Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Then He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.

²Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.

³And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

⁴Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.

⁵And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.

⁶Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

⁷But those vinedressers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

⁸So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.

⁹“Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.

¹⁰Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.

¹¹This was the LORD’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

¹²And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.

¹³Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.

¹⁴When they had come, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?

¹⁵Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.”

¹⁶So they brought it. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”

¹⁷And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at Him.

¹⁸Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:

¹⁹“Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.

²⁰Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.

²¹And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise.

²²So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also.

²³Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.”

²⁴Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?

²⁵For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

²⁶But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?

²⁷He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.”

²⁸Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”

²⁹Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.

³⁰And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

³¹And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

³²So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.

³³And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” But after that no one dared question Him.

³⁵Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?

³⁶For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’

³⁷Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?” And the common people heard Him gladly.

³⁸Then He said to them in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces,

³⁹the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts,

⁴⁰who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

⁴¹Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much.

⁴²Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.

⁴³So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury;

⁴⁴for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

¹It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.

²And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker.

³So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined.

⁴And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.

⁵Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man’s dream in one night and each man’s dream with its own interpretation.

⁶And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad.

⁷So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”

⁸And they said to him, “We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” So Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.”

⁹Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “Behold, in my dream a vine was before me,

¹⁰and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.

¹¹Then Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”

¹²And Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days.

¹³Now within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler.

¹⁴But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house.

¹⁵For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon.”

¹⁶When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and there were three white baskets on my head.

¹⁷In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”

¹⁸So Joseph answered and said, “This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days.

¹⁹Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you.”

²⁰Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.

²¹Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.

²²But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.

²³Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

¹Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia:

²that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.

³For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing,

⁴imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.

⁵And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.

⁶So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well.

⁷But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also.

⁸I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.

⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

¹⁰And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago;

¹¹but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have.

¹²For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.

¹³For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened;

¹⁴but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality.

¹⁵As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”

¹⁶But thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.

¹⁷For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord.

¹⁸And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches,

¹⁹and not only that, but who was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us to the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind,

²⁰avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us—

²¹providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

²²And we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, because of the great confidence which we have in you.

²³If anyone inquires about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.

²⁴Therefore show to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf.

¹Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.

²By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.

³For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

⁴For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

⁵Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

⁶This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.

⁷For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

⁸And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.

⁹If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.

¹⁰He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.

¹¹And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

¹²He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

¹³These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

¹⁴Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

¹⁵And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

¹⁶If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.

¹⁷All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

¹⁸We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

¹⁹We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

²⁰And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

²¹Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

¹Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said:

²“Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.”

³Then Job answered the LORD and said:

⁴“Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth.

⁵Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”

⁶Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:

⁷“Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me:

⁸“Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?

⁹Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His?

¹⁰Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, And array yourself with glory and beauty.

¹¹Disperse the rage of your wrath; Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him.

¹²Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low; Tread down the wicked in their place.

¹³Hide them in the dust together, Bind their faces in hidden darkness.

¹⁴Then I will also confess to you That your own right hand can save you.

¹⁵“Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; He eats grass like an ox.

¹⁶See now, his strength is in his hips, And his power is in his stomach muscles.

¹⁷He moves his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.

¹⁸His bones are like beams of bronze, His ribs like bars of iron.

¹⁹He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword.

²⁰Surely the mountains yield food for him, And all the beasts of the field play there.

²¹He lies under the lotus trees, In a covert of reeds and marsh.

²²The lotus trees cover him with their shade; The willows by the brook surround him.

²³Indeed the river may rage, Yet he is not disturbed; He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth,

²⁴Though he takes it in his eyes, Or one pierces his nose with a snare.

¹To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. [1] I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.

²He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.

³He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.

⁴Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

⁵Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered.

⁶Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.

⁷Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me.

⁸I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.”

⁹I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the great assembly; Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O LORD, You Yourself know.

¹⁰I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth From the great assembly.

¹¹Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.

¹²For innumerable evils have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; Therefore my heart fails me.

¹³Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me!

¹⁴Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion Who seek to destroy my life; Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor Who wish me evil.

¹⁵Let them be confounded because of their shame, Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”

¹⁶Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, “The LORD be magnified!”

¹⁷But I am poor and needy; Yet the LORD thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God.

¹Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars;

²She has slaughtered her meat, She has mixed her wine, She has also furnished her table.

³She has sent out her maidens, She cries out from the highest places of the city,

⁴“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,

⁵“Come, eat of my bread And drink of the wine I have mixed.

⁶Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding.

⁷“He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.

⁸Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

⁹Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

¹⁰“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

¹¹For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you.

¹²If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.”

¹³A foolish woman is clamorous; She is simple, and knows nothing.

¹⁴For she sits at the door of her house, On a seat by the highest places of the city,

¹⁵To call to those who pass by, Who go straight on their way:

¹⁶“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here”; And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,

¹⁷“Stolen water is sweet, And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

¹⁸But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of hell.

¹Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.

²When the Gazites were told, “Samson has come here!” they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, “In the morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him.”

³And Samson lay low till midnight; then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.

⁴Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

⁵And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”

⁶So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict you.”

⁷And Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”

⁸So the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, and she bound him with them.

⁹Now men were lying in wait, staying with her in the room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he broke the bowstrings as a strand of yarn breaks when it touches fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.

¹⁰Then Delilah said to Samson, “Look, you have mocked me and told me lies. Now, please tell me what you may be bound with.”

¹¹So he said to her, “If they bind me securely with new ropes that have never been used, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”

¹²Therefore Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And men were lying in wait, staying in the room. But he broke them off his arms like a thread.

¹³Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me what you may be bound with.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head into the web of the loom”—

¹⁴So she wove it tightly with the batten of the loom, and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep, and pulled out the batten and the web from the loom.

¹⁵Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.”

¹⁶And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death,

¹⁷that he told her all his heart, and said to her, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”

¹⁸When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart.” So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand.

¹⁹Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him.

²⁰And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.

²¹Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.

²²However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven.

²³Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. And they said: “Our god has delivered into our hands Samson our enemy!”

²⁴When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said: “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, The destroyer of our land, And the one who multiplied our dead.”

²⁵So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may perform for us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. And they stationed him between the pillars.

²⁶Then Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars which support the temple, so that I can lean on them.”

²⁷Now the temple was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there—about three thousand men and women on the roof watching while Samson performed.

²⁸Then Samson called to the LORD, saying, “O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!”

²⁹And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left.

³⁰Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.

³¹And his brothers and all his father’s household came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had judged Israel twenty years.

¹“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God.

²“Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the LORD’s hand Double for all her sins.”

³The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.

⁴Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth;

⁵The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

⁶The voice said, “Cry out!” And he said, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

⁷The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass.

⁸The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

⁹O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”

¹⁰Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.

¹¹He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.

¹²Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, Measured heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales And the hills in a balance?

¹³Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has taught Him?

¹⁴With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, And taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, And showed Him the way of understanding?

¹⁵Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, And are counted as the small dust on the scales; Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.

¹⁶And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.

¹⁷All nations before Him are as nothing, And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.

¹⁸To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him?

¹⁹The workman molds an image, The goldsmith overspreads it with gold, And the silversmith casts silver chains.

²⁰Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution Chooses a tree that will not rot; He seeks for himself a skillful workman To prepare a carved image that will not totter.

²¹Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

²²It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

²³He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless.

²⁴Scarcely shall they be planted, Scarcely shall they be sown, Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, When He will also blow on them, And they will wither, And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.

²⁵“To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.

²⁶Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.

²⁷Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the LORD, And my just claim is passed over by my God”?

²⁸Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

²⁹He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.

³⁰Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,

³¹But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

¹Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.

²Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

³And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread.

⁴So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.

⁵Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

⁶And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.

⁷Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands.

⁸Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.”

⁹So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

¹⁰When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

¹¹And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”

¹²So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.

¹³And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer.

¹⁴When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate.

¹⁵But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.”

¹⁶Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.

¹⁷But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren.” And he departed and went to another place.

¹⁸Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter.

¹⁹But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.

²⁰Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king’s personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king’s country.

²¹So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them.

²²And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!”

²³Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.

²⁴But the word of God grew and multiplied.

²⁵And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark.