Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹When Jesus had spoken these things, He raised His eyes to heaven [in prayer] and said, "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, so that Your Son may glorify You.

²Just as You have given Him power and authority over all mankind, [now glorify Him] so that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him [to be His—permanently and forever].

³Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true [supreme and sovereign] God, and [in the same manner know] Jesus [as the] Christ whom You have sent.

⁴I have glorified You [down here] on the earth by completing the work that You gave Me to do.

⁵Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory and majesty that I had with You before the world existed.

⁶"I have manifested Your name [and revealed Your very self, Your real self] to the people whom You have given Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept and obeyed Your word.

⁷Now [at last] they know [with confident assurance] that all You have given Me is from You [it is really and truly Yours].

⁸For the words which You gave Me I have given them; and they received and accepted them and truly understood [with confident assurance] that I came from You [from Your presence], and they believed [without any doubt] that You sent Me.

⁹I pray for them; I do not pray for the world, but for those You have given Me, because they belong to You;

¹⁰and all things that are Mine are Yours, and [all things that are] Yours are Mine; and I am glorified in them.

¹¹I am no longer in the world; yet they are still in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are.

¹²While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and protected them, and not one of them was lost except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.

¹³But now I am coming to You; and I say these things [while I am still] in the world so that they may experience My joy made full and complete and perfect within them [filling their hearts with My delight].

¹⁴I have given to them Your word [the message You gave Me]; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world and do not belong to the world, just as I am not of the world and do not belong to it.

¹⁵I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but that You keep them and protect them from the evil one.

¹⁶They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

¹⁷Sanctify them in the truth [set them apart for Your purposes, make them holy]; Your word is truth.

¹⁸Just as You commissioned and sent Me into the world, I also have commissioned and sent them (believers) into the world.

¹⁹For their sake I sanctify Myself [to do Your will], so that they also may be sanctified [set apart, dedicated, made holy] in [Your] truth.

²⁰"I do not pray for these alone [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for [all] those who [will ever] believe and trust in Me through their message,

²¹that they all may be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe [without any doubt] that You sent Me.

²²I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one, just as We are one;

²³I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected and completed into one, so that the world may know [without any doubt] that You sent Me, and [that You] have loved them, just as You have loved Me.

²⁴Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given to Me [as Your gift to Me], may be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

²⁵"O just and righteous Father, although the world has not known You and has never acknowledged You [and the revelation of Your mercy], yet I have always known You; and these [believers] know [without any doubt] that You sent Me;

²⁶and I have made Your name known to them, and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them [overwhelming their heart], and I [may be] in them."

¹"These are the statutes and judgments (precepts) which you shall be careful to do in the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth.

²You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and the hills and under every green [leafy] tree.

³You shall tear down their altars and smash their [idolatrous] pillars and burn their Asherim in the fire; you shall cut down the carved and sculpted images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place.

⁴You shall not act like this toward the LORD your God.

⁵But you shall seek the Lord at the place which the LORD your God will choose out of all your tribes to establish His Name there for His dwelling [place], and there you shall come [to worship Him].

⁶There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your votive (pledged, vowed) offerings, your freewill (voluntary) offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.

⁷And there you and your households shall eat before the LORD your God, and rejoice in all to which you put your hand, in which the LORD your God has blessed you.

⁸"You shall not do at all what we are doing here [in the camp] today, every man doing whatever is right in his [own] eyes.

⁹For you have not yet come to the resting place and to the inheritance which the LORD your God is giving you.

¹⁰When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security,

¹¹then it shall come about that the place which the LORD your God will choose for His Name [and Presence] to dwell; there you shall bring everything that I am commanding you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes and the [voluntary] contribution of your hand [as a first gift from the fruits of the ground], and all your choice votive offerings which you vow to the LORD.

¹²And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your sons and your daughters, and your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your [city] gates, since he has no portion or inheritance with you.

¹³"Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every [cultic] place you see,

¹⁴but [only] in the place which the LORD will choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do everything that I am commanding you.

¹⁵"However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your [city] gates, whatever you wish, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you [as His generous provision for daily life]. The [ceremonially] unclean and the clean may eat it, such as the gazelle and the deer.

¹⁶Only you shall not eat the blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water.

¹⁷You are forbidden to eat within your [city] gates the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock, or any of your votive offerings, or your freewill offerings, or the contribution of your hand.

¹⁸But you shall eat them before the LORD your God in the place which the LORD your God will choose, you and your son and your daughter, and your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your [city] gates; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in all that you undertake.

¹⁹Be careful that you do not neglect the Levite [who serves God] as long as you live in your land.

²⁰"When the LORD your God extends your territory, as He promised you, and you say, 'I will eat meat,' because you want to eat meat, then you may eat meat, whatever you wish.

²¹If the place which the LORD your God chooses to put His Name (Presence) is too far away from you, then you may slaughter [animals] from your herd or flock which the LORD has given you, just as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your [city] gates whatever you wish.

²²Just as the gazelle or the deer is eaten, so you may eat it [but not make it an offering]; the [ceremonially] unclean and the clean alike may eat it.

²³Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life (soul), and you shall not eat the life with the meat.

²⁴You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.

²⁵You shall not eat it, so that all may be well with you and with your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the sight of the LORD.

²⁶However, you shall take your holy things which you have [to offer] and your votive (pledged, vowed) offerings, you shall take them and go to the place which the LORD will choose.

²⁷And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the meat and the blood, on the altar of the LORD your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the LORD your God, and you shall eat the meat.

²⁸"Be careful to listen to all these words which I am commanding you, so that it may be well with you and with your children after you forever, because you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.

²⁹"When the LORD your God cuts off and destroys before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and settle in their land,

³⁰beware that you are not lured (ensnared) into following them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods, so that I too may do likewise?'

³¹You shall not behave this way toward the LORD your God, for they have done for their gods every repulsive thing which the LORD hates; for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire [as sacrifices] to their gods.

³²"Everything I command you, you shall be careful to do it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.

¹Now, brothers and sisters, we want to tell you about the grace of God which has been evident in the churches of Macedonia [awakening in them a longing to contribute];

²for during an ordeal of severe distress, their abundant joy and their deep poverty [together] overflowed in the wealth of their lavish generosity.

³For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave voluntarily,

⁴begging us insistently for the privilege of participating in the service for [the support of] the saints [in Jerusalem].

⁵Not only [did they give materially] as we had hoped, but first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us [as His representatives] by the will of God [disregarding their personal interests and giving as much as they possibly could].

⁶So we urged Titus that, as he began it, he should also complete this gracious work among you as well.

⁷But just as you excel in everything, [and lead the way] in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in genuine concern, and in your love for us, see that you excel in this gracious work [of giving] also.

⁸I am not saying this as a command [to dictate to you], but to prove, by [pointing out] the enthusiasm of others, the sincerity of your love as well.

⁹For you are recognizing [more clearly] the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [His astonishing kindness, His generosity, His gracious favor], that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich (abundantly blessed).

¹⁰I give you my opinion in this matter: this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to take action [to help the believers in Jerusalem], but also [the first] to desire to do it.

¹¹So now finish this, so that your eagerness in desiring it may be equaled by your completion of it, according to your ability.

¹²For if the eagerness [to give] is there, it is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

¹³For it is not [intended] that others be relieved [of their responsibility] and that you be burdened [unfairly], but that there be equality [in sharing the burden]—

¹⁴at this present time your surplus [over necessities] is going to supply their need, so that [at some other time] their surplus may be given to supply your need, that there may be equality;

¹⁵as it is written [in Scripture], "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not lack."

¹⁶But thanks be to God who puts the same genuine concern for you in the heart of Titus.

¹⁷For Titus not only accepted our appeal, but was so very interested in you that he has gone to visit you of his own accord.

¹⁸And we have sent along with him the brother who is praised in the gospel [ministry] throughout all the churches;

¹⁹and not only this, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in regard to this gracious offering which we are administering for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our eagerness [as believers to help one another].

²⁰We are taking precaution so that no one will [find anything with which to] discredit us in our administration of this generous gift.

²¹For we have regard for what is honorable [and above suspicion], not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

²²We have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found to be diligent in many things, but who is now even more diligent [than ever] because of his great confidence in you.

²³As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker in your service; and as for the [other two] brothers, they are [special] messengers of the churches, a glory and credit to Christ.

²⁴Therefore, show these men, in the sight of the churches, the proof of your love and our reason for being proud of you.

¹Come [quickly] now, you rich [who lack true faith and hoard and misuse your resources], weep and howl over the miseries [the woes, the judgments] that are coming upon you.

²Your wealth has rotted and is ruined and your [fine] clothes have become moth-eaten.

³Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up your treasure in the last days [when it will do you no good].

⁴Look! The wages that you have [fraudulently] withheld from the laborers who have mowed your fields are crying out [against you for vengeance]; and the cries of the harvesters have come to the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

⁵On the earth you have lived luxuriously and abandoned yourselves to soft living and led a life of wanton pleasure [self-indulgence, self-gratification]; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

⁶You have condemned and have put to death the righteous man; he offers you no resistance.

⁷So wait patiently, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits [expectantly] for the precious harvest from the land, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains.

⁸You too, be patient; strengthen your hearts [keep them energized and firmly committed to God], because the coming of the Lord is near.

⁹Do not complain against one another, believers, so that you will not be judged [for it]. Look! The Judge is standing right at the door.

¹⁰As an example, brothers and sisters, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord [as His messengers and representatives].

¹¹You know we call those blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] who were steadfast and endured [difficult circumstances]. You have heard of the patient endurance of Job and you have seen the Lord's outcome [how He richly blessed Job]. The Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

¹²But above all, my fellow believers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but let your yes be [a truthful] yes, and your no be [a truthful] no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

¹³Is anyone among you suffering? He must pray. Is anyone joyful? He is to sing praises [to God].

¹⁴Is anyone among you sick? He must call for the elders (spiritual leaders) of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;

¹⁵and the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

¹⁶Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].

¹⁷Elijah was a man with a nature like ours [with the same physical, mental, and spiritual limitations and shortcomings], and he prayed intensely for it not to rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.

¹⁸Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its crops [as usual].

¹⁹My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you strays from the truth and falls into error and [another] one turns him back [to God],

²⁰let the [latter] one know that the one who has turned a sinner from the error of his way will save that one's soul from death and cover a multitude of sins [that is, obtain the pardon of the many sins committed by the one who has been restored].

¹Then Job answered the LORD and said,

²"I know that You can do all things, And that no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained.

³"[You said to me] 'Who is this that darkens and obscures counsel [by words] without knowledge?' Therefore [I now see] I have [rashly] uttered that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

⁴'Hear, please, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct [and answer] me.'

⁵"I had heard of You [only] by the hearing of the ear, But now my [spiritual] eye sees You.

⁶"Therefore I retract [my words and hate myself] And I repent in dust and ashes."

⁷It came about that after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.

⁸Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him [and his prayer] so that I may not deal with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has."

⁹So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job's prayer.

¹⁰The LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

¹¹Then all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him over all the [distressing] adversities that the LORD had brought on him. And each one gave him a piece of money, and each a ring of gold.

¹²And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.

¹³He had seven sons and three daughters.

¹⁴And he called the name of the first [daughter] Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch.

¹⁵In all the land there were found no women so fair as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.

¹⁶After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations.

¹⁷So Job died, an old man and full of days.

¹To the Chief Musician. A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem. A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, "David has come to the house of Ahimelech." Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The lovingkindness of God endures all day long.

²Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

³You love evil more than good, And falsehood more than speaking what is right. Selah.

⁴You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.

⁵But God will break you down forever; He will take you away and tear you away from your tent, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah.

⁶The righteous will see it and fear, And will [scoffingly] laugh, saying,

⁷"Look, [this is] the man who would not make God his strength [his stronghold and fortress], But trusted in the abundance of his riches, Taking refuge in his wealth."

⁸But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust [confidently] in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.

⁹I will thank You forever, because You have done it, [You have rescued me and kept me safe]. I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.

¹A false balance and dishonest business practices are extremely offensive to the LORD, But an accurate scale is His delight.

²When pride comes [boiling up with an arrogant attitude of self-importance], then come dishonor and shame, But with the humble [the teachable who have been chiseled by trial and who have learned to walk humbly with God] there is wisdom and soundness of mind.

³The integrity and moral courage of the upright will guide them, But the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.

⁴Riches will not provide security in the day of wrath and judgment, But righteousness rescues from death.

⁵The righteousness of the blameless will smooth their way and keep it straight, But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.

⁶The righteousness of the upright will rescue them, But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.

⁷When the wicked man dies, his expectation will perish; And the hope of [godless] strong men perishes.

⁸The righteous is rescued from trouble, And the wicked takes his place.

⁹With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge and discernment the righteous will be rescued.

¹⁰When it goes well for the righteous, the city rejoices, And when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

¹¹By the blessing [of the influence] of the upright the city is exalted, But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.

¹²He who despises his neighbor lacks sense, But a man of understanding keeps silent.

¹³He who goes about as a gossip reveals secrets, But he who is trustworthy and faithful keeps a matter hidden.

¹⁴Where there is no [wise, intelligent] guidance, the people fall [and go off course like a ship without a helm], But in the abundance of [wise and godly] counselors there is victory.

¹⁵He who puts up security and guarantees a debt for an outsider will surely suffer [for his foolishness], But he who hates (declines) being a guarantor is secure [from its penalties].

¹⁶A gracious and good woman attains honor, And ruthless men attain riches [but not respect].

¹⁷The merciful and generous man benefits his soul [for his behavior returns to bless him], But the cruel and callous man does himself harm.

¹⁸The wicked man earns deceptive wages, But he who sows righteousness and lives his life with integrity will have a true reward [that is both permanent and satisfying].

¹⁹He who is steadfast in righteousness attains life, But he who pursues evil attains his own death.

²⁰The perverse in heart are repulsive and shamefully vile to the LORD, But those who are blameless and above reproach in their walk are His delight!

²¹Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished, But the descendants of the righteous will be freed.

²²As a ring of gold in a swine's snout, So is a beautiful woman who is without discretion [her lack of character mocks her beauty].

²³The desire of the righteous brings only good, But the expectation of the wicked brings wrath.

²⁴There is the one who [generously] scatters [abroad], and yet increases all the more; And there is the one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want and poverty.

²⁵The generous man [is a source of blessing and] shall be prosperous and enriched, And he who waters will himself be watered [reaping the generosity he has sown].

²⁶The people curse him who holds back grain [when the public needs it], But a blessing [from God and man] is upon the head of him who sells it.

²⁷He who diligently seeks good seeks favor and grace, But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.

²⁸He who leans on and trusts in and is confident in his riches will fall, But the righteous [who trust in God's provision] will flourish like a green leaf.

²⁹He who troubles (mismanages) his own house will inherit the wind (nothing), And the foolish will be a servant to the wise-hearted.

³⁰The fruit of the [consistently] righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise captures and wins souls [for God—he gathers them for eternity].

³¹If the righteous will be rewarded on the earth [with godly blessings], How much more [will] the wicked and the sinner [be repaid with punishment]!

¹Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse declares, The man who was raised on high declares, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel,

²"The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue.

³"The God of Israel, The Rock of Israel spoke to me, 'He who rules over men righteously, Who rules in the fear of God,

⁴Is like the morning light when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, When the fresh grass springs out of the earth Through sunshine after rain.'

⁵"Truly is not my house so [blessed] with God? For He has made an everlasting covenant with me, Ordered in all things, and secured. For will He not cause to grow and prosper All my salvation and my every wish? Will He not make it grow and prosper?

⁶"But the wicked and worthless are all to be thrown away like thorns, Because they cannot be taken with the hand;

⁷"But the man who touches them Must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear, And they are utterly burned and consumed by fire in their place."

⁸These are the names of the mighty men (warriors) whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth, a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains, also called Adino the Eznite (spear) because of the eight hundred men killed [by him] at one time.

⁹Next to him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the son of Ahohi. He was one of the three mighty men with David when they taunted and defied the Philistines assembled there for battle, and the men of Israel had gone.

¹⁰Eleazar stood up and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary and clung to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day; the people returned after him only to take the spoil [of the slain].

¹¹Next to Eleazar was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines were gathered into an army where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people [of Israel] fled from the Philistines.

¹²But he took his stand in the center of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines; and the LORD brought about a great victory.

¹³Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David at harvest time in the cave of Adullam, while an army of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.

¹⁴David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

¹⁵And David had a craving and said, "Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!"

¹⁶So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem by the gate, and carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink it, but poured it out [in worship] to the LORD.

¹⁷And he said, "Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should drink this. [Is it not the same as] the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?" So he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

¹⁸Now Abishai the brother of Joab the son of Zeruiah was chief of the thirty. He wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them, and gained a reputation beside the three.

¹⁹He was the most honored of the thirty, so he became their commander; however, he did not attain to the [greatness of the] three.

²⁰Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many notable acts, killed two [famous] warriors of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day.

²¹And he killed an Egyptian, an impressive and handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a club, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed the man with his own spear.

²²These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and gained a reputation beside the three mighty men.

²³He was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain to the [greatness of the] three. David appointed him over his guard.

²⁴Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; then Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

²⁵Shammah of Harod, Elika of Harod,

²⁶Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa,

²⁷Abiezer of Anathoth, Mebunnai the Hushathite,

²⁸Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai of Netophah,

²⁹Heleb the son of Baanah of Netophah, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the Benjamites,

³⁰Benaiah of Pirathon, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash,

³¹Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,

³²Eliahba of Shaalbon, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,

³³Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite,

³⁴Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai the son of Maacah, Eliam the son of Ahithophel of Giloh,

³⁵Hezro (Hezrai) of Carmel, Paarai the Arbite,

³⁶Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,

³⁷Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, armor bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah,

³⁸Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

³⁹Uriah the Hittite—thirty-seven in all.

¹In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

²"Take a scroll [of parchment] and write on it all the words which I have spoken to you concerning Israel and Judah, and all the nations, from the day I [first] spoke to you in the days of [King] Josiah until this day.

³It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster which I plan to bring on them, so that each one will turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their wickedness and their sin."

⁴Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on the scroll of the book all the words which Jeremiah dictated, [words] which the LORD had spoken to him.

⁵Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, "I am [in hiding, virtually] restrained; I cannot go into the house of the LORD.

⁶So you go to the Lord's house on a day of fasting and read from the scroll the words of the LORD to the people which you have written as I dictated. And also you shall read them to all the people of Judah who come from their cities.

⁷It may be that their supplication [for mercy] will come before the LORD, and everyone will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and the wrath that the LORD has pronounced against this people."

⁸Baruch the son of Neriah did everything that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading from [Jeremiah's scroll] the words of the LORD in the Lord's house.

⁹Now in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, a fast was proclaimed before the LORD for all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came to Jerusalem from the cities of Judah.

¹⁰Then Baruch read to all the people the words of Jeremiah from the scroll of the book in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord's house.

¹¹When Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard all the words of the LORD from the scroll,

¹²he went down to the king's house, into the scribe's chamber; and behold, all the princes were sitting there: Elishama the scribe, Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, Elnathan the son of Achbor, Gemariah the son of Shaphan, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the [other] princes.

¹³Then Micaiah declared to them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read from the scroll to all the people.

¹⁴Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, "Take in your hand the scroll from which you have read to the people and come [to us]." So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and went to them.

¹⁵And they said to him, "Sit down now and read it to us." So Baruch read it to them.

¹⁶Now when they had heard all the words, they turned one to another in fear and said to Baruch, "We must surely report all these words to the king."

¹⁷And they asked Baruch, "Tell us now, how did you write all these words? At his (Jeremiah's) dictation?"

¹⁸Then Baruch answered them, "He dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them with ink on the scroll."

¹⁹Then the princes said to Baruch, "Go and hide, you and Jeremiah, and do not let anyone know where you are."

²⁰Then they went into the court to the king, but they [first] put the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe; then they reported all the words to the king.

²¹So the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi read it to the king and all the princes who stood beside the king.

²²Now it was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the winter house, with a fire burning there in the brazier before him.

²³And after Jehudi had read three or four columns [of the scroll], King Jehoiakim would cut off that portion with a scribe's knife and throw it into the fire that was in the brazier, until the [entire] scroll was consumed by the fire.

²⁴Yet the king and all his servants who heard all these words were not afraid, nor did they tear their clothes.

²⁵Even though Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah pleaded with the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.

²⁶And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the LORD hid them.

²⁷Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll containing the words which Baruch had written at the dictation of Jeremiah:

²⁸"Take another scroll and write on it all the former words that were on the first scroll which Jehoiakim the king of Judah burned.

²⁹And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, 'Thus says the LORD, "You have burned this scroll, saying, 'Why have you written on it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will cut off man and beast from it?'"

³⁰'Therefore thus says the LORD concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah, " He shall have no heir to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be thrown out to the heat of the day and to the frost of the night.

³¹I will also punish him and his descendants and his servants for their wickedness, and I will bring on them and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the men of Judah all the destruction that I have declared against them—but they would not listen."'"

³²Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and many similar words were added to them.

¹Now Paul traveled to Derbe and also to Lystra. A disciple named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer [in Christ], however, his father was a Greek.

²Timothy was well spoken of by the brothers and sisters who were in Lystra and Iconium.

³Paul wanted Timothy to go with him [as a missionary]; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek.

⁴As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decrees decided on by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for the churches to observe.

⁵So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they continually increased in number day after day.

⁶Now they passed through the territory of Phrygia and Galatia, after being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in [the west coast province of] Asia [Minor];

⁷and after they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them;

⁸so passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.

⁹Then a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man from [the Roman province of] Macedonia was standing and pleading with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!"

¹⁰And when he had seen the vision, we (including Luke) tried to go on into Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

¹¹So setting sail from Troas, we ran a direct course to Samothrace, and the next day [went on] to Neapolis;

¹²and from there [we came] to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony. We stayed on in this city for several days;

¹³and on the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the bank of the [Gangites] river, where we thought there would be a place of prayer, and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had come there.

¹⁴A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a dealer in purple fabrics who was [already] a worshiper of God, listened to us; and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention and to respond to the things said by Paul.

¹⁵And when she was baptized, along with her household, she pleaded with us, saying, "If you have judged me and decided that I am faithful to the Lord [a true believer], come to my house and stay." And she persuaded us.

¹⁶It happened that as we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination [that is, a demonic spirit claiming to foretell the future and discover hidden knowledge], and she brought her owners a good profit by fortune-telling.

¹⁷She followed after Paul and us and kept screaming and shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God! They are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!"

¹⁸She continued doing this for several days. Then Paul, being greatly annoyed and worn out, turned and said to the spirit [inside her], "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ [as His representative] to come out of her!" And it came out at that very moment.

¹⁹But when her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the market place [where trials were held],

²⁰and when they had brought them before the chief magistrates, they said, "These men, who are Jews, are throwing our city into confusion and causing trouble.

²¹They are publicly teaching customs which are unlawful for us, as Romans, to accept or observe."

²²The crowd also joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and ordered that Paul and Silas be beaten with rods.

²³After striking them many times [with the rods], they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely.

²⁴He, having received such a [strict] command, threw them into the inner prison (dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks [in an agonizing position].

²⁵But about midnight when Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;

²⁶suddenly there was a great earthquake, so [powerful] that the very foundations of the prison were shaken and at once all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened.

²⁷When the jailer, shaken out of sleep, saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped.

²⁸But Paul shouted, saying, "Do not hurt yourself, we are all here!"

²⁹Then the jailer called for torches and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas,

³⁰and after he brought them out [of the inner prison], he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

³¹And they answered, "Believe in the Lord Jesus [as your personal Savior and entrust yourself to Him] and you will be saved, you and your household [if they also believe]."

³²And they spoke the word of the Lord [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ] to him and to all who were in his house.

³³And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their bloody wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household.

³⁴Then he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, since he had believed in God with his entire family [accepting with joy what had been made known to them about the Christ].

³⁵Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their officers, saying, "Release those men."

³⁶And the jailer repeated the words to Paul, saying, "The chief magistrates have sent word to release you; so come out now and go in peace."

³⁷But Paul said to them, "They have beaten us in public without a trial, men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison; and now they are sending us out secretly? No! Let them come here themselves and bring us out!"

³⁸The officers reported this message to the chief magistrates, and when they heard that the prisoners were Romans, they were frightened;

³⁹so they came [to the prison] and appealed to them [with apologies], and when they brought them out, they kept begging them to leave the city.

⁴⁰So they left the prison and went to Lydia's house; and when they had seen the brothers and sisters, they encouraged and comforted them, and left.