came the word of the LORD to Jeremiah, saying,

¹³"Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Go and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, "Will you not receive instruction by listening to My words and honoring them?" says the LORD.

¹⁴The command which Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons not to drink wine has been observed [as a custom for more than two hundred years]. To this day they do not drink wine, for they have obeyed their father's command. But I have repeatedly spoken to you, yet you have not listened to Me.

¹⁵I have also sent to you all My servants the prophets, sending them repeatedly, saying, 'Let every one of you turn now from his evil way and alter your behavior, and do not follow other gods to worship and serve them; and then you will live in the land which I have given to you and to your forefathers. But you have not submitted or listened to Me.

¹⁶Indeed, the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have observed the command of their father which he gave them, but this people has not listened to Me.'"'

¹⁷"Therefore thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Behold (hear this), I am bringing on Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them, but they have not listened, and I have called to them, but they have not answered.'"

¹⁸Then Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father and have kept all his commands and have done according to all that he commanded you,

¹⁹therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never fail to have a man (descendant) to stand before Me always."'"

¹Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."

²Paul and Barnabas disagreed greatly and debated with them, so it was determined that Paul and Barnabas and some of the others from their group would go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders [and confer with them] concerning this issue.

³So, after being supplied and sent on their way by the church, they went through both Phoenicia and Samaria telling in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy to all the believers.

⁴When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received warmly by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported to them all the things that God had accomplished through them.

⁵But some from the sect of the Pharisees who had believed [in Jesus as the Messiah] stood up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise the Gentile converts and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses."

⁶The apostles and the elders came together to consider this matter.

⁷After a long debate, Peter got up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the message of the gospel and believe.

⁸And God, who knows and understands the heart, testified to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us;

⁹and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith [in Jesus].

¹⁰Now then, why are you testing God by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been able to endure?

¹¹But we believe that we are saved through the [precious, undeserved] grace of the Lord Jesus [which makes us free of the guilt of sin and grants us eternal life], in just the same way as they are."

¹²All the people remained silent, and they listened [attentively] to Barnabas and Paul as they described all the signs and wonders (attesting miracles) that God had done through them among the Gentiles.

¹³When they had finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me.

¹⁴Simeon (Simon Peter) has described how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name [to honor Him and be identified with Him].

¹⁵The words of the Prophets agree with this, just as it is written [in Scripture],

¹⁶'After these things I will return, And I will rebuild the tent of David which has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will restore it,

¹⁷So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, And all the Gentiles upon whom My name has been invoked,'

¹⁸Says the Lord, Who has been making these things known from long ago.

¹⁹Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble and make it difficult for those who are turning to God among the Gentiles [by putting obstacles in their way],

²⁰but that we write to them that they are to abstain from anything that has been contaminated by [being offered to] idols and from sexual impurity and from [eating the meat of] what has been strangled and from [the consumption of] blood.

²¹For from ancient generations [the writing of] Moses has been preached in every city, since he is read aloud in the synagogues every Sabbath."

²²Then the apostles and the elders, together with the whole church, decided to select some of their men to go to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas—Judas, who was called Barsabbas, and Silas [also called Silvanus, both], leading men among the brothers.

²³With them they sent the following letter: "The apostles and the brothers who are the elders, to the brothers and sisters who are from the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, Greetings.

²⁴Since we have heard that some of our men have troubled you with their teachings, causing distress and confusion—men to whom we gave no such orders or instructions—

²⁵it has been decided by us, having met together, to select men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

²⁶men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁷So we have sent Judas and Silas, who will report by word of mouth the same things [that we decided in our meeting].

²⁸For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to place on you any greater burden than these essentials:

²⁹that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from [consuming] blood, and from [eating the meat of] things that have been strangled, and from sexual impurity. If you keep yourselves from these things, you will do well. Farewell."

³⁰So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch; and after assembling the congregation, they delivered the letter.

³¹And when they had read it, the people rejoiced greatly at the encouragement and comfort [it brought them].

³²Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets (divinely inspired spokesmen), encouraged and strengthened the believers with many words.

³³After spending some time there, they were sent back by the brothers with [the greeting of] peace to those who had sent them.

³⁴[However, Silas decided to stay there.]

³⁵But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, and with many others also continued teaching and proclaiming the good news, the word of the Lord [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ].

³⁶After some time Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers and sisters (believers) in every city where we preached the message of the Lord, and see how they are doing."

³⁷Now Barnabas wanted to take [his cousin] John, who was called Mark, along with them.

³⁸But Paul kept insisting that they should not take along with them the one who had quit and deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.

³⁹And it became such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took [John] Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.

⁴⁰But Paul chose Silas [who was again in Antioch] and set out [on his second journey], commended by the brothers to the grace and favor of the Lord.

⁴¹And he traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.