Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Now it happened that while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee), with the people crowding all around Him and listening to the word of God;

²that He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.

³He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little distance from the shore. And He sat down and began teaching the crowds from the boat.

⁴When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon [Peter], "Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch [of fish]."

⁵Simon replied, "Master, we worked hard all night [to the point of exhaustion] and caught nothing [in our nets], but at Your word I will [do as you say and] lower the nets [again]."

⁶When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets were [at the point of] breaking;

⁷so they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats [with fish], so that they began to sink.

⁸But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"

⁹For he and all his companions were completely astounded at the catch of fish which they had taken;

¹⁰and so were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon [Peter]. Jesus said to Simon, "Have no fear; from now on you will be catching men!"

¹¹After they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example].

¹²While Jesus was in one of the cities, there came a man covered with [an advanced case of] leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean and well."

¹³And Jesus reached out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately the leprosy left him.

¹⁴Jesus ordered him to tell no one [that he might happen to meet], "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your purification, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony (witness) to them [that this is a work of Messiah]."

¹⁵But the news about Him was spreading farther, and large crowds kept gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their illnesses.

¹⁶But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray [in seclusion].

¹⁷One day as He was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the Law sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present with Him to heal.

¹⁸Some men came carrying on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed, and they tried to bring him in and lay him down in front of Jesus.

¹⁹But finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof [and removed some tiles to make an opening] and lowered him through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.

²⁰When Jesus saw their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], He said, "Man, your sins are forgiven."

²¹The scribes and the Pharisees began to consider and question [the implications of what He had said], saying, "Who is this man who speaks blasphemies [by claiming the rights and prerogatives of God]? Who can forgive sins [that is, remove guilt, nullify sin's penalty, and assign righteousness] except God alone?"

²²But Jesus, knowing their [hostile] thoughts, answered them, "Why are you questioning [these things] in your hearts?

²³Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'?

²⁴But, in order that you may know that the Son of Man (the Messiah) has authority and power on earth to forgive sins"—He said to the paralyzed man, "I say to you, get up, pick up your stretcher and go home."

²⁵He immediately stood up before them, picked up his stretcher, and went home glorifying and praising God.

²⁶They were all astonished, and they began glorifying God; and they were filled with [reverential] fear and kept saying, "We have seen wonderful and incredible things today!"

²⁷After this Jesus went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi (Matthew) sitting at the tax booth; and He said to him, "Follow Me [as My disciple, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk]."

²⁸And he left everything behind and got up and began to follow Jesus [as His disciple].

²⁹Levi (Matthew) gave a great banquet for Him at his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining at the table with them.

³⁰The Pharisees and their scribes [seeing those with whom He was associating] began murmuring in discontent to His disciples, asking, "Why are you eating and drinking with the tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews]?"

³¹And Jesus replied to them, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but [only] those who are sick.

³²I did not come to call the [self-proclaimed] righteous [who see no need to repent], but sinners to repentance [to change their old way of thinking, to turn from sin and to seek God and His righteousness]."

³³Then they said to Him, "The disciples of John [the Baptist] often practice fasting and offer prayers [of special petition], and so do the disciples of the Pharisees; but Yours eat and drink."

³⁴Jesus said to them, "Can you make the wedding guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them?

³⁵But days [for mourning] will come when the bridegroom is [forcefully] taken away from them. They will fast in those days."

³⁶He also told them a parable: "No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old one; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.

³⁷And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new [fermenting] wine will [expand and] burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined.

³⁸But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.

³⁹And no one, after drinking old wine, wishes for new; for he says, 'The old is fine.'"

¹Then Jacob called for his sons and said, "Assemble yourselves [around me] that I may tell you what will happen to you and your descendants in the days to come.

²"Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob; And listen to Israel (Jacob) your father.

³"Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might, the beginning of my strength and vigor, Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power [that should have been your birthright].

⁴"But unstable and reckless and boiling over like water [in sinful lust], you shall not excel or have the preeminence [of the firstborn], Because you went up to your father's bed [with Bilhah]; You defiled it—he went up to my couch.

⁵"Simeon and Levi are brothers [equally headstrong, deceitful, vindictive, and cruel]; Their swords are weapons of violence and revenge.

⁶"O my soul, do not come into their secret council; Let not my glory (honor) be united with their assembly [for I knew nothing of their plot]; Because in their anger they killed men [an honored man, Shechem, and the Shechemites], And in their self-will they lamed oxen.

⁷"Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; And their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide and disperse them in Jacob, And scatter them in [the midst of the land of] Israel.

⁸"Judah, you are the one whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's sons shall bow down to you.

⁹"Judah, a lion's cub; With the prey, my son, you have gone high up [the mountain]. He stooped down, he crouched like a lion, And like a lion—who dares rouse him?

¹⁰"The scepter [of royalty] shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh [the Messiah, the Peaceful One] comes, And to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

¹¹"Tying his foal to the [strong] vine And his donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washes his clothing in wine [because the grapevine produces abundantly], And his robes in the blood of grapes.

¹²"His eyes are darker and sparkle more than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.

¹³"Zebulun shall dwell at the seashore; And he shall be a haven (landing place) for ships, And his flank shall be toward Sidon.

¹⁴"Issachar is [like] a strong-boned donkey, Crouching down between the sheepfolds.

¹⁵"When he saw that the resting place was good And that the land was pleasant, He bowed his shoulder to bear [burdens], And became a servant at forced labor.

¹⁶"Dan shall judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel.

¹⁷"Dan shall be a [venomous] serpent in the way, A fanged snake in the path, That bites the horse's heels, So that his rider falls backward.

¹⁸"I wait for Your salvation, O LORD.

¹⁹"As for Gad—a raiding troop shall raid him, But he shall raid at their heels and assault them [victoriously].

²⁰"Asher's food [supply] shall be rich and bountiful, And he shall yield and deliver royal delights.

²¹"Naphtali is a doe let loose, [a swift warrior,] Which yields branched antlers (eloquent words).

²²"Joseph is a fruitful bough (a main branch of the vine), A fruitful bough by a spring (a well, a fountain); Its branches run over the wall [influencing others].

²³"The [skilled] archers have bitterly attacked and provoked him; They have shot [at him] and harassed him.

²⁴"But his bow remained firm and steady [in the Strength that does not fail], For his arms were made strong and agile By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, (By the name of the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

²⁵By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who blesses you With blessings of the heavens above, Blessings lying in the deep that couches beneath, Blessings of the [nursing] breasts and of the [fertile] womb.

²⁶"The blessings of your father Are greater than the blessings of my ancestors [Abraham and Isaac] Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; They shall be on the head of Joseph, Even on the crown of the head of him who was the distinguished one and the one who is prince among (separate from) his brothers.

²⁷"Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he devours the prey, And at night he divides the spoil."

²⁸All these are the [beginnings of the] twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each one according to the blessing appropriate to him.

²⁹He charged them and said to them, "I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

³⁰in the cave in the field at Machpelah, east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, that Abraham bought, along with the field from Ephron the Hittite, to possess as a burial site.

³¹There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah—

³²the field and the cave that is in it was purchased from the sons of Heth."

³³When Jacob (Israel) had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people [who had preceded him in death].

¹Now what I mean [when I talk about children and their guardians] is this: as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave even though he is the [future owner and] master of all [the estate];

²but he is under [the authority of] guardians and household administrators or managers until the date set by his father [when he is of legal age].

³So also we [whether Jews or Gentiles], when we were children (spiritually immature), were kept like slaves under the elementary [man-made religious or philosophical] teachings of the world.

⁴But when [in God's plan] the proper time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the [regulations of the] Law,

⁵so that He might redeem and liberate those who were under the Law, that we [who believe] might be adopted as sons [as God's children with all rights as fully grown members of a family].

⁶And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out,"Abba! Father!"

⁷Therefore you are no longer a slave (bond-servant), but a son; and if a son, then also an heir through [the gracious act of] God [through Christ].

⁸But at that time, when you did not know [the true] God and were unacquainted with Him, you [Gentiles] were slaves to those [pagan] things which by [their very] nature were not and could not be gods at all.

⁹Now, however, since you have come to know [the true] God [through personal experience], or rather to be known by God, how is it that you are turning back again to the weak and worthless elemental principles [of religions and philosophies], to which you want to be enslaved all over again?

¹⁰[For example,] you observe [particular] days and months and seasons and years.

¹¹I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored [to the point of exhaustion] over you in vain.

¹²Believers, I beg of you, become as I am [free from the bondage of Jewish ritualism and ordinances], for I have become as you are [a Gentile]. You did me no wrong [when I first came to you; do not do it now].

¹³On the contrary, you know that it was because of a physical illness that I [remained and] preached the gospel to you the first time;

¹⁴and even though my physical condition was a trial to you, you did not regard it with contempt, or scorn and reject me; but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus Himself.

¹⁵What then has become of that sense of blessing and the joy that you once had [from your salvation and your relationship with Christ]? For I testify of you that, if possible, you would have torn out your own eyes and given them to me [ to replace mine].

¹⁶So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?

¹⁷These men [the Judaizers] eagerly seek you [to entrap you with honeyed words and attention, to win you over to their philosophy], not honorably [for their purpose is not honorable or worthy of consideration]. They want to isolate you [from us who oppose them] so that you will seek them.

¹⁸Now it is always pleasant to be eagerly sought after [provided that it is] for a good purpose, and not just when I am with you [seeking you myself—but beware of the others doing it].

¹⁹My little children, for whom I am again in [the pains of] labor until Christ is [completely and permanently] formed within you—

²⁰how I wish that I were with you now and could change my tone, because I am perplexed in regard to you.

²¹Tell me, you who are bent on being under the Law, do you not listen to [what] the Law [really says]?

²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman [Hagar] and one by the free woman [Sarah].

²³But the child of the slave woman was born according to the flesh and had an ordinary birth, while the son of the free woman was born in fulfillment of the promise.

²⁴Now these facts are about to be used [by me] as an allegory [that is, I will illustrate by using them]: for these women can represent two covenants: one [covenant originated] from Mount Sinai [where the Law was given] that bears children [destined] for slavery; she is Hagar.

²⁵Now Hagar is (represents) Mount Sinai in Arabia and she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

²⁶But the Jerusalem above [that is, the way of faith, represented by Sarah] is free; she is our mother.

²⁷For it is written [in the Scriptures], "Rejoice, o barren woman who has not given birth; Break forth into a [joyful] shout, you who are not in labor; For the desolate woman has many more children Than she who has a husband."

²⁸And we, [believing] brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children [not merely of physical descent, like Ishmael, but are children born] of promise [born miraculously].

²⁹But as at that time the child [of ordinary birth] born according to the flesh persecuted the son who was born according to [the promise and working of] the Spirit, so it is now also.

³⁰But what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman [Hagar] and her son [Ishmael], For never shall the son of the bondwoman be heir and share the inheritance with the son of the free woman."

³¹So then, believers, we [who are born again—reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] are not children of a slave woman [the natural], but of the free woman [the supernatural].

¹Then I saw as the Lamb (Christ) broke one of the seven seals [of the scroll initiating the judgments], and I heard one of the four living creatures call out as with a voice of thunder, " Come."

²I looked, and behold, a white horse [of victory] whose rider carried a bow; and a crown [of victory] was given to him, and he rode forth conquering and to conquer.

³When He (the Lamb) broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, "Come."

⁴And another, a fiery red horse [of bloodshed], came out; and its rider was empowered to take peace from the earth, so that men would slaughter one another; and a great sword [of war and violent death] was given to him.

⁵When He (the Lamb) broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse [of famine]; and the rider had in his hand a pair of scales (a balance).

⁶And I heard something like a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius (a day's wages), and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine."

⁷When He (the Lamb) broke open the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out, "Come."

⁸So I looked, and behold, an ashen (pale greenish gray) horse [like a corpse, representing death and pestilence]; and its rider's name was Death; and Hades (the realm of the dead) was following with him. They were given authority and power over a fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword and with famine and with plague (pestilence, disease) and by the wild beasts of the earth.

⁹When He (the Lamb) broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained [out of loyalty to Christ].

¹⁰They cried in a loud voice, saying, "O Lord, holy and true, how long now before You will sit in judgment and avenge our blood on those [unregenerate ones] who dwell on the earth?"

¹¹Then they were each given a white robe; and they were told to rest and wait quietly for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed.

¹²I looked when He (the Lamb) broke open the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth [made] of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;

¹³and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, like a fig tree shedding its late [summer] figs when shaken by a strong wind.

¹⁴The sky was split [separated from the land] and rolled up like a scroll, and every mountain and island were dislodged and moved out of their places.

¹⁵Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the military commanders and the wealthy and the strong and everyone, [whether] slave or free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains;

¹⁶and they called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne, and from the [righteous] wrath and indignation of the Lamb;

¹⁷for the great day of their wrath and vengeance and retribution has come, and who is able to [face God and] stand [before the wrath of the Lamb]?"

¹A good name is better than precious perfume, And the day of one's death better than the day of one's birth.

²It is better to go to the house of mourning Than to go to the house of feasting, For that [day of death] is the end of every man, And the living will take it to heart and solemnly ponder its meaning.

³Sorrow is better than laughter, For when a face is sad (deep in thought) the heart may be happy [because it is growing in wisdom].

⁴The heart of the wise [learns when it] is in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools is [senseless] in the house of pleasure.

⁵It is better to listen to the rebuke of the wise man and pursue wisdom Than for one to listen to the song of fools and pursue stupidity.

⁶For like the crackling of [burning] thorn bushes under a pot, So is the laughter of the fool; And this too is vanity (futility).

⁷For oppression makes a wise man foolish, And a bribe corrupts the [good judgment of the] heart.

⁸The end of a matter is better than its beginning; Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit (pride).

⁹Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, For anger dwells in the heart of fools.

¹⁰Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.

¹¹Wisdom along with an inheritance is good And an [excellent] advantage for those who see the sun.

¹²For wisdom is a protection even as money is a protection, But the [excellent] advantage of knowledge is that wisdom shields and preserves the lives of its possessors.

¹³Consider the work of God: Who can make straight what He has bent?

¹⁴In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider that God has made the one as well as the other, So that man will not find out anything that will be after him.

¹⁵I have seen everything during my [fleeting] days of futility; there is a righteous man who perishes in [spite of] his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives a long life in [spite of] his wickedness.

¹⁶Do not be excessively righteous [like those given to self-conceit], and do not be overly wise (pretentious)—why should you bring yourself to ruin?

¹⁷Do not be excessively or willfully wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?

¹⁸It is good that you take hold of one thing (righteousness) and also not let go of the other (wisdom); for the one who fears and worships God [with awe-filled reverence] will come forth with both of them.

¹⁹Wisdom strengthens the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

²⁰Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who always does good and who never sins.

²¹Also, do not take seriously everything that is said, so that you will not hear your servant cursing you,

²²for you also know that you too have cursed others many times.

²³I have tested all this with wisdom. I said, "I will be wise [independently of God]," but true wisdom was far from me.

²⁴Whatever has been is far off, deeply remote and exceedingly mysterious. Who can discover it [for it is beyond the grasp of man]?

²⁵I turned around and directed my heart to know, to investigate and to seek [skillful and godly] wisdom and the reason for things, and to know that wickedness is folly and that foolishness is madness [leading to stupidity and recklessness].

²⁶And I discovered that [of all irrational sins none has been so destructive in beguiling one away from God as immoral women for] more bitter than death is the woman whose heart is [composed of] snares and nets, and whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God will escape from her, but the sinner will be taken captive by her [evil].

²⁷"Behold, I have discovered this," says the Preacher, "while adding one thing to another to find an explanation,

²⁸which I am still seeking but have not found. I have found one man among a thousand [who pleases God], but I have not found [such] a woman among all these [a thousand in my harem].

²⁹Behold, I have found only this [as a reason]: God made man upright and uncorrupted, but they [both men and women] have sought out many devices [for evil]."

¹To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Hear this, all peoples; Listen carefully, all inhabitants of the world,

²Both low and high, Rich and poor together:

³My mouth will speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart will be understanding.

⁴I will incline my ear and consent to a proverb; On the lyre I will unfold my riddle.

⁵Why should I fear in the days of evil, When the wickedness of those who would betray me surrounds me [on every side],

⁶Even those who trust in and rely on their wealth And boast of the abundance of their riches?

⁷None of them can by any means redeem [either himself or] his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him—

⁸For the ransom of his soul is too costly, And he should cease trying forever—

⁹So that he should live on eternally, That he should never see the pit (grave) and undergo decay.

¹⁰For he sees that even wise men die; The fool and the stupid alike perish And leave their wealth to others.

¹¹Their inward thought is that their houses will continue forever, And their dwelling places to all generations; They have named their lands after their own names [ignoring God].

¹²But man, with all his [self] honor and pomp, will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.

¹³This is the fate of those who are foolishly confident, And of those after them who approve [and are influenced by] their words. Selah.

¹⁴Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead); Death will be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning, And their form and beauty shall be for Sheol to consume, So that they have no dwelling [on earth].

¹⁵But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah.

¹⁶Be not afraid when [an ungodly] man becomes rich, When the wealth and glory of his house are increased;

¹⁷For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him.

¹⁸Though while he lives he counts himself happy and prosperous— And though people praise you when you do well for yourself—

¹⁹He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never again see the light.

²⁰A man [who is held] in honor, Yet who lacks [spiritual] understanding and a teachable heart, is like the beasts that perish.

¹He who [willfully] separates himself [from God and man] seeks his own desire, He quarrels against all sound wisdom.

²A [closed-minded] fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his personal opinions [unwittingly displaying his self-indulgence and his stupidity].

³When the wicked man comes [to the depth of evil], contempt [of all that is pure and good] also comes, And with inner baseness (dishonor) comes outer shame (scorn).

⁴The words of a man's mouth are like deep waters [copious and difficult to fathom]; The fountain of [mature, godly] wisdom is like a bubbling stream [sparkling, fresh, pure, and life-giving].

⁵To show respect to the wicked person is not good, Nor to push aside and deprive the righteous of justice.

⁶A fool's lips bring contention and strife, And his mouth invites a beating.

⁷A fool's mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul.

⁸The words of a whisperer (gossip) are like dainty morsels [to be greedily eaten]; They go down into the innermost chambers of the body [to be remembered and mused upon].

⁹He who is careless in his work Is a brother to him who destroys.

¹⁰The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs to it and is safe and set on high [far above evil].

¹¹The rich man's wealth is his strong city, And like a high wall [of protection] in his own imagination and conceit.

¹²Before disaster the heart of a man is haughty and filled with self-importance, But humility comes before honor.

¹³He who answers before he hears [the facts]— It is folly and shame to him.

¹⁴The spirit of a man sustains him in sickness, But as for a broken spirit, who can bear it?

¹⁵The mind of the prudent [always] acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise [always] seeks knowledge.

¹⁶A man's gift [given in love or courtesy] makes room for him And brings him before great men.

¹⁷The first one to plead his case seems right, Until another comes and cross-examines him.

¹⁸To cast lots puts an end to quarrels And decides between powerful contenders.

¹⁹A brother offended is harder to win over than a fortified city, And contentions [separating families] are like the bars of a castle.

²⁰A man's stomach will be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; He will be satisfied with the consequence of his words.

²¹Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.

²²He who finds a [ true and faithful] wife finds a good thing And obtains favor and approval from the LORD.

²³The poor man pleads, But the rich man answers roughly.

²⁴The man of too many friends [chosen indiscriminately] will be broken in pieces and come to ruin, But there is a [true, loving] friend who [is reliable and] sticks closer than a brother.

¹Then Boaz went up to the city gate [where business and legal matters were settled] and sat down, and then the close relative (redeemer) of whom Boaz had spoken came by. He said to him, "Come over here, friend, and sit down." So he came and sat down.

²Then Boaz took ten men from the elders of the city and said, "Sit down here." And they sat down.

³He said to the closest relative (redeemer), "Naomi, who has returned from the country of Moab, must sell the plot of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech.

⁴So I thought to let you hear of it, saying, 'Buy it in the presence of those sitting here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if not, then tell me, so that I may know; for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I am [next of kin] after you.'" And he said, "I will redeem it."

⁵Then Boaz said, "The day that you buy the field from Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, to restore the name of the deceased to his inheritance."

⁶The closest relative (redeemer) said, "I cannot redeem it for myself, because [by marrying a Moabitess] I would jeopardize my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption (purchase) yourself, because I cannot redeem it."

⁷Now formerly in Israel this was the custom concerning redeeming and exchanging property. To confirm a transaction, a man pulled off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the way of confirming and attesting in Israel.

⁸So, when the closest relative (redeemer) said to Boaz, "Buy it for yourself," he pulled off his sandal [and gave it to Boaz to confirm the agreement].

⁹Then Boaz said to the elders and to all the people, "You are witnesses this day that I have bought everything that was Elimelech's and everything that was Chilion's and Mahlon's from the hand of Naomi.

¹⁰I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife to restore the name of the deceased to his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased will not be cut off from his brothers or from the gate of his birthplace. You are witnesses today."

¹¹All the people at the gate and the elders said, "We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the household of Israel. May you achieve wealth and power in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem.

¹²Further, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the LORD will give you by this young woman."

¹³So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.

¹⁴Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer (grandson, as heir) today, and may his name become famous in Israel.

¹⁵May he also be to you one who restores life and sustains your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him."

¹⁶Then Naomi took the child and placed him in her lap, and she became his nurse.

¹⁷The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, "A son (grandson) has been born to Naomi." They named him Obed (worshiper). He is the father of Jesse, the father of David [the ancestor of Jesus Christ].

¹⁸Now these are the descendants of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron,

¹⁹Hezron was the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab,

²⁰Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon,

²¹Salmon the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed,

²²Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David [the king of Israel and the ancestor of Jesus Christ].

¹Listen to Me, O islands and coastlands, And pay attention, you peoples from far away. The LORD has called Me from the womb; From the body of My mother He has named Me.

²He has made My mouth like a sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand He has kept Me hidden; And He has made Me a sharpened arrow, In His quiver He has hidden Me.

³And [the LORD] said to Me, "You are My Servant, Israel, In Whom I will show My glory."

⁴Then I said, "I have labored in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity (pride, uselessness); However My justice is with the LORD, And My reward is with My God."

⁵And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him and that Israel might be gathered to Him, —For I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, And My God is My strength—

⁶He says, "It is too trivial a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will also make You a light to the nations That My salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

⁷This is what the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, Israel's Holy One says, To the thoroughly despised One, To the One hated by the nation To the Servant of rulers, " Kings will see and arise, Princes shall also bow down, Because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You."

⁸This is what the LORD says, "In a favorable time I have answered You, And in a day of salvation I have helped You; And I will keep watch over You and give You for a covenant of the people, To restore the land [from its present state of ruin] and to apportion and give as inheritances the deserted hereditary lands,

⁹Saying to those who are bound and captured, 'Go forth,' And to those who are in [spiritual] darkness, 'Show yourselves [come into the light of the Savior].' They will feed along the roads [on which they travel], And their pastures will be on all the bare heights.

¹⁰"They will not hunger or thirst, Nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down; For He who has compassion on them will lead them, And He will guide them to springs of water.

¹¹"And I will make all My mountains a roadway, And My highways will be raised.

¹²"In fact, these will come from far away; And, lo, these shall come from the north and from the west, And these from the land of Aswan (southern Egypt)."

¹³Shout for joy, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth, And break forth into singing, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people And will have compassion on His afflicted.

¹⁴But Zion (Jerusalem in captivity) said, "The LORD has abandoned me, And my Lord has forgotten me."

¹⁵[The LORD answered] "Can a woman forget her nursing child And have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.

¹⁶"Indeed, I have inscribed [a picture of] you on the palms of My hands; Your city walls [Zion] are continually before Me.

¹⁷"Your builders hurry; Your destroyers and devastators Will go away from you.

¹⁸"Lift up your eyes and look around [at the returning exiles]; All these gather together and they come to you [to rebuild you]. As I live," declares the LORD, "You [Zion] will indeed clothe yourself with all of them as jewels and tie them on as a bride.

¹⁹"For your ruins and desolate places and your land [once the scene] of destruction— Certainly now [in the coming years] will be too cramped for the inhabitants, And those who once engulfed you will be far away.

²⁰"The children of your bereavement [those born in captivity] will yet say in your ears, 'The place is too cramped for me'; Make room for me that I may live here.

²¹"Then [Zion], you will say in your heart, 'Who has borne me these children, Since I have been bereaved of my children And am barren, an exile and a wanderer? And who has reared these? Indeed, I was left alone; From where then did these children come?'"

²²This is what the Lord GOD says, "Listen carefully, I will lift up My hand to the [Gentile] nations And set up My banner to the peoples; And they will bring your sons in the fold of their garments, And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.

²³"Kings will be your attendants, And their princesses your nurses. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth And lick the dust of your feet; And you shall know [with an understanding based on personal experience] that I am the LORD; For they shall not be put to shame who wait and hope expectantly for Me.

²⁴"Can the spoils of war be taken from the mighty man, Or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?"

²⁵Indeed, this is what the LORD says, "Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away, And the tyrant's spoils of war will be rescued; For I will contend with your opponent, And I will save your children.

²⁶"I will make those who oppress you consume their own flesh [in mutually destructive wars] And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine; And all mankind will know [with a knowledge grounded in personal experience] that I, the LORD, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."

¹When we had torn ourselves away from them and set sail, we ran a straight course and came to Cos, and on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara;

²and after finding a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went on board and set sail.

³After we came in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on our left (port side), we sailed on to Syria and put in at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload her cargo.

⁴After looking up the disciples [in Tyre], we stayed there [with them] seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the [Holy] Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem.

⁵When our days there came to an end, we left and proceeded on our journey, while all of the disciples, with their wives and children, escorted us on our way until we were outside the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we told one another goodbye.

⁶Then we boarded the ship, and they returned to their homes.

⁷When we had completed the voyage from Tyre, we landed [twenty miles to the south] at Ptolemais, and after greeting the believers, we stayed with them for one day.

⁸On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and we went to the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven [deacons], and stayed with him.

⁹He had four virgin daughters who had the gift of prophecy.

¹⁰As we were staying there for some time, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

¹¹And coming to [see] us, he took Paul's [wide] band (belt, sash) and bound his own feet and hands, and said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says: 'In this same way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this band, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles (pagans).'"

¹²Now when we had heard this, both we and the local residents began pleading with Paul trying to persuade him not to go up to Jerusalem.

¹³Then Paul replied, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart [like this]? For I am ready not only to be bound and imprisoned, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

¹⁴And since he would not be dissuaded, we stopped pleading and fell silent, saying, "The Lord's will be done!"

¹⁵After this we got ready and started on our way up to Jerusalem.

¹⁶Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us to [the house of] Mnason, a man from Cyprus, a disciple of long standing with whom we were to lodge.

¹⁷When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters welcomed us gladly.

¹⁸On the next day Paul went with us to [see] James, and all the elders of the church were present.

¹⁹After greeting them, Paul began to give a detailed account of the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

²⁰And when they heard it, they began glorifying and praising God; and they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and they are all enthusiastic supporters of the Law [of Moses].

²¹Now they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are living among the Gentiles to turn away from [the Law of] Moses, advising them not to circumcise their children or to live according to the [Mosaic] customs.

²²What then should be done? They will certainly hear that you have arrived.

²³Therefore do just what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow;

²⁴take these men and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses [for the temple offerings] so that they may shave their heads. Then everyone will know that there is nothing to the things they have been told about you, but that you yourself also follow and keep the Law.

²⁵But with regard to the Gentiles who have believed [in Christ], we have sent them a letter with our decision that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from [consuming] blood and from [the meat of] what has been strangled and from sexual immorality."

²⁶Then Paul took the [four] men, and the next day he purified himself along with them [by submitting to the ritual]. He went into the temple to give notice of [the time] when the days of purification [ending each vow] would be fulfilled and the usual offering could be presented on behalf of each one.

²⁷When the seven days [required to complete the ritual] were almost over, [some] Jews from [the province of] Asia [Minor], caught sight of him in the temple, and began to stir up the crowd, and they seized him,

²⁸shouting, "Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place."

²⁹For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul, and they assumed that he had brought the man into the temple [beyond the court of the Gentiles].

³⁰Then the whole city was provoked and confused, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the gates were closed.

³¹Now while they were trying to kill him, word came to the commander of the [Roman] garrison that all Jerusalem was in a state of upheaval.

³²So he immediately took soldiers and centurions and ran down among them. When the people saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

³³Then the commander came up and arrested Paul, and ordered that he be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.

³⁴But some in the crowd were shouting one thing and others something else; and since he could not determine the facts because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken to the barracks [in the tower of Antonia].

³⁵When Paul got to the steps, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob;

³⁶for the majority of the people kept following them, shouting, "Away with him! [Kill him!]"

³⁷Just as Paul was about to be taken into the barracks, he asked the commander, "May I say something to you?" And the man replied, "Do you know Greek?

³⁸Then you are not [as I assumed] the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led those 4,000 men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?"

³⁹Paul said, "I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia (Mersin Province, Turkey), a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people."

⁴⁰When the commander had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, gestured with his hand to the people; and when there was a great hush, he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect (Jewish Aramaic), saying,