Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.

²And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.

³Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.

⁴So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.

⁵And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.

⁶So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.

⁷Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.

⁸And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.”

⁹So they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare?”

¹⁰And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters.

¹¹Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’

¹²Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.”

¹³So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

¹⁴When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.

¹⁵Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;

¹⁶for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

¹⁷Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves;

¹⁸for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

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

²⁰Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

²¹But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.

²²And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

²³Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.

²⁴Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.

²⁵And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’

²⁶But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.

²⁷For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.

²⁸“But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.

²⁹And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me,

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

³¹And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.

³²But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

³³But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”

³⁴Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

³⁵And He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?” So they said, “Nothing.”

³⁶Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.

³⁷For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me have an end.”

³⁸So they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”

³⁹Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.

⁴⁰When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

⁴¹And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed,

⁴²saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”

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

⁴⁴And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

⁴⁵When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.

⁴⁶Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”

⁴⁷And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.

⁴⁸But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

⁴⁹When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?”

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

⁵¹But Jesus answered and said, “Permit even this.” And He touched his ear and healed him.

⁵²Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?

⁵³When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

⁵⁴Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance.

⁵⁵Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.

⁵⁶And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, “This man was also with Him.”

⁵⁷But he denied Him, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.”

⁵⁸And after a little while another saw him and said, “You also are of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”

⁵⁹Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.”

⁶⁰But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

⁶¹And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

⁶²So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

⁶³Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him.

⁶⁴And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?”

⁶⁵And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.

⁶⁶As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying,

⁶⁷“If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will by no means believe.

⁶⁸And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go.

⁶⁹Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.”

⁷⁰Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?” So He said to them, “You rightly say that I am.”

⁷¹And they said, “What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”

¹And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt.

²Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

³And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

⁴Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.

⁵And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”

⁶Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, “At evening you shall know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt.

⁷And in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD; for He hears your complaints against the LORD. But what are we, that you complain against us?”

⁸Also Moses said, “This shall be seen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the LORD hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the LORD.”

⁹Then Moses spoke to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your complaints.’ ”

¹⁰Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.

¹¹And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

¹²“I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. 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 it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp.

¹⁴And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground.

¹⁵So when the children of Israel 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 the thing which the LORD has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.’ ”

¹⁷Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less.

¹⁸So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need.

¹⁹And Moses said, “Let no one leave any of it till morning.”

²⁰Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.

²¹So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted.

²²And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.

²³Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’ ”

²⁴So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it.

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.”

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

²⁸And the LORD said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?

²⁹See! For the LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.”

³⁰So the people rested on the seventh day.

³¹And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.

³²Then Moses said, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it, to be kept for 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.’ ”

³³And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.”

³⁴As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.

³⁵And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

³⁶Now an omer is one-tenth of an ephah.

¹God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,

²has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

³who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

⁴having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

⁵For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”?

⁶But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”

⁷And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.”

⁸But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

⁹You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

¹⁰And: “You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.

¹¹They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment;

¹²Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.”

¹³But to which of the angels has He ever said: “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”?

¹⁴Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

²“If one attempts a word with you, will you become weary? But who can withhold himself from speaking?

³Surely you have instructed many, And you have strengthened weak hands.

⁴Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, And you have strengthened the feeble knees;

⁵But now it comes upon you, and you are weary; It touches you, and you are troubled.

⁶Is not your reverence your confidence? And the integrity of your ways your hope?

⁷“Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright ever cut off?

⁸Even as I have seen, Those who plow iniquity And sow trouble reap the same.

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

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

¹¹The old 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.

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

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

¹⁵Then a spirit passed before my face; The hair on my body stood up.

¹⁶It stood still, But I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; There was silence; Then I heard a voice saying:

¹⁷‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker?

¹⁸If He puts no trust in His servants, If He charges His angels with error,

¹⁹How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before a moth?

²⁰They are broken in pieces from morning till evening; They perish forever, with no one regarding.

²¹Does not their own excellence go away? They die, even without wisdom.’

¹To the Chief Musician. A Song. A Psalm. [1] Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!

²Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious.

³Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.

⁴All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name.” Selah

⁵Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.

⁶He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in Him.

⁷He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations; Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

⁸Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard,

⁹Who keeps our soul among the living, And does not allow our feet to be moved.

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

¹¹You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs.

¹²You have caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.

¹³I will go into Your house with burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows,

¹⁴Which my lips have uttered And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.

¹⁵I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals, With the sweet aroma of rams; I will offer bulls with goats. Selah

¹⁶Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare what He has done for my soul.

¹⁷I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue.

¹⁸If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.

¹⁹But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.

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

¹Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding;

²For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law.

³When I was my father’s son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,

⁴He also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live.

⁵Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

⁶Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you.

⁷Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

⁸Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.

⁹She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”

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

¹¹I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths.

¹²When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble.

¹³Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life.

¹⁴Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil.

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

¹⁶For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.

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

¹⁸But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

¹⁹The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble.

²⁰My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.

²¹Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;

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

²³Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

²⁴Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you.

²⁵Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.

²⁶Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established.

²⁷Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.

¹Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim.

²And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines.

³The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.

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

⁵He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.

⁶And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders.

⁷Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him.

⁸Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.

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

¹⁰And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, 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 that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse, and who had eight sons. And the man was old, advanced in years, in the days of Saul.

¹³The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

¹⁴David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul.

¹⁵But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

¹⁶And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.

¹⁷Then Jesse said to his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp.

¹⁸And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them.”

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

²⁰So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle.

²¹For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army.

²²And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers.

²³Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them.

²⁴And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid.

²⁵So the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.”

²⁶Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

²⁷And the people answered him in this manner, saying, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.”

²⁸Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.”

²⁹And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?”

³⁰Then he turned from him toward another and said the same thing; and these people answered him as the first ones did.

³¹Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him.

³²Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

³³And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”

³⁴But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,

³⁵I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.

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

³⁷Moreover David said, “The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”

³⁸So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail.

³⁹David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.

⁴⁰Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.

⁴¹So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him.

⁴²And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking.

⁴³So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

⁴⁴And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”

⁴⁵Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with 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 defied.

⁴⁶This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

⁴⁷Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

⁴⁸So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

⁴⁹Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.

⁵⁰So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David.

⁵¹Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

⁵²Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron.

⁵³Then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents.

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

⁵⁵When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.”

⁵⁶So the king said, “Inquire whose son this young man is.”

⁵⁷Then, as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.

⁵⁸And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” So David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

¹Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?

²For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the LORD. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.

³“He who kills a bull is as if he slays a man; He who sacrifices a lamb, as if he breaks a dog’s neck; He who offers a grain offering, as if he offers swine’s blood; He who burns incense, as if he blesses an idol. Just as they have chosen their own ways, And their soul delights in their abominations,

⁴So will I choose their delusions, And bring their fears on them; Because, when I called, no one answered, When I spoke they did not hear; But they did evil before My eyes, And chose that in which I do not delight.”

⁵Hear the word of the LORD, You who tremble at His word: “Your brethren who hated you, Who cast you out for My name’s sake, said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified, That we may see your joy.’ But they shall be ashamed.”

⁶The sound of noise from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the LORD, Who fully repays His enemies!

⁷“Before she was in labor, she gave birth; Before her pain came, She delivered a male child.

⁸Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children.

⁹Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?” says the LORD. “Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?” says your God.

¹⁰“Rejoice with Jerusalem, And be glad with her, all you who love her; Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her;

¹¹That you may feed and be satisfied With the consolation of her bosom, That you may drink deeply and be delighted With the abundance of her glory.”

¹²For thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then you shall feed; On her sides shall you be carried, And be dandled on her knees.

¹³As one whom his mother comforts, So I will comfort you; And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

¹⁴When you see this, your heart shall rejoice, And your bones shall flourish like grass; The hand of the LORD shall be known to His servants, And His indignation to His enemies.

¹⁵For behold, the LORD will come with fire And with His chariots, like a whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire.

¹⁶For by fire and by His sword The LORD will judge all flesh; And the slain of the LORD shall be many.

¹⁷“Those who sanctify themselves and purify themselves, To go to the gardens After an idol in the midst, Eating swine’s flesh and the abomination and the mouse, Shall be consumed together,” says the LORD.

¹⁸“For I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory.

¹⁹I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.

²⁰Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the LORD out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the LORD, “as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.

²¹And I will also take some of them for priests and Levites,” says the LORD.

²²“For as the new heavens and the new earth Which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the LORD, “So shall your descendants and your name remain.

²³And it shall come to pass That from one New Moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the LORD.

²⁴“And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

¹There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,

²a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.

³About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

⁴And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.

⁵Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter.

⁶He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.”

⁷And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually.

⁸So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.

⁹The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.

¹⁰Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance

¹¹and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.

¹²In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.

¹³And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

¹⁴But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

¹⁵And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”

¹⁶This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

¹⁷Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate.

¹⁸And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.

¹⁹While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you.

²⁰Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”

²¹Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?”

²²And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.”

²³Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.

²⁴And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends.

²⁵As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.

²⁶But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.”

²⁷And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together.

²⁸Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

²⁹Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?”

³⁰So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

³¹and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.

³²Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.’

³³So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”

³⁴Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.

³⁵But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

³⁶The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ— He is Lord of all—

³⁷that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:

³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

³⁹And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.

⁴⁰Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly,

⁴¹not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

⁴²And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.

⁴³To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”

⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.

⁴⁵And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

⁴⁶For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,

⁴⁷“Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

⁴⁸And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.