Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Now He looked up and saw the wealthy putting their gifts into the temple treasury.

²And He saw a poor widow putting in two lepta coins.

³And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them;

⁴for they allcontributed to theoffering from theirsurplus; but she, from her poverty, put in allthat she had to live on.”

⁵And while some were talking about the temple, that it was decorated with beautiful stones and vowed gifts, He said,

⁶“As for these things which you are observing, the days will come when there will not be left one stone uponanother, which will not be torn down.”

⁷They asked Him questions, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?”

⁸And He said, “See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them.

⁹And when you hear of wars and revolts, do not be alarmed; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.”

¹⁰Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,

¹¹and there will bemassive earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrible sights and greatsigns from heaven.

¹²“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, turning you over to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors on account of My name.

¹³It will lead toan opportunity for your testimony.

¹⁴Somake up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves;

¹⁵for I will provide youeloquence and wisdom which none of your adversaries will be able to oppose or refute.

¹⁶But you will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, other relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death,

¹⁷and you will be hated by all people because of My name.

¹⁸And yet not a hair of your head will perish.

¹⁹By your endurance you will gain yourlives.

²⁰“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near.

²¹Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are insidethe city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enterthe city;

²²because these are days of punishment, so that all things which have been written will be fulfilled.

²³Woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon theland, and wrath to this people;

²⁴and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

²⁵“There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,

²⁶people fainting from fear and the expectation of the things that are coming upon theworld; for the powers ofthe heavens will be shaken.

²⁷And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

²⁸But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

²⁹And He told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees:

³⁰as soon as they put forth leaves, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near.

³¹So you too, when you see these things happening,recognize that the kingdom of God is near.

³²Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.

³³Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

³⁴“But be on your guard, so that your hearts will not be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that this day will not come on you suddenly, like a trap;

³⁵for it will come upon all those who live on the face of all the earth.

³⁶But stay alert at all times, praying that you will have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

³⁷Now during the day He was teaching in the temple, but at evening He would go out and spend the night on the mountain that is called Olivet.

³⁸And all the people would get up very early in the morning to come to Him in the temple to listen to Him.

¹Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying: “I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.

²The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

³The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name.

⁴Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has thrown into the sea; And the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.

⁵The waters cover them; They went down into the depths like a stone.

⁶Your right hand, LORD, is majestic in power; Your right hand, LORD, destroys the enemy.

⁷And in the greatness of Your excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You; You send out Your burning anger, and it consumes them like chaff.

⁸At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up, The flowing waters stood up like a heap; The depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

⁹The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoils; I shall be satisfied against them; I will draw my sword, my hand will destroy them.’

¹⁰You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

¹¹Who is like You among the gods, LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?

¹²You reached out with Your right hand, The earth swallowed them.

¹³In Your faithfulness You have led the people whom You have redeemed; In Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation.

¹⁴The peoples have heard, they tremble; Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.

¹⁵Then the chiefs of Edom were terrified; The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them; All the inhabitants of Canaan have despaired.

¹⁶Terror and dread fall upon them; By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone, Until Your people pass over, LORD, Until the people pass over whom You have purchased.

¹⁷You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, The place, LORD, which You have made as Your dwelling, The sanctuary, Lord, which Your hands have established.

¹⁸The LORD shall reign forever and ever.”

¹⁹For the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea.

²⁰Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing.

²¹And Miriam answered them, “Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and his rider He has hurled into the sea.”

²²Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.

²³When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, because they were bitter; for that reason it was named Marah.

²⁴So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”

²⁵Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them.

²⁶And He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and listen to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.”

²⁷Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.

¹Masters, grant your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

²Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;

³praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;

⁴that I may make it clear in the way that I ought to proclaim it.

⁵Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

⁶Your speech must always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

⁷As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information.

⁸For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts;

⁹and with him is Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your own. They will inform you about the whole situation here.

¹⁰Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas’ cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him);

¹¹and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me.

¹²Epaphras, who is one of your own, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings, always striving earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.

¹³For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

¹⁴Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and Demas does also.

¹⁵Greet the brothers and sisters who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house.

¹⁶When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part, read my letter that is coming from Laodicea.

¹⁷Tell Archippus, “See to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, so that you may fulfill it.”

¹⁸I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you.

¹And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,

²in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

³There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;

⁴they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.

⁵And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will reign forever and ever.

⁶And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.

⁷“And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

⁸I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

⁹And he *said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”

¹⁰And he *said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.

¹¹Let the one who does wrong still do wrong, and the one who is filthy still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous still practice righteousness, and the one who is holy still keep himself holy.”

¹²“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves.

¹³I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

¹⁴Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates.

¹⁵Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral persons, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.

¹⁶“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you of these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

¹⁷The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires, take the water of life without cost.

¹⁸I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;

¹⁹and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

²⁰He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

²¹The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

¹Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.

²And Job said,

³“May the day on which I was to be born perish, As well as the night which said, ‘A boy is conceived.’

⁴May that day be darkness; May God above not care for it, Nor light shine on it.

⁵May darkness and black gloom claim it; May a cloud settle on it; May the blackness of the day terrify it.

⁶As for that night, may darkness seize it; May it not rejoice among the days of the year; May it not come into the number of the months.

⁷Behold, may that night be barren; May no joyful shout enter it.

⁸May those curse it who curse the day, Who are prepared to disturb Leviathan.

⁹May the stars of its twilight be darkened; May it wait for light but have none, And may it not see the breaking dawn;

¹⁰Because it did not shut the opening of my mother’s womb, Or hide trouble from my eyes.

¹¹“Why did I not die at birth, Come out of the womb and pass away?

¹²Why were the knees there in front of me, And why the breasts, that I would nurse?

¹³For now I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept then, I would have been at rest,

¹⁴With kings and counselors of the earth, Who rebuilt ruins for themselves;

¹⁵Or with rulers who had gold, Who were filling their houses with silver.

¹⁶Or like a miscarriage which is hidden, I would not exist, As infants that never saw light.

¹⁷There the wicked cease from raging, And there the weary are at rest.

¹⁸The prisoners are at ease together; They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.

¹⁹The small and the great are there, And the slave is free from his master.

²⁰“Why is light given to one burdened with grief, And life to the bitter of soul,

²¹Who long for death, but there is none, And dig for it more than for hidden treasures;

²²Who are filled with jubilation, And rejoice when they find the grave?

²³Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, And whom God has shut off?

²⁴For my groaning comes at the sight of my food, And my cries pour out like water.

²⁵For what I fear comes upon me, And what I dread encounters me.

²⁶I am not at ease, nor am I quiet, And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.”

¹There will be silence before You, and praise in Zion, God, And the vow will be fulfilled for You.

²You who hear prayer, To You all mankind comes.

³Wrongdoings prevail against me; As for our offenses, You forgive them.

⁴Blessed is the one You choose and allow to approach You; He will dwell in Your courtyards. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.

⁵By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, God of our salvation, You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and the farthest sea;

⁶Who establishes the mountains by His strength, Who is encircled with might;

⁷Who stills the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, And the turmoil of the nations.

⁸They who dwell at the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the sunrise and the sunset shout for joy.

⁹You visit the earth and cause it to overflow; You greatly enrich it; The stream of God is full of water; You prepare their grain, for so You prepare the earth.

¹⁰You water its furrows abundantly, You settle its ridges, You soften it with showers, You bless its growth.

¹¹You have crowned the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with fatness.

¹²The pastures of the wilderness drip, And the hills encircle themselves with rejoicing.

¹³The meadows are clothed with flocks And the valleys are covered with grain; They shout for joy, yes, they sing.

¹My son, do not forget my teaching, But have your heart comply with my commandments;

²For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you.

³Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴So you will find favor and a good reputation In the sight of God and man.

⁵Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.

⁶In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

⁷Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

⁸It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.

⁹Honor the LORD from your wealth, And from the first of all your produce;

¹⁰Then your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.

¹¹My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His rebuke,

¹²For whom the LORD loves He disciplines, Just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.

¹³Blessed is a person who finds wisdom, And one who obtains understanding.

¹⁴For her profit is better than the profit of silver, And her produce better than gold.

¹⁵She is more precious than jewels, And nothing you desire compares with her.

¹⁶Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor.

¹⁷Her ways are pleasant ways, And all her paths are peace.

¹⁸She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are those who hold on to her.

¹⁹The LORD founded the earth by wisdom, He established the heavens by understanding.

²⁰By His knowledge the ocean depths were burst open, And the clouds drip with dew.

²¹My son, see that they do not escape from your sight; Comply with sound wisdom and discretion,

²²And they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck.

²³Then you will walk in your way securely, And your foot will not stumble.

²⁴When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

²⁵Do not be afraid of sudden danger, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;

²⁶For the LORD will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.

²⁷Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it.

²⁸Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it to you,” When you have it with you.

²⁹Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you.

³⁰Do not contend with a person for no reason, If he has done you no harm.

³¹Do not envy a violent person, And do not choose any of his ways.

³²For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright.

³³The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the home of the righteous.

³⁴Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the needy.

³⁵The wise will inherit honor, But fools increase dishonor.

¹Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, because I have chosen a king for Myself among his sons.”

²But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” But the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’

³And you shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you.”

⁴So Samuel did what the LORD told him, and he came to Bethlehem. Then the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “Do you come in peace?”

⁵And he said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’S anointed is standing before Him.”

⁷But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God does not see as man sees, since man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass before Samuel. But he said, “The LORD has not chosen this one, either.”

⁹Next Jesse had Shammah pass by. And he said, “The LORD has not chosen this one, either.”

¹⁰So Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.”

¹¹Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the boys?” And he said, “The youngest is still left, but behold, he is tending the sheep.” So Samuel said to Jesse, “Send word and bring him; for we will not take our places at the table until he comes here.”

¹²So he sent word and brought him in. Now he was reddish, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.”

¹³So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel set out and went to Ramah.

¹⁴Now the Spirit of the LORD left Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrified him.

¹⁵Saul’s servants then said to him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrifying you.

¹⁶May our lord now command your servants who are before you. Have them search for a man who is a skillful musician on the harp; and it shall come about whenever the evil spirit from God is upon you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will become well.”

¹⁷So Saul said to his servants, “Now select for me a man who can play well, and bring him to me.”

¹⁸Then one of the young men responded and said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a valiant mighty man, a warrior, skillful in speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is with him.”

¹⁹So Saul sent messengers to Jesse to say, “Send me your son David, who is with the flock.”

²⁰And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine, and he took a young goat, and sent them to Saul by his son David.

²¹Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul greatly loved him, and he became his armor bearer.

²²So Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Let David now be my attendant for he has found favor in my sight.”

²³So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would feel relieved and become well, and the evil spirit would leave him.

¹“I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’ To a nation which did not call on My name.

²I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts,

³A people who continually provoke Me to My face, Offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on bricks;

⁴Who sit among graves and spend the night in secret places; Who eat pig’s flesh, And the broth of unclean meat is in their pots.

⁵Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me, For I am holier than you!’ These are smoke in My nostrils, A fire that burns all the day.

⁶Behold, it is written before Me: I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will even repay into their laps,

⁷Both your own wrongdoings and the wrongdoings of your fathers together,” says the LORD. “Because they have burned incense on the mountains And scorned Me on the hills, Therefore I will measure their former work into their laps.”

⁸This is what the LORD says: “Just as the new wine is found in the cluster, And one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is benefit in it,’ So I will act in behalf of My servants In order not to destroy all of them.

⁹I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, And an heir of My mountains from Judah; My chosen ones shall inherit it, And My servants will live there.

¹⁰Sharon will be a pasture land for flocks, And the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, For My people who seek Me.

¹¹But as for you who abandon the LORD, Who forget My holy mountain, Who set a table for Fortune, And fill a jug of mixed wine for Destiny,

¹²I will destine you for the sword, And all of you will bow down to the slaughter. Because I called, but you did not answer; I spoke, but you did not listen. Instead, you did evil in My sight And chose that in which I did not delight.”

¹³Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: “Behold, My servants will eat, but you will be hungry. Behold, My servants will drink, but you will be thirsty. Behold, My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.

¹⁴Behold, My servants will shout joyfully with a glad heart, But you will cry out from a painful heart, And you will wail from a broken spirit.

¹⁵You will leave your name as a curse to My chosen ones, And the Lord GOD will put you to death. But My servants will be called by another name.

¹⁶Because the one who is blessed on the earth Will be blessed by the God of truth; And the one who swears an oath on the earth Will swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hidden from My sight!

¹⁷“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.

¹⁸But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing And her people for gladness.

¹⁹I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying.

²⁰No longer will there be in it an infant who lives only a few days, Or an old person who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of a hundred, And the one who does not reach the age of a hundred Will be thought accursed.

²¹They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

²²They will not build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will fully enjoy the work of their hands.

²³They will not labor in vain, Or give birth to children for disaster; For they are the descendants of those blessed by the LORD, And their descendants with them.

²⁴It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will listen.

²⁵The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm on all My holy mountain,” says the LORD.

¹Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,

²and asked for letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them in shackles to Jerusalem.

³Now as he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;

⁴and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

⁵And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,

⁶but get up and enter the city, and it will be told to you what you must do.”

⁷The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.

⁸Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.

⁹And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

¹¹And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying,

¹²and he has seenin a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.”

¹³But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints in Jerusalem;

¹⁴and here he has authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.”

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a choseninstrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;

¹⁶for I will show him how much he must suffer in behalf of My name.”

¹⁷So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

¹⁸And immediately something like fish scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized;

¹⁹and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were in Damascus,

²⁰and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

²¹All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not the one who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?”

²²But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

²³When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him,

²⁴but their plot became known to Saul. They were also closely watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death;

²⁵but his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

²⁶When he came to Jerusalem, he tried repeatedly to associate with the disciples; and yet they were all afraid of him, as they did not believe that he was a disciple.

²⁷But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus at Damascus.

²⁸And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.

²⁹And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death.

³⁰Now when the brothers learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

³¹So the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed peace, as it was being built up; and as it continued in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it kept increasing.

³²Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he also came down to the saints who lived at Lydda.

³³There he found a man named Aeneas who had been bedridden for eight years, because he was paralyzed.

³⁴Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your own bed.” Immediately he got up.

³⁵And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

³⁶Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which when translated means Dorcas); this woman was excelling in acts of kindness and charity which she did habitually.

³⁷But it happened at that time that she became sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upstairs room.

³⁸Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Do not delay in coming to us.”

³⁹So Peter got ready and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the room upstairs; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.

⁴⁰But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

⁴¹And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

⁴²It became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

⁴³And Peter stayed in Joppa many days with a tanner named Simon.