Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Early in the morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes and the whole Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), immediately consulted together; and they bound Jesus, they took Him away [violently] and handed Him over to Pilate.

²Pilate questioned Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" And He replied to him, "It is as you say."

³The chief priests began accusing Him of many things.

⁴Then Pilate again asked Him, "Have You no answer [to give]? See how many charges they are bringing against You!"

⁵But Jesus gave no further answer; so Pilate was perplexed.

⁶Now at the [Passover] feast Pilate used to set free for them any one prisoner whom they requested.

⁷The man called Barabbas was imprisoned with the insurrectionists (revolutionaries) who had committed murder in the civil rebellion.

⁸The crowd came up and began asking Pilate to do as he usually did for them.

⁹Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to set free for you the King of the Jews?"

¹⁰For he was aware that the chief priests had turned Jesus over to him because of envy and resentment.

¹¹But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to get him to release Barabbas for them instead.

¹²Again Pilate answered, "Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?"

¹³They screamed back, "Crucify Him!"

¹⁴But Pilate asked them, "Why, what has He done that is evil?" But they screamed all the more, "Crucify Him!"

¹⁵So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, set Barabbas free for them; and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over [to his soldiers] to be crucified.

¹⁶The soldiers led Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they called together the entire [Roman] battalion [of 600 soldiers].

¹⁷They dressed Him up in [a ranking Roman officer's robe of] purple, and after twisting [together] a crown of thorns, they placed it on Him;

¹⁸and they began saluting and mocking Him: "Hail, King of the Jews!"

¹⁹They kept beating Him on the head with a reed and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing in [mock] homage to Him.

²⁰After they had mocked Him, they took off the purple robe and put His own clothes on Him. And they led Him out [of the city] to crucify Him.

²¹They forced into service a passer-by coming in from the countryside, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to carry His cross.

²²Then they brought Him to the place [called] Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.

²³They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh [to dull the pain], but He would not take it.

²⁴And they crucified Him, and divided up His clothes among themselves, casting lots for them to see who should take what.

²⁵It was the third hour (9:00 a.m.) when they crucified Him.

²⁶The inscription of the accusation against Him had been written [above Him]: "THE KING OF THE JEWS."

²⁷They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left.

²⁸[And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "He was counted with the transgressors."]

²⁹Those who were passing by were insulting Him with abusive and insolent language, wagging their heads [as a sign of contempt], and saying, "Ha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in [only] three days,

³⁰save Yourself by coming down from the cross!"

³¹In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were ridiculing and mocking Him among themselves and saying, "He saved others [from death]; He cannot save Himself!

³²Let the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe and trust [in Him]!" Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

³³When the sixth hour (noon) came, darkness covered the whole land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.).

³⁴And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

³⁵Some of the bystanders heard Him and said, "Look! He is calling for Elijah!"

³⁶Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave Him a drink, saying, "Let us see whether Elijah is coming to take Him down."

³⁷But Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed out His last [voluntarily, sovereignly dismissing and releasing His spirit from His body in submission to His Father's plan].

³⁸And the veil [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

³⁹When the centurion, who was standing opposite Him, saw the way He breathed His last [being fully in control], he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

⁴⁰Now some women also were watching from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome.

⁴¹When Jesus was in Galilee, they used to accompany him and minister to Him; and there were also many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

⁴²When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,

⁴³Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent and respected member of the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God—and he courageously dared to go in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.

⁴⁴Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time [only six hours after being crucified], and he summoned the centurion and asked him whether He was already dead.

⁴⁵And when he learned from the centurion [that Jesus was in fact dead], he gave the body to Joseph [by granting him permission to remove it].

⁴⁶So Joseph purchased a [fine] linen cloth [for wrapping the body], and after taking Jesus down [from the cross], he wrapped Him in the linen cloth and placed Him in a tomb which had been cut out of rock. Then he rolled a [large, wheel-shaped] stone against the entrance of the tomb.

⁴⁷Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were [carefully] watching to see where He was laid.

¹Now the famine was very severe in the land [of Canaan].

²And it happened that when the families of Jacob's sons had finished eating [all of] the grain which they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go again, buy us a little food."

³But Judah said to him, "The man [representing Pharaoh] solemnly and sternly warned us, saying, 'You will not see my face [again] unless your brother is with you.'

⁴If you will send our brother with us, we will go down [to Egypt] and buy you food.

⁵But if you will not send him, we will not go down there; for the man said to us, 'You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'"

⁶And Israel (Jacob) said, "Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man that you had another brother?"

⁷And they said, "The man asked us straightforward questions about ourselves and our relatives. He said, 'Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?' And we answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down [here to Egypt]'?"

⁸Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the young man with me and we will get up and go [buy food], so that we may live and not die [of starvation], we as well as you and our little ones.

⁹I will be security (a guarantee) for him; you may hold me [personally] responsible for him. If I do not bring him [back] to you and place him [safely] before you, then let me bear the blame before you forever.

¹⁰For if we had not delayed like this, surely by now we would have returned the second time."

¹¹Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this; take some of the choicest products of the land in your sacks, and carry it as a present [of tribute] to the man [representing Pharaoh], a little balm and a little honey, aromatic spices or gum, resin, pistachio nuts, and almonds.

¹²Take double the [amount of] money with you, and take back the money that was returned in the opening of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight.

¹³Take your brother [Benjamin] also, and get up, and go to the man;

¹⁴and may God Almighty grant you compassion and favor before the man, so that he will release to you your other brother [Simeon] and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children [Joseph, Simeon, and Benjamin], I am bereaved."

¹⁵Then the men took the present, and they took double the [amount of] money with them, and Benjamin; then they left and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

¹⁶When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Bring the men into the house, and kill an animal and make [a meal] ready; for the men will dine with me at noon."

¹⁷So the man did as Joseph said, and brought the men to Joseph's house.

¹⁸The men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph's house; and [expecting the worst] they said, "It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time [we came] that we are being brought in, so that he may find a reason to accuse us and assail us, and take us as slaves, and seize our donkeys."

¹⁹So they approached the steward of Joseph's house, and talked with him at the entrance of the house,

²⁰and said, "Oh, my lord, we indeed came down here the first time to buy food;

²¹and when we arrived at the inn [after leaving here], we opened our sacks and there was each man's money [with which he had paid for grain], in full, returned in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back [this time].

²²We have also brought down with us additional money to buy food; we do not know who put our money [back] in our sacks [last time]."

²³But the steward [encouraged them and] said, "Peace be to you, do not be afraid; your God and the God of your father has [miraculously] given you treasure in your sacks. I [already] had your money [which you paid to us]." Then he brought Simeon out to them.

²⁴Then the steward brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed [the dust off] their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed.

²⁵So they prepared the present [of tribute] for Joseph before his arrival at noon; for they had heard that they were to eat a meal there.

²⁶When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present [of tribute] which they had with them and bowed to the ground before him.

²⁷He asked them about their well-being, and said, "Is your old father well, of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?"

²⁸And they answered, "Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive." And they bowed down [their heads before Joseph] in respect.

²⁹And he looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's [only other] son, and said, "Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?" And Joseph said, "God be gracious to you and show you favor, my son."

³⁰Then Joseph hurried out [of the room] because his heart was deeply touched over his brother, and he sought privacy to weep; so he entered his chamber and wept there.

³¹Then he washed his face and came out, and, restraining himself, said, "Let the meal be served."

³²So the servants served Joseph by himself [in honor of his rank], and his brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because [according to custom] the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is loathsome to the Egyptians.

³³Now Joseph's brothers were seated [by the steward] before him [in the order of their birth]—the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked at one another in astonishment [because so much was known about them].

³⁴Joseph selected and sent portions to them from his own table, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they feasted and drank freely and celebrated with him.

¹I wish you would bear with me [while I indulge] in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me [as you read this].

²I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy because I have promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

³But I am afraid that, even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, your minds may be corrupted and led away from the simplicity of [your sincere and] pure devotion to Christ.

⁴For [you seem willing to allow it] if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted. You tolerate all this beautifully [welcoming the deception].

⁵Yet I consider myself in no way inferior to the [so-called] super-apostles.

⁶But even if I am unskilled in speaking, yet I am not [untrained] in knowledge [I know what I am talking about]; but we have made this evident to you in every way, in all things.

⁷Or did I [perhaps] sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted and honored, because I preached God's gospel to you free of charge?

⁸I robbed other churches by accepting [more than their share of] financial support for my ministry to you.

⁹And when I was with you and ran short [financially], I did not burden any of you; for what I needed was fully supplied by the brothers (Silas and Timothy) who came from Macedonia (the church at Philippi). So I kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.

¹⁰As the truth of Christ is in me, my boast [of independence] will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia (southern Greece).

¹¹Why? Because I do not love you [or wish you well, or have regard for your welfare]? God knows [that I do]!

¹²But what I am doing I will keep doing, [for I am determined to keep this independence] in order to cut off the claim of those who want an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things they brag about.

¹³For such men are counterfeit apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.

¹⁴And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

¹⁵So it is no great surprise if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, but their end will correspond with their deeds.

¹⁶I repeat then, let no one think that I am foolish; but even if you do, at least accept me as foolish, so that I too may boast a little.

¹⁷What I say in this confident boasting, I say not as the Lord would [with His authority], but foolishly.

¹⁸Since many boast [of worldly things and brag] about human accomplishments, I will boast too.

¹⁹For you, being so wise, gladly tolerate and accept the foolish [like me]!

²⁰For you tolerate it if anyone makes you his slave; or devours you and your possessions; or takes advantage of you; or acts presumptuously; or hits you in the face.

²¹To my shame, I must say, we have been too weak [in comparison to those pseudo-apostles who take advantage of you]. But in whatever anyone else dares to boast—I am speaking foolishly—I also dare to boast.

²²Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.

²³Are they [self-proclaimed] servants of Christ?—I am speaking as if I were out of my mind—I am more so [for I exceed them]; with far more labors, with far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, and often in danger of death.

²⁴Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.

²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent adrift on the sea;

²⁶many times on journeys, [exposed to] danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own countrymen, danger from the Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger on the sea, danger among those posing as believers;

²⁷in labor and hardship, often unable to sleep, in hunger and thirst, often [driven to] fasting [for lack of food], in cold and exposure [without adequate clothing].

²⁸Besides those external things, there is the daily [inescapable] pressure of my concern for all the churches.

²⁹Who is weak, and I do not feel [his] weakness? Who is made to sin, and I am not on fire [with sorrow and concern]?

³⁰If I must boast, I will boast of the things that reveal my weakness [the things by which I am made weak in the eyes of my opponents].

³¹The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed and to be praised forevermore, knows that I am not lying.

³²In Damascus the governor (ethnarch) under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order to arrest me,

³³and I was [actually] let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and slipped through his fingers.

¹Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, [writes this letter], To those who are the called (God's chosen ones, the elect), dearly loved by God the Father, and kept [secure and set apart] for Jesus Christ:

²May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you [filling your heart with the spiritual well-being and serenity experienced by those who walk closely with God].

³Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I was compelled to write to you [urgently] appealing that you fight strenuously for [the defense of] the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints [the faith that is the sum of Christian belief that was given verbally to believers].

⁴For certain people have crept in unnoticed [just as if they were sneaking in by a side door]. They are ungodly persons whose condemnation was predicted long ago, for they distort the grace of our God into decadence and immoral freedom [viewing it as an opportunity to do whatever they want], and deny and disown our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

⁵Now I want to remind you, although you are fully informed once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe [who refused to trust and obey and rely on Him].

⁶And angels who did not keep their own designated place of power, but abandoned their proper dwelling place, [these] He has kept in eternal chains under [the thick gloom of utter] darkness for the judgment of the great day,

⁷just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the adjacent cities, since they in the same way as these angels indulged in gross immoral freedom and unnatural vice and sensual perversity. They are exhibited [in plain sight] as an example in undergoing the punishment of everlasting fire.

⁸Nevertheless in the same way, these dreamers [who are dreaming that God will not punish them] also defile the body, and reject [legitimate] authority, and revile and mock angelic majesties.

⁹But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil (Satan), and arguing about the body of Moses, did not dare bring an abusive condemnation against him, but [simply] said, "The Lord rebuke you!"

¹⁰But these men sneer at anything which they do not understand; and whatever they do know by [mere] instinct, like unreasoning and irrational beasts—by these things they are destroyed.

¹¹Woe to them! For they have gone the [defiant] way of Cain, and for profit they have run headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of [mutinous] Korah.

¹²These men are hidden reefs [elements of great danger to others] in your love feasts when they feast together with you without fear, looking after [only] themselves; [they are like] clouds without water, swept along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted and lifeless;

¹³wild waves of the sea, flinging up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of deep darkness has been reserved forever.

¹⁴It was about these people that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, when he said, "Look, the Lord came with myriads of His holy ones

¹⁵to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly deeds they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh and cruel things ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."

¹⁶These people are [habitual] murmurers, griping and complaining, following after their own desires [controlled by passion]; they speak arrogantly, [pretending admiration and] flattering people to gain an advantage.

¹⁷But as for you, beloved, remember the [prophetic] words spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁸They used to say to you, "In the last days there will be scoffers, following after their own ungodly passions."

¹⁹These are the ones who are [agitators] causing divisions—worldly-minded [secular, unspiritual, carnal, merely sensual—unsaved], devoid of the Spirit.

²⁰But you, beloved, build yourselves up on [the foundation of] your most holy faith [continually progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], pray in the Holy Spirit,

²¹and keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously and looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ [which will bring you] to eternal life.

²²And have mercy on some, who are doubting;

²³save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy but with fear, loathing even the clothing spotted and polluted by their shameless immoral freedom.

²⁴Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling or falling into sin, and to present you unblemished [blameless and faultless] in the presence of His glory with triumphant joy and unspeakable delight,

²⁵to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

¹The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

²"Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher. "Vanity of vanities! All [that is done without God's guidance] is vanity [futile, meaningless—a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes, merely chasing the wind]."

³What advantage does man have from all his work Which he does under the sun (while earthbound)?

⁴One generation goes and another generation comes, But the earth remains forever.

⁵Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; And hurries to the place where it rises again.

⁶The wind blows toward the south, Then circles toward the north; The wind circles and swirls endlessly, And on its circular course the wind returns.

⁷All the rivers flow into the sea, Yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, There they flow again.

⁸All things are wearisome and all words are frail; Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor is the ear filled with hearing.

⁹That which has been is that which will be [again], And that which has been done is that which will be done again. So there is nothing new under the sun.

¹⁰Is there anything of which it can be said, "See this, it is new"? It has already existed for [the vast] ages [of time recorded or unrecorded] Which were before us.

¹¹There is no remembrance of earlier things, Nor also of the later things that are to come; There will be for them no remembrance By generations who will come after them.

¹²I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³And I set my mind to seek and explore by [man's] wisdom all [human activity] that has been done under heaven. It is a miserable business and a burdensome task which God has given the sons of men with which to be busy and distressed.

¹⁴I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a futile grasping and chasing after the wind.

¹⁵What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is defective and lacking cannot be counted.

¹⁶I spoke with my heart, saying, "Behold, I have acquired great [human] wisdom and experience, more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of [moral] wisdom and [scientific] knowledge."

¹⁷And I set my mind to know [practical] wisdom and to discern [the character of] madness and folly [in which men seem to find satisfaction]; I realized that this too is a futile grasping and chasing after the wind.

¹⁸For in much [human] wisdom there is much displeasure and exasperation; increasing knowledge increases sorrow.

¹Judge and vindicate me, O God; plead my case against an ungodly nation. O rescue me from the deceitful and unjust man!

²For You are the God of my strength [my stronghold—in whom I take refuge]; why have You rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

³O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your dwelling places.

⁴Then I will go to the altar of God, To God, my exceeding joy; With the lyre I will praise You, O God, my God!

⁵Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you restless and disturbed within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my [sad] countenance and my God.

¹Whoever loves instruction and discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof and correction is stupid.

²A good man will obtain favor from the LORD, But He will condemn a man who devises evil.

³A man will not be established by wickedness, But the root of the [consistently] righteous will not be moved.

⁴A virtuous and excellent wife [worthy of honor] is the crown of her husband, But she who shames him [with her foolishness] is like rottenness in his bones.

⁵The thoughts and purposes of the [consistently] righteous are just (honest, reliable), But the counsels and schemes of the wicked are deceitful.

⁶The [malevolent] words of the wicked lie in wait for [innocent] blood [to slander], But the mouth of the upright will rescue and protect them.

⁷The wicked are overthrown [by their evil] and are no more, But the house of the [consistently] righteous will stand [securely].

⁸A man will be commended according to his insight and sound judgment, But the one who is of a perverse mind will be despised.

⁹Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant, Than he who [boastfully] honors himself [pretending to be what he is not] and lacks bread.

¹⁰A righteous man has kind regard for the life of his animal, But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.

¹¹He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, But he who follows worthless things lacks common sense and good judgment.

¹²The wicked desire the plunder of evil men, But the root of the righteous yields richer fruit.

¹³An evil man is [dangerously] ensnared by the transgression of his lips, But the righteous will escape from trouble.

¹⁴A man will be satisfied with good from the fruit of his words, And the deeds of a man's hands will return to him [as a harvest].

¹⁵The way of the [arrogant] fool [who rejects God's wisdom] is right in his own eyes, But a wise and prudent man is he who listens to counsel.

¹⁶The [arrogant] fool's anger is quickly known [because he lacks self-control and common sense], But a prudent man ignores an insult.

¹⁷He who speaks truth [when he testifies] tells what is right, But a false witness utters deceit [in court].

¹⁸There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing.

¹⁹Truthful lips will be established forever, But a lying tongue is [credited] only for a moment.

²⁰Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy.

²¹No harm befalls the righteous, But the wicked are filled with trouble.

²²Lying lips are extremely disgusting to the LORD, But those who deal faithfully are His delight.

²³A shrewd man is reluctant to display his knowledge [until the proper time], But the heart of [over-confident] fools proclaims foolishness.

²⁴The hand of the diligent will rule, But the negligent and lazy will be put to forced labor.

²⁵Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, But a good (encouraging) word makes it glad.

²⁶The righteous man is a guide to his neighbor, But the way of the wicked leads them astray.

²⁷The lazy man does not catch and roast his prey, But the precious possession of a [wise] man is diligence [because he recognizes opportunities and seizes them].

²⁸In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no death [but immortality—eternal life].

¹Now it happened in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that a certain Levite living [as an alien] in the most remote part of the hill country of Ephraim, who took a concubine for himself from Bethlehem in Judah.

²But his concubine was unfaithful to him, and left him and went to her father's house in Bethlehem of Judah, and stayed there for a period of four months.

³Then her husband arose and went after her to speak kindly and tenderly to her in order to bring her back, taking with him his servant and a pair of donkeys. So she brought him into her father's house, and when the father of the girl saw him, he was happy to meet him.

⁴So his father-in-law, the girl's father, detained him; and he stayed there with him for three days. So they ate and drank, and he lodged there.

⁵On the fourth day they got up early in the morning, and the Levite prepared to leave; but the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Strengthen yourself with a piece of bread, and afterward go your way."

⁶So both men sat down and ate and drank together; and the girl's father said to the man, "Please be willing to spend the night and enjoy yourself."

⁷Then the man got up to leave, but his father-in-law urged him [strongly to remain]; so he spent the night there again.

⁸On the fifth day he got up early in the morning to leave, but the girl's father said, "Please strengthen yourself, and wait until the end of the day." So both of them ate.

⁹When the man and his concubine and his servant got up to leave, his father-in-law, the girl's father, said to him, "Behold, now the day has drawn to a close; please spend the night. Look, now the day comes to an end; spend the night here and celebrate, enjoy yourself. Then tomorrow you may get up early for your journey and go home."

¹⁰But the man was not willing to stay the night; so he got up and left and came to a place opposite Jebus (that is Jerusalem). With him were two saddled donkeys [and his servant] and his concubine.

¹¹When they were near Jebus, the day was almost gone, and the servant said to his master, "Please come and let us turn aside into this Jebusite city and spend the night in it."

¹²But his master said to him, "We will not turn aside into a city of foreigners who are not of the sons (descendants) of Israel. We will go on as far as Gibeah."

¹³And he said to his servant, "Come and let us approach one of these places: and we will spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah."

¹⁴So they passed by and went on their way, and the sun set on them near Gibeah, which belongs to [the tribe of] Benjamin,

¹⁵and they turned aside there to go in and spend the night in Gibeah. And the Levite went in and sat down in the open square of the city, because no man invited them into his house to spend the night.

¹⁶Then behold, there was an old man who was coming out of the field from his work at evening. He was from the hill country of Ephraim but was staying in Gibeah, and the men of the place were sons (descendants) of Benjamin.

¹⁷When he looked up, he saw the traveler [and his companions] in the city square; and the old man said, "Where are you going, and where do you come from?"

¹⁸The Levite replied, "We are passing through from Bethlehem [in the territory] of Judah to the most remote part of the hill country of Ephraim; I am from there. I went to Bethlehem of Judah, but I am now going [home] to my house, and there is no man [in the city] who will take me into his house [for the night].

¹⁹Yet we have both straw and feed for our donkeys, and also bread and wine for me, and for your handmaid, and for the young man who is with your servant; there is no lack of anything."

²⁰Then the old man said, "Peace be to you. Only leave all your needs to me; and do not spend the night in the open square."

²¹So he brought him into his house and fed the donkeys; and they washed their feet and ate and drank.

²²While they were celebrating, behold, men of the city, certain worthless and evil men, surrounded the house, pounding on the door; and they spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring out the man who came to your house so that we may have relations with him."

²³Then the man, the master of the house, went out and said to them, "No, my fellow citizens, please do not act so wickedly. Since this man has come to my house [as my guest], do not commit this sacrilege.

²⁴Here is my virgin daughter and this man's concubine. I will bring them out now; abuse and humiliate them and do to them whatever you want, but do not commit this act of sacrilege against this man."

²⁵But the men would not listen to him. So the man took the Levite's concubine and brought her outside to them; and they had relations with her and abused her all night until morning; and when daybreak came, they let her go.

²⁶At daybreak the woman came and collapsed at the door of the man's house where her master was, until it was [fully] light.

²⁷When her master got up in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, he saw his concubine lying at the door of the house, and her hands were on the threshold.

²⁸He said to her, "Get up, and let us go." But there was no answer [for she had died]. Then he put her [body] on the donkey; and the man left and went home.

²⁹When he arrived at his house, he took a knife, and taking hold of his [dead] concubine, he cut her [corpse] limb by limb into twelve pieces, and sent her [body parts] throughout all the territory of Israel.

³⁰All who saw the dismembered parts said, "Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen from the day that the sons of Israel came up from the land of Egypt to this day. Consider it, take counsel, and speak [your minds]!"

¹But now, this is what the LORD, your Creator says, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [from captivity]; I have called you by name; you are Mine!

²"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.

³"For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt [to the Babylonians] as your ransom, Cush (ancient Ethiopia) and Seba [its province] in exchange for you.

⁴"Because you are precious in My sight, You are honored and I love you, I will give other men in return for you and other peoples in exchange for your life.

⁵"Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east [where they are scattered], And gather you from the west.

⁶"I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' And to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring My sons from far way And My daughters from the ends of the earth,

⁷Everyone who is called by My Name, Whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made."

⁸Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, And the deaf, even though they have ears.

⁹All the nations have gathered together So that the peoples may be assembled. Who among them (the idolaters) can predict this [that Judah would return from captivity] And proclaim to us the former events? Let them provide their witnesses so that they may be justified, Or let them hear and say [in acknowledgement], "It is the truth."

¹⁰"You are My witnesses," declares the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me.

¹¹"I, [only] I, am the LORD, And there is no Savior besides Me.

¹²"I have declared [the future] and saved [the nation] and proclaimed [that I am God], And there was no strange (alien) god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses [among the pagans]," declares the LORD, "That I am God.

¹³"Even from eternity I am He, And there is no one who can rescue from My hand; I act, and who can revoke or reverse it?"

¹⁴This is what the LORD your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says, "For your sake I have sent [one] to Babylon, And I will bring down all of them as fugitives, Even the Chaldeans [who reign in Babylon], into the ships over which they rejoiced.

¹⁵"I am the LORD, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King."

¹⁶This is what the LORD says, He who makes a way through the sea And a path through the mighty waters,

¹⁷He who brings out the chariot and the horse, The army and the mighty warrior, (They will lie down together, they will not rise again; They have been extinguished, they have been put out like a lamp's wick):

¹⁸"Do not remember the former things, Or ponder the things of the past.

¹⁹"Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.

²⁰"The beasts of the field will honor Me, Jackals and ostriches, Because I have given waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen.

²¹"The people whom I formed for Myself Will make known My praise.

²²"Yet you have not called on Me [in prayer and worship], O Jacob; But you have grown weary of Me, O Israel.

²³"You have not brought Me your sheep or goats for your burnt offerings, Nor honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, Nor wearied you with [demands for offerings of] incense.

²⁴"You have not bought Me sweet cane with money, Nor have you filled Me with the fat of your sacrifices; But you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your wickedness.

²⁵"I, only I, am He who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.

²⁶" Remind Me [of your merits with a thorough report], let us plead and argue our case together; State your position, that you may be proved right.

²⁷"Your first father [Jacob] sinned, And your spokesmen [the priests and the prophets—your mediators] have transgressed against Me.

²⁸"So I will profane the officials of the sanctuary, And I will consign Jacob to destruction and [I will subject] Israel to defamation and abuse.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

³⁴[However, Silas decided to stay there.]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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