Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching.

²The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people [who listened devotedly to His teaching, and who respected His spiritual wisdom].

³Then Satan entered Judas, the one called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve [disciples].

⁴And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him and hand Him over to them.

⁵They were delighted and agreed with him to give him money.

⁶So he consented, and began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus to them [at a time when He was] separated from the crowd [because the people might riot or stop them from seizing Him].

⁷Then came the preparation day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

⁸So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover meal for us, so that we may eat it."

⁹They asked Him, "Where do You want us to prepare it?"

¹⁰He replied, "When you have entered the city, a man carrying an earthen jar of water will meet you; follow him into the house that he enters.

¹¹And say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'

¹²Then he will show you a large upstairs room, furnished [with carpets and dining couches]; prepare the meal there."

¹³They left and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

¹⁴When the hour [for the meal] had come, Jesus reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him.

¹⁵He said to them, "I have earnestly wanted to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;

¹⁶for I say to you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

¹⁷And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves;

¹⁸for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes."

¹⁹And when He had taken bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

²⁰And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant [ratified] in My blood.

²¹But listen, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table.

²²For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe (judgment is coming) to that man by whom He is betrayed and handed over!"

²³And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this.

²⁴Now a dispute also arose among them as to which of them was regarded to be the greatest.

²⁵Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles have absolute power and lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called 'Benefactors.'

²⁶But it is not to be this way with you; on the contrary, the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest [and least privileged], and the [one who is the] leader, like the servant.

²⁷For who is the greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

²⁸"You are those who have remained and have stood by Me in My trials;

²⁹and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you [the privilege]

³⁰that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

³¹"Simon, Simon (Peter), listen! Satan has demanded permission to sift [all of] you like grain;

³²but I have prayed [especially] for you [Peter], that your faith [and confidence in Me] may not fail; and you, once you have turned back again [to Me], strengthen and support your brothers [in the faith]."

³³And Peter said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You both to prison and to death!"

³⁴Jesus said, "I say to you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will [utterly] deny three times that you know Me."

³⁵And He said to them, "When I sent you out without a money belt and [provision] bag and [extra] sandals, did you lack anything?" They answered, "Nothing."

³⁶Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money belt is to take it along, and also his [provision] bag, and he who has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one.

³⁷For I tell you that this [Scripture] which is written must be completed and fulfilled in Me: 'And He was counted with the criminals'; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment [and is settled]."

³⁸They said, "Lord, look, here are two swords." And He said to them, "It is enough."

³⁹And He came out and went, as was His habit, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed Him.

⁴⁰When He arrived at the place [called Gethsemane], He said to them, "Pray continually that you may not fall into temptation."

⁴¹And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed,

⁴²saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup [of divine wrath] from Me; yet not My will, but [always] Yours be done."

⁴³Now an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

⁴⁴And being in agony [deeply distressed and anguished; almost to the point of death], He prayed more intently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down on the ground.

⁴⁵When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow,

⁴⁶and He said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not fall into temptation."

⁴⁷While He was still speaking, a crowd came, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve [disciples], was leading the way for them. He approached Jesus to kiss Him.

⁴⁸And Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"

⁴⁹When those who were around Him saw what was about to happen, they said, "Lord, should we strike with the sword?"

⁵⁰And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.

⁵¹But Jesus replied, "Stop! No more of this." And He touched the ear and healed him.

⁵²Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders [of the Sanhedrin] who had come out against Him, "Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against a robber?

⁵³Day after day when I was with you in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but this hour and the power and authority of darkness are yours."

⁵⁴Then they seized Him, and led Him away and brought Him to the [elegant] house of the [Jewish] high priest. And Peter was following at a [safe] distance.

⁵⁵After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat among them.

⁵⁶And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, "This man was with Him too."

⁵⁷But Peter denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him!"

⁵⁸A little later someone else saw him and said, "You are one of them too." But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"

⁵⁹After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, "This man was with Him, for he is a Galilean too."

⁶⁰But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about." Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.

⁶¹The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, "Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times."

⁶²And he went out and wept bitterly [deeply grieved and distressed].

⁶³Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking and ridiculing Him [and treating Him with contempt] and beating Him.

⁶⁴They blindfolded Him and asked, "Prophesy, who is it that struck You?"

⁶⁵And they were saying many other [evil and slanderous] things against Him, blaspheming [speaking sacrilegiously and abusively about] Him.

⁶⁶When day came, the Council of the elders of the people (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) assembled, both chief priests and scribes; and they led Jesus away to the council chamber, saying,

⁶⁷"If You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), tell us." But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe [what I say],

⁶⁸and if I ask a question, you will not answer.

⁶⁹But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God."

⁷⁰And they all said, "Are You the Son of God, then?" He replied, "It is just as you say."

⁷¹Then they asked, "What further need of testimony do we have? For we ourselves have heard it from His own mouth."

¹They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they left the land of Egypt.

²The whole congregation of the Israelites [grew discontented and] murmured and rebelled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,

³and the Israelites said to them, " Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and ate bread until we were full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this entire assembly with hunger."

⁴Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will cause bread to rain from heaven for you; the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, so that I may test them [to determine] whether or not they will walk [obediently] in My instruction (law).

⁵And it shall be that on the sixth day, they shall prepare to bring in twice as much as they gather daily [so that they will not need to gather on the seventh day]."

⁶So Moses and Aaron said to all Israel, "At evening you shall know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt,

⁷and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, for He hears your murmurings against the LORD. What are we, that you murmur and rebel against us?"

⁸Moses said, "This will happen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning [enough] bread to be fully satisfied, because the LORD has heard your murmurings against Him; for what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD."

⁹Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to all the congregation of Israel, 'Approach the LORD, because He has heard your murmurings.'"

¹⁰So it happened that as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory and brilliance of the LORD appeared in the cloud!

¹¹Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

¹²"I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites; speak to them, saying, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'"

¹³So in the evening the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a blanket of dew around the camp.

¹⁴When the layer of dew evaporated, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine, flake-like thing, as fine as frost on the ground.

¹⁵When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, " What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

¹⁶This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Let every man gather as much of it as he needs. Take an omer for each person, according to the number of people each of you has in his tent.'"

¹⁷The Israelites did so, and some gathered much [of it] and some [only a] little.

¹⁸When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered a large amount had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered according to his need (family size).

¹⁹Moses said, "Let none of it be left [overnight] until [the next] morning."

²⁰But they did not listen to Moses, and some left a supply of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul and rotten; and Moses was angry with them.

²¹So they gathered it every morning, each as much as he needed, because when the sun was hot it melted.

²²Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each person; and all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses.

²³He said to them, "This is what the LORD has said: 'Tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD'; bake and boil what you will bake and boil [today], and all that remains left over put aside for yourselves to keep until morning."

²⁴They put it aside until morning, as Moses told them, and it did not become foul nor was it wormy.

²⁵Then Moses said, "Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field.

²⁶Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none [in the field]."

²⁷Now on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.

²⁸Then the LORD said to Moses, "How long do you [people] refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions (laws)?

²⁹See, the LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you the bread for two days on the sixth day. Let every man stay in his place; no man is to leave his place on the seventh day."

³⁰So the people rested on the seventh day.

³¹The house of Israel called the bread manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and it tasted like flat pastry (wafers) made with honey.

³²Then Moses said, "This is the word which the LORD commands, 'Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'"

³³So Moses said to Aaron, "Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the LORD to be kept throughout your generations."

³⁴As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron [eventually] placed it in the presence of the Testimony, to be kept.

³⁵The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they reached an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

³⁶(Now an omer is the tenth of an ephah.)

¹God, having spoken to the fathers long ago in [the voices and writings of] the prophets in many separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the truth], and in many ways,

²has in these last days spoken [with finality] to us in [the person of One who is by His character and nature] His Son [namely Jesus], whom He appointed heir and lawful owner of all things, through whom also He created the universe [that is, the universe as a space-time-matter continuum].

³The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of [our awesome] God [reflecting God's Shekinah glory, the Light-being, the brilliant light of the divine], and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His [Father's] essence, and upholding and maintaining and propelling all things [the entire physical and spiritual universe] by His powerful word [carrying the universe along to its predetermined goal]. When He [Himself and no other] had [by offering Himself on the cross as a sacrifice for sin] accomplished purification from sins and established our freedom from guilt, He sat down [revealing His completed work] at the right hand of the Majesty on high [revealing His Divine authority],

⁴having become as much superior to angels, since He has inherited a more excellent and glorious name than they [that is, Son—the name above all names].

⁵For to which of the angels did the Father ever say, "You are My Son, Today I have begotten (fathered) You [established You as a Son, with kingly dignity]"? And again [did He ever say to the angels], "I shall be a Father to Him And He shall be a Son to Me"?

⁶And when He again brings the firstborn [highest-ranking Son] into the world, He says, "And all the angels of God are to worship Him."

⁷And concerning the angels He says, "Who makes His angels winds, And His ministering servants flames of fire [to do His bidding]."

⁸But about the Son [the Father says to Him], "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, And thescepter of [absolute] righteousness is the scepter ofHis kingdom.

⁹"You have loved righteousness [integrity, virtue, uprightness in purpose] and have hated lawlessness [injustice, sin]. Therefore God, Your God, Has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions."

¹⁰And, "You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, And the heavens are the works of Your hands;

¹¹They will perish, but You remain [forever and ever]; And they will all wear out like a garment,

¹²And like a robe You will roll them up; Like a garment they will be changed. ButYou are the same [forever], And Your years will never end."

¹³But to which of the angels has the Father ever said, "Sit at My right hand [together with me in royal dignity], Until I make your enemies A footstool for your feet [in triumphant conquest]"?

¹⁴Are not all the angels ministering spirits sent out [by God] to serve (accompany, protect) those who will inherit salvation? [Of course they are!]

¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

²"If we dare to converse with you, will you be impatient [or offended]? But who can restrain himself from speaking?

³"Behold, you have admonished and instructed many, And you have strengthened weak hands.

⁴"Your words have helped the one who was stumbling to stand, And you have strengthened feeble knees.

⁵"But now adversity comes upon you, and you are impatient and intolerant; It touches you, and you are horrified.

⁶"Is not your fear of God your confidence, And [is not] the integrity and uprightness of your ways your hope?

⁷"Remember now, who, being innocent, ever perished? Or where [and in what circumstances] were those upright and in right standing with God destroyed?

⁸"As I have seen, those who plow wickedness And those who sow trouble and harm harvest it.

⁹"By the breath of God they perish, And by the blast of His anger they are consumed.

¹⁰"The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions are broken.

¹¹"The lion perishes for lack of prey, And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

¹²"Now a word was secretly brought to me, And my ear received a whisper of it.

¹³"Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men,

¹⁴Dread and trembling came upon me, Which made all my bones shake.

¹⁵"Then a spirit passed before my face; The hair on my skin stood on end!

¹⁶"The spirit stood still, but I could not discern its appearance; A form was before my eyes; There was silence, and then I heard a voice, saying:

¹⁷'Can [mortal] man be just before God or be more righteous than He? Can a man be pure before his Maker or be more cleansed than He?

¹⁸'God puts no trust or confidence, even in His [heavenly] servants, And He charges His angels with error.

¹⁹'How much more [will He blame and charge] those who dwell in houses (bodies) of clay, Whose foundations are in the dust, Who are crushed like a moth.

²⁰'Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces and destroyed; Unobserved and unnoticed, they perish forever.

²¹'Is not their tent-cord drawn up within them [so that the tent collapses]? Do they not die, and yet without [acquiring] wisdom?'

¹To the Chief Musician. A Song. A Psalm. Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;

²Sing of the honor and glory and magnificence of His name; Make His praise glorious.

³Say to God, "How awesome and fearfully glorious are Your works! Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will pretend to be obedient to You.

⁴"All the earth will [bow down to] worship You [in submissive wonder], And will sing praises to You; They will praise Your name in song." Selah.

⁵Come and see the works of God, He is awesome in His deeds toward the children of men.

⁶He turned the sea into dry land; They crossed through the river on foot; There we rejoiced in Him.

⁷Who rules by His might forever, His eyes keep watch on the nations; Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

⁸Bless our God, O peoples, And make the sound of His praise be heard abroad,

⁹Who keeps us among the living, And does not allow our feet to slip or stumble.

¹⁰For You have tested us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined.

¹¹You brought us into the net; You laid a heavy burden [of servitude] on us.

¹²You made men (charioteers) ride over our heads [in defeat]; We went through fire and through water, Yet You brought us out into a [broad] place of abundance [to be refreshed].

¹³I shall come into Your house with burnt offerings; I shall pay You my vows,

¹⁴Which my lips uttered And my mouth spoke as a promise when I was in distress.

¹⁵I shall offer to You burnt offerings of fat lambs, With the [sweet] smoke of rams; I will offer bulls with male goats. Selah.

¹⁶Come and hear, all who fear God [and worship Him with awe-inspired reverence and obedience], And I will tell what He has done for me.

¹⁷I cried aloud to Him; He was highly praised with my tongue.

¹⁸If I regard sin and baseness in my heart [that is, if I know it is there and do nothing about it], The Lord will not hear [me];

¹⁹But certainly God has heard [me]; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.

²⁰Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer Nor His lovingkindness from me.

¹Hear, O children, the instruction of a father, And pay attention [and be willing to learn] so that you may gain understanding and intelligent discernment.

²For I give you good doctrine; Do not turn away from my instruction.

³When I was a son with my father (David), Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother (Bathsheba),

⁴He taught me and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live.

⁵"Get [skillful and godly] wisdom! Acquire understanding [actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation]! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

⁶"Do not turn away from her (Wisdom) and she will guard and protect you; Love her, and she will watch over you.

⁷"The beginning of wisdom is: Get [skillful and godly] wisdom [it is preeminent]! And with all your acquiring, get understanding [actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation].

⁸"Prize wisdom [and exalt her], and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her.

⁹"She will place on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty and glory."

¹⁰Hear, my son, and accept my sayings, And the years of your life will be many.

¹¹I have instructed you in the way of [skillful and godly] wisdom; I have led you in upright paths.

¹²When you walk, your steps will not be impeded [for your path will be clear and open]; And when you run, you will not stumble.

¹³Take hold of instruction; [actively seek it, grip it firmly and] do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life.

¹⁴Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not go the way of evil men.

¹⁵Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on.

¹⁶For the wicked cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are deprived of sleep unless they make someone stumble and fall.

¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness And drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸But the path of the just (righteous) is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day.

¹⁹The way of the wicked is like [deep] darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.

²⁰My son, pay attention to my words and be willing to learn; Open your ears to my sayings.

²¹Do not let them escape from your sight; Keep them in the center of your heart.

²²For they are life to those who find them, And healing and health to all their flesh.

²³Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

²⁴Put away from you a deceitful (lying, misleading) mouth, And put devious lips far from you.

²⁵Let your eyes look directly ahead [toward the path of moral courage] And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you [toward the path of integrity].

²⁶Consider well and watch carefully the path of your feet, And all your ways will be steadfast and sure.

²⁷Do not turn away to the right nor to the left [where evil may lurk]; Turn your foot from [the path of] evil.

¹Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle and were assembled at Socoh, which belongs to Judah; and they camped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim.

²Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together and they camped in the Valley of Elah, and assembled in battle formation to meet the Philistines.

³The Philistines were standing on the mountain on one side and Israel was standing on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them.

⁴Then a champion came out from the camp of the Philistines named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

⁵He had a bronze helmet on his head, and wore a coat of scale-armor (overlapping metal plates) which weighed5,000 shekels of bronze.

⁶He had bronze shin protectors on his legs and a bronze javelin hung between his shoulders.

⁷The [wooden] shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam; the blade-head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And a shield-bearer walked in front of him.

⁸Goliath stood and shouted to the battle lines of Israel, saying to them, "Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not the Philistine and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and have him come down to me.

⁹If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us."

¹⁰Again the Philistine said, "I defy the battle lines of Israel this day; give me a man so that we may fight together."

¹¹When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

¹²Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men.

¹³His three older sons had followed Saul into battle. The names of his three sons who went to battle were Eliab, the firstborn; next, Abinadab; and third, Shammah.

¹⁴David was the youngest. Now the three oldest followed Saul,

¹⁵but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's flock at Bethlehem.

¹⁶The Philistine [Goliath] came out morning and evening, and took his stand for forty days.

¹⁷Then Jesse said to David his son, "Take for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread and run quickly to the camp to your brothers.

¹⁸Also take these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of the unit. See how your brothers are doing and bring back news of them.

¹⁹Now they are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines."

²⁰So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with a keeper, picked up the provisions and went just as Jesse had directed him. And he came to the encampment as the army was going out in battle formation shouting the battle cry.

²¹Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle formation, army against army.

²²Then David left his provisions in the care of the supply keeper, and ran to the ranks and came and greeted his brothers.

²³As he was talking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words again; and David heard him.

²⁴When the men of Israel all saw the man, they fled from him, and were very frightened.

²⁵The men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. The king will reward the man who kills him with great riches, and will give him his daughter [in marriage] and make his father's house (family) free [from taxes and service] in Israel."

²⁶Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes the disgrace [of his taunting] from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he has taunted and defied the armies of the living God?"

²⁷The men told him, "That is what will be done for the man who kills him."

²⁸Now Eliab his oldest brother heard what he said to the men; and Eliab's anger burned against David and he said, "Why have you come down here? With whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption (overconfidence) and the evil of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle."

²⁹But David said, "What have I done now? Was it not just a [harmless] question?"

³⁰Then David turned away from Eliab to someone else and asked the same question; and the people gave him the same answer as the first time.

³¹When the words that David spoke were heard, the men reported them to Saul, and he sent for him.

³²David said to Saul, "Let no man's courage fail because of him (Goliath). Your servant will go out and fight with this Philistine."

³³Then Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight him. For you are [only] a young man and he has been a warrior since his youth."

³⁴But David said to Saul, "Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,

³⁵I went out after it and attacked it and rescued the lamb from its mouth; and when it rose up against me, I seized it by its whiskers and struck and killed it.

³⁶Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted and defied the armies of the living God."

³⁷David said, "The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and may the LORD be with you."

³⁸Then Saul dressed David in his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head, and put a coat of mail (armor) on him.

³⁹Then David fastened his sword over his armor and tried to walk, [but he could not,] because he was not used to them. And David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these, because I am not used to them." So David took them off.

⁴⁰Then he took his [shepherd's] staff in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones out of the stream bed, and put them in his shepherd's bag which he had, that is, in his shepherd's pouch. With his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.

⁴¹The Philistine came and approached David, with his shield-bearer in front of him.

⁴²When the Philistine looked around and saw David, he derided and disparaged him because he was [just] a young man, with a ruddy complexion, and a handsome appearance.

⁴³The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with [shepherd's] staffs?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

⁴⁴The Philistine also said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field."

⁴⁵Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.

⁴⁶This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,

⁴⁷and that this entire assembly may know that the LORD does not save with the sword or with the spear; for the battle is the Lord's and He will hand you over to us."

⁴⁸When the Philistine rose and came forward to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.

⁴⁹David put his hand into his bag and took out a stone and slung it, and it struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone penetrated his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.

⁵⁰So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck down the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David's hand.

⁵¹So he ran and stood over the Philistine, grasped his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their [mighty] champion was dead, they fled.

⁵²The men of Israel and Judah stood with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance to the valley and the gates of Ekron. And the [fatally] wounded Philistines fell along the way to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron.

⁵³The sons of Israel returned from their pursuit of the Philistines and plundered their camp.

⁵⁴Then David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent.

⁵⁵When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the captain of the army, "Abner, whose son is this young man?" And Abner answered, "By your life, O king, I do not know."

⁵⁶The king said, "Ask whose son the young man is."

⁵⁷When David returned from killing [Goliath] the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.

⁵⁸Saul asked him, "Whose son are you, young man?" And David answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem."

¹This is what the LORD says, "Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where, then, is a house that you could build for Me? And where will My resting place be?

²"For all these things My hand has made, So all these things came into being [by and for Me]," declares the LORD. "But to this one I will look [graciously], To him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who [reverently] trembles at My word and honors My commands.

³"He who kills an ox [for pagan sacrifice] is [as guilty] as one who kills a man; He who sacrifices a lamb, as one who breaks a dog's neck; He who offers a grain offering, as one who offers swine's blood; He who offers incense, as one who blesses an idol. Such people have chosen their own ways, And their soul delights in their repulsive acts;

⁴So I will choose their punishments, And will bring the things they dread upon them Because I called, but no one answered; I spoke, but they did not listen or obey. But they did evil in My sight And chose that in which I did not delight."

⁵Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble [with awe-filled reverence] at His word: "Your brothers who hate you, who exclude you for My Name's sake, Have said, 'Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy.' But they will be put to shame.

⁶"The sound of an uproar from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the LORD, providing retribution to His enemies.

⁷"Before she (Zion) was in labor, she gave birth; Before her labor pain came, she gave birth to a boy.

⁸"Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Or can a nation be brought forth in a moment? As soon as Zion was in labor, she also brought forth her sons.

⁹"Shall I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?" says the LORD. "Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?" says your God.

¹⁰"Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; Rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her,

¹¹That you may nurse and be satisfied with her comforting breasts, That you may drink deeply and be delighted with her bountiful bosom."

¹²For the LORD says this, "Behold, I extend peace to her (Jerusalem) like a river, And the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; And you will be nursed, you will be carried on her hip and [playfully] rocked on her knees.

¹³"As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; And you will be comforted in Jerusalem."

¹⁴When you see this, your heart will rejoice; Your bones will flourish like new grass. And the [powerful] hand of the LORD will be revealed to His servants, But His indignation will be toward His enemies.

¹⁵For indeed, the LORD will come in fire And His chariots will be like the stormy wind, To render His anger with rage, And His rebuke with flames of fire.

¹⁶For the LORD will execute judgment by fire And by His sword on all mankind, And those slain by the LORD will be many.

¹⁷"Those who [vainly attempt to] sanctify and cleanse themselves to go to the gardens [to sacrifice to idols], Following after one in the center, Who eat swine's flesh, detestable things and mice, Will come to an end together," says the LORD.

¹⁸"For I know their works and their thoughts. The time is coming to gather all nations and languages, and they will come and see My glory.

¹⁹I will set up a [miraculous] sign among them, and from them I will send survivors to the nations: Tarshish, Pul (Put), Lud, Meshech, Tubal and Javan, to the distant islands and coastlands that have not heard of My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare and proclaim My glory among the nations.

²⁰Then they shall bring all your countrymen (children of Israel) from all the nations as a grain offering to the LORD—on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules and on camels—to My holy mountain Jerusalem," says the LORD, "just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD.

²¹I will also take some of them as priests and Levites," says the LORD.

²²"For just as the new heavens and the new earth Which I make will remain and endure before Me," declares the LORD, "So your offspring and your name will remain and endure.

²³"And it shall be that from New Moon to New Moon And from Sabbath to Sabbath, All mankind will come to bow down and worship before Me," says the LORD.

²⁴"Then they will go forth and look Upon the dead bodies of the [rebellious] men Who have transgressed against Me; For their worm (maggot) will not die, And their fire will not go out; And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind."

¹Now at Caesarea [Maritima] there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Regiment,

²a devout man and one who, along with all his household, feared God. He made many charitable donations to the Jewish people, and prayed to God always.

³About the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.) of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had come to him and said, "Cornelius!"

⁴Cornelius was frightened and stared intently at him and said, "What is it, lord (sir)?" And the angel said to him, "Your prayers and gifts of charity have ascended as a memorial offering before God [an offering made in remembrance of His past blessings].

⁵Now send men to Joppa and have them call for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter [and invite him here];

⁶he is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea."

⁷When the angel who was speaking to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among his own personal attendants;

⁸and after explaining everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

⁹The next day, as they were on their way and were approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof of the house about the sixth hour (noon) to pray,

¹⁰but he became hungry and wanted something to eat. While the meal was being prepared he fell into a trance;

¹¹and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet descending, lowered by its four corners to the earth,

¹²and it contained all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air.

¹³A voice came to him, "Get up, Peter, kill and eat!"

¹⁴But Peter said, "Not at all, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common (unholy) and [ceremonially] unclean."

¹⁵And the voice came to him a second time, "What God has cleansed and pronounced clean, no longer consider common (unholy)."

¹⁶This happened three times, and then immediately the object was taken up into heaven.

¹⁷Now Peter was still perplexed and completely at a loss as to what his vision could mean when the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions to Simon's house, arrived at the gate.

¹⁸And they called out to ask whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there.

¹⁹While Peter was thoughtfully considering the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Now listen, three men are looking for you.

²⁰Get up, go downstairs and go with them without hesitating or doubting, because I have sent them Myself."

²¹Peter went down to the men and said, "I am the one you are looking for. For what reason have you come?"

²²They said, "Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man well spoken of by all the Jewish people, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear what you have to say."

²³So Peter invited them in and gave them lodging [for the night]. The next day Peter got up and left with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him.

²⁴On the following day he [and the others] entered Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends.

²⁵When Peter arrived, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.

²⁶But Peter raised him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am only a man."

²⁷As Peter talked with him, he entered [the house] and found a large group of people assembled.

²⁸He said to them, "You know that it is unlawful for a Jewish man to associate with or befriend a Gentile, or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I am not to call anyone common or [ceremonially] unclean.

²⁹Therefore when I was sent for, I came without raising an objection. So I ask for what reason have you sent for me?"

³⁰Cornelius said, "Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ninth hour (3:00-4:00 p.m.); and a man [dressed] in bright, dazzling clothing suddenly stood before me,

³¹and he said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your acts of charity have been remembered before God [so that He is about to help you].

³²Therefore send word to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you. He is staying at the house of Simon the tanner by the sea.'

³³So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to listen to everything that you have been instructed by the Lord [to say]."

³⁴Opening his mouth, Peter said: "Most certainly I understand now that God is not one to show partiality [to people as though Gentiles were excluded from God's blessing],

³⁵but in every nation the person who fears God and does what is right [by seeking Him] is acceptable and welcomed by Him.

³⁶You know the message which He sent to the sons of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all—

³⁷you know the things that have taken place throughout Judea, starting in Galilee after the baptism preached by John—

³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with great power; and He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.

³⁹We are [personally] eyewitnesses of everything that He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem [in particular]. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross;

⁴⁰God raised Him [to life] on the third day and caused Him to be plainly seen,

⁴¹not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen and designated beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank together with Him after He rose from the dead.

⁴²He commanded us to preach to the people [both Jew and Gentile], and to solemnly testify that He is the One who has been appointed and ordained by God as Judge of the living and the dead.

⁴³All the prophets testify about Him, that through His name everyone who believes in Him [whoever trusts in and relies on Him, accepting Him as Savior and Messiah] receives forgiveness of sins."

⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who were listening to the message [confirming God's acceptance of Gentiles].

⁴⁵All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.

⁴⁶For they heard them talking in [unknown] tongues (languages) and exalting and magnifying and praising God. Then Peter said,

⁴⁷"Can anyone refuse water for these people to be baptized, since they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?"

⁴⁸And he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay there for a few days.