Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple.

²“Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered?

³Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.

⁴And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem?

⁵No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”

⁶Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed.

⁷Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’

⁸“The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer.

⁹If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”

¹⁰One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue,

¹¹he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight.

¹²When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!”

¹³Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God!

¹⁴But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.”

¹⁵But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water?

¹⁶This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?”

¹⁷This shamed his enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did.

¹⁸Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it?

¹⁹It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.”

²⁰He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like?

²¹It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

²²Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem.

²³Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He replied,

²⁴“Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.

²⁵When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’

²⁶Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’

²⁷And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.’

²⁸“There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out.

²⁹And people will come from all over the world — from east and west, north and south — to take their places in the Kingdom of God.

³⁰And note this: Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then. ”

³¹At that time some Pharisees said to him, “Get away from here if you want to live! Herod Antipas wants to kill you!”

³²Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish my purpose.

³³Yes, today, tomorrow, and the next day I must proceed on my way. For it wouldn’t do for a prophet of God to be killed except in Jerusalem!

³⁴“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.

³⁵And now, look, your house is abandoned. And you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD!’ ”

¹Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pay close attention to this. I will make you seem like God to Pharaoh, and your brother, Aaron, will be your prophet.

²Tell Aaron everything I command you, and Aaron must command Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave his country.

³But I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.

⁴Even then Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. So I will bring down my fist on Egypt. Then I will rescue my forces — my people, the Israelites — from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment.

⁵When I raise my powerful hand and bring out the Israelites, the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.”

⁶So Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded them.

⁷Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three when they made their demands to Pharaoh.

⁸Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

⁹“Pharaoh will demand, ‘Show me a miracle.’ When he does this, say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down in front of Pharaoh, and it will become a serpent. ’”

¹⁰So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what the LORD had commanded them. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent!

¹¹Then Pharaoh called in his own wise men and sorcerers, and these Egyptian magicians did the same thing with their magic.

¹²They threw down their staffs, which also became serpents! But then Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.

¹³Pharaoh’s heart, however, remained hard. He still refused to listen, just as the LORD had predicted.

¹⁴Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn, and he still refuses to let the people go.

¹⁵So go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes down to the river. Stand on the bank of the Nile and meet him there. Be sure to take along the staff that turned into a snake.

¹⁶Then announce to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you, “Let my people go, so they can worship me in the wilderness.” Until now, you have refused to listen to him.

¹⁷So this is what the LORD says: “I will show you that I am the LORD.” Look! I will strike the water of the Nile with this staff in my hand, and the river will turn to blood.

¹⁸The fish in it will die, and the river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink any water from the Nile.’”

¹⁹Then the LORD said to Moses: “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and raise your hand over the waters of Egypt — all its rivers, canals, ponds, and all the reservoirs. Turn all the water to blood. Everywhere in Egypt the water will turn to blood, even the water stored in wooden bowls and stone pots.’”

²⁰So Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD commanded them. As Pharaoh and all of his officials watched, Aaron raised his staff and struck the water of the Nile. Suddenly, the whole river turned to blood!

²¹The fish in the river died, and the water became so foul that the Egyptians couldn’t drink it. There was blood everywhere throughout the land of Egypt.

²²But again the magicians of Egypt used their magic, and they, too, turned water into blood. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had predicted.

²³Pharaoh returned to his palace and put the whole thing out of his mind.

²⁴Then all the Egyptians dug along the riverbank to find drinking water, for they couldn’t drink the water from the Nile.

²⁵Seven days passed from the time the LORD struck the Nile.

¹Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do.

²“Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise:

³If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”

⁴Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

⁵Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ.

⁶Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.

⁷Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

⁸Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

⁹Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

¹⁰A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

¹¹Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.

¹²For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

¹³Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

¹⁴Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.

¹⁵For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.

¹⁶In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.

¹⁷Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

¹⁹And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.

²⁰I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.

²¹To bring you up to date, Tychicus will give you a full report about what I am doing and how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper in the Lord’s work.

²²I have sent him to you for this very purpose — to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you.

²³Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters, and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness.

²⁴May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹Then I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.

²And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of mighty ocean waves or the rolling of loud thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together.

³This great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. No one could learn this song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

⁴They have kept themselves as pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special offering to God and to the Lamb.

⁵They have told no lies; they are without blame.

⁶And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world — to every nation, tribe, language, and people.

⁷“Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.”

⁸Then another angel followed him through the sky, shouting, “Babylon is fallen — that great city is fallen — because she made all the nations of the world drink the wine of her passionate immorality.”

⁹Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand

¹⁰must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb.

¹¹The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.”

¹²This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.

¹³And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”

¹⁴Then I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was someone like the Son of Man. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.

¹⁵Then another angel came from the Temple and shouted to the one sitting on the cloud, “Swing the sickle, for the time of harvest has come; the crop on earth is ripe.”

¹⁶So the one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the whole earth was harvested.

¹⁷After that, another angel came from the Temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.

¹⁸Then another angel, who had power to destroy with fire, came from the altar. He shouted to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sickle now to gather the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for they are ripe for judgment.”

¹⁹So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and loaded the grapes into the great winepress of God’s wrath.

²⁰The grapes were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress in a stream about 180 miles long and as high as a horse’s bridle.

¹One night as I lay in bed, I yearned for my lover. I yearned for him, but he did not come.

²So I said to myself, “I will get up and roam the city, searching in all its streets and squares. I will search for the one I love.” So I searched everywhere but did not find him.

³The watchmen stopped me as they made their rounds, and I asked, “Have you seen the one I love?”

⁴Then scarcely had I left them when I found my love! I caught and held him tightly, then I brought him to my mother’s house, into my mother’s bed, where I had been conceived.

⁵Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and wild deer, not to awaken love until the time is right.

⁶Who is this sweeping in from the wilderness like a cloud of smoke? Who is it, fragrant with myrrh and frankincense and every kind of spice?

⁷Look, it is Solomon’s carriage, surrounded by sixty heroic men, the best of Israel’s soldiers.

⁸They are all skilled swordsmen, experienced warriors. Each wears a sword on his thigh, ready to defend the king against an attack in the night.

⁹King Solomon’s carriage is built of wood imported from Lebanon.

¹⁰Its posts are silver, its canopy gold; its cushions are purple. It was decorated with love by the young women of Jerusalem.

¹¹Come out to see King Solomon, young women of Jerusalem. He wears the crown his mother gave him on his wedding day, his most joyous day.

¹Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by.

²I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.

³He will send help from heaven to rescue me, disgracing those who hound me. Interlude My God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulness.

⁴I am surrounded by fierce lions who greedily devour human prey — whose teeth pierce like spears and arrows, and whose tongues cut like swords.

⁵Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens! May your glory shine over all the earth.

⁶My enemies have set a trap for me. I am weary from distress. They have dug a deep pit in my path, but they themselves have fallen into it. Interlude

⁷My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises!

⁸Wake up, my heart! Wake up, O lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song.

⁹I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations.

¹⁰For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

¹¹Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.

¹Honor is no more associated with fools than snow with summer or rain with harvest.

²Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.

³Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a fool with a rod to his back!

⁴Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are.

⁵Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.

⁶Trusting a fool to convey a message is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison!

⁷A proverb in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralyzed leg.

⁸Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.

⁹A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk.

¹⁰An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots at random.

¹¹As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.

¹²There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise.

¹³The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road! Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”

¹⁴As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed.

¹⁵Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.

¹⁶Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors.

¹⁷Interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.

¹⁸Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon

¹⁹is someone who lies to a friend and then says, “I was only joking.”

²⁰Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.

²¹A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.

²²Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.

²³Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.

²⁴People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they’re deceiving you.

²⁵They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them. Their hearts are full of many evils.

²⁶While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.

²⁷If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will crush you instead.

²⁸A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattering words cause ruin.

¹As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel.

²Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba.

³But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.

⁴Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel.

⁵“Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”

⁶Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the LORD for guidance.

⁷“Do everything they say to you,” the LORD replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer.

⁸Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment.

⁹Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.”

¹⁰So Samuel passed on the LORD’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king.

¹¹“This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots.

¹²Some will be generals and captains in his army, some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment.

¹³The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him.

¹⁴He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials.

¹⁵He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants.

¹⁶He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use.

¹⁷He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves.

¹⁸When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the LORD will not help you.”

¹⁹But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said.

²⁰“We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”

²¹So Samuel repeated to the LORD what the people had said,

²²and the LORD replied, “Do as they say, and give them a king.” Then Samuel agreed and sent the people home.

¹Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come.

²For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die.

³“But you — come here, you witches’ children, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!

⁴Whom do you mock, making faces and sticking out your tongues? You children of sinners and liars!

⁵You worship your idols with great passion beneath the oaks and under every green tree. You sacrifice your children down in the valleys, among the jagged rocks in the cliffs.

⁶Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys. You worship them with liquid offerings and grain offerings. They, not I, are your inheritance. Do you think all this makes me happy?

⁷You have committed adultery on every high mountain. There you have worshiped idols and have been unfaithful to me.

⁸You have put pagan symbols on your doorposts and behind your doors. You have left me and climbed into bed with these detestable gods. You have committed yourselves to them. You love to look at their naked bodies.

⁹You have gone to Molech with olive oil and many perfumes, sending your agents far and wide, even to the world of the dead.

¹⁰You grew weary in your search, but you never gave up. Desire gave you renewed strength, and you did not grow weary.

¹¹“Are you afraid of these idols? Do they terrify you? Is that why you have lied to me and forgotten me and my words? Is it because of my long silence that you no longer fear me?

¹²Now I will expose your so-called good deeds. None of them will help you.

¹³Let’s see if your idols can save you when you cry to them for help. Why, a puff of wind can knock them down! If you just breathe on them, they fall over! But whoever trusts in me will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.”

¹⁴God says, “Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity.”

¹⁵The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.

¹⁶For I will not fight against you forever; I will not always be angry. If I were, all people would pass away — all the souls I have made.

¹⁷I was angry, so I punished these greedy people. I withdrew from them, but they kept going on their own stubborn way.

¹⁸I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them. I will comfort those who mourn,

¹⁹bringing words of praise to their lips. May they have abundant peace, both near and far,” says the LORD, who heals them.

²⁰“But those who still reject me are like the restless sea, which is never still but continually churns up mud and dirt.

²¹There is no peace for the wicked,” says my God.

¹In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach

²until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit.

³During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

⁴Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before.

⁵John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

⁶So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”

⁷He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.

⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere — in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

⁹After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.

¹⁰As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them.

¹¹“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”

¹²Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile.

¹³When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying. Here are the names of those who were present: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the zealot), and Judas (son of James).

¹⁴They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.

¹⁵During this time, when about 120 believers were together in one place, Peter stood up and addressed them.

¹⁶“Brothers,” he said, “the Scriptures had to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided those who arrested Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David.

¹⁷Judas was one of us and shared in the ministry with us.”

¹⁸(Judas had bought a field with the money he received for his treachery. Falling headfirst there, his body split open, spilling out all his intestines.

¹⁹The news of his death spread to all the people of Jerusalem, and they gave the place the Aramaic name Akeldama, which means “Field of Blood.”)

²⁰Peter continued, “This was written in the book of Psalms, where it says, ‘Let his home become desolate, with no one living in it.’ It also says, ‘Let someone else take his position.’

²¹“So now we must choose a replacement for Judas from among the men who were with us the entire time we were traveling with the Lord Jesus —

²²from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.”

²³So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.

²⁴Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen

²⁵as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.”

²⁶Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven.