Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.

²Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near.

³So His brothers said to Him, “Move on from here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing.

⁴For no one does anything in secret when he himself is striving to be known publicly. If You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world.”

⁵For not even His brothers believed in Him.

⁶So Jesus *said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always ready.

⁷The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify about it, that its deeds are evil.

⁸Go up to the feast yourselves; I am not going up to this feast, because My time has not yet fully arrived.”

⁹Now having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee.

¹⁰But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as though in secret.

¹¹So the Jews were looking for Him at the feast and saying, “Where is He?”

¹²And there was a great deal of talk about Him in secret among the crowds: some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He is misleading the people.”

¹³However, no one was speaking openly about Him, for fear of the Jews.

¹⁴But when it was now the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple area, and began to teach.

¹⁵The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, not having been educated?”

¹⁶So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not My own, but His who sent Me.

¹⁷If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is of God, or I am speaking from Myself.

¹⁸The one who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

¹⁹“Did Moses not give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why are you seeking to kill Me?”

²⁰The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill You?”

²¹Jesus answered them, “I did onedeed, and you all are astonished.

²²For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and even on a Sabbath you circumcise a man.

²³If a man receives circumcision on a Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry at Me because I made an entire man well on a Sabbath?

²⁴Do not judge by the outward appearance, but judgewith righteous judgment.”

²⁵So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this man not the one whom they are seeking to kill?

²⁶And yet look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they?

²⁷However, we know where this man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”

²⁸Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know Me and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.

²⁹I do know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me.”

³⁰So they were seeking to arrest Him; and yet no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

³¹But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, “When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has done, will He?”

³²The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest Him.

³³Therefore Jesus said, “For a little while longer I am going to be with you, and then I am going to Him who sent Me.

³⁴You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”

³⁵The Jews then said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him? He does not intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, does He?

³⁶What is this statement that He said, ‘You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come’?”

³⁷Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty,let him come to Me and drink.

³⁸The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

³⁹But this He said in reference to the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

⁴⁰Some of the people therefore, after they heard these words, were saying, “This truly is the Prophet.”

⁴¹Others were saying, “This is the Christ.” But others were saying, “Surely the Christ is not coming from Galilee, is He?

⁴²Has the Scripture not said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”

⁴³So a dissension occurred in the crowd because of Him.

⁴⁴And some of them wanted to arrest Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

⁴⁵The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?”

⁴⁶The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken in this way!”

⁴⁷The Pharisees then replied to them, “You have not been led astray too, have you?

⁴⁸Not one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he?

⁴⁹But this crowd that does not know the Law is accursed!”

⁵⁰Nicodemus (the one who came to Him before, being one of them) *said to them,

⁵¹“Our Law does not judge the person unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?”

⁵²They answered and said to him, “You are not from Galilee as well, are you? Examine the Scriptures, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.”

⁵³[[And everyone went to his home.

¹Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

²“Tell the sons of Israel to take a contribution for Me; from everyone whose heart moves him you shall take My contribution.

³This is the contribution which you are to take from them: gold, silver, and bronze,

⁴violet, purple, and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair,

⁵rams’ skins dyed red, fine leather, acacia wood,

⁶oil for lighting, balsam oil for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,

⁷onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece.

⁸Have them construct a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them.

⁹According to all that I am going to show you as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, so you shall construct it.

¹⁰“Now they shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high.

¹¹You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it.

¹²You shall also cast four gold rings for it and fasten them on its four feet; two rings shall be on one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it.

¹³And you shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

¹⁴You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them.

¹⁵The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it.

¹⁶You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.

¹⁷“And you shall make an atoning cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide.

¹⁸You shall make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work at the two ends of the atoning cover.

¹⁹Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the atoning cover at its two ends.

²⁰And the cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the atoning cover with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the atoning cover.

²¹Then you shall put the atoning cover on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you.

²²There I will meet with you; and from above the atoning cover, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about every commandment that I will give you for the sons of Israel.

²³“You shall also make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long and one cubit wide, and one and a half cubits high.

²⁴You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a gold border around it.

²⁵And you shall make for it a rim of a hand width around it; and you shall make a gold border for the rim around it.

²⁶You shall also make four gold rings for it and put rings on the four corners which are on its four legs.

²⁷The rings shall be close to the rim, as holders for the poles to carry the table.

²⁸And you shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that with them the table may be carried.

²⁹You shall also make its dishes, its pans, its jars, and its libation bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold.

³⁰And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me continually.

³¹“Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand, its base and its shaft, are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it.

³²Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its other side.

³³Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms on the one branch, a bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms on the other branch, a bulb and a flower—the same for six branches going out from the lampstand;

³⁴and on the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers.

³⁵A bulb shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand.

³⁶Their bulbs and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold.

³⁷Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it.

³⁸Its tongs and its trays shall be of pure gold.

³⁹It shall be made from a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils.

⁴⁰See that you make them by the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.

¹For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the form of those things itself, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually every year, make those who approach perfect.

²Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?

³But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.

⁴For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED SACRIFICE AND OFFERING, BUT YOU HAVE PREPARED A BODY FOR ME;

⁶YOU HAVE NOT TAKEN PLEASURE IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND offerings for sin.

⁷THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IT IS WRITTEN OF ME IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’ ”

⁸After saying above, “SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND offerings for sin YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them” (which are offered according to the Law),

⁹then He said, “BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second.

¹⁰By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.

¹¹Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;

¹²but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD,

¹³waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES ARE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET.

¹⁴For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

¹⁵And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,

¹⁶“THIS IS THE COVENANT WHICH I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, DECLARES THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEARTS, AND WRITE THEM ON THEIR MIND,” He then says,

¹⁷“AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL NO LONGER REMEMBER.”

¹⁸Now where there is forgiveness of these things, an offering for sin is no longer required.

¹⁹Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,

²⁰by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, through His flesh,

²¹and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

²²let’s approach God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

²³Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;

²⁴and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds,

²⁵not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

²⁶For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

²⁷but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.

²⁸Anyone who has ignored the Law of Moses is put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

²⁹How much more severe punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

³⁰For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.”

³¹It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³²But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings,

³³partly by being made a public spectacle through insults and distress, and partly by becoming companions with those who were so treated.

³⁴For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better and lasting possession.

³⁵Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

³⁶For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

³⁷FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY.

³⁸BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE WILL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.

³⁹But we are not among those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith for the safekeeping of the soul.

¹First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people,

²for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

³This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

⁴who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

⁵For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,

⁶who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

⁷For this I was appointed as a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

⁸Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and dispute.

⁹Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive apparel,

¹⁰but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.

¹¹A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness.

¹²But I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.

¹³For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve.

¹⁴And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a wrongdoer.

¹⁵But women will be preserved through childbirth—if they continue in faith, love, and sanctity, with moderation.

¹“Behold, my eye has seen all this, My ear has heard and understood it.

²What you know I also know; I am not inferior to you.

³“But I would speak to the Almighty, And I desire to argue with God.

⁴But you smear me with lies; You are all worthless physicians.

⁵Oh that you would be completely silent, And that it would become your wisdom!

⁶Please hear my argument, And give your attention to the contentions of my lips.

⁷Will you speak what is unjust for God, And speak what is deceitful for Him?

⁸Will you show partiality for Him? Will you contend for God?

⁹Will it go well when He examines you? Or will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?

¹⁰He will certainly punish you If you secretly show partiality.

¹¹Will His majesty not terrify you, And the dread of Him fall upon you?

¹²Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes, Your defenses are defenses of clay.

¹³“Be silent before me so that I may speak; Then let come upon me what may.

¹⁴Why should I take my flesh in my teeth, And put my life in my hands?

¹⁵Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him.

¹⁶This also will be my salvation, For a godless person cannot come before His presence.

¹⁷Listen carefully to my speech, And let my declaration fill your ears.

¹⁸Behold now, I have prepared my case; I know that I will be vindicated.

¹⁹Who could contend with me? For then I would be silent and die.

²⁰“Only two things I ask that You do not do to me, Then I will not hide from Your face:

²¹Remove Your hand from me, And may the dread of You not terrify me.

²²Then call and I will answer; Or let me speak, then reply to me.

²³How many are my guilty deeds and sins? Make known to me my wrongdoing and my sin.

²⁴Why do You hide Your face And consider me Your enemy?

²⁵Will You scare away a scattered leaf? Or will You pursue the dry chaff?

²⁶For You write bitter things against me And make me inherit the guilty deeds of my youth.

²⁷You put my feet in the stocks And watch all my paths; You set a limit for the soles of my feet,

²⁸While I am decaying like a rotten thing, Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

¹We give thanks to You, God, we give thanks, For Your name is near; People declare Your wondrous works.

²“When I select an appointed time, It is I who judge fairly.

³The earth and all who inhabit it are unsteady; It is I who have firmly set its pillars. Selah

⁴I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn;

⁵Do not lift up your horn on high, Do not speak with insolent pride.’ ”

⁶For not from the east, nor from the west, Nor from the desert comes exaltation;

⁷But God is the Judge; He puts down one and exalts another.

⁸For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, and the wine foams; It is well mixed, and He pours out of this; Certainly all the wicked of the earth must drain and drink its dregs.

⁹But as for me, I will declare it forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

¹⁰And He will cut off all the horns of the wicked, But the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.

¹A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

²From the fruit of a person’s mouth he enjoys good, But the desire of the treacherous is violence.

³One who guards his mouth protects his life; One who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

⁴The soul of the lazy one craves and gets nothing, But the soul of the diligent is made prosperous.

⁵A righteous person hates a false statement, But a wicked person acts disgustingly and shamefully.

⁶Righteousness guards the one whose way is blameless, But wickedness brings the sinner to ruin.

⁷There is one who pretends to be rich but has nothing; Another pretends to be poor, but has great wealth.

⁸The ransom of a person’s life is his wealth, But the poor hears no rebuke.

⁹The light of the righteous rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked goes out.

¹⁰Through overconfidence comes nothing but strife, But wisdom is with those who receive counsel.

¹¹Wealth obtained from nothing dwindles, But one who gathers by labor increases it.

¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

¹³One who despises the word will do badly, But one who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

¹⁴The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn aside from the snares of death.

¹⁵Good understanding produces favor, But the way of the treacherous is their own disaster.

¹⁶Every prudent person acts with knowledge, But a fool displays foolishness.

¹⁷A wicked messenger falls into adversity, But a faithful messenger brings healing.

¹⁸Poverty and shame will come to one who neglects discipline, But one who complies with rebuke will be honored.

¹⁹Desire realized is sweet to the soul, But it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil.

²⁰One who walks with wise people will be wise, But a companion of fools will suffer harm.

²¹Adversity pursues sinners, But the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.

²²A good person leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren, And the wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous.

²³Abundant food is in the uncultivated ground of the poor, But it is swept away by injustice.

²⁴He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.

²⁵The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, But the stomach of the wicked is in need.

¹Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not keeping himself hidden on the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite Jeshimon?”

²So Saul set out and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, taking with him three thousand chosen men of Israel, to search for David in the wilderness of Ziph.

³And Saul camped on the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite Jeshimon, beside the road, and David was staying in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul had come after him into the wilderness,

⁴David sent out spies, and he learned that Saul was definitely coming.

⁵David then set out and came to the place where Saul had camped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army; and Saul was lying in the circle of the camp, and the people were camped around him.

⁶Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, saying, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”

⁷So David and Abishai came to the people by night, and behold, Saul lay sleeping inside the circle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people were lying around him.

⁸Then Abishai said to David, “Today God has handed your enemy over to you; now then, please let me pin him with the spear to the ground with one thrust, and I will not do it to him a second time.”

⁹But David said to Abishai, “Do not kill him, for who can reach out with his hand against the LORD’S anointed and remain innocent?”

¹⁰David also said, “As the LORD lives, the LORD certainly will strike him, or his day will come that he dies, or he will go down in battle and perish.

¹¹The LORD forbid that I would reach out with my hand against the LORD’S anointed! But now please take the spear that is at his head and the jug of water, and let’s go.”

¹²So David took the spear and the jug of water that were at Saul’s head, and they left; and no one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone awaken, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen on them.

¹³Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the mountain at a distance with a large area between them.

¹⁴And David called to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner replied, “Who are you who calls to the king?”

¹⁵So David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not guarded your lord the king? For one of the people came to kill the king your lord!

¹⁶This thing that you have done is not good. As the LORD lives, all of you undoubtedly must die, because you did not guard your lord, the LORD’S anointed. And now, see where the king’s spear is and the jug of water that was at his head!”

¹⁷Then Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord the king.”

¹⁸He also said, “Why then is my lord pursuing his servant? For what have I done? Or what evil is in my hand?

¹⁹Now then, please let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant. If the LORD has incited you against me, may He accept an offering; but if it is people, cursed are they before the LORD, because they have driven me out today so that I would have no share in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’

²⁰Now then, do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the LORD; for the king of Israel has come out to search for a single flea, just as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.”

²¹Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will not harm you again since my life was precious in your sight this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have made a very great mistake.”

²²David replied, “Behold, the spear of the king! Now have one of the young men come over and take it.

²³And the LORD will repay each man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the LORD handed you over to me today, but I refused to reach out with my hand against the LORD’S anointed.

²⁴Therefore behold, just as your life was highly valued in my sight this day, so may my life be highly valued in the sight of the LORD, and may He rescue me from all distress.”

²⁵Then Saul said to David, “Blessed are you, my son David; you will both accomplish much and assuredly prevail.” So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.

¹Oh, that my head were waters And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For those slain of the daughter of my people!

²Oh that I had in the desert A travelers’ lodging place; So that I might leave my people And go away from them! For all of them are adulterers, An assembly of treacherous people.

³“They bend their tongues like their bows; Lies and not truth prevail in the land; For they proceed from evil to evil, And they do not know Me,” declares the LORD.

⁴“Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor, And do not trust any brother; Because every brother utterly betrays, And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.

⁵Everyone deceives his neighbor And does not speak the truth. They have taught their tongue to speak lies; They weary themselves committing wrongdoing.

⁶Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD.

⁷Therefore this is what the LORD of armies says: “Behold, I will refine them and put them to the test; For what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?

⁸Their tongue is a deadly arrow; It speaks deceit; With his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor, But inwardly he sets an ambush for him.

⁹Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “Shall I not avenge Myself On a nation such as this?

¹⁰“I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, And for the pastures of the wilderness a song of mourning, Because they are laid waste so that no one passes through, And the sound of the livestock is not heard; Both the birds of the sky and the animals have fled; they are gone.

¹¹I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, A haunt of jackals; And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.”

¹²Who is the wise person who may understand this? And who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD has spoken, that he may declare it? Why is the land destroyed, laid waste like the desert, so that no one passes through?

¹³The LORD said, “Because they have abandoned My Law which I put before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it,

¹⁴but have followed the stubbornness of their heart and the Baals, as their fathers taught them,”

¹⁵therefore this is what the LORD of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I will feed this people wormwood; and I will give them poisoned water to drink.

¹⁶I will also scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them until I have put an end to them.”

¹⁷This is what the LORD of armies says: “Consider and call for the mourning women, that they may come; And send for the skillful women, that they may come!

¹⁸Have them hurry and take up a wailing for us, So that our eyes may shed tears, And our eyelids flow with water.

¹⁹For a voice of wailing is heard from Zion: ‘How devastated we are! We are put to great shame, For we have abandoned the land Because they have torn down our homes.’ ”

²⁰Now hear the word of the LORD, you women, And let your ears receive the word of His mouth; Teach your daughters wailing, And have every woman teach her neighbor a song of mourning.

²¹For death has come up through our windows; It has entered our palaces To eliminate the children from the streets, The young men from the public squares.

²²Speak, “This is what the LORD says: ‘The corpses of people will fall like dung on the open field, And like the sheaf after the reaper, But no one will gather them.’ ”

²³This is what the LORD says: “Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast of his might, nor a rich man boast of his riches;

²⁴but let the one who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.

²⁵“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised—

²⁶Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all those inhabiting the desert who trim the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart.”

¹Now it happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples.

²He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “On the contrary, we have not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit.”

³And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.”

⁴Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”

⁵When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

⁶And when Paul had laid hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.

⁷There were about twelve men in all.

⁸And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, having discussions and persuading them about the kingdom of God.

⁹But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took the disciples away with him, and had discussions daily in the school of Tyrannus.

¹⁰This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

¹¹God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,

¹²so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out.

¹³But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had the evil spirits, saying, “I order you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches!”

¹⁴Now there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, doing this.

¹⁵But the evil spirit responded and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know of Paul, but who are you?”

¹⁶And the man in whom was the evil spirit, pounced on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

¹⁷This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.

¹⁸Also many of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices.

¹⁹And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they added up the prices of the books and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver.

²⁰So the word of the Lord was growing and prevailing mightily.

²¹Now after these things were finished, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”

²²And after he sent into Macedonia two of those who assisted him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

²³About that time a major disturbance occurred in regard to the Way.

²⁴For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing considerable business to the craftsmen;

²⁵he gathered these men together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business.

²⁶You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made by hands are not gods at all.

²⁷Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as worthless, and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”

²⁸When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began shouting, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

²⁹The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s Macedonian traveling companions.

³⁰And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him.

³¹Also some of the Asiarchs who were friends of his sent word to him and repeatedly urged him not to venture into the theater.

³²So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together.

³³Some of the crowd concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly.

³⁴But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵After quieting the crowd, the town clerk *said, “Men of Ephesus, what person is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from the sky?

³⁶So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash.

³⁷For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess.

³⁸So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; have them bring charges against one another.

³⁹But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly.

⁴⁰For indeed, we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no real reason for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering.”

⁴¹After saying this he dismissed the assembly.