Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹"Be [very] careful not to do your good deeds publicly, to be seen by men; otherwise you will have no reward [prepared and awaiting you] with your Father who is in heaven.

²"So whenever you give to the poor and do acts of kindness, do not blow a trumpet before you [to advertise it], as the hypocrites do [like actors acting out a role] in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored and recognized and praised by men. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, they [already] have their reward in full.

³But when you give to the poor and do acts of kindness, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing [give in complete secrecy],

⁴so that your charitable acts will be done in secret; and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.

⁵"Also, when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to pray [publicly] standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets so that they may be seen by men. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, they [already] have their reward in full.

⁶But when you pray, go into your most private room, close the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.

⁷"And when you pray, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

⁸So do not be like them [praying as they do]; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

⁹"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

¹⁰' Your kingdom come, Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

¹¹'Give us this day our daily bread.

¹²'And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment].

¹³'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.[For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]'

¹⁴For if you forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins], your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

¹⁵But if you do not forgive others [nurturing your hurt and anger with the result that it interferes with your relationship with God], then your Father will not forgive your trespasses.

¹⁶"And whenever you are fasting, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they put on a sad and dismal face [like actors, discoloring their faces with ashes or dirt] so that their fasting may be seen by men. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, they [already] have their reward in full.

¹⁷But when you fast, put oil on your head [as you normally would to groom your hair] and wash your face

¹⁸so that your fasting will not be noticed by people, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.

¹⁹"Do not store up for yourselves [material] treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal;

²¹for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also.

²²"The eye is the lamp of the body; so if your eye is clear [spiritually perceptive], your whole body will be full of light [benefiting from God's precepts].

²³But if your eye is bad [spiritually blind], your whole body will be full of darkness [devoid of God's precepts]. So if the [very] light inside you [your inner self, your heart, your conscience] is darkness, how great and terrible is that darkness!

²⁴"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].

²⁵"Therefore I tell you, stop being worried or anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted) about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, as to what you will wear. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing?

²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow [seed] nor reap [the harvest] nor gather [the crops] into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they?

²⁷And who of you by worrying can add one hour to [the length of] his life?

²⁸And why are you worried about clothes? See how the lilies and wildflowers of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin [wool to make clothing],

²⁹yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory and splendor dressed himself like one of these.

³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive and green today and tomorrow is [cut and] thrown [as fuel] into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

³¹Therefore do not worry or be anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted), saying, 'What are we going to eat?' or 'What are we going to drink?' or 'What are we going to wear?'

³²For the [pagan] Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; [but do not worry,] for your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

³³But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.

³⁴"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

¹Now it happened, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,

²that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful and desirable; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose and desired.

³Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive and remain with man forever, because he is indeed flesh [sinful, corrupt—given over to sensual appetites]; nevertheless his days shall yet be a hundred and twenty years."

⁴There were Nephilim (men of stature, notorious men) on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God lived with the daughters of men, and they gave birth to their children. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown (great reputation, fame).

⁵The LORD saw that the wickedness (depravity) of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination or intent of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually.

⁶The LORD regretted that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was [deeply] grieved in His heart.

⁷So the LORD said, "I will destroy (annihilate) mankind whom I have created from the surface of the earth—not only man, but the animals and the crawling things and the birds of the air—because it [deeply] grieves Me [to see mankind's sin] and I regret that I have made them."

⁸But Noah found favor and grace in the eyes of the LORD.

⁹These are the records of the generations (family history) of Noah. Noah was a righteous man [one who was just and had right standing with God], blameless in his [evil] generation; Noah walked (lived) [in habitual fellowship] with God.

¹⁰Now Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

¹¹The [population of the] earth was corrupt [absolutely depraved—spiritually and morally putrid] in God's sight, and the land was filled with violence [desecration, infringement, outrage, assault, and lust for power].

¹²God looked on the earth and saw how debased and degenerate it was, for all humanity had corrupted their way on the earth and lost their true direction.

¹³God said to Noah, "I intend to make an end of all that lives, for through men the land is filled with violence; and behold, I am about to destroy them together with the land.

¹⁴Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make in it rooms (stalls, pens, coops, nests, cages, compartments) and coat it inside and out with pitch (bitumen).

¹⁵This is the way you are to make it: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits (450' x 75' x 45').

¹⁶You shall make a window [for light and ventilation] for the ark, and finish it to at least a cubit (eighteen inches) from the top—and set the [entry] door of the ark in its side; and you shall make it with lower, second and third decks.

¹⁷For behold, I, even I, will bring a flood of waters on the earth, to destroy all life under the heavens in which there is the breath and spirit of life; everything that is on the land shall die.

¹⁸But I will establish My covenant (solemn promise, formal agreement) with you; and you shall come into the ark—you and your [three] sons and your wife, and your sons' wives with you.

¹⁹And of every living thing [found on land], you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

²⁰Of fowls and birds according to their kind, of animals according to their kind, of every crawling thing of the ground according to its kind—two of every kind shall come to you to keep them alive.

²¹Also take with you every kind of food that is edible, and you shall collect and store it; and it shall be food for you and for them."

²²So Noah did this; according to all that God commanded him, that is what he did.

¹What shall we say [to all this]? Should we continue in sin and practice sin as a habit so that [God's gift of] grace may increase and overflow?

²Certainly not! How can we, the very ones who died to sin, continue to live in it any longer?

³Or are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

⁴We have therefore been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory and power of the Father, we too might walk habitually in newness of life [abandoning our old ways].

⁵For if we have become one with Him [permanently united] in the likeness of His death, we will also certainly be [one with Him and share fully] in the likeness of His resurrection.

⁶We know that our old self [our human nature without the Holy Spirit] was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.

⁷For the person who has died [with Christ] has been freed from [the power of] sin.

⁸Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live [together] with Him,

⁹because we know [the self-evident truth] that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him.

¹⁰For the death that He died, He died to sin [ending its power and paying the sinner's debt] once and for all; and the life that He lives, He lives to [glorify] God [in unbroken fellowship with Him].

¹¹Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin [and your relationship to it broken], but alive to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus.

¹²Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts and passions.

¹³Do not go on offering members of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness. But offer yourselves to God [in a decisive act] as those alive [raised] from the dead [to a new life], and your members [all of your abilities—sanctified, set apart] as instruments of righteousness [yielded] to God.

¹⁴For sin will no longer be a master over you, since you are not under Law [as slaves], but under [unmerited] grace [as recipients of God's favor and mercy].

¹⁵What then [are we to conclude]? Shall we sin because we are not under Law, but under [God's] grace? Certainly not!

¹⁶Do you not know that when you continually offer yourselves to someone to do his will, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey, either [slaves] of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness (right standing with God)?

¹⁷But thank God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient with all your heart to the standard of teaching in which you were instructed and to which you were committed.

¹⁸And having been set free from sin, you have become the slaves of righteousness [of conformity to God's will and purpose].

¹⁹I am speaking in [familiar] human terms because of your natural limitations [your spiritual immaturity]. For just as you presented your bodily members as slaves to impurity and to [moral] lawlessness, leading to further lawlessness, so now offer your members [your abilities, your talents] as slaves to righteousness, leading to sanctification [that is, being set apart for God's purpose].

²⁰When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness [you had no desire to conform to God's will].

²¹So what benefit did you get at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? [None!] For the outcome of those things is death!

²²But now since you have been set free from sin and have become [willing] slaves to God, you have your benefit, resulting in sanctification [being made holy and set apart for God's purpose], and the outcome [of this] is eternal life.

²³For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God [that is, His remarkable, overwhelming gift of grace to believers] is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹Paul, Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

²Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³We ought always and indeed are morally obligated [as those in debt] to give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is fitting, because your faith is growing ever greater, and the [unselfish] love of each one of you toward one another is continually increasing.

⁴Therefore, we speak of you with pride among the churches of God for your steadfastness [your unflinching endurance, and patience] and your firm faith in the midst of all the persecution and [crushing] distress which you endure.

⁵This is a positive proof of the righteous judgment of God [a sign of His fair verdict], so that you will be considered worthy of His kingdom, for which indeed you are suffering.

⁶For after all it is only just for God to repay with distress those who distress you,

⁷and to give relief to you who are so distressed and to us as well when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in a flame of fire,

⁸dealing out [full and complete] vengeance to those who do not [seek to] know God and to those who ignore and refuse to obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus [by choosing not to respond to Him].

⁹These people will pay the penalty and endure the punishment of everlasting destruction, banished from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

¹⁰when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day [that is, glorified through the changed lives of those who have accepted Him as Savior and have been set apart for His purpose], and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed and trusted [and confirmed in your lives].

¹¹With this in view, we constantly pray for you, that our God will count you worthy of your calling [to faith] and with [His] power fulfill every desire for goodness, and complete [your] every work of faith,

¹²so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you [by what you do], and you in Him, according to the [precious] grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

¹Then Job answered and said,

²"Oh, that my grief could actually be weighed And placed in the balances together with my tragedy [to see if my grief is the grief of a coward]!

³"For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea; Therefore my words have been incoherent,

⁴Because the arrows of the Almighty are within me, My spirit drinks their poison; The terrors of God are arrayed against me.

⁵"Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass? Or does the ox low over his fodder?

⁶"Can something that has no taste to it be eaten without salt? Or is there any flavor in the white of an egg?

⁷"My soul refuses to touch them; Such things are like loathsome food to me [sickening and repugnant].

⁸"Oh that my request would come to pass, And that God would grant me the thing that I long for!

⁹"I wish that it would please God to crush me, That He would let loose His hand and cut me off.

¹⁰"Then I would still have consolation, And I would jump for joy amid unsparing pain, That I have not denied or hidden the words of the Holy One.

¹¹"What strength do I have left, that I should wait [and hope]? And what is ahead of me, that I should be patient and endure?

¹²"Is my strength and endurance that of stones, Or is my flesh made of bronze?

¹³"Is it that I have no help within myself, And that success and wisdom have been driven from me?

¹⁴"For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; So that he does not abandon (turn away from) the fear of the Almighty.

¹⁵"My brothers have acted deceitfully like a brook, Like the torrents of brooks that vanish,

¹⁶Which are dull and dirty because of ice, And into which the snow melts and hides itself;

¹⁷When it is warm, they are silent and cease to flow; When it is hot, they vanish from their place.

¹⁸"The paths of their course wind along, They go up into nothing and perish. [Your counsel is as helpful to me as a dry streambed in the heat of summer.]

¹⁹"The caravans of Tema looked [for water], The caravans of Sheba waited for them [in vain].

²⁰"They were put to shame and disappointed because they had trusted [that they would find water]; They came there and were ashamed.

²¹"Indeed, you have now become like a dried-up stream, You see a terror [believing me to be a victim of the wrath of God] and are afraid [to be compassionate].

²²"Did I ever say, 'Give me something,' Or, 'Pay a bribe for me from your wealth,'

²³Or, 'Rescue me from the adversary's hand,' Or, 'Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants'?

²⁴"Teach me, and I will be silent; And show me how I have erred.

²⁵"How painful are words of honesty. But what does your argument prove?

²⁶"Do you intend to reprove my words [with a convincing argument], When the words of one in despair belong to the wind [and go ignored]?

²⁷"You would cast lots (gamble) over the fatherless And bargain away your friend.

²⁸"Now please look at me, And see if I lie to your face [for you know that I would not].

²⁹"Turn away [from your suspicion], let there be no injustice; Turn away, my righteousness and vindication is still in it.

³⁰"Is there injustice or malice on my tongue? Can my palate not discern what is destructive?

¹To the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments, set [possibly] an octave below. A Psalm of David. O LORD, do not rebuke or punish me in Your anger, Nor discipline me in Your wrath.

²Have mercy on me and be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am weak (faint, frail); Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed and anguished.

³My soul [as well as my body] is greatly dismayed. But as for You, O LORD—how long [until You act on my behalf]?

⁴Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; Save me because of Your [unfailing] steadfast love and mercy.

⁵For in death there is no mention of You; In Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) who will praise You and give You thanks?

⁶I am weary with my groaning; Every night I soak my bed with tears, I drench my couch with my weeping.

⁷My eye grows dim with grief; It grows old because of all my enemies.

⁸Depart from me, all you who do evil, For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.

⁹The LORD has heard my supplication [my plea for grace]; The LORD receives my prayer.

¹⁰Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly horrified; Let them turn back, let them suddenly be ashamed [of what they have done].

¹My son, if you have become surety (guaranteed a debt or obligation) for your neighbor, If you have given your pledge for [the debt of] a stranger or another [outside your family],

²If you have been snared with the words of your lips, If you have been trapped by the speech of your mouth,

³Do this now, my son, and release yourself [from the obligation]; Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, Go humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor [to pay his debt and release you].

⁴Give no [unnecessary] sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids;

⁵Tear yourself away like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

⁶Go to the ant, O lazy one; Observe her ways and be wise,

⁷Which, having no chief, Overseer or ruler,

⁸She prepares her food in the summer And brings in her provisions [of food for the winter] in the harvest.

⁹How long will you lie down, O lazy one? When will you arise from your sleep [and learn self-discipline]?

¹⁰"Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to lie down and rest"—

¹¹So your poverty will come like an approaching prowler who walks [slowly, but surely] And your need [will come] like an armed man [making you helpless].

¹²A worthless person, a wicked man, Is one who walks with a perverse (corrupt, vulgar) mouth.

¹³Who winks with his eyes [in mockery], who shuffles his feet [to signal], Who points with his fingers [to give subversive instruction];

¹⁴Who perversely in his heart plots trouble and evil continually; Who spreads discord and strife.

¹⁵Therefore [the crushing weight of] his disaster will come suddenly upon him; Instantly he will be broken, and there will be no healing or remedy [because he has no heart for God].

¹⁶These six things the LORD hates; Indeed, seven are repulsive to Him:

¹⁷A proud look [the attitude that makes one overestimate oneself and discount others], a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood,

¹⁸A heart that creates wicked plans, Feet that run swiftly to evil,

¹⁹A false witness who breathes out lies [even half-truths], And one who spreads discord (rumors) among brothers.

²⁰My son, be guided by your father's [God-given] commandment (instruction) And do not reject the teaching of your mother;

²¹Bind them continually upon your heart (in your thoughts), And tie them around your neck.

²²When you walk about, they (the godly teachings of your parents) will guide you; When you sleep, they will keep watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you.

²³For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching [of the law] is light, And reproofs (rebukes) for discipline are the way of life,

²⁴To keep you from the evil woman, From [the flattery of] the smooth tongue of an immoral woman.

²⁵Do not desire (lust after) her beauty in your heart, Nor let her capture you with her eyelashes.

²⁶For on account of a prostitute one is reduced to a piece of bread [to be eaten up], And the immoral woman hunts [with a hook] the precious life [of a man].

²⁷Can a man take fire to his chest And his clothes not be burned?

²⁸Or can a man walk on hot coals And his feet not be scorched?

²⁹So is the one who goes in to his neighbor's wife; Whoever touches her will not be found innocent or go unpunished.

³⁰People do not despise a thief if he steals To satisfy himself when he is hungry;

³¹But when he is found, he must repay seven times [what he stole]; He must give all the property of his house [if necessary to meet his fine].

³²But whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks common sense and sound judgment and an understanding [of moral principles]; He who would destroy his soul does it.

³³Wounds and disgrace he will find, And his reproach (blame) will not be blotted out.

³⁴For jealousy enrages the [wronged] husband; He will not spare [the guilty one] on the day of vengeance.

³⁵He will not accept any ransom [offered to buy him off from demanding full punishment]; Nor will he be satisfied though you offer him many gifts (bribes).

¹Now Jericho [a fortified city with high walls] was tightly closed because [of the people's fear] of the sons of Israel; no one went out or came in.

²The LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the mighty warriors.

³Now you shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do this [once each day] for six days.

⁴Also, seven priests shall carry seven trumpets [made] of rams' horns ahead of the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.

⁵When they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall cry out with a great shout (battle cry); and the wall of the city will fall down in its place, and the people shall go up, each man [going] straight ahead [climbing over the rubble]."

⁶So Joshua the son of Nun called for the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and have seven priests carry seven trumpets made of rams' horns ahead of the ark of the LORD."

⁷He said to the people, "Go forward! March around the city, and let the armed men go ahead of the ark of the LORD."

⁸And it was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets made of rams' horns went on before the LORD and blew the trumpets; then the ark of the covenant of the LORD went behind them.

⁹The armed men went in front of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while the priests continued to blow the trumpets.

¹⁰But Joshua commanded the people, "You shall not shout [the battle cry] nor let your voice be heard nor let a word come out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout!"

¹¹So Joshua had the ark of the LORD taken around the city [on the first day], circling it once; then they came back into the camp and spent the night in the camp.

¹²Then Joshua got up early in the morning [on the second day], and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.

¹³The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets made of rams' horns ahead of the ark of the LORD went on continually, blowing the trumpets; and the armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard came after the ark of the LORD, while the priests continued to blow the trumpets.

¹⁴On the second day they marched around the city once, and returned to the camp; they did this for six days.

¹⁵Then on the seventh day they got up early at daybreak and marched around the city in the same way seven times; only on that day they marched around the city seven times.

¹⁶And the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city.

¹⁷The city and everything that is in it shall be under the ban [that is, designated to be destroyed as a form of tribute] to the LORD; only Rahab the prostitute and all [the people] who are with her in her house shall [be allowed to] live, because she hid and protected the messengers (scouts) whom we sent.

¹⁸But as for you, keep yourselves [away] from the things under the ban [which are to be destroyed], so that you do not covet them and take some of the things under the ban [for personal gain], and put the camp of Israel under the ban (doomed to destruction), and bring disaster upon it.

¹⁹All the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy (consecrated) to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD."

²⁰So the people shouted [the battle cry], and the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, they raised a great shout and the wall [of Jericho] fell down, so that the sons of Israel went up into the city, every man straight ahead [climbing over the rubble], and they overthrew the city.

²¹Then they utterly destroyed everything that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.

²²But Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring the woman and all that she has out of there, as you have sworn to her."

²³So the young men, the spies, went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and everything that she had; they also brought out all her relatives and allowed them to stay outside the camp of Israel [at Gilgal during the time required for ceremonial cleansing].

²⁴Then they completely burned the city and everything that was in it. They put only the silver and the gold, and the articles of bronze and of iron, into the treasury of the house (tabernacle) of the LORD.

²⁵So Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father's household and everything that she had; and she has lived among Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers (scouts) whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

²⁶Then Joshua made them take an oath at that time, saying, "Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho; with the loss of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates."

²⁷So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.

¹In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw [in a vision] the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted, with the train of His royal robe filling the [most holy part of the] temple.

²Above Him seraphim (heavenly beings) stood; each one had six wings: with two wings he covered his face, with two wings he covered his feet, and with two wings he flew.

³And one called out to another, saying, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is filled with His glory."

⁴And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, and the temple was filling with smoke.

⁵Then I said, "Woe is me! For I am ruined, Because I am a man of [ceremonially] unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."

⁶Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.

⁷He touched my mouth with it and said, "Listen carefully, this has touched your lips; your wickedness [your sin, your injustice, your wrongdoing] is taken away and your sin atoned for and forgiven."

⁸Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

⁹And He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on listening, but do not understand; Keep on looking, but do not comprehend.'

¹⁰"Make the heart of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed."

¹¹Then I said, "Lord, how long?" And He answered, "Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, And houses are without people And the land is utterly desolate,

¹²The LORD has removed [His] people far away, And there are many deserted places in the midst of the land.

¹³"And though a tenth [of the people] remain in the land, It will again be subject to destruction [consumed and burned], Like a massive terebinth tree or like an oak Whose stump remains when it is chopped down. The holy seed [the elect remnant] is its stump [the substance of Israel]."

¹Now about this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, a complaint was made by the Hellenists (Greek-speaking Jews) against the [ native] Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.

²So the Twelve called the disciples together and said, "It is not appropriate for us to neglect [teaching] the word of God in order to serve tables and manage the distribution of food.

³Therefore, brothers, choose from among you seven men with good reputations [men of godly character and moral integrity], full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.

⁴But we will [continue to] devote ourselves [steadfastly] to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

⁵The suggestion pleased the whole congregation; and they selected Stephen, a man full of faith [in Christ Jesus], and [filled with and led by] the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas (Nikolaos), a proselyte (Gentile convert) from Antioch.

⁶They brought these men before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them [to dedicate and commission them for this service].

⁷And the message of God kept on growing and spreading, and the number of disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem; and a large number of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith [accepting Jesus as Messiah and acknowledging Him as the Source of eternal salvation].

⁸Now Stephen, full of grace (divine blessing, favor) and power, was doing great wonders and signs (attesting miracles) among the people.

⁹However, some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (freed Jewish slaves), both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and [the province of] Asia, rose up and questioned and argued with Stephen.

¹⁰But they were not able to successfully withstand and cope with the wisdom and the intelligence [and the power and inspiration] of the Spirit by whom he was speaking.

¹¹Then [to attack him another way] they secretly instructed men to say, "We have heard this man [Stephen] speak blasphemous (slanderous, sacrilegious, abusive) words against Moses and against God."

¹²And they provoked and incited the people, as well as the elders and the scribes, and they came up to Stephen and seized him and brought him before the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court).

¹³They presented false witnesses who said, "This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the Law [of Moses];

¹⁴for we have heard him say that this Jesus the Nazarene will tear down this place and will change the traditions and customs which Moses handed down to us."

¹⁵Then all those who were sitting in the Council, stared [intently] at him, and they saw that Stephen's face was like the face of an angel.