Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹After these things Jesus revealed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He revealed Himself in this way:

²Simon Peter, Thomas who was called Didymus, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.

³Simon Peter *said to them, “I am going fishing.” They *said to him, “We are also coming with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.

⁴But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

⁵So Jesus *said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish to eat, do you?” They answered Him, “No.”

⁶And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find the fish.” So they cast it, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great quantity of fish.

⁷Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved *said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea.

⁸But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits away, dragging the net full of fish.

⁹So when they got out on the land, they *saw a charcoal fire already made and fish placed on it, and bread.

¹⁰Jesus *said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.”

¹¹So Simon Peter went up and hauled the net to land, full of large fish, 153; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

¹²Jesus *said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to inquire of Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord.

¹³Jesus *came and *took the bread and *gave it to them, and the fish likewise.

¹⁴This was now the third time that Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.

¹⁵Now when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do youlove Me more than these?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Tend My lambs.”

¹⁶He *said to him again, a second time, “Simon, son of John, do youlove Me?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.”

¹⁷He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do youlove Me?” Peter was hurt because He said to him the third time, “Do youlove Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep.

¹⁸Truly, truly I tell you, when you were younger, you used to put on your belt and walk wherever you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will put your belt on you, and bring you where you do not want to go.”

¹⁹Now He said this, indicating by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had said this, He *said to him, “Follow Me!”

²⁰Peter turned around and *saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them—the one who also had leaned back on His chest at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who is betraying You?”

²¹So Peter, upon seeing him, *said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?”

²²Jesus *said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”

²³Therefore this account went out among the brothers, that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”

²⁴This is the disciple who is testifying about these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

²⁵But there are also many other things which Jesus did, which, if they were written in detail, I expect that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.

¹“Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night.

²You shall sacrifice the Passover to the LORD your God from the flock and the herd, in the place where the LORD chooses to establish His name.

³You shall not eat leavened bread with it; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in a hurry), so that you will remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.

⁴For seven days no leaven shall be seen with you in your entire territory, and none of the meat which you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall be left overnight until the morning.

⁵You are not allowed to sacrifice the Passover in any of your towns which the LORD your God is giving you;

⁶but only at the place where the LORD your God chooses to establish His name, you shall sacrifice the Passover in the evening at sunset, at the time that you came out of Egypt.

⁷You shall cook and eat it in the place which the LORD your God chooses. In the morning you are to return to your tents.

⁸For six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a festive assembly to the LORD your God; you shall do no work on it.

⁹“You shall count seven weeks for yourself; you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.

¹⁰Then you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with a voluntary offering of your hand in a proportional amount, which you shall give just as the LORD your God blesses you;

¹¹and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you, your son and your daughter, and your male and female slaves, and the Levite who is in your town, and the stranger, the orphan, and the widow who are in your midst, at the place where the LORD your God chooses to establish His name.

¹²You shall also remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful and comply with these statutes.

¹³“You shall celebrate the Feast of Booths for seven days when you have gathered in from your threshing floor and your wine vat;

¹⁴and you shall rejoice in your feast, you, your son and your daughter, and your male and female slaves, and the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow who are in your towns.

¹⁵For seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.

¹⁶“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths; and they are not to appear before the LORD empty-handed.

¹⁷Everyone shall give as he is able, in accordance with the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.

¹⁸“You shall appoint for yourself judges and officers in all your towns which the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.

¹⁹You shall not distort justice, you shall not show partiality; and you shall not accept a bribe, because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and distorts the words of the righteous.

²⁰Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that you may live and possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

²¹“You shall not plant for yourself an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of the LORD your God, which you shall make for yourself.

²²And you shall not set up for yourself a memorial stone, which the LORD your God hates.

¹Boasting is necessary, though it is not beneficial; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.

²I know a man in Christ, who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven.

³And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows—

⁴was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.

⁵In behalf of such a man I will boast; but in my own behalf I will not boast, except regarding my weaknesses.

⁶For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.

⁷Because of the extraordinary greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!

⁸Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me.

⁹And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

¹⁰Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in difficulties, in behalf of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

¹¹I have become foolish; you yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you, since I was in no respect inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody.

¹²The distinguishing marks of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs, wonders, and miracles.

¹³For in what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not become a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!

¹⁴Here for this third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you; for I do not seek what is yours, but you; for children are not responsible to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

¹⁵I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?

¹⁶But be that as it may, I did not burden you myself; nevertheless, devious person that I am, I took you in by deceit.

¹⁷Certainly I have not taken advantage of you through any of those whom I have sent to you, have I?

¹⁸I urged Titus to go, and I sent the brother with him. Titus did not take any advantage of you, did he? Did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit and walk in the same steps?

¹⁹All this time you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and all for building you up, beloved.

²⁰For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish, and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, selfishness, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances;

²¹I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and indecent behavior which they have practiced.

¹Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

²so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human lusts, but for the will of God.

³For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of indecent behavior, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and wanton idolatries.

⁴In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them in the same excesses of debauchery, and they slander you;

⁵but they will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

⁶For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as people, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.

⁷The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.

⁸Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

⁹Be hospitable to one another without complaint.

¹⁰As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God.

¹¹Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking actual words of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

¹²Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you;

¹³but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed.

¹⁴If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, and of God, rests upon you.

¹⁵Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;

¹⁶but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.

¹⁷For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

¹⁸AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER?

¹⁹Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God are to entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

¹Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold, I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and power was on the side of their oppressors, but they had no one to comfort them.

²So I congratulated the dead who are already dead, more than the living who are still living.

³But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.

⁴I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a person and his neighbor. This too is futility and striving after wind.

⁵The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh.

⁶One hand full of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind.

⁷Then I looked again at futility under the sun.

⁸There was a man without a dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches, and he never asked, “And for whom do I labor and deprive myself of pleasure?” This too is futility, and it is an unhappy task.

⁹Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor;

¹⁰for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up!

¹¹Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone?

¹²And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

¹³A poor yet wise youth is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction—

¹⁴for he has come out of prison to become king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom.

¹⁵I have seen all those living under the sun move to the side of the second youth who replaces him.

¹⁶There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them. Even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him; for this too is futility and striving after wind.

¹Be gracious to me, God, for a man has trampled upon me; Fighting all day long he oppresses me.

²My enemies have trampled upon me all day long, For they are many who fight proudly against me.

³When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.

⁴In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

⁵All day long they distort my words; All their thoughts are against me for evil.

⁶They attack, they lurk, They watch my steps, As they have waited to take my life.

⁷Because of their wickedness, will there be an escape for them? In anger make the peoples fall down, God!

⁸You have taken account of my miseries; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?

⁹Then my enemies will turn back on the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me.

¹⁰In God, whose word I praise, In the LORD, whose word I praise,

¹¹In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can mankind do to me?

¹²Your vows are binding upon me, God; I will render thanksgiving offerings to You.

¹³For You have saved my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of the living.

¹A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

²The tongue of the wise makes knowledge pleasant, But the mouth of fools spouts foolishness.

³The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Watching the evil and the good.

⁴A soothing tongue is a tree of life, But perversion in it crushes the spirit.

⁵A fool rejects his father’s discipline, But he who complies with rebuke is sensible.

⁶Great wealth is in the house of the righteous, But trouble is in the income of the wicked.

⁷The lips of the wise spread knowledge, But the hearts of fools are not so.

⁸The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.

⁹The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But He loves the one who pursues righteousness.

¹⁰There is severe punishment for one who abandons the way; One who hates a rebuke will die.

¹¹Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD, How much more the hearts of mankind!

¹²A scoffer does not love one who rebukes him; He will not go to the wise.

¹³A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.

¹⁴The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.

¹⁵All the days of the needy are bad, But a cheerful heart has a continual feast.

¹⁶Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure, and turmoil with the treasure.

¹⁷Better is a portion of vegetables where there is love, Than a fattened ox served with hatred.

¹⁸A hot-tempered person stirs up strife, But the slow to anger calms a dispute.

¹⁹The way of the lazy one is like a hedge of thorns, But the path of the upright is a highway.

²⁰A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish man despises his mother.

²¹Foolishness is joy to one who lacks sense, But a person of understanding walks straight.

²²Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed.

²³A person has joy in an apt answer, And how delightful is a timely word!

²⁴The path of life leads upward for the wise, So that he may keep away from Sheol below.

²⁵The LORD will tear down the house of the proud, But He will set the boundary of the widow.

²⁶Evil plans are an abomination to the LORD, But pleasant words are pure.

²⁷He who profits illicitly troubles his own house, But he who hates bribes will live.

²⁸The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.

²⁹The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

³⁰Bright eyes gladden the heart; Good news refreshes the bones.

³¹One whose ear listens to a life-giving rebuke Will stay among the wise.

³²One who neglects discipline rejects himself, But one who listens to a rebuke acquires understanding.

³³The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.

¹Now Solomon formed a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her to the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the LORD, and the wall around Jerusalem.

²The people were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days.

³Now Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he was sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.

⁴And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, because that was the great high place; Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.

⁵In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask what you wish Me to give you.”

⁶Then Solomon said, “You have shown great faithfulness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth, righteousness, and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great faithfulness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

⁷And now, LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet I am like a little boy; I do not know how to go out or come in.

⁸And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted.

⁹So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, to discern between good and evil. For who is capable of judging this great people of Yours?”

¹⁰Now it was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing.

¹¹And God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself a long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the lives of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice,

¹²behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you.

¹³I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days.

¹⁴And if you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days.”

¹⁵Then Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and made peace offerings, and held a feast for all his servants.

¹⁶Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

¹⁷The one woman said, “Pardon me, my lord: this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house.

¹⁸And it happened on the third day after I gave birth, that this woman also gave birth to a child, and we were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, only the two of us in the house.

¹⁹Then this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him.

²⁰So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your servant was asleep, and she laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast.

²¹When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead! But when I examined him closely in the morning, behold, he was not my son, whom I had borne!”

²²Then the other woman said, “No! For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” But the first woman said, “No! For the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” So they spoke before the king.

²³Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ”

²⁴And the king said, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.

²⁵And the king said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.”

²⁶But the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for she was deeply stirred over her son, and she said, “Pardon me, my lord! Give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other woman was saying, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; cut him!”

²⁷Then the king replied, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.”

²⁸When all Israel heard about the judgment which the king had handed down, they feared the king, because they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

¹The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD after Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard had released him from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon.

²Now the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, “The LORD your God promised this disaster against this place;

³and the LORD has brought it and done just as He promised. Because you people sinned against the LORD and did not listen to His voice, this thing has happened to you.

⁴But now, behold, I am setting you free today from the chains that are on your hands. If you would prefer to come with me to Babylon, come along, and I will look after you; but if you would prefer not to come with me to Babylon, do not come. Look, the whole land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right for you to go.”

⁵As Jeremiah was still not going back, he said, “Go on back then to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go anywhere it seems right for you to go.” So the captain of the bodyguard gave him a ration and a gift, and let him go.

⁶Then Jeremiah went to Mizpah to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.

⁷Now all the commanders of the forces that were in the field, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam over the land, and that he had put him in charge of the men, women, and children, those of the poorest of the land who had not been exiled to Babylon.

⁸So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, both they and their men.

⁹Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and to their men, saying, “Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans; stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, so that it may go well for you.

¹⁰Now as for me, behold, I am going to stay in Mizpah to stand for you before the Chaldeans who come to us; but as for you, gather wine, summer fruit, and oil, and put them in your storage vessels, and live in your cities that you have taken over.”

¹¹Likewise, also all the Jews who were in Moab and among the sons of Ammon and in Edom, and who were in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant for Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan.

¹²Then all the Jews returned from all the places to which they had been scattered and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruit in great abundance.

¹³Now Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah,

¹⁴and said to him, “Are you well aware that Baalis the king of the sons of Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them.

¹⁵Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know! Why should he take your life, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered and the remnant of Judah would perish?”

¹⁶But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “Do not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”

¹After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and when he had encouraged them and taken his leave of them, he left to go to Macedonia.

²When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece.

³And there he spent three months, and when a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.

⁴And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.

⁵Now these had gone on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas.

⁶We sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and reached them at Troas within five days; and we stayed there for seven days.

⁷On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.

⁸There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were gathered together.

⁹And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, Eutychus was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor, and was picked up dead.

¹⁰But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, “Do not be troubled, for he is still alive.”

¹¹When Paul had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left.

¹²They took away the boy alive, and were greatly comforted.

¹³But we went ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, intending from there to take Paul on board; for that was what he had arranged, intending himself to go by land.

¹⁴And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene.

¹⁵Sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios; and the next day we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day we came to Miletus.

¹⁶For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to lose time in Asia; for he was hurrying, if it might be possible for him to be in Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.

¹⁷From Miletus he sent word to Ephesus and called to himself the elders of the church.

¹⁸And when they came to him, he said to them, “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time,

¹⁹serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews;

²⁰how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was beneficial, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,

²¹solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

²²And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,

²³except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that chains and afflictions await me.

²⁴But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of God’s grace.

²⁵“And now behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face.

²⁶Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all people.

²⁷For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.

²⁸Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

²⁹I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;

³⁰and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them.

³¹Therefore, be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.

³²And now I entrust you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

³³I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes.

³⁴You yourselves know that these hands served my own needs and the men who were with me.

³⁵In everything I showed you that by working hard in this way you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’  ”

³⁶When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.

³⁷And they all began to weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him,

³⁸grieving especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were accompanying him to the ship.