Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Soon afterward, Jesus began going around from one city and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve [disciples] were with Him,

²and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, called Magdalene [from the city of Magdala in Galilee], from whom seven demons had come out,

³and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means [as was the custom for a rabbi's disciples].

⁴When a large crowd was gathering together, and people from city after city were coming to Him, He spoke [to them] using a parable:

⁵"The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road and it was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the sky ate it up.

⁶And some seed fell on [shallow soil covering] the rocks, and as soon as it sprouted, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

⁷Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out.

⁸And some fell into good soil, and grew up and produced a crop a hundred times as great." As He said these things, He called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words."

⁹Now His disciples began asking Him what this parable meant.

¹⁰And He said, "To you [who have been chosen] it has been granted to know and recognize the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that though seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

¹¹"Now [the meaning of] the parable is this: The seed is the word of God [concerning eternal salvation].

¹²Those beside the road are the people who have heard; then the devil comes and takes the message [of God] away from their hearts, so that they will not believe [in Me as the Messiah] and be saved.

¹³Those on the rocky soil are the people who, when they hear, receive and welcome the word with joy; but these have no firmly grounded root. They believe for a while, and in time of trial and temptation they fall away [from Me and abandon their faith].

¹⁴The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, but as they go on their way they are suffocated with the anxieties and riches and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity.

¹⁵But as for that seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and noble heart, and hold on to it tightly, and bear fruit with patience.

¹⁶"Now no one lights a lamp and then covers it with a container [to hide it], or puts it under a bed; instead, he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.

¹⁷For there is nothing hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come out into the open.

¹⁸So be careful how you listen; for whoever has [a teachable heart], to him more [understanding] will be given; and whoever does not have [a longing for truth], even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him."

¹⁹Then Jesus' mother and His brothers came up toward Him, but they could not reach Him because of the crowd.

²⁰And He was told, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, asking to see You."

²¹But He answered, "My mother and My brothers are these who listen to the word of God and do it!"

²²Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake (Sea of Galilee)." So they set out.

²³But as they were sailing, He fell asleep. And a fierce gale of wind swept down [as if through a wind tunnel] on the lake, and they began to be swamped, and were in great danger.

²⁴They came to Jesus and woke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are about to die!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging, violent waves, and they ceased, and it became calm [a perfect peacefulness].

²⁵And He said to them, "Where is your faith [your confidence in Me]?" They were afraid and astonished, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the sea, and they obey Him?"

²⁶Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is east of Galilee.

²⁷Now when Jesus stepped out on land, He was met by a man from the city [of Gerasa] who was possessed with demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and was not living in a house, but among the tombs.

²⁸Seeing Jesus, he cried out [with a terrible voice from the depths of his throat] and fell down before Him [in dread and terror], and shouted loudly, " What business do we have [in common] with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me [before the appointed time of judgment]!"

²⁹Now He was [already] commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him [violently] many times; and he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.

³⁰Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, "Legion"; because many demons had entered him.

³¹They continually begged Him not to command them to go into the abyss.

³²Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the mountain. The demons begged Jesus to allow them to enter the pigs, and He gave them permission.

³³Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

³⁴When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and told it in the city and out in the country.

³⁵And people came out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind (mentally healthy); and they were frightened.

³⁶Those who had seen it told them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been healed.

³⁷Then all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, because they were overwhelmed with fear. So Jesus got into the boat and returned [to the west side of the Sea of Galilee].

³⁸But the man from whom the demons had gone out kept begging Him, pleading to go with Him; but Jesus sent him away, saying,

³⁹"Return home and tell [about] all the great things God has done for you." So the man went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

⁴⁰Now as Jesus was returning [to Galilee], the people welcomed Him, for they had all been expecting Him.

⁴¹Now a man named Jairus, a synagogue official, came [to Him]; and he fell at Jesus' feet and began begging Him to come to his house;

⁴²for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as Jesus went, the people were crowding against Him [almost crushing Him].

⁴³And a woman who had [suffered from] a hemorrhage for twelve years[and had spent all her money on physicians], and could not be healed by anyone,

⁴⁴came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His outer robe, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

⁴⁵Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" While they all were denying it, Peter[and those who were with him] said, "Master, the people are crowding and pushing against You!"

⁴⁶But Jesus said, "Someone did touch Me, because I was aware that power [to heal] had gone out of Me."

⁴⁷When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came up trembling and fell down before Him. She declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed.

⁴⁸He said to her, "Daughter, your faith [your personal trust and confidence in Me] has made you well. Go in peace (untroubled, undisturbed well-being)."

⁴⁹While He was still speaking, someone from the synagogue official's house came and said [to Jairus], "Your daughter is dead; do not inconvenience the Teacher any further."

⁵⁰But Jesus, hearing this, answered him, "Do not be afraid any longer; only believe and trust [in Me and have faith in My ability to do this], and she will be made well."

⁵¹When He came to the house, He allowed no one to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl's father and mother.

⁵²Now they were all weeping loudly and mourning for her; but He said, "Do not weep, for she is not dead, but is sleeping."

⁵³Then they began laughing scornfully at Him and ridiculing Him, knowing [without any doubt] that she was dead.

⁵⁴But Jesus took hold of her hand and spoke, saying, "Child, arise!"

⁵⁵And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He ordered that she be given something to eat.

⁵⁶Her parents were greatly astonished [by the miracle]; but He instructed them to tell no one what had happened.

¹Now a man of the house of Levi [the priestly tribe] went and took as his wife a daughter of Levi.

²The woman conceived and gave birth to a son; and when she saw that he was [especially] beautiful and healthy, she hid him for three months [to protect him from the Egyptians].

³When she could no longer hide him, she got him a basket (chest) made of papyrus reeds and covered it with tar and pitch [making it waterproof]. Then she put the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile.

⁴And his sister [Miriam] stood some distance away to find out what would happen to him.

⁵Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, and [she, together with] her maidens walked along the river's bank; she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid [to get it], and she brought it to her.

⁶When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. And she took pity on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."

⁷Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call a wet-nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?"

⁸And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go ahead." So the girl went and called the child's mother.

⁹Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him.

¹⁰And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, "Because I drew him out of the water."

¹¹One day, after Moses had grown [into adulthood], it happened that he went to his countrymen and looked [with compassion] at their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his countrymen.

¹²He turned to look around, and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

¹³He went out the next day and saw two Hebrew men fighting with each other; and he said to the aggressor, "Why are you striking your friend?"

¹⁴But the man said, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and said, "Certainly this incident is known."

¹⁵When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he tried to kill Moses. Then Moses fled from Pharaoh's presence and took refuge in the land of Midian, where he sat down by a well.

¹⁶Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew water [from the well where Moses was resting] and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

¹⁷Then shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock.

¹⁸When they came to Reuel (Jethro) their father, he said, "How is it that you have come back so soon today?"

¹⁹They said, "An Egyptian saved us from the shepherds. He even drew water [from the well] for us and watered the flock."

²⁰Then he said to his daughters, "Where is he? Why have you left the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat."

²¹Moses was willing to remain with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah [to be his wife].

²²She gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom (stranger); for he said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land."

²³Now it happened after a long time [about forty years] that the king of Egypt died. And the children of Israel (Jacob) groaned and sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out. And their cry for help because of their bondage ascended to God.

²⁴So God heard their groaning and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel).

²⁵God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice [of them] and was concerned about them [knowing all, understanding all, remembering all].

¹Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), by the will of God [that is, by His purpose and choice], To the saints (God's people) who are at Ephesus and are faithful and loyal and steadfast in Christ Jesus:

²Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ,

⁴just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love

⁵He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will—

⁶to the praise of His glorious grace and favor, which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved [His Son, Jesus Christ].

⁷In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace

⁸which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding [with practical insight]

⁹He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ,

¹⁰with regard to the fulfillment of the times [that is, the end of history, the climax of the ages]—to bring all things together in Christ, [both] things in the heavens and things on the earth.

¹¹In Him also we have received an inheritance [a destiny—we were claimed by God as His own], having been predestined (chosen, appointed beforehand) according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will,

¹²so that we who were the first to hope in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him as our Lord and Savior] would exist to the praise of His glory.

¹³In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God].

¹⁴The Spirit is the guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God's own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory.

¹⁵For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people,

¹⁶I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers;

¹⁷[I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son].

¹⁸And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God's people),

¹⁹and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength

²⁰which He produced in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places,

²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and world but also in the one to come.

²²And He put all things [in every realm] in subjection under Christ's feet, and appointed Him as [supreme and authoritative] head over all things in the church,

²³which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills and completes all things in all [believers].

¹Then the fifth angel sounded [his trumpet], and I saw a star (angelic being) that had fallen from heaven to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit (abyss) was given to him (the star-angel).

²He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke like the smoke of a great furnace flowed out of the pit; and the sun and the atmosphere were darkened by the smoke from the pit.

³Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power [to hurt] was given to them, like the power which the earth's scorpions have.

⁴They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but [to hurt] only the people who do not have the seal (mark of ownership, protection) of God on their foreheads.

⁵They were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment and cause them extreme pain for five months; and their torment was like the torment from a scorpion when it stings a man.

⁶And in those days people will seek death and will not find it; and they will long to die [to escape the pain], but [will discover that] death evades them.

⁷The locusts resembled horses prepared and equipped for battle; and on their heads appeared to be [something like] golden crowns, and their faces resembled human faces.

⁸They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions.

⁹They had breastplates (scales) like breastplates made of iron; and the [whirring] noise of their wings was like the [thunderous] noise of countless horse-drawn chariots charging [at full speed] into battle.

¹⁰They have tails like scorpions, and stingers; and in their tails is their power to hurt people for five months.

¹¹They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss (the bottomless pit); in Hebrew his name is Abaddon (destruction), and in Greek he is called Apollyon (destroyer-king).

¹²The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.

¹³Then the sixth angel sounded [his trumpet], and I heard a solitary voice from the four horns of the golden altar which stands before God,

¹⁴saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."

¹⁵So the four angels, who had been prepared for the [appointed] hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.

¹⁶The number of the troops of cavalry was twice ten thousand times ten thousand (two hundred million); I heard the number of them.

¹⁷And this is how I saw the horses and their riders in my vision: the riders had breastplates [the color] of fire and of hyacinth (sapphire blue) and of brimstone (yellow); and the heads of the horses looked like the heads of lions; and from out of their mouths came fire and smoke and brimstone (burning sulfur).

¹⁸A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone that came from the mouths of the horses.

¹⁹For the power of the horses [to do harm] is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and it is with them that they do harm.

²⁰The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent even then of the works of their hands, so as to cease worshiping and paying homage to the demons and the idols of gold and of silver and of bronze and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;

²¹and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries (drugs, intoxications) nor of their [sexual] immorality nor of their thefts.

¹Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer give off a foul odor; so a little foolishness [in one who is esteemed] outweighs wisdom and honor.

²A wise man's heart turns him toward the right [which is the way of blessing], but a fool's heart turns him toward the left [which is the way of condemnation].

³Even when a fool walks along the road, his [common] sense and good judgment fail him and he demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool.

⁴If the temper of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post [showing resistance], because composure and calmness prevent great offenses.

⁵There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like an error which proceeds from the ruler—

⁶folly is set in many exalted places and in great dignity while the rich sit in humble places.

⁷I have seen slaves riding on horses and princes walking like slaves on the ground.

⁸He who digs a pit [for others] may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a [stone] wall.

⁹He who quarries stones may be hurt with them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them.

¹⁰If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength; but wisdom [to sharpen the axe] helps him succeed [with less effort].

¹¹If the serpent bites before being charmed, then there is no profit for the charmer.

¹²The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious and win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him;

¹³the beginning of his talking is foolishness and the end of his talk is wicked madness.

¹⁴Yet the fool multiplies words, though no man knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after he is gone?

¹⁵The labor of a fool so wearies him [because he is ignorant] that he does not even know how to go to a city.

¹⁶Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child and when your [incompetent] officials and princes feast in the morning.

¹⁷Blessed [prosperous and admired] are you, O land, when your king is a man of noble birth, and your princes and officials feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.

¹⁸Through laziness the rafters [of state affairs] decay and the roof sags, and through idleness [the roof of] the house leaks.

¹⁹The officials make a feast for enjoyment [instead of repairing what is broken], and serve wine to make life merry, and money is the answer to everything.

²⁰Moreover, do not curse the king, even in your bedroom, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry the sound and a winged creature will make the matter known.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

¹The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it whichever way He wishes.

²Every man's way is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs and examines the hearts [of people and their motives].

³To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice [for wrongs repeatedly committed].

⁴Haughty and arrogant eyes and a proud heart, The lamp of the wicked [their self-centered pride], is sin [in the eyes of God].

⁵The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance and advantage, But everyone who acts in haste comes surely to poverty.

⁶Acquiring treasures by a lying tongue Is a fleeting vapor, the seeking and pursuit of death.

⁷The violence of the wicked will [return to them and] drag them away [like fish caught in a net], Because they refuse to act with justice.

⁸The way of the guilty is [exceedingly] crooked, But as for the pure, his conduct is upright.

⁹It is better to live in a corner of the housetop [on the flat roof, exposed to the weather] Than in a house shared with a quarrelsome (contentious) woman.

¹⁰The soul of the wicked desires evil [like an addictive substance]; His neighbor finds no compassion in his eyes.

¹¹When the scoffer is punished, the naive [observes the lesson and] becomes wise; But when the wise and teachable person is instructed, he receives knowledge.

¹²The righteous one keeps an eye on the house of the wicked— How the wicked are cast down to ruin.

¹³Whoever shuts his ears at the cry of the poor Will cry out himself and not be answered.

¹⁴A gift in secret subdues anger, And a bribe [hidden] in the pocket, strong wrath.

¹⁵When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous (the upright, the one in right standing with God), But to the evildoers it is disaster.

¹⁶A man who wanders from the way of understanding (godly wisdom) Will remain in the assembly of the dead.

¹⁷He who loves [only selfish] pleasure will become a poor man; He who loves and is devoted to wine and [olive] oil will not become rich.

¹⁸The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, And the treacherous in the place of the upright [for they fall into their own traps].

¹⁹It is better to dwell in a desert land Than with a contentious and troublesome woman.

²⁰There is precious treasure and oil in the house of the wise [who prepare for the future], But a short-sighted and foolish man swallows it up and wastes it.

²¹He who earnestly seeks righteousness and loyalty Finds life, righteousness, and honor.

²²A wise man scales the city [walls] of the mighty And brings down the stronghold in which they trust.

²³He who guards his mouth and his tongue Guards himself from troubles.

²⁴"Proud," "Haughty," "Scoffer," are his names Who acts with overbearing and insolent pride.

²⁵The desire of the lazy kills him, For his hands refuse to labor;

²⁶He craves all the day long [and does no work], But the righteous [willingly] gives and does not withhold [what he has].

²⁷The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable and offensive [to the LORD]. How much more [unacceptable and insulting can it be] when he brings it with evil intention?

²⁸A false witness will perish, But a man who listens to the truth will speak forever and go unchallenged.

²⁹A wicked man puts on a bold face, But as for the upright, he considers, directs, and establishes his way [with the confidence of integrity].

³⁰There is no [human] wisdom or understanding Or counsel [that can prevail] against the LORD.

³¹The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance and victory belong to the LORD.

¹Now the boy Samuel was attending to the service of the LORD under the supervision of Eli. The word of the LORD was rare and precious in those days; visions [that is, new revelations of divine truth] were not widespread.

²Yet it happened at that time, as Eli was lying down in his own place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well).

³and the [oil] lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was,

⁴that the LORD called Samuel, and he answered, "Here I am."

⁵He ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call you; lie down again." So he went and lay down.

⁶Then the LORD called yet again, "Samuel!" So Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But Eli answered, "I did not call, my son; lie down again."

⁷Now Samuel did not yet know [or personally experience] the LORD, and the word of the LORD was not yet revealed [directly] to him.

⁸So the LORD called Samuel a third time. And he stood and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you did call me." Then Eli understood that it was the LORD [who was] calling the boy.

⁹So Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down, and it shall be that if He calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰Then the LORD came and stood and called as at the previous times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel answered, "Speak, for Your servant is listening."

¹¹The LORD said to Samuel, "Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will ring.

¹²On that day I will carry out against Eli everything that I have spoken concerning his house (family), from beginning to end.

¹³Now I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the sinful behavior which he knew [was happening], because his sons were bringing a curse on themselves [dishonoring and blaspheming God] and he did not rebuke them.

¹⁴Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the sinful behavior of Eli's house (family) shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever."

¹⁵So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the Lord's house. But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.

¹⁶But Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son." And he answered, "Here I am."

¹⁷Then Eli said, "What is it that He said to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do the same to you, and more also, if you hide from me anything of all that He said to you."

¹⁸So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. And Eli said, "It is the LORD; may He do what seems good to Him."

¹⁹Now Samuel grew; and the LORD was with him and He let none of his words fail [to be fulfilled].

²⁰And all Israel from Dan [in the north] to Beersheba [in the south] knew that Samuel was appointed as a prophet of the LORD.

²¹And the LORD continued to appear in Shiloh, for the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

¹Awake, awake, Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; For the uncircumcised and the unclean Will no longer come into you.

²Shake yourself from the dust, arise, O captive Jerusalem; Rid yourself of the chains around your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion.

³For the LORD says this, "You were sold for nothing and you will be redeemed, but not with money."

⁴For the Lord GOD says this, "My people went down at the first into Egypt to live there; and [many years later Sennacherib] the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.

⁵But now, what do I have here," declares the LORD, "seeing that My people have been taken away without reason? Those who rule over them howl [with taunting and mockery of salvation]," declares the LORD, "and My name is continually blasphemed all day long.

⁶Therefore My people shall know My Name and what it means. Therefore in that day I am the One who is speaking, 'Here I am.'"

⁷How beautiful and delightful on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace, Who brings good news of good [things], Who announces salvation, Who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

⁸Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, Together they shout for joy; For they will see face to face The return of the LORD to Zion.

⁹Break forth, shout joyfully together, You ruins of Jerusalem; For the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem.

¹⁰The LORD has bared His holy arm (His infinite power) Before the eyes of all the nations [revealing Himself as the One by Whom Israel is redeemed from captivity], That all the ends of the earth may see The salvation of our God.

¹¹Depart, depart, go out from there (the lands of exile), Touch no unclean thing; Go out of the midst of her (Babylon), purify yourselves, You who carry the articles of the LORD [on your journey from there].

¹²For you will not go out in a hurry [as when you left Egypt], Nor will you go in flight [fleeing, as you did from the Egyptians]; For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

¹³Indeed, My Servant (the Messiah) will act wisely and prosper; He will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted.

¹⁴Just as many were astonished and appalled at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form [marred] more than the sons of men.

¹⁵So He will sprinkle many nations [with His blood, providing salvation], Kings will shut their mouths because of Him; For what they had not been told they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand.

¹Five days later, the high priest Ananias came down [from Jerusalem to Caesarea] with some elders and an attorney named Tertullus [acting as spokesman and counsel]. They presented to the governor their [formal] charges against Paul.

²After Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began the complaint [against him], saying to the governor: "Since through you we have attained great peace, and since by your foresight reforms are being carried out for this nation,

³in every way and in every place, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with all gratitude.

⁴But so that I do not weary you further, I beg you to grant us, by your kindness, a brief hearing.

⁵For we have found this man to be a public menace and one who instigates dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the [heretical] sect of the Nazarenes.

⁶He even tried to desecrate the temple, but we took him into custody[and we intended to judge him by our Law,

⁷but Lysias the commander came, and with great force took him out of our hands,

⁸and ordered his accusers to come before you.] By interrogating him yourself concerning all these matters you will be able to determine [the truth about] these things with which we charge him."

⁹The Jews also joined in the attack, declaring and insisting that these things were so.

¹⁰When the governor nodded for him to speak, Paul answered, "Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I make my defense cheerfully and with good courage.

¹¹As you can easily verify, it has been no more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship.

¹²Neither in the temple, nor in the synagogues, nor elsewhere in the city did they find me carrying on a discussion or disputing with anybody or causing a crowd to gather.

¹³Nor can they present evidence to you to prove what they now bring against me.

¹⁴But I confess this to you, that according to the Way, which they call a [divisive and heretical] sect, I do worship and serve the God of our fathers, [confidently] believing everything that is in accordance with the Law [of Moses] and that is written in the Prophets;

¹⁵having [the same] hope in God which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of [the dead], both of the righteous and of the wicked.

¹⁶In view of this, I also do my best and strive always to have a clear conscience before God and before men.

¹⁷Now after several years I came [to Jerusalem] to bring to my people charitable contributions and offerings.

¹⁸They found me in the temple presenting these offerings, after I had undergone [the rites of] purification, without any crowd or uproar. But there were some Jews from [the west coast province of] Asia [Minor],

¹⁹who ought to have been here before you to present their charges, if they have anything against me.

²⁰Or else let these men tell what crime they found [me guilty of] when I stood before the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court),

²¹other than for this one statement which I had shouted out as I stood among them, 'For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today.'"

²²But Felix, having a rather accurate understanding about the Way, put them off, saying, "When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case."

²³Then he ordered the centurion to keep Paul in custody, but to let him have some freedom, and [he told the centurion] not to stop any of his friends from providing for his needs.

²⁴Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him talk about faith in Christ Jesus.

²⁵But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control [honorable behavior, personal integrity], and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, "Go away for now, and when I find [a convenient] time I will send for you."

²⁶At the same time he was also hoping to get money from Paul [as a bribe]; so he continued to send for him quite often and talked with him.

²⁷But after two years had passed, Felix was succeeded [in office] by Porcius Festus; and wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul imprisoned.