Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of theleaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

²But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

³Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you havewhispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

⁴“Now I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.

⁵But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed someone, has the power to throw that person intohell; yes, I tell you, fearHim!

⁶Are five sparrows not sold for twoassaria? And yet not one of them has gone unnoticed in the sight of God.

⁷But even the hairs of your head are all counted.Do not fear; you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.

⁸“Now I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before people, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God;

⁹but the one who denies Me before people will be denied before the angels of God.

¹⁰And everyone whospeaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.

¹¹Now when they bring you before the synagogues and the officials and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say;

¹²for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

¹³Now someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.”

¹⁴But He said to him, “You there—who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over the two of you?”

¹⁵But He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one is affluent does his life consist of his possessions.”

¹⁶And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive.

¹⁷And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’

¹⁸And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there.

¹⁹And I will say tomyself, “You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!” ’

²⁰But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very nightyour soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’

²¹Such is the one who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich in relation to God.”

²²And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I tell you,do not worry about yourlife, as to what you are to eat; nor for your body, as to what you are to wear.

²³For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.

²⁴Consider the ravens, that they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!

²⁵And which of you by worrying can add aday to hislife’s span?

²⁶Therefore if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about the other things?

²⁷Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither labor norspin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

²⁸Now if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You of little faith!

²⁹And do notseek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying.

³⁰Forall these things are what the nations of the worldeagerly seek; and your Father knows that you need these things.

³¹Butseek His kingdom, and these things will beprovided to you.

³²Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom.

³³“Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor does a moth destroy.

³⁴For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

³⁵“ Be prepared, and keep your lamps lit.

³⁶You are also to be like people who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door for him when he comes and knocks.

³⁷Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he willprepare himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and he will come up and serve them.

³⁸Whether he comes in thesecond watch, or even in thethird, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

³⁹“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

⁴⁰You too, be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think He will.”

⁴¹Peter said, “Lord, are You telling this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?”

⁴²And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?

⁴³Blessed is that slave whom hismaster finds so doing when he comes.

⁴⁴Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

⁴⁵But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will take a long time to come,’ and he begins to beat the other slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk;

⁴⁶then the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know, and willcut him in two, and assignhim a place with the unbelievers.

⁴⁷And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accordance with his will, will receive many blows,

⁴⁸but the one who did not know it, and committed acts deserving ofa beating, will receive only a few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

⁴⁹“I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!

⁵⁰But I have a baptismto undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!

⁵¹Do you think that I came to provide peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division;

⁵²for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.

⁵³They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

⁵⁴And He was also saying to the crowds, “Whenever you see a cloud risingin the west, you immediately say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out.

⁵⁵And whenever you feel asouth wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way.

⁵⁶You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how is it that you do not know how to analyze this present time?

⁵⁷“And why do you not even judge by yourselves what is right?

⁵⁸For when you are going with your accuser to appear before the magistrate, on the way, make an effort tosettle with him, so that he does not drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.

⁵⁹I tell you, you will not get out of there until you have paid upthe very lastlepton.”

¹Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for under compulsion he will let them go, and under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.”

²God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD;

³and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but by My name, LORD, I did not make Myself known to them.

⁴I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as strangers.

⁵Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.

⁶Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the labors of the Egyptians, and I will rescue you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments.

⁷Then I will take you as My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the labors of the Egyptians.

⁸I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession; I am the LORD.’ ”

⁹So Moses said this to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage.

¹⁰Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

¹¹“Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.”

¹²But Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, as I am unskilled in speech?”

¹³Nevertheless, the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron and gave them a command concerning the sons of Israel and Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁴These are the heads of their fathers’ households. The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.

¹⁵And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.

¹⁶And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; and the length of Levi’s life was 137 years.

¹⁷The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families.

¹⁸And the sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; and the length of Kohath’s life was 133 years.

¹⁹And the sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations.

²⁰Now Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the length of Amram’s life was 137 years.

²¹And the sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.

²²And the sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

²³Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

²⁴And the sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites.

²⁵Now Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites according to their families.

²⁶It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, “Bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their multitudes.”

²⁷They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the sons of Israel from Egypt; it was the same Moses and Aaron.

²⁸Now it came about on the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,

²⁹that the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the LORD; say to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.”

³⁰But Moses said before the LORD, “Behold, I am unskilled in speech; how then will Pharaoh listen to me?”

¹Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;

²and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

³But sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints;

⁴and there must be no filthiness or foolish talk, or vulgar joking, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

⁵For this you know with certainty, that no sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, which amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

⁶See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

⁷Therefore do not become partners with them;

⁸for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light

⁹(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),

¹⁰as you try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

¹¹Do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;

¹²for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.

¹³But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.

¹⁴For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”

¹⁵So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise,

¹⁶making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

¹⁸And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,

¹⁹speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord;

²⁰always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father;

²¹and subject yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.

²²Wives, subject yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

²³For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.

²⁴But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

²⁶so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

²⁷that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

²⁸So husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;

²⁹for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,

³⁰because we are parts of His body.

³¹FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND HIS MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.

³²This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.

³³Nevertheless, as for you individually, each husband is to love his own wife the same as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

¹And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads were blasphemous names.

²And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne, and great authority.

³I saw one of his heads as if it had been fatally wounded, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;

⁴they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”

⁵A mouth was given to him speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.

⁶And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.

⁷It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority was given to him over every tribe, people, language, and nation.

⁸All who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slaughtered.

⁹If anyone has an ear, let him hear.

¹⁰If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.

¹¹Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon.

¹²He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who live on it worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.

¹³He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the presence of people.

¹⁴And he deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come to life.

¹⁵And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause all who do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

¹⁶And he causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,

¹⁷and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.

¹⁸Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

¹“I am the rose of Sharon, The lily of the valleys.”

²“Like a lily among the thorns, So is my darling among the young women.”

³“Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, So is my beloved among the young men. In his shade I took great delight and sat down, And his fruit was sweet to my taste.

⁴He has brought me to his banquet hall, And his banner over me is love.

⁵Refresh me with raisin cakes, Sustain me with apples, Because I am lovesick.

⁶His left hand is under my head, And his right hand embraces me.”

⁷“Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the does of the field, That you will not disturb or awaken my love Until she pleases.”

⁸“Listen! My beloved! Behold, he is coming, Leaping on the mountains, Jumping on the hills!

⁹My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he is standing behind our wall, He is looking through the windows, He is peering through the lattice.

¹⁰“My beloved responded and said to me, ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, And come along.

¹¹For behold, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone.

¹²The blossoms have already appeared in the land; The time has arrived for pruning the vines, And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land.

¹³The fig tree has ripened its fruit, And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, And come along!’ ”

¹⁴“My dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the hiding place of the mountain pathway, Let me see how you look, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is pleasant, And you look delightful.”

¹⁵“Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, While our vineyards are in blossom.”

¹⁶“My beloved is mine, and I am his; He pastures his flock among the lilies.

¹⁷Until the cool of the day, when the shadows flee, Turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle Or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

¹These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed.

²It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

³As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, So the heart of kings is unsearchable.

⁴Take away the impurities from the silver, And there comes out a vessel for the smith;

⁵Take away the wicked before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness.

⁶Do not boast in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the same place as great people;

⁷For it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,” Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince, Whom your eyes have seen.

⁸Do not go out hastily to argue your case; Otherwise, what will you do in the end, When your neighbor humiliates you?

⁹Argue your case with your neighbor, And do not reveal the secret of another,

¹⁰Or one who hears it will put you to shame, And the evil report about you will not pass away.

¹¹Like apples of gold in settings of silver, Is a word spoken at the proper time.

¹²Like an earring of gold and a jewelry piece of fine gold, Is a wise person who offers rebukes to a listening ear.

¹³Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest Is a faithful messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters.

¹⁴Like clouds and wind without rain Is a person who boasts of his gifts falsely.

¹⁵Through patience a ruler may be persuaded, And a gentle tongue breaks bone.

¹⁶Have you found honey? Eat only what you need, So that you do not have it in excess and vomit it.

¹⁷Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor’s house, Or he will become weary of you and hate you.

¹⁸Like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow Is a person who gives false testimony against his neighbor.

¹⁹Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot Is confidence in a treacherous person in time of trouble.

²⁰Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda, Is one who sings songs to a troubled heart.

²¹If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;

²²For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the LORD will reward you.

²³The north wind brings rain, And a gossiping tongue brings an angry face.

²⁴It is better to live on a corner of the roof, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

²⁵Like cold water to a weary soul, So is good news from a distant land.

²⁶Like a trampled spring and a polluted well, So is a righteous person who gives way before the wicked.

²⁷It is not good to eat much honey, Nor is it glory to search out one’s own glory.

²⁸Like a city that is broken into and without walls So is a person who has no self-control over his spirit.

¹And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took the ark of the LORD and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and they consecrated his son Eleazar to watch over the ark of the LORD.

²From the day that the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim, the time was long, for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel mourned after the LORD.

³Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone; and He will save you from the hand of the Philistines.”

⁴So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served the LORD alone.

⁵Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to the LORD for you.”

⁶So they gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.

⁷Now when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the governors of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard about it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

⁸So the sons of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that He will save us from the hand of the Philistines!”

⁹Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD; and Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him.

¹⁰Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines advanced to battle Israel. But the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them, so that they were struck down before Israel.

¹¹And the men of Israel came out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and killed them as far as below Beth-car.

¹²Then Samuel took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “So far the LORD has helped us.”

¹³So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore within the border of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

¹⁴The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel recovered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. So there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

¹⁵Now Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

¹⁶And he used to go annually on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places.

¹⁷Then he would make his return to Ramah, because his house was there, and there he also judged Israel; and there he built an altar to the LORD.

¹This is what the LORD says: “Guard justice and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come And My righteousness to be revealed.

²Blessed is a man who does this, And a son of man who takes hold of it; Who keeps from profaning the Sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

³Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, “The LORD will certainly separate me from His people.” Nor let the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”

⁴For this is what the LORD says: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold firmly to My covenant,

⁵To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial, And a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name which will not be eliminated.

⁶“Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, To attend to His service and to love the name of the LORD, To be His servants, every one who keeps the Sabbath so as not to profane it, And holds firmly to My covenant;

⁷Even those I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”

⁸The Lord GOD, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares, “I will yet gather others to them, to those already gathered.”

⁹All you wild animals, All you animals in the forest, Come to eat.

¹⁰His watchmen are blind, All of them know nothing. All of them are mute dogs unable to bark, Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;

¹¹And the dogs are greedy, they are never satisfied. And they are shepherds who have no understanding; They have all turned to their own way, Each one to his unjust gain, without exception.

¹²“Come,” they say, “let’s get wine, and let’s drink heavily of intoxicating drink; And tomorrow will be like today, only more so.”

¹When they had been brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta.

²The natives showed us extraordinary kindness, for they kindled a fire and took us all in because of the rain that had started and because of the cold.

³But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.

⁴When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.”

⁵However, Paul shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm.

⁶Now they were expecting that he was going to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.

⁷Now in the neighboring parts of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us warmly for three days.

⁸And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with a recurring fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him, and after he prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him.

⁹After this happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and being cured.

¹⁰They also showed us many honors, and when we were about to set sail, they supplied us with everything we needed.

¹¹After three months we set sail on an Alexandrian ship which had wintered at the island, and which had the Twin Brothers for its figurehead.

¹²After we put in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days.

¹³From there we sailed around and arrived at Rhegium, and a day later a south wind came up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli.

¹⁴There we found some brothers and sisters, and were invited to stay with them for seven days; and that is how we came to Rome.

¹⁵And from there the brothers and sisters, when they heard about us, came as far as the Market of Appius and the Three Inns to meet us; and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.

¹⁶When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

¹⁷After three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was handed over to the Romans as a prisoner from Jerusalem.

¹⁸And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there were no grounds for putting me to death.

¹⁹But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation against my nation.

²⁰For this reason, therefore, I requested to see you and to speak with you, since I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel.”

²¹They said to him, “We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor has any of the brothers come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you.

²²But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for regarding this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere.”

²³When they had set a day for Paul, people came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening.

²⁴Some were being persuaded by the things said by Paul, but others would not believe.

²⁵And when they disagreed with one another, they began leaving after Paul said one parting statement: “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers,

²⁶saying, ‘GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY, “YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, AND WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, AND WILL NOT PERCEIVE;

²⁷FOR THE HEARTS OF THIS PEOPLE HAVE BECOME INSENSITIVE, AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY HARDLY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES; OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.” ’

²⁸Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.”

²⁹

³⁰Now Paul stayed two full years in his own rented lodging and welcomed all who came to him,

³¹preaching the kingdom of God and teaching things about the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.