Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Now all the tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews] were coming near Jesus to listen to Him.

²Both the Pharisees and the scribes began muttering and complaining, saying, "This man accepts and welcomes sinners and eats with them."

³So He told them this parable:

⁴"What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost, [searching] until he finds it?

⁵And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

⁶And when he gets home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!'

⁷I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.

⁸"Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins [each one equal to a day's wages] and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?

⁹And when she has found it, she calls together her [women] friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, because I found the lost coin!'

¹⁰In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents [that is, changes his inner self—his old way of thinking, regrets past sins, lives his life in a way that proves repentance; and seeks God's purpose for his life]."

¹¹Then He said, "A certain man had two sons.

¹²The younger of them [inappropriately] said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that falls to me.' So he divided the estate between them.

¹³A few days later, the younger son gathered together everything [that he had] and traveled to a distant country, and there he wasted his fortune in reckless and immoral living.

¹⁴Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to do without and be in need.

¹⁵So he went and forced himself on one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

¹⁶He would have gladly eaten the [carob] pods that the pigs were eating [but they could not satisfy his hunger], and no one was giving anything to him.

¹⁷But when he [finally] came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough food, while I am dying here of hunger!

¹⁸I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.

¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; [just] treat me like one of your hired men."'

²⁰So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

²¹And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

²²But the father said to his servants, 'Quickly bring out the best robe [for the guest of honor] and put it on him; and give him a ring for his hand, and sandals for his feet.

²³And bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let us [invite everyone and] feast and celebrate;

²⁴for this son of mine was [as good as] dead and is alive again; he was lost and has been found.' So they began to celebrate.

²⁵"Now his older son was in the field; and when he returned and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.

²⁶So he summoned one of the servants and began asking what this [celebration] meant.

²⁷And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.'

²⁸But the elder brother became angry and deeply resentful and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him.

²⁹But he said to his father, 'Look! These many years I have served you, and I have never neglected or disobeyed your command. Yet you have never given me [so much as] a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends;

³⁰but when this [other] son of yours arrived, who has devoured your estate with immoral women, you slaughtered that fattened calf for him!'

³¹The father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

³²But it was fitting to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was [as good as] dead and has begun to live. He was lost and has been found.'"

¹Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: "Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.

²But if you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them,

³now hear this: the hand of the LORD will fall on your livestock which are out in the field, on the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks—a horrible plague shall come.

⁴But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing that belongs to the Israelites will die."'"

⁵The LORD set a [definite] time, saying, "Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land."

⁶And the LORD did this thing the next day, and all [kinds of] the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the Israelites, not one died.

⁷Then Pharaoh sent [men to investigate], and not even one of the livestock of the Israelites had died. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened [and his mind was firmly set], and he did not let the people go.

⁸Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of soot from the brick kiln, and let Moses throw it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh.

⁹It will become fine dust over the entire land of Egypt, and it will become boils breaking out in sores on man and animal in all the land [occupied by the Egyptians]."

¹⁰So they took soot from the kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it toward the sky, and it became boils erupting in sores on man and animal.

¹¹The magicians (soothsayer-priests) could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians as well as on all the Egyptians.

¹²But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen or pay attention to them, just as the LORD had told Moses.

¹³Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, "Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.

¹⁴For this time I will send all My plagues on you [in full force,] and on your servants and on your people, so that you may know [without any doubt] and acknowledge that there is no one like Me in all the earth.

¹⁵For by now I could have put out My hand and struck you and your people with a pestilence, and you would then have been cut off (obliterated) from the earth.

¹⁶But indeed for this very reason I have allowed you to live, in order to show you My power and in order that My name may be proclaimed throughout all the earth.

¹⁷Since you are still [arrogantly] exalting yourself [in defiance] against My people by not letting them go,

¹⁸hear this: tomorrow about this time I will send a very heavy and dreadful hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.

¹⁹Now therefore send [a message], bring your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. Every man and animal that is in the field and is not brought home shall be struck by the hail and shall die."'"

²⁰Then everyone among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses and shelters;

²¹but everyone who ignored and did not take seriously the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.

²²Now the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand [with your staff] toward the sky, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and on animal and on all the vegetation of the field, throughout the land of Egypt."

²³Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning (fireballs) ran down to the earth and along the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.

²⁴So there was hail, and lightning (fireballs) flashing intermittently in the midst of the extremely heavy hail, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

²⁵The hail struck down everything that was in the field throughout all the land of Egypt, both man and animal; the hail struck and beat down all the plants in the field and shattered every tree in the field.

²⁶Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel lived, was there no hail.

²⁷Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "I have sinned this time; the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.

²⁸Pray and entreat the LORD, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail; I will let you go, and you shall stay here no longer."

²⁹Moses said to him, "As soon as I leave the city, I will stretch out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease and there will be no more hail, so that you may know [without any doubt] and acknowledge that the earth is the Lord's.

³⁰But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the LORD God."

³¹(Now the flax and the barley were battered and ruined [by the hail], because the barley was in the ear (ripe, but soft) and the flax was in bud,

³²but the wheat and spelt (coarse wheat) were not battered and ruined, because they ripen late in the season.)

³³So Moses left the city and Pharaoh, and stretched out his hands to the LORD; then the thunder and hail ceased, and rain no longer poured on the earth.

³⁴But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, both he and his servants.

³⁵Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.

¹Therefore if there is any encouragement and comfort in Christ [as there certainly is in abundance], if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship [that we share] in the Spirit, if [there is] any [great depth of] affection and compassion,

²make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love [toward one another], knit together in spirit, intent on one purpose [and living a life that reflects your faith and spreads the gospel—the good news regarding salvation through faith in Christ].

³Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit [through factional motives, or strife], but with [an attitude of] humility [being neither arrogant nor self-righteous], regard others as more important than yourselves.

⁴Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

⁵Have this same attitude in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus [look to Him as your example in selfless humility],

⁶who, although He existed in the form and unchanging essence of God [as One with Him, possessing the fullness of all the divine attributes—the entire nature of deity], did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or asserted [as if He did not already possess it, or was afraid of losing it];

⁷but emptied Himself [without renouncing or diminishing His deity, but only temporarily giving up the outward expression of divine equality and His rightful dignity] by assuming the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men [He became completely human but was without sin, being fully God and fully man].

⁸After He was found in [terms of His] outward appearance as a man [for a divinely-appointed time], He humbled Himself [still further] by becoming obedient [to the Father] to the point of death, even death on a cross.

⁹For this reason also [because He obeyed and so completely humbled Himself], God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,

¹⁰so that at the name of Jesusevery knee shall bow [in submission], of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

¹¹and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to the glory of God the Father.

¹²So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ].

¹³For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.

¹⁴Do everything without murmuring or questioning [the providence of God],

¹⁵so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish in the midst of a [morally] crooked and [spiritually] perverted generation, among whom you are seen as bright lights [beacons shining out clearly] in the world [of darkness],

¹⁶holding out and offering to everyone the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to rejoice greatly because I did not run [my race] in vain nor labor without result.

¹⁷But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith [for preaching the message of salvation], still I rejoice and share my joy with you all.

¹⁸You too, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.

¹⁹But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may also be encouraged by learning news about you.

²⁰For I have no one else [like him who is] so kindred a spirit who will be genuinely concerned for your [spiritual] welfare.

²¹For the others [who deserted me after my arrest] all seek [to advance] their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

²²But you know of Timothy's tested worth and his proven character, that he has served with me to advance the gospel like a son serving with his father.

²³Therefore, I hope [that it is His will] to send him immediately, just as soon as I see how my case turns out;

²⁴and I trust [confidently] in the Lord that soon I also will be coming to you.

²⁵However, I thought it necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, [who has been] my brother and companion and fellow soldier, who was also sent as your messenger to take care of my needs.

²⁶For he has been longing for all of you and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.

²⁷He certainly was sick and close to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow.

²⁸So I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you.

²⁹Welcome him home in the Lord with great joy, and appreciate and honor men like him;

³⁰because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me [which distance prevented you from rendering personally].

¹Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath and indignation of God."

²So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and loathsome and malignant sores came on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.

³The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a corpse [foul and disgusting]; and every living thing in the sea died.

⁴Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water; and they turned into blood.

⁵And I heard the angel of the waters saying, "Righteous and just are You, Who are and Who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things;

⁶for they have poured out the blood of the saints (God's people) and the prophets, and You [in turn] have given them blood to drink. They deserve Your judgment."

⁷And I heard [another from] the altar saying, "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all], Your judgments are true and fair and righteous."

⁸Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given power to scorch humanity with [raging] fire.

⁹People were [severely] burned by the great heat; and they reviled the name of God who has power over these plagues, but they did not repent [of their sin] and glorify Him.

¹⁰Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness; and people gnawed their tongues because of the pain [of their excruciating anguish and severe torment],

¹¹and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their anguish and their sores (abscesses, boils); and they did not repent of what they had done nor hate their wickedness.

¹²Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for [the coming of] the kings from the east.

¹³And I saw three loathsome spirits like frogs, leaping from the mouth of the dragon (Satan) and from the mouth of the beast (Antichrist, dictator) and from the mouth of the false prophet;

¹⁴for they are [actually] the spirits of demons, performing [miraculous] signs. And they go out to the kings of the entire inhabited earth, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.

¹⁵("Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is he who stays awake and who keeps his clothes [that is, stays spiritually ready for the Lord's return], so that he will not be naked—spiritually unprepared—and men will not see his shame.")

¹⁶And they (demons) gathered the kings and armies of the world together at the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon (Armageddon).

¹⁷Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne [of God], saying, "It is done. [It is all over, it is all accomplished, it has come.]"

¹⁸And there were flashes of lightning and loud rumblings and peals of thunder; and there was a massive earthquake—nothing like it has ever occurred since mankind originated on the earth, so severe and far-reaching was that earthquake.

¹⁹The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And God kept in mind Babylon the great, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce and furious wrath.

²⁰Then every island fled away, and no mountains could be found.

²¹And giant hailstones, as heavy as a talent, fell from the sky on the people; and people reviled and spoke abusively of God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so very great.

¹(The Bridegroom) "I have come into my garden, my sister, my [promised] bride; I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam and spice [from your sweet words]. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, friends; Drink and drink deeply, O lovers."

²(The Shulammite Bride) "I was asleep, but my heart was awake. A voice [in my dream]! My beloved was knocking: 'Open to me, my sister, my darling, My dove, my perfect one! For my head is drenched with the [heavy night] dew; My hair [is covered] with the dampness of the night.'

³"I had taken off my dress, How can I put it on again? I had washed my feet, How could I get them dirty again?

⁴"My beloved extended his hand through the opening [of the door], And my feelings were aroused for him.

⁵"I arose to open for my beloved; And my hands dripped with myrrh, And my fingers with liquid [sweet-scented] myrrh, On the handles of the bolt.

⁶"I opened for my beloved, But my beloved had turned away and was gone. My heart went out to him when he spoke. I searched for him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he did not answer me.

⁷"The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me. They struck me, they wounded me; The guardsmen of the walls took my shawl from me.

⁸"I command that you take an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, As to what you tell him— [Say that] I am sick from love [sick from being without him]."

⁹(The Chorus) "What is your beloved more than another beloved, O most beautiful among women? What is your beloved more than another beloved, That you should so command us to take an oath?"

¹⁰(The Shulammite Bride) "My beloved is exquisitely handsome and ruddy, Outstanding among ten thousand.

¹¹"His head is like [precious] gold, pure gold; His hair is [curly] like clusters of dates And black as a raven.

¹²"His eyes are like doves Beside streams of water, Bathed in milk And reposed in their setting.

¹³"His cheeks are like a bed of balsam, Banks of sweet, fragrant herbs. His lips are lilies Dripping sweet-scented myrrh.

¹⁴"His hands are rods of gold Set with beryl; His abdomen is a figure of carved ivory Inlaid with sapphires.

¹⁵"His legs are [strong and steady] pillars of alabaster Set upon pedestals of fine gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, Stately and choice as the cedars.

¹⁶"His mouth is full of sweetness; Yes, he is altogether lovely and desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem."

¹To the Chief Musician; set to [the tune of] "Do Not Destroy." A Mikhtam of David, [a record of memorable thoughts] when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; Set me securely on an inaccessibly high place away from those who rise up against me.

²Deliver me from those who practice wrongdoing, And save me from bloodthirsty men.

³Look! They lie in wait for my life; Fierce and powerful men [are uniting together to] launch an attack against me, Not for my wrongdoing nor for any sin of mine, O LORD.

⁴They run and set themselves against me though there is no guilt in me; Stir Yourself to meet and help me, and see [what they are doing]!

⁵You, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, Arise to punish all the nations; Spare no one and do not be merciful to any who treacherously plot evil. Selah.

⁶They return at evening, they howl and snarl like dogs, And go [prowling] around the city.

⁷Look how they belch out [insults] with their mouths; Swords [of sarcasm, ridicule, slander, and lies] are in their lips, For they say, "Who hears us?"

⁸But You, O LORD, will laugh at them [in scorn]; You scoff at and deride all the nations.

⁹O [God] my strength, I will watch for You; For God is my stronghold [my refuge, my protector, my high tower].

¹⁰My God in His [steadfast] lovingkindness will meet me; God will let me look triumphantly on my enemies [who lie in wait for me].

¹¹Do not kill them, or my people will forget; Scatter them and make them wander [endlessly] back and forth by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord our shield!

¹²For the sin of their mouths and the words of their lips, Let them even be trapped in their pride, And on account of the curses and lies which they tell.

¹³Destroy them in wrath, destroy them so that they may be no more; Let them know that God rules over Jacob (Israel) To the ends of the earth. Selah.

¹⁴They return at evening, they howl and snarl like dogs, And go [prowling] around the city.

¹⁵They wander around for food [to devour] And growl all night if they are not satisfied.

¹⁶But as for me, I will sing of Your mighty strength and power; Yes, I will sing joyfully of Your lovingkindness in the morning; For You have been my stronghold And a refuge in the day of my distress.

¹⁷To You, O [God] my strength, I will sing praises; For God is my stronghold [my refuge, my protector, my high tower], the God who shows me [steadfast] lovingkindness.

¹The wicked flee when no one pursues them, But the righteous are as bold as a lion.

²When a land does wrong, it has many princes, But when the ruler is a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability endures.

³A poor man who oppresses and exploits the lowly Is like a sweeping rain which leaves no food.

⁴Those who set aside the law [of God and man] praise the wicked, But those who keep the law [of God and man] struggle with them.

⁵Evil men do not understand justice, But they who long for and seek the LORD understand it fully.

⁶Better is the poor who walks in his integrity Than he who is crooked and two-faced though he is rich.

⁷He who keeps the law [of God and man] is a wise and discerning son, But he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father [and himself].

⁸He who increases his wealth by interest and usury (excessive interest) Gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor.

⁹He who turns his ear away from listening to the law [of God and man], Even his prayer is repulsive [to God].

¹⁰He who leads the upright astray on an evil path Will himself fall into his own pit, But the blameless will inherit good.

¹¹The rich man [who is conceited and relies on his wealth instead of God] is wise in his own eyes, But the poor man who has understanding [because he relies on God] is able to see through him.

¹²When the righteous triumph, there is great glory and celebration; But when the wicked rise [to prominence], men hide themselves.

¹³He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But whoever confesses and turns away from his sins will find compassion and mercy.

¹⁴Blessed and favored by God is the man who fears [sin and its consequence] at all times, But he who hardens his heart [and is determined to sin] will fall into disaster.

¹⁵Like a roaring lion and a charging bear Is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

¹⁶A leader who is a great oppressor lacks understanding and common sense [and his wickedness shortens his days], But he who hates unjust gain will [be blessed and] prolong his days.

¹⁷A man who is burdened with the guilt of human blood (murder) Will be a fugitive until death; let no one support him or give him refuge.

¹⁸He who walks blamelessly and uprightly will be kept safe, But he who is crooked (perverse) will suddenly fall.

¹⁹He who cultivates his land will have plenty of bread, But he who follows worthless people and frivolous pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

²⁰A faithful (right-minded) man will abound with blessings, But he who hurries to be rich will not go unpunished.

²¹To have regard for one person over another and to show favoritism is not good, Because for a piece of bread a man will transgress.

²²He who has an evil and envious eye hurries to be rich And does not know that poverty will come upon him.

²³He who [appropriately] reprimands a [wise] man will afterward find more favor Than he who flatters with the tongue.

²⁴He who robs his father or his mother And says, "This is no sin," Is [not only a thief but also] the companion of a man who destroys.

²⁵An arrogant and greedy man stirs up strife, But he who trusts in the LORD will be blessed and prosper.

²⁶He who trusts confidently in his own heart is a [dull, thickheaded] fool, But he who walks in [skillful and godly] wisdom will be rescued.

²⁷He who gives to the poor will never want, But he who shuts his eyes [from their need] will have many curses.

²⁸When the wicked rise [to power], men hide themselves; But when the wicked perish, the [consistently] righteous increase and become great.

¹Then Samuel took the flask of oil and poured it on Saul's head, kissed him, and said, "Has the LORD not anointed you as ruler over His inheritance (Israel)?

²When you leave me today, you will meet two men beside Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; they will say to you, 'The donkeys you went to look for have been found. And your father has stopped caring about them and is worried about you, saying, "What shall I do about my son?"'

³Then you will go on further from there, and you will come to the terebinth tree of Tabor, and three men going up to [sacrifice to] God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a jug of wine.

⁴They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hand.

⁵After that you will come to the hill of God where the garrison of the Philistines is; and when you come there to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place [of worship] with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, and they will be prophesying.

⁶Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you mightily, and you will prophesy with them, and you will be changed into another man.

⁷When these signs come to you, do for yourself whatever the situation requires, for God is with you.

⁸You shall go down ahead of me to Gilgal; and behold, I will be coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you must do."

⁹Then it happened when Saul turned his back to leave Samuel, God changed his heart; and all those signs came to pass that day.

¹⁰When they came to the hill [Gibeah], behold, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came on him mightily, and he prophesied [under divine guidance] among them.

¹¹Now when all who knew Saul previously saw that he actually prophesied now [by inspiration] with the prophets, the people said one to another, "What has happened to [Saul, who is nobody but] the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"

¹²And a man from there answered, "But who is the father of the others?" So it became a proverb, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

¹³When Saul had finished prophesying, he went to the high place [of worship].

¹⁴Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, "Where did you go?" And Saul said, "To look for the donkeys. And when we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel [for help]."

¹⁵Saul's uncle said, "Please tell me, what did Samuel say to you?"

¹⁶And Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found." But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had mentioned.

¹⁷Then Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah,

¹⁸and he said to Israel, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'It was I who brought Israel up from Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.'

¹⁹But today you have rejected your God, who Himself saves you from all your disasters and distresses; yet you have said, 'No! Set a king over us.' Now then, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your families (clans)."

²⁰And when Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot.

²¹Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their families, and the family of Matri was chosen by lot. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen by lot; but when they looked for him, he could not be found.

²²So they inquired further of the LORD, "Has the man come here yet?" And the LORD answered, "He is there, hiding himself by the provisions and supplies."

²³So they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.

²⁴Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? For there is no one like him among all the people." So all the people shouted and said, "Long live the king!"

²⁵Then Samuel told the people the requirements of the kingdom, and wrote them in a book and placed it before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home.

²⁶Saul also went home to Gibeah; and the brave men whose hearts God had touched went with him.

²⁷But some worthless men said, "How can this man save and rescue us?" And they regarded Saul with contempt and did not bring him a gift. But he ignored the insult and kept silent.

¹Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short That it cannot save, Nor His ear so impaired That it cannot hear.

²But your wickedness has separated you from your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

³For your hands are defiled with blood And your fingers with wickedness [with sin, with injustice, with wrongdoing]; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue mutters wickedness.

⁴No one sues righteously [but for the sake of doing injury to others—to take some undue advantage], and no one pleads [his case] in truth; [but rather] They trust in empty arguments and speak lies; They conceive trouble and bring forth injustice.

⁵They hatch vipers' eggs and weave the spider's webs; He who eats of their eggs dies, And from an egg which is crushed a viper breaks out.

⁶Their webs will not serve as clothing, Nor will they cover themselves with what they make; Their works are works of wickedness [of sin, of injustice, of wrongdoing], And the act of violence is in their hands.

⁷Their feet run to evil, And they rush to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of wickedness [of sin, of injustice, of wrongdoing]; Devastation and destruction are in their highways.

⁸They do not know the way of peace, And there is no justice in their tracks. They have made them into crooked paths; Whoever walks on them does not know peace.

⁹Therefore justice is far from us, And righteousness does not overtake us. We [expectantly] hope for light, but only see darkness; We hope for gleam of light, but we walk in darkness and gloom.

¹⁰We grope for a wall like the blind, We grope like those who have no eyes. We stumble at midday as in the twilight; Among those who are healthy we are like dead men.

¹¹We all groan and growl like bears, And coo sadly like doves; We hope for justice, but there is none, For salvation, but it is far from us.

¹²For our transgressions are multiplied before You [O LORD], And our sins testify against us; For our transgressions are with us, And we know and recognize our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]:

¹³Rebelling against and denying the LORD, Turning away from [following] our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving and muttering from the heart lying words.

¹⁴Justice is pushed back, And righteous behavior stands far away; For truth has fallen in the city square, And integrity cannot enter.

¹⁵Yes, truth is missing; And he who turns away from evil makes himself a prey. Now the LORD saw it, And it displeased Him that there was no justice.

¹⁶He saw that there was no man, And was amazed that there was no one to intercede [on behalf of truth and right]; Therefore His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His own righteousness sustained Him.

¹⁷For He [the LORD] put on righteousness like a coat of armor, And salvation like a helmet on His head; He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And covered Himself with zeal [and great love for His people] as a cloak.

¹⁸As their deeds deserve, so He will repay: Wrath to His adversaries, retribution to His enemies; To the islands and coastlands He will repay.

¹⁹So they will fear the name of the LORD from the west And His glory from the rising of the sun. For He will come in like a narrow, rushing stream Which the breath of the LORD drives [overwhelming the enemy].

²⁰"A Redeemer (Messiah) will come to Zion, And to those in Jacob (Israel) who turn from transgression (sin)," declares the LORD.

²¹"As for Me, this is My covenant with them," says the LORD: "My Spirit which is upon you [writing the law of God on the heart], and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouths of your [true, spiritual] children, nor from the mouth of your children's children," says the LORD, "from now and forever."

¹Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.),

²and a man who had been unable to walk from birth was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at that gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, so that he could beg alms from those entering the temple.

³So when he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking [them] for coins.

⁴But Peter, along with John, stared at him intently and said, "Look at us!"

⁵And the man began to pay attention to them, eagerly expecting to receive something from them.

⁶But Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have; but what I do have I give to you: In the name (authority, power) of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—[begin now to] walk and go on walking!"

⁷Then he seized the man's right hand with a firm grip and raised him up. And at once his feet and ankles became strong and steady,

⁸and with a leap he stood up and began to walk; and he went into the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

⁹All the people saw him walking and praising God;

¹⁰and they recognized him as the very man who usually sat begging for coins at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement and were mystified at what had happened to him.

¹¹Now while he was still holding on to Peter and John, all the people, utterly amazed, ran together and crowded around them at the covered porch called Solomon's portico.

¹²And Peter, seeing this, said to the people, "You men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Why are you staring at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?

¹³The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His Servant and Son Jesus [doing Him this honor], the One whom you handed over and disowned and rejected before Pilate, when he had decided to release Him.

¹⁴But you disowned and denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for [the pardon of] a murderer to be granted to you.

¹⁵But you killed the Prince (Author, Originator, Source) of life, whom God raised [bodily] from the dead. To this [fact] we are witnesses [for we have seen the risen Christ].

¹⁶And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health and complete wholeness in your presence.

¹⁷"Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance [not fully aware of what you were doing], just as your rulers did also.

¹⁸And so God has fulfilled what He foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ (Messiah, Anointed) would suffer.

¹⁹So repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God—seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day];

²⁰and that He may send [to you] Jesus, the Christ, who has been appointed for you,

²¹whom heaven must keep until the time for the [complete] restoration of all things about which God promised through the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

²²Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophetlike me from your countrymen; you shall listen to Him and obey everything He tells you.

²³And it will be that every person that does not listen to and heed that Prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.'

²⁴Indeed, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also announced these days.

²⁵You are the sons (descendants) of the prophets and [heirs] of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed (descendant) all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'

²⁶It was for you first of all that God raised up His Servant and Son [Jesus], and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways."