Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Now Jesus was also saying to the disciples, "There was a certain rich man who had a manager [of his estate], and accusations [against this man] were brought to him, that this man was squandering his [master's] possessions.

²So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management [of my affairs], for you can no longer be [my] manager.'

³The manager [of the estate] said to himself, 'What will I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig [for a living], and I am ashamed to beg.

⁴I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from the management, people [who are my master's debtors] will welcome me into their homes.'

⁵So he summoned his master's debtors one by one, and he said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'

⁶He said, 'A hundred measures of [olive] oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'

⁷Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' He said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'

⁸And his master commended the unjust manager [not for his misdeeds, but] because he had acted shrewdly [by preparing for his future unemployment]; for the sons of this age [the non-believers] are shrewder in relation to their own kind [that is, to the ways of the secular world] than are the sons of light [the believers].

⁹And I tell you [learn from this], make friends for yourselves [for eternity] by means of the wealth of unrighteousness [that is, use material resources as a way to further the work of God], so that when it runs out, they will welcome you into the eternal dwellings.

¹⁰"He who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little thing is also dishonest in much.

¹¹Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of earthly wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?

¹²And if you have not been faithful in the use of that [earthly wealth] which belongs to another [whether God or man, and of which you are a trustee], who will give you that which is your own?

¹³No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand devotedly by the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon [that is, your earthly possessions or anything else you trust in and rely on instead of God]."

¹⁴Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were sneering and ridiculing Him.

¹⁵So He said to them, "You are the ones who declare yourselves just and upright in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts [your thoughts, your desires, your secrets]; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.

¹⁶"The Law and the [writings of the] Prophets were proclaimed until John; since then the gospel of the kingdom of God has been and continues to be preached, and everyone tries forcefully to go into it.

¹⁷Yet it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a single stroke of a letter of the Law to fail and become void.

¹⁸"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

¹⁹"Now there was a certain rich man who was habitually dressed in expensive purple and fine linen, and celebrated and lived joyously in splendor every day.

²⁰And a poor man named Lazarus, was laid at his gate, covered with sores.

²¹He [eagerly] longed to eat the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.

²²Now it happened that the poor man died and his spirit was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom (paradise); and the rich man also died and was buried.

²³In Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom (paradise).

²⁴And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in severe agony in this flame.'

²⁵But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things [all the comforts and delights], and Lazarus likewise bad things [all the discomforts and distresses]; but now he is comforted here [in paradise], while you are in severe agony.

²⁶And besides all this, between us and you [people] a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to come over from here to you will not be able, and none may cross over from there to us.'

²⁷So the rich man said, 'Then, father [Abraham], I beg you to send Lazarus to my father's house—

²⁸for I have five brothers—in order that he may solemnly warn them and witness to them, so that they too will not come to this place of torment.'

²⁹But Abraham said, 'They have [the Scriptures given by] Moses and the [writings of the] Prophets; let them listen to them.'

³⁰He replied, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent [they will change their old way of thinking and seek God and His righteousness].'

³¹And he said to him, 'If they do not listen to [the messages of] Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'"

¹Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants [making them determined and unresponsive], so that I may exhibit My signs [of divine power] among them,

²and that you may recount and explain in the hearing of your son, and your grandson, what I have done [repeatedly] to make a mockery of the Egyptians—My signs [of divine power] which I have done among them—so that you may know [without any doubt] and recognize [clearly] that I am the LORD."

³So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.

⁴For if you refuse to let My people go, then hear this: tomorrow I will bring [migratory] locusts into your country.

⁵They shall cover the [visible] surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the ground, and they will eat the rest of what has remained—that is, the vegetation left after the hail—and they will eat every one of your trees that grows in the field;

⁶your houses and those of all your servants and of all the Egyptians shall be filled with locusts, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from their birth until this day.'" Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh.

⁷Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long shall this man be a trap to us? Let the men go, so that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not realize that Egypt is destroyed?"

⁸So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, "Go, serve the LORD your God! Who specifically are the ones that are going?"

⁹Moses said, "We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds [all of us and all that we have], for we must hold a feast to the LORD."

¹⁰Pharaoh said to them, "The LORD be with you [to help you], if I ever let you go with your children [because you will never return]! Look [be forewarned], you have an evil plan in mind.

¹¹No! Go now, you who are men, [without your families] and serve the LORD, if that is what you want." So Moses and Aaron were driven from Pharaoh's presence.

¹²Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come up on the land of Egypt and eat all the plants of the land, all that the hail has left."

¹³So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night; when it was morning, the east wind had brought the [swarms of] locusts.

¹⁴The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled down in the whole territory, a very dreadful mass of them; never before were there such locusts as these, nor will there ever be again.

¹⁵For they covered the [visible] surface of the land, so that the ground was darkened; and they ate every plant of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. There remained not a green thing on the trees or the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.

¹⁶Then Pharaoh hurried to call for Moses and Aaron, and he said, "I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you.

¹⁷Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once [more], and pray and entreat the LORD your God, so that He will remove this [plague of] death from me."

¹⁸Moses left Pharaoh and entreated the LORD.

¹⁹So the LORD shifted the wind to a violent west wind which lifted up the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea; not one locust remained within the border of Egypt.

²⁰But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart [so that it was even more resolved and obstinate], and he did not let the Israelites go.

²¹Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky, so that darkness may come over the land of Egypt, a darkness which [is so awful that it] may be felt."

²²So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and for three days a thick darkness was all over the land of Egypt [no sun, no moon, no stars].

²³The Egyptians could not see one another, nor did anyone leave his place for three days, but all the Israelites had [supernatural] light in their dwellings.

²⁴Then Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, "Go, serve the LORD; only your flocks and your herds must be left behind. Even your children may go with you."

²⁵But Moses said, "You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, so that we may sacrifice them to the LORD our God.

²⁶Therefore, our livestock must also go with us; not one hoof shall be left behind, for we must take some of them to serve the LORD our God. Even we do not know with what we will serve the LORD until we arrive there."

²⁷But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he was not willing to let them go.

²⁸Then Pharaoh said to Moses, "Get away from me! See that you never enter my presence again, for on the day that you see my face again you will die!"

²⁹Then Moses said, "You are correct; I will never see your face again!"

¹Finally, my fellow believers, continue to rejoice and delight in the LORD. To write the same things again is no trouble for me, and it is a safeguard for you.

²Look out for the dogs [the Judaizers, the legalists], look out for the troublemakers, look out for the false circumcision [those who claim circumcision is necessary for salvation];

³for we [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, set apart for His purpose and] are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory and take pride and exult in Christ Jesus and place no confidence [in what we have or who we are] in the flesh—

⁴though I myself might have [some grounds for] confidence in the flesh [if I were pursuing salvation by works]. If anyone else thinks that he has reason to be confident in the flesh [that is, in his own efforts to achieve salvation], I have far more:

⁵circumcised when I was eight days old, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews [an exemplary Hebrew]; as to the [observance of the] Law, a Pharisee;

⁶as to my zeal [for Jewish tradition], a persecutor of the church; and as to righteousness [supposed right living] which [my fellow Jews believe] is in the Law, I proved myself blameless.

⁷But whatever former things were gains to me [as I thought then], these things [once regarded as advancements in merit] I have come to consider as loss [absolutely worthless] for the sake of Christ [and the purpose which He has given my life].

⁸But more than that, I count everything as loss compared to the priceless privilege and supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord [and of growing more deeply and thoroughly acquainted with Him—a joy unequaled]. For His sake I have lost everything, and I consider it all garbage, so that I may gain Christ,

⁹and may be found in Him [believing and relying on Him], not having any righteousness of my own derived from [my obedience to] the Law and its rituals, but [possessing] that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.

¹⁰And this, so that I may know Him [experientially, becoming more thoroughly acquainted with Him, understanding the remarkable wonders of His Person more completely] and [in that same way experience] the power of His resurrection [which overflows and is active in believers], and [that I may share] the fellowship of His sufferings, by being continually conformed [inwardly into His likeness even] to His death [dying as He did];

¹¹so that I may attain to the resurrection [that will raise me] from the dead.

¹²Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own.

¹³Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵All of us who are mature [pursuing spiritual perfection] should have this attitude. And if in any respect you have a different attitude, that too God will make clear to you.

¹⁶Only let us stay true to what we have already attained.

¹⁷Brothers and sisters, together follow my example and observe those who live by the pattern we gave you.

¹⁸For there are many, of whom I have often told you, and now tell you even with tears, who live as enemies of the cross of Christ [rejecting and opposing His way of salvation],

¹⁹whose fate is destruction, whose god is their belly [their worldly appetite, their sensuality, their vanity], and whose glory is in their shame—who focus their mind on earthly and temporal things.

²⁰But [we are different, because] our citizenship is in heaven. And from there we eagerly await [the coming of] the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

²¹who, by exerting that power which enables Him even to subject everything to Himself, will [not only] transform [but completely refashion] our earthly bodies so that they will be like His glorious resurrected body.

¹Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the judgment and doom of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters [influencing nations],

²she with whom the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality, and the inhabitants of the earth have become intoxicated with the wine of her immorality."

³And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was entirely covered with blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.

⁴The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold, precious stones and pearls, [and she was] holding in her hand a gold cup full of the abominations and the filth of her [sexual] immorality.

⁵And on her forehead a name was written, a mystery: "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES (false religions, heresies) AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

⁶I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints (God's people), and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus [who were martyred]. When I saw her, I wondered in amazement.

⁷But the angel said to me, "Why do you wonder? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.

⁸"The beast that you saw was [once], but [now] is not, and he is about to come up out of the abyss (the bottomless pit, the dwelling place of demons) and go to destruction (perdition). And the inhabitants of the earth, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, will be astonished when they see the beast, because he was and is not and is yet to come [to earth].

⁹Here is the mind which has wisdom [and this is what it knows about the vision]. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits;

¹⁰and they are seven kings: five of whom have fallen, one exists and is reigning; the other [the seventh] has not yet come, and when he does come, he must remain a little while.

¹¹And the beast that [once] was but is not, is himself also an eighth king and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction (perdition).

¹²The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but [together] they receive authority as kings for a single hour [for a common purpose] along with the beast.

¹³These [kings] have one purpose [one mind, one common goal], and they give their power and authority to the beast.

¹⁴They will wage war against the Lamb (Christ), and the Lamb will triumph and conquer them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him and on His side are the called and chosen (elect) and faithful."

¹⁵Then the angel said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.

¹⁶And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the prostitute and will make her desolate and naked [stripped of her power and influence], and will eat her flesh and completely consume her with fire.

¹⁷For God has put it in their hearts to carry out His purpose by agreeing together to surrender their kingdom to the beast, until the [prophetic] words of God will be fulfilled.

¹⁸The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over and dominates and controls the kings and the political leaders of the earth."

¹(The Chorus) "Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Where is your beloved hiding himself, That we may seek him with you?"

²(The Shulammite Bride) "My beloved has gone down to his garden, To the beds of balsam, To feed his flock in the gardens And gather lilies.

³"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine, He who feeds his flock among the lilies."

⁴(The Bridegroom) "You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling, As lovely as Jerusalem, As majestic as an army with banners!

⁵"Turn your [flashing] eyes away from me, For they have confused and overcome me; Your hair is like [the shimmering black fleece of] a flock of [Arabian] goats That have descended from Mount Gilead.

⁶"Your teeth are like a flock of ewes Which have come up from their washing, All of which bear twins, And not one among them has lost her young.

⁷"Your temples are like a slice of the pomegranate Behind your veil.

⁸"There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, And maidens without number;

⁹But my dove, my perfect one, stands alone [above them all]; She is her mother's only daughter; She is the pure child of the one who bore her. The maidens saw her and called her blessed and happy, The queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,

¹⁰'Who is this that looks down like the dawn, Fair and beautiful as the full moon, Clear and pure as the sun, As majestic as an army with banners?'

¹¹"I went down to the orchard of nut trees To see the flowers of the valley, To see whether the grapevine had budded And the pomegranates were in flower.

¹²"Before I was aware [of what was happening], my desire had brought me Into the area of the princes of my people [the king's retinue]."

¹³(The Chorus) "Return, return, O Shulammite; Return, return, that we may gaze at you." (The Bridegroom) "Why should you gaze at the Shulammite, As at the dance of the two armies?

¹To the Chief Musician; set to [the tune of] "The Lily of the Testimony." A Mikhtam of David [intended to record memorable thoughts and] to teach; when he struggled with the Arameans of Mesopotamia and the Arameans of Zobah, and when Joab returned and struck twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. O God, You have rejected us and cast us off. You have broken [down our defenses and scattered] us; You have been angry; O restore us and turn again to us.

²You have made the land quake, You have split it open; Heal its rifts, for it shakes and totters.

³You have made Your people experience hardship; You have given us wine to drink that makes us stagger and fall.

⁴You have set up a banner for those who fear You [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder—a banner to shield them from attack], A banner that may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.

⁵That Your beloved ones may be rescued, Save with Your right hand and answer us.

⁶God has spoken in His holiness [in His promises]: "I will rejoice, I will divide [the land of] Shechem and measure out the Valley of Succoth [west to east].

⁷"Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim is My helmet; Judah is My scepter.

⁸"Moab is My washbowl; Over Edom I shall throw My shoe [in triumph]; Over Philistia I raise the shout [of victory]."

⁹Who will bring me into the besieged city [of Petra]? Who will lead me to Edom?

¹⁰Have You not rejected us, O God? And will You not go out with our armies?

¹¹Give us help against the enemy, For the help of man is worthless (ineffectual, without purpose).

¹²Through God we will have victory, For He will trample down our enemies.

¹He who hardens his neck and refuses instruction after being often reproved (corrected, criticized), Will suddenly be broken beyond repair.

²When the righteous are in authority and become great, the people rejoice; But when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh.

³A man who loves [skillful and godly] wisdom makes his father joyful, But he who associates with prostitutes wastes his wealth.

⁴The king establishes (stabilizes) the land by justice, But a man who takes bribes overthrows it.

⁵A man who flatters his neighbor [with smooth words intending to do harm] Is spreading a net for his own feet.

⁶By his wicked plan an evil man is trapped, But the righteous man sings and rejoices [for his plan brings good things to him].

⁷The righteous man cares for the rights of the poor, But the wicked man has no interest in such knowledge.

⁸Scoffers set a city afire [by stirring up trouble], But wise men turn away anger [and restore order with their good judgment].

⁹If a wise man has a controversy with a foolish and arrogant man, The foolish man [ignores logic and fairness and] only rages or laughs, and there is no peace (rest, agreement).

¹⁰The bloodthirsty hate the blameless [because of his integrity], But the upright are concerned for his life.

¹¹A [shortsighted] fool always loses his temper and displays his anger, But a wise man [uses self-control and] holds it back.

¹²If a ruler pays attention to lies [and encourages corruption], All his officials will become wicked.

¹³The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives light to the eyes of both.

¹⁴If a king faithfully and truthfully judges the poor, His throne shall be established forever.

¹⁵The rod and reproof (godly instruction) give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.

¹⁶When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases, But the righteous will see the downfall of the wicked.

¹⁷Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; Yes, he will delight your soul.

¹⁸Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].

¹⁹A servant will not be corrected by words alone; For though he understands, he will not respond [nor pay attention].

²⁰Do you see a [conceited] man who speaks quickly [offering his opinions or answering without thinking]? There is more hope for a [thickheaded] fool than for him.

²¹He who pampers his slave from childhood Will find him to be a son in the end.

²²An angry man stirs up strife, And a hot-tempered and undisciplined man commits many transgressions.

²³A man's pride and sense of self-importance will bring him down, But he who has a humble spirit will obtain honor.

²⁴Whoever is partner with a thief hates his own life; He hears the curse [when swearing an oath to testify], but discloses nothing [and commits perjury by omission].

²⁵The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in and puts his confidence in the LORD will be exalted and safe.

²⁶Many seek the ruler's favor, But justice for man comes from the LORD.

²⁷An unjust man is repulsive to the righteous, And he who is upright in the way [of the LORD] is repulsive to the wicked.

¹Now Nahash the Ammonite [king] went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty [of peace] with us and we will serve you."

²But Nahash the Ammonite told them, "I will make a treaty with you on this condition, that I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you, and make it a disgrace upon all Israel."

³The elders of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Give us seven days so that we may send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out [and surrender] to you."

⁴Then the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news to the people; and all the people raised their voices and wept aloud.

⁵Now Saul was coming out of the field behind the oxen, and he said, "What is the matter with the people that they are weeping?" So they told him about the report of the men of Jabesh.

⁶The Spirit of God came upon Saul mightily when he heard these words, and he became extremely angry.

⁷He took a team of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, "Whoever does not come out to follow Saul and Samuel, the same shall be done to his oxen." Then fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out [united] as one man [with one purpose].

⁸He assembled and counted them at Bezek; and the sons of Israel numbered 300,000, and the men of Judah 30,000.

⁹They said to the messengers who had come, "You shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will have help [against the Ammonites].'" So the messengers came and reported this to the men of Jabesh; and they were overjoyed.

¹⁰So the men of Jabesh said [to Nahash the Ammonite], "Tomorrow we will come out to you [to surrender], and you may do to us whatever seems good to you."

¹¹The next morning Saul put the men into three companies; and they entered the [Ammonites'] camp during the [darkness of the early] morning watch and killed the Ammonites until the heat of the day; and the survivors were scattered, and no two of them were left together.

¹²The people said to Samuel, "Who is the one who said, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring the men, and we will put them to death."

¹³But Saul said, "No man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has brought victory to Israel."

¹⁴Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and there restore the kingdom."

¹⁵So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they also sacrificed peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

¹"Arise [from spiritual depression to a new life], shine [be radiant with the glory and brilliance of the LORD]; for your light has come, And the glory and brilliance of the LORD has risen upon you.

²"For in fact, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness will cover the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you [Jerusalem] And His glory and brilliance will be seen on you.

³"Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.

⁴"Lift up your eyes around you and see; They all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from far away, And your daughters will be looked after at their side.

⁵"Then you will see and be radiant, And your heart will tremble [with joy] and rejoice Because the abundant wealth of the seas will be brought to you, The wealth of the nations will come to you.

⁶"A multitude of camels [from the eastern trading tribes] will cover you [Jerusalem], The young camels of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba [who once came to trade] will come Bringing gold and frankincense And proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

⁷"All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you [as the eastern pastoral tribes join the trading tribes], The rams of Nebaioth will serve you; They will go up with acceptance [as sacrifices] on My altar, And I will glorify the house of My honor and splendor.

⁸"Who are these who fly like a cloud And like doves to their windows?

⁹"The islands and coastlands will confidently wait for Me; And the ships of Tarshish will come first, To bring your sons from far away, Their silver and gold with them, For the name of the LORD your God, For the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you.

¹⁰"Foreigners will build up your walls, And their kings will serve you; For in My [righteous] wrath I struck you, But in My favor and grace I have had compassion on you.

¹¹"Your gates will be open continually; They shall not be shut day or night, So that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations— With their kings led in procession.

¹²"For the nation or the kingdom which will not serve you [Jerusalem] shall perish, And the nations [that refuse to serve] shall be utterly ruined.

¹³"The glory of Lebanon will come to you, The cypress, the juniper, and the cedar together, To beautify the place of My sanctuary; And I will honor and make the place of My feet glorious.

¹⁴"The sons of those who oppressed you will come bowing down to you [in submission], And all those who despised you and treated you disrespectfully will bow down at the soles of your feet, And they will call you the City of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁵"Whereas you [Jerusalem] have been abandoned and hated With no one passing through, I will make you an object of pride forever, A joy from generation to generation.

¹⁶"You will suck the milk of the [Gentile] nations And suck the breast (abundance) of kings; Then you will recognize and know that I, the LORD, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

¹⁷"Instead of bronze I will bring gold, And instead of iron I will bring silver, And instead of wood, bronze, And instead of stones, iron. And [instead of the tyranny of the present] I will appoint peace as your officers, And righteousness your rulers.

¹⁸"Violence will not be heard again in your land, Nor devastation or destruction within your borders; But you will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise [to God].

¹⁹"The sun will no longer be your light by day, Nor shall the bright glow of the moon give light to you, But the LORD will be an everlasting light for you; And your God will be your glory and splendor.

²⁰"Your sun will no longer set, Nor will your moon wane; For the LORD will be your everlasting light, And the days of your mourning will be over.

²¹"Then all your people will be [uncompromisingly and consistently] righteous; They will possess the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified.

²²"The smallest one will become a thousand (a clan), And the least one a mighty nation. I, the LORD, will quicken it in its [appointed] time."

¹And while Peter and John were talking to the people, the priests and the captain [who was in charge of the temple area and] of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,

²being extremely disturbed and thoroughly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in [the case of] Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

³So they arrested them and put them in jail until the next day, because it was evening.

⁴But many of those who heard the message [of salvation] believed [in Jesus and accepted Him as the Christ]. And the number of the men came to be about 5,000.

⁵On the next day, their magistrates and elders and scribes (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) were gathered together in Jerusalem;

⁶and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all others who were of high-priestly descent.

⁷When they had put the men in front of them, they repeatedly asked, "By what sort of power, or in what name [that is, by what kind of authority], did you do this [healing]?"

⁸Then Peter, filled with [the power of] the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers and elders of the people [members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Court],

⁹if we are being put on trial today [to interrogate us] for a good deed done to [benefit] a disabled man, as to how this man has been restored to health,

¹⁰let it be known and clearly understood by all of you, and by all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you [demanded be] crucified [by the Romans and], whom God raised from the dead—in this name [that is, by the authority and power of Jesus] this man stands here before you in good health.

¹¹This Jesus is the stone which was despised and rejected by you, the builders, but which became thechief Cornerstone.

¹²And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among people by which we must be saved [for God has provided the world no alternative for salvation]."

¹³Now when the men of the Sanhedrin (Jewish High Court) saw the confidence and boldness of Peter and John, and grasped the fact that they were uneducated and untrained [ordinary] men, they were astounded, and began to recognize that they had been with Jesus.

¹⁴And seeing the man who had been healed standing there with them, they had nothing to say in reply.

¹⁵But after ordering them to step out of the Council [chamber], they began to confer among themselves,

¹⁶saying, "What are we to do with these men? For the fact that an extraordinary miracle has taken place through them is public knowledge and clearly evident to all the residents of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

¹⁷But to keep it from spreading further among the people and the nation, let us [sternly] warn them not to speak again to anyone in this name."

¹⁸So they sent for them, and commanded them not to speak [as His representatives] or teach at all in the name of Jesus [using Him as their authority].

¹⁹But Peter and John replied to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you and obey you rather than God, you must judge [for yourselves];

²⁰for we, on our part, cannot stop telling [people] about what we have seen and heard."

²¹When the rulers and Council members had threatened them further, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because [of their fear] of the people, for they were all praising and glorifying and honoring God for what had happened;

²²for the man to whom this sign (attesting miracle) of healing had happened was more than forty years old.

²³After Peter and John were released, they returned to their own [people] and reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them.

²⁴And when they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, "O Sovereign Lord [having complete power and authority], it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them,

²⁵who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David, Your servant, said, 'Why did the nations (Gentiles) become arrogant and rage, And the peoples devise futile things [against the Lord]?

²⁶'The kings of the earth took their stand [to attack], And the rulers were assembled together Against the Lord and against His Anointed (the Christ, the Messiah).'

²⁷For in this city there were gathered together against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,

²⁸to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined [before the creation of the world] to occur [and so without knowing it, they served Your own purpose].

²⁹And now, Lord, observe their threats [take them into account] and grant that Your bond-servants may declare Your message [of salvation] with great confidence,

³⁰while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders (attesting miracles) take place through the name [and the authority and power] of Your holy Servant and Son Jesus."

³¹And when they had prayed, the place where they were meeting together was shaken [a sign of God's presence]; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness and courage.

³²Now the company of believers was of one heart and soul, and not one [of them] claimed that anything belonging to him was [exclusively] his own, but everything was common property and for the use of all.

³³And with great ability and power the apostles were continuously testifying to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace [God's remarkable lovingkindness and favor and goodwill] rested richly upon them all.

³⁴There was not a needy person among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them, and bringing the proceeds of the sales

³⁵and placing the money down at the apostles' feet. Then it was distributed to each as anyone had need.

³⁶Now Joseph, a Levite and native of Cyprus, who was surnamed Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement),

³⁷sold a field belonging to him and brought the money and set it at the apostles' feet.