Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Now there was a certain man among the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler (member of the Sanhedrin) among the Jews,

²who came to Jesus at night and said to Him, "Rabbi (Teacher), we know [without any doubt] that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs [these wonders, these attesting miracles] that You do unless God is with him."

³Jesus answered him, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God."

⁴Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother's womb a second time and be born, can he?"

⁵Jesus answered, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God.

⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh [the physical is merely physical], and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷Do not be surprised that I have told you, 'You must be born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].'

⁸The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

⁹Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be possible?"

¹⁰Jesus replied, "You are the [great and well-known] teacher of Israel, and yet you do not know nor understand these things [from Scripture]?

¹¹I assure you and most solemnly say to you, we speak only of what we [absolutely] know and testify about what we have [actually] seen [as eyewitnesses]; and [still] you [reject our evidence and] do not accept our testimony.

¹²If I told you earthly things [that is, things that happen right here on earth] and you do not believe, how will you believe and trust Me if I tell you heavenly things?

¹³No one has gone up into heaven, but there is One who came down from heaven, the Son of Man [Himself—whose home is in heaven].

¹⁴Just as Moses lifted up the [bronze] serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross],

¹⁵so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life [after physical death, and will actually live forever].

¹⁶"For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.

¹⁷For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him.

¹⁸Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him].

¹⁹This is the judgment [that is, the cause for indictment, the test by which people are judged, the basis for the sentence]: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

²⁰For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and does not come to the Light [but shrinks from it] for fear that his [sinful, worthless] activities will be exposed and condemned.

²¹But whoever practices truth [and does what is right—morally, ethically, spiritually] comes to the Light, so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are—accomplished in God [divinely prompted, done with God's help, in dependence on Him]."

²²After these things Jesus and His disciples went into the land of Judea, and there He spent time with them and baptized.

²³Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there; and people were coming and were being baptized—

²⁴for John had not yet been thrown into prison.

²⁵Therefore there arose a controversy between John's disciples and a Jew in regard to purification (ceremonial washing).

²⁶So they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi (Teacher), the Man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan [at the Jordan River crossing]—and to whom you have testified—look, He is baptizing too, and everyone is going to Him!"

²⁷John replied, "A man can receive nothing [he can claim nothing at all] unless it has been granted to him from heaven [for there is no other source than the sovereign will of God].

²⁸You yourselves are my witnesses that I stated, 'I am not the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed),' but, 'I have [only] been sent ahead of Him [as His appointed forerunner and messenger to announce and proclaim His coming].'

²⁹He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens to him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this pleasure and joy of mine is now complete.

³⁰He must increase [in prominence], but I must decrease.

³¹"He who comes from [heaven] above is above all others; he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks [about things] of the earth [his viewpoint and experience are earthly]. He who comes from heaven is above all.

³²What He has [actually] seen and heard, of that He testifies; and yet no one accepts His testimony [as true].

³³Whoever receives His testimony has set his seal [of approval] to this: God is true [and he knows that God cannot lie].

³⁴For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God [proclaiming the Father's own message]; for God gives the [gift of the] Spirit without measure [generously and boundlessly]!

³⁵The Father loves the Son and has given and entrusted all things into His hand.

³⁶He who believes and trusts in the Son and accepts Him [as Savior] has eternal life [that is, already possesses it]; but he who does not believe the Son and chooses to reject Him, [disobeying Him and denying Him as Savior] will not see [eternal] life, but [instead] the wrath of God hangs over him continually."

¹"Now these are the ordinances (laws) which you shall set before the Israelites:

²"If you purchase a Hebrew servant [because of his debt or poverty], he shall serve six years, and in the seventh [year] he shall leave as a free man, paying nothing.

³If he came [to you] alone, he shall leave alone; if he came married, then his wife shall leave with him.

⁴If his master gives him a wife, and she gives birth to sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall leave [your service] alone.

⁵But if the servant plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not leave as a free man,'

⁶then his master shall bring him to God [that is, to the judges who act in God's name], then he shall bring him to the door or doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl (strong needle); and he shall serve him for life.

⁷"If a man sells his daughter to be a female servant, she shall not go free [after six years] as male servants do.

⁸If she does not please her master who has chosen her for himself [as a wife], he shall let her be redeemed [by her family]. He does not have the authority to sell her to a foreign people, because he has been unfair to her.

⁹If her master chooses her [as a wife] for his son, he shall act toward her as if she were legally his daughter.

¹⁰If her master marries another wife, he may not reduce her food, her clothing, or her privilege as a wife.

¹¹If he does not do these three things for her, then shall she leave free, without payment of money.

¹²"Whoever strikes a man so that he dies must be put to death.

¹³However, if he did not lie in wait [for him], but God allowed him to fall into his hand, then I will establish for you a place to which he may escape [for protection until duly tried].

¹⁴But if a man acts intentionally against another and kills him by [design through] treachery, you are to take him from My altar [to which he may have fled for protection], so that he may be put to death.

¹⁵"Whoever strikes his father or his mother must be put to death.

¹⁶"Whoever kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or is found with him in his possession, must be put to death.

¹⁷"Whoever curses his father or his mother or treats them contemptuously must be put to death.

¹⁸"If men quarrel and one strikes another with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but is confined to bed,

¹⁹if he gets up and walks around leaning on his cane, then the one who struck him shall be left [physically] unpunished; he must only pay for his loss of time [at work], and the costs [of treatment and recuperation] until he is thoroughly healed.

²⁰"If a man strikes his male or his female servant with a staff and the servant dies at his hand, he must be punished.

²¹If, however, the servant survives for a day or two, the offender shall not be punished, for the [injured] servant is his own property.

²²"If men fight with each other and injure a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely [and the baby lives], yet there is no further injury, the one who hurt her must be punished with a fine [paid] to the woman's husband, as much as the judges decide.

²³But if there is any further injury, then you shall require [as a penalty] life for life,

²⁴eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

²⁵burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

²⁶"If a man hits the eye of his male servant or female servant and it is destroyed, he must let the servant go free because of [the loss of] the eye.

²⁷And if he knocks out the tooth of his male servant or female servant, he must let the servant go free because of [the loss of] the tooth.

²⁸"If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox must be stoned and its meat shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be cleared [of responsibility].

²⁹But if the ox has tried to gore on a previous occasion, and its owner has been warned, but has not kept it confined and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner shall be put to death as well.

³⁰If a ransom is demanded of him [in return for his life], then he shall give whatever is demanded for the redemption of his life.

³¹If the ox has gored another's son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule.

³²If the ox gores a male or a female servant, the owner shall give to the servant's master thirty shekels of silver [the purchase price for a slave], and the ox shall be stoned.

³³"If a man leaves a pit open, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,

³⁴the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he shall give money to the animal's owner, but the dead [animal] shall be his.

³⁵"If one man's ox injures another's so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the proceeds equally; they shall also divide the dead ox [between them].

³⁶Or if it is known that the ox was previously in the habit of goring, and its owner has not kept it confined, he must make restitution of ox for ox, and the dead [animal] shall be his.

¹Therefore let us get past the elementary stage in the teachings about the Christ, advancing on to maturity and perfection and spiritual completeness, [doing this] without laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

²of teaching about washings (ritual purifications), the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. [These are all important matters in which you should have been proficient long ago.]

³And we will do this [that is, proceed to maturity], if God permits.

⁴For [it is impossible to restore to repentance] those who have once been enlightened [spiritually] and who have tasted and consciously experienced the heavenly gift and have shared in the Holy Spirit,

⁵and have tasted and consciously experienced the good word of God and the powers of the age (world) to come,

⁶and then have fallen away—it is impossible to bring them back again to repentance, since they again nail the Son of God on the cross [for as far as they are concerned, they are treating the death of Christ as if they were not saved by it], and are holding Him up again to public disgrace.

⁷For soil that drinks the rain which often falls on it and produces crops useful to those for whose benefit it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God;

⁸but if it persistently produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.

⁹But, beloved, even though we speak to you in this way, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and of things that accompany salvation.

¹⁰For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown for His name in ministering to [the needs of] the saints (God's people), as you do.

¹¹And we desire for each one of you to show the same diligence [all the way through] so as to realize and enjoy the full assurance of hope until the end,

¹²so that you will not be [spiritually] sluggish, but [will instead be] imitators of those who through faith [lean on God with absolute trust and confidence in Him and in His power] and by patient endurance [even when suffering] are [now] inheriting the promises.

¹³For when God made the promise to Abraham, He swore [an oath] by Himself, since He had no one greater by whom to swear,

¹⁴saying, "I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you."

¹⁵And so, having patiently waited, he realized the promise [in the miraculous birth of Isaac, as a pledge of what was to come from God].

¹⁶Indeed men swear [an oath] by one greater than themselves, and with them [in all disputes] the oath serves as confirmation [of what has been said] and is an end of the dispute.

¹⁷In the same way God, in His desire to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable nature of His purpose, intervened and guaranteed it with an oath,

¹⁸so that by two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath] in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled [to Him] for refuge would have strong encouragement and indwelling strength to hold tightly to the hope set before us.

¹⁹This hope [this confident assurance] we have as an anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whatever pressure bears upon it]—a safe and steadfast hope that enters within the veil [of the heavenly temple, that most Holy Place in which the very presence of God dwells],

²⁰where Jesus has entered [in advance] as a forerunner for us, having become a High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

¹Then Job answered and said,

²"Yes, I know it is true. But how can a mortal man be right before God?

³"If one should want to contend or dispute with Him, He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.

⁴"God is wise in heart and mighty in strength; Who has [ever] defied or challenged Him and remained unharmed?

⁵"It is God who removes the mountains, and they do not know it, When He overturns them in His anger;

⁶Who shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble;

⁷Who commands the sun, and it does not shine; Who seals up the stars [from view];

⁸Who alone stretches out the heavens And tramples down the waves of the sea;

⁹Who made [the constellations] the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the [vast starry] spaces of the south;

¹⁰Who does great things, [beyond understanding,] unfathomable, Yes, marvelous and wondrous things without number.

¹¹"Behold, He passes by me, and I do not see Him; He moves past me, but I do not perceive Him.

¹²"Behold, He snatches away; who can restrain or turn Him back? Who will say to Him, 'What are You doing?'

¹³"God will not turn back His anger; The [proud] helpers of Rahab [the arrogant monster of the sea] bow under Him.

¹⁴"How can I answer Him [and plead my case], Choosing my words [to reason] with Him?

¹⁵For though I were righteous, I could not answer. I must appeal for mercy to my Opponent and Judge.

¹⁶"If I called and He answered me, I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.

¹⁷"For He bruises me with a tempest And multiplies my wounds without cause.

¹⁸"He will not allow me to catch my breath, But fills and saturates me with bitterness.

¹⁹"If it is a matter of strength and power, behold, He is mighty! And if of justice, who can summon and challenge Him?

²⁰"Though I am innocent and in the right, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty; Though I am blameless, He would denounce me as guilty.

²¹"[Though] I am blameless, I do not care about myself; I despise my life.

²²"It is all one; therefore I say, 'He destroys [both] the blameless and the wicked.'

²³"When [His] scourge kills suddenly, He mocks at the despair of the innocent.

²⁴"The earth is given into the hands of the wicked; He covers the faces of its judges [so that they are blind to justice]. If it is not He, then who is it [that is responsible for all this injustice]?

²⁵"Now my days are swifter than a runner; They vanish, they see no good.

²⁶"They pass by like the [swift] boats made of reeds, Like an eagle that swoops down on its prey.

²⁷"If I say, 'I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my sad appearance, and be cheerful and brighten up,'

²⁸I am afraid of all my pains and worries [yet to come]; I know that You will not acquit me and leave me unpunished.

²⁹"I am accounted wicked and held guilty; Why then should I labor in vain [to appear innocent]?

³⁰"If I were to wash myself with snow And cleanse my hands with lye,

³¹You would still plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes would hate me [and refuse to cover my foul body].

³²"For God is not a [mere] man, as I am, that I may answer Him, That we may go to court and judgment together.

³³"There is no arbitrator between us, Who could lay his hand upon us both [would that there were].

³⁴"Let Him take His rod away from me, And let not the dread and fear of Him terrify me.

³⁵"Then I would speak [my defense] and not fear Him; But I am not like that in myself.

¹In you, O LORD, I have put my trust and confidently taken refuge; Let me never be put to shame.

²In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; Incline Your ear to me and save me.

³Be to me a rock of refuge and a sheltering stronghold to which I may continually come; You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress.

⁴Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked (godless), From the grasp of the unrighteous and ruthless man.

⁵For You are my hope; O Lord GOD, You are my trust and the source of my confidence from my youth.

⁶Upon You have I relied and been sustained from my birth; You are He who took me from my mother's womb and You have been my benefactor from that day. My praise is continually of You.

⁷I am as a wonder to many, For You are my strong refuge.

⁸My mouth is filled with Your praise And with Your glory all day long.

⁹Do not cast me off nor send me away in the time of old age; Do not abandon me when my strength fails and I am weak.

¹⁰For my enemies have spoken against me; Those who watch for my life have consulted together,

¹¹Saying, "God has abandoned him; Pursue and seize him, for there is no one to rescue him."

¹²O God, do not be far from me; O my God, come quickly to help me!

¹³Let those who attack my life be ashamed and consumed; Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor, who seek to injure me.

¹⁴But as for me, I will wait and hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more.

¹⁵My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness And of Your [deeds of] salvation all day long, For their number is more than I know.

¹⁶I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord GOD [and in His strength]; I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.

¹⁷O God, You have taught me from my youth, And I still declare Your wondrous works and miraculous deeds.

¹⁸And even when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not abandon me, Until I declare Your [mighty] strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.

¹⁹Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the [height of the] heavens, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You, [who is Your equal]?

²⁰You who have shown me many troubles and distresses Will revive and renew me again, And will bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

²¹May You increase my greatness (honor) And turn to comfort me.

²²I will also praise You with the harp, Your truth and faithfulness, O my God; To You I will sing praises with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.

²³My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You, And my soul, which You have redeemed.

²⁴My tongue also will speak of Your righteousness all day long; For they are ashamed, for they are humiliated who seek my injury.

¹Wisdom has built her [spacious and sufficient] house; She has hewn out and set up her seven pillars.

²She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine; She has also set her table.

³She has sent out her maidens, she calls From the highest places of the city:

⁴"Whoever is naive or inexperienced, let him turn in here!" As for him who lacks understanding, she says,

⁵"Come, eat my food And drink the wine I have mixed [and accept my gifts].

⁶"Leave [behind] your foolishness [and the foolish] and live, And walk in the way of insight and understanding."

⁷He who corrects and instructs a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man gets insults for himself.

⁸Do not correct a scoffer [who foolishly ridicules and takes no responsibility for his error] or he will hate you; Correct a wise man [who learns from his error], and he will love you.

⁹Give instruction to a wise man and he will become even wiser; Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

¹⁰The [reverent] fear of the LORD [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.

¹¹For by me (wisdom from God) your days will be multiplied, And years of life shall be increased.

¹²If you are wise, you are wise for yourself [for your own benefit]; If you scoff [thoughtlessly ridicule and disdain], you alone will pay the penalty.

¹³The foolish woman is restless and noisy; She is naive and easily misled and thoughtless, and knows nothing at all [of eternal value].

¹⁴She sits at the doorway of her house, On a seat by the high and conspicuous places of the city,

¹⁵Calling to those who pass by, Who are making their paths straight:

¹⁶"Whoever is naive or inexperienced, let him turn in here!" And to him who lacks understanding (common sense), she says,

¹⁷"Stolen waters (pleasures) are sweet [because they are forbidden]; And bread eaten in secret is pleasant."

¹⁸But he does not know that the spirits of the dead are there, And that her guests are [already] in the depths of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).

¹So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father's house heard about it, they went down there to him.

²Everyone who was suffering hardship, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. There were about four hundred men with him.

³And David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and my mother come [out of Judah] and stay with you until I know what God will do for me."

⁴Then he left them with the king of Moab; and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.

⁵Then the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in the stronghold; leave, and go into the land of Judah." So David left and went into the forest of Hereth.

⁶But Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered. Now Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under the tamarisk tree on the high place with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him.

⁷Saul said to his servants who were standing around him, "Listen now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse also give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and hundreds?

⁸For all of you have conspired against me so that no one informs me when my son [Jonathan] makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you cares about me or informs me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in ambush, as he does this day?"

⁹Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul's servants, replied, "I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech [the priest] the son of Ahitub.

¹⁰Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him, and gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine."

¹¹Then the king sent someone to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's household, the priests who were at Nob; and all of them came to the king.

¹²Then Saul said, "Listen now, son of Ahitub." He replied, "Here I am [at your service], my lord."

¹³Saul said to him, "Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so he would rebel against me by lying in ambush, as he does this day?"

¹⁴Then Ahimelech answered the king, "And who among all your servants is as faithful and trustworthy as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and who is captain over your guard [and your confidant], and is honored in your house?

¹⁵Did I just begin to inquire of God for him today? Far be it from me! Do not let the king impute any guilt to his servant or to any of the household of my father, for your servant knows nothing at all about this entire matter."

¹⁶But Saul said, "Be assured that you shall die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's household (extended family)."

¹⁷And the king said to the guards who stood around him, "Turn around and kill the priests of the LORD, because their loyalty also is with David, and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not inform me." But the servants of the king were not willing to put out their hands to attack the Lord's priests.

¹⁸So the king said to Doeg, "You turn around and attack the priests." And Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests, and that day he killed eighty-five men who wore the [priest's] linen ephod.

¹⁹And he struck Nob the city of the priests with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and infants; also he struck oxen and donkeys and sheep with the edge of the sword.

²⁰But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to David.

²¹Abiathar told David that Saul had murdered the Lord's priests.

²²Then David said to Abiathar, "I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would certainly tell Saul. I have brought about the death of everyone in your father's household (extended family).

²³Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life, but you are safe with me."

¹"Roam back and forth through the streets of Jerusalem, And look now and take note. And look in her open squares To see if you can find a man [as Abraham sought in Sodom], One who is just, who [has integrity and moral courage and] seeks truth (faithfulness); Then I will pardon Jerusalem—[for the sake of one uncompromisingly righteous person].

²"And though they say, 'As the LORD lives,' Surely they swear [their oaths] falsely."

³O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth? You [have seen their faithless heart and] have stricken them, But they did not weaken; You have consumed them, But they refused to take correction or instruction. They have made their faces harder than rock; They have refused to repent and return to You.

⁴Then I said, "[Surely] these are only the poor (uneducated); They are [sinfully] foolish and have no [spiritual] understanding, For they do not know the way of the LORD Or the ordinance of their God [and the requirements of His just and righteous law].

⁵"I will go to the great [men] And speak to them, For they [must] know the way of the LORD, The ordinance of their God." But [I found the reverse to be true, that] they too had all alike broken the yoke [of God's law] And had burst the bonds [of obedience to Him].

⁶Therefore a lion from the forest will kill them, A wolf of the deserts will destroy them, A leopard is watching their cities. Everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces, Because their transgressions are many, Their desertions of faith are countless.

⁷"Why should I [overlook these offenses and] forgive you? Your children have abandoned (rejected) Me And sworn [their oaths] by those who are not gods. When I had fed them until they were full [and bound them to Me by a promise], They committed [spiritual] adultery, Assembling in troops at the houses of prostitutes (idols).

⁸"They were like well-fed, lusty stallions, Each one neighing after his neighbor's wife.

⁹"Shall I not punish them [for these things]?" says the LORD; "Shall I not avenge Myself On a nation such as this?"

¹⁰"Go up through the rows of Jerusalem's vineyards and destroy [them], But do not completely destroy everything. Strip away her branches and the tendrils [of her vines], For they are not the Lord's.

¹¹"For the house of Israel and the house of Judah Have dealt very treacherously (faithlessly) with Me," declares the LORD.

¹²They have lied about and denied the LORD By saying, "It is not He [who speaks through His prophets]; Misfortune and evil shall not come on us, Nor will we see war or famine.

¹³"The prophets are like the wind [their prophecy will not come to pass], And the word [of God] is not in them. In this manner it will be done to them [as they prophesied, not to us]."

¹⁴Therefore, thus says the LORD God of hosts, "Because you [people] have spoken this word, Behold, I am making My words a fire in your mouth [Jeremiah] And this people wood, and My words will consume them.

¹⁵"Behold, I am bringing a nation against you from far away, O house of Israel," says the LORD. "It is a mighty and enduring nation, It is an ancient nation, A nation whose language you do not know, Whose words you do not comprehend.

¹⁶"Their quiver is [filled with the dead] like an open grave; They are all mighty men [heroes of their nation].

¹⁷"They will consume your harvest and [eat up] your bread; They will consume your sons and your daughters; They will consume your flocks and your herds; They will consume your vines and your fig trees. With the sword they will break down and demolish your fortified cities in which you trust.

¹⁸"But even in those days," says the LORD, "I will not totally destroy you.

¹⁹It will come about when your people say, 'Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?' then you shall answer them, 'As you have abandoned (rejected) Me,' [says the LORD,] 'and have served strange and foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a land that is not yours.'

²⁰"Declare this in the house of Jacob And proclaim it in Judah, saying:

²¹'Now hear this, O foolish people without heart, Who have eyes but do not see, Who have ears but do not hear.

²²'Do you not fear Me?' says the LORD. 'Do you not tremble [in awe] in My presence? For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, An eternal decree and a perpetual barrier beyond which it cannot pass. Though the waves [of the sea] toss and break, yet they cannot prevail [against the sand ordained to hold them back]; Though the waves and the billows roar, yet they cannot cross over [the barrier]. [Is not such a God to be feared?]

²³'But this people has a stubborn heart and a rebellious will [that draws them away from Me]; They have turned away and have gone [into idolatry].

²⁴'They do not say in their heart, "Let us now fear and worship the LORD our God [with profound awe and reverence], Who gives rain in its season, Both the autumn and the spring rain, Who keeps for us The appointed weeks of the harvest."

²⁵'Your wickedness has turned these [blessings] away, And your sins have withheld good [harvests] from you.

²⁶'For wicked men are found among My people, They watch like fowlers who lie in wait; They set a trap, They catch men.

²⁷'As a cage is full of birds, So are their houses full of deceit and treachery; Therefore they have become influential and rich.

²⁸'They are fat and they are sleek (prosperous), They excel in acts of wickedness; They do not plead the cause, The cause of the orphan, so that they [the wicked] may prosper, And they do not defend the rights of the poor.

²⁹'Shall I not punish them [for these things]?' says the LORD. 'Shall I not avenge Myself On such a nation as this?'

³⁰"An appalling and horrible thing [bringing desolation and destruction] Has come to pass in the land:

³¹The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love [to have] it so! But what will you do when the end comes?

¹Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."

²Paul and Barnabas disagreed greatly and debated with them, so it was determined that Paul and Barnabas and some of the others from their group would go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders [and confer with them] concerning this issue.

³So, after being supplied and sent on their way by the church, they went through both Phoenicia and Samaria telling in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy to all the believers.

⁴When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received warmly by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported to them all the things that God had accomplished through them.

⁵But some from the sect of the Pharisees who had believed [in Jesus as the Messiah] stood up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise the Gentile converts and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses."

⁶The apostles and the elders came together to consider this matter.

⁷After a long debate, Peter got up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the message of the gospel and believe.

⁸And God, who knows and understands the heart, testified to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us;

⁹and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith [in Jesus].

¹⁰Now then, why are you testing God by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been able to endure?

¹¹But we believe that we are saved through the [precious, undeserved] grace of the Lord Jesus [which makes us free of the guilt of sin and grants us eternal life], in just the same way as they are."

¹²All the people remained silent, and they listened [attentively] to Barnabas and Paul as they described all the signs and wonders (attesting miracles) that God had done through them among the Gentiles.

¹³When they had finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me.

¹⁴Simeon (Simon Peter) has described how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name [to honor Him and be identified with Him].

¹⁵The words of the Prophets agree with this, just as it is written [in Scripture],

¹⁶'After these things I will return, And I will rebuild the tent of David which has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will restore it,

¹⁷So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, And all the Gentiles upon whom My name has been invoked,'

¹⁸Says the Lord, Who has been making these things known from long ago.

¹⁹Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble and make it difficult for those who are turning to God among the Gentiles [by putting obstacles in their way],

²⁰but that we write to them that they are to abstain from anything that has been contaminated by [being offered to] idols and from sexual impurity and from [eating the meat of] what has been strangled and from [the consumption of] blood.

²¹For from ancient generations [the writing of] Moses has been preached in every city, since he is read aloud in the synagogues every Sabbath."

²²Then the apostles and the elders, together with the whole church, decided to select some of their men to go to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas—Judas, who was called Barsabbas, and Silas [also called Silvanus, both], leading men among the brothers.

²³With them they sent the following letter: "The apostles and the brothers who are the elders, to the brothers and sisters who are from the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, Greetings.

²⁴Since we have heard that some of our men have troubled you with their teachings, causing distress and confusion—men to whom we gave no such orders or instructions—

²⁵it has been decided by us, having met together, to select men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

²⁶men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁷So we have sent Judas and Silas, who will report by word of mouth the same things [that we decided in our meeting].

²⁸For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to place on you any greater burden than these essentials:

²⁹that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from [consuming] blood, and from [eating the meat of] things that have been strangled, and from sexual impurity. If you keep yourselves from these things, you will do well. Farewell."

³⁰So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch; and after assembling the congregation, they delivered the letter.

³¹And when they had read it, the people rejoiced greatly at the encouragement and comfort [it brought them].

³²Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets (divinely inspired spokesmen), encouraged and strengthened the believers with many words.

³³After spending some time there, they were sent back by the brothers with [the greeting of] peace to those who had sent them.

³⁴[However, Silas decided to stay there.]

³⁵But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, and with many others also continued teaching and proclaiming the good news, the word of the Lord [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ].

³⁶After some time Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers and sisters (believers) in every city where we preached the message of the Lord, and see how they are doing."

³⁷Now Barnabas wanted to take [his cousin] John, who was called Mark, along with them.

³⁸But Paul kept insisting that they should not take along with them the one who had quit and deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.

³⁹And it became such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took [John] Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.

⁴⁰But Paul chose Silas [who was again in Antioch] and set out [on his second journey], commended by the brothers to the grace and favor of the Lord.

⁴¹And he traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.