Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹As Jesus passed by, He saw a man who had been blind from birth.

²And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”

³Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

⁴We must carry out the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.

⁵While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”

⁶When He had said this, He spit on the ground, and made mud from the saliva, and applied the mud to his eyes,

⁷and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he left and washed, and came back seeing.

⁸So the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is this not the one who used to sit and beg?”

⁹Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but he is like him.” The man himself kept saying, “I am the one.”

¹⁰So they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?”

¹¹He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made mud, and spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so I went away and washed, and I received sight.”

¹²And they said to him, “Where is He?” He *said, “I do not know.”

¹³They *brought the man who was previously blind to the Pharisees.

¹⁴Now it was a Sabbath on the day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.

¹⁵Then the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, “He applied mud to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”

¹⁶Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was dissension among them.

¹⁷So they *said again to the man who was blind, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.”

¹⁸The Jews then did not believe it about him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight,

¹⁹and they questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?”

²⁰His parents then answered and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;

²¹but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.”

²²His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already reached the decision that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be excommunicated from the synagogue.

²³It was for this reason that his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

²⁴So for a second time they summoned the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.”

²⁵He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

²⁶So they said to him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”

²⁷He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?”

²⁸They spoke abusively to him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.

²⁹We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.”

³⁰The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is the amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes!

³¹We know that God does not listen to sinners; but if someone is God-fearing and does His will, He listens to him.

³²Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.

³³If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

³⁴They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and yet you are teaching us?” So they put him out.

³⁵Jesus heard that they had put him out, and upon finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

³⁶He answered by saying, “And who is He, Sir, that I may believe in Him?”

³⁷Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.”

³⁸And he said, “I believe, Lord.” And he worshiped Him.

³⁹And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”

⁴⁰Those who were with Him from the Pharisees heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?”

⁴¹Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now that you maintain, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

¹“Now you shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits.

²You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze.

³And you shall make its pails for removing its ashes, and its shovels, its basins, its forks, and its firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze.

⁴You shall also make for it a grating, a netting of bronze, and on the netting you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners.

⁵And you shall put it under the ledge of the altar, so that the netting will reach halfway up the altar.

⁶You shall also make carrying poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood and overlay them with bronze.

⁷Its poles shall be inserted into the rings, so that the poles will be on the two sides of the altar when it is carried.

⁸You shall make it hollow with planks; as it was shown to you on the mountain, so they shall make it.

⁹“Now you shall make the courtyard of the tabernacle. On the south side there shall be hangings for the courtyard of fine twisted linen, a hundred cubits long for one side;

¹⁰and its pillars shall be twenty, with their twenty bases of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver.

¹¹Likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, and its twenty pillars with their twenty bases of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver.

¹²For the width of the courtyard on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits, with their ten pillars and their ten bases.

¹³The width of the courtyard on the east side shall be fifty cubits.

¹⁴The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases.

¹⁵And for the other side there shall be hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases.

¹⁶And for the gate of the courtyard there shall be a curtain of twenty cubits, of violet, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver, with their four pillars and their four bases.

¹⁷All the pillars around the courtyard shall be joined together with silver, with their hooks of silver and their bases of bronze.

¹⁸The length of the courtyard shall be a hundred cubits, and the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits of fine twisted linen, and their bases of bronze.

¹⁹All the utensils of the tabernacle used in all its service, and all its pegs, and all the pegs of the courtyard, shall be of bronze.

²⁰“And you shall command the sons of Israel that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually.

²¹In the tent of meeting, outside the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the LORD; it shall be a permanent statute throughout their generations for the sons of Israel.

¹Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us,

²looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

³For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

⁴You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;

⁵and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE PUNISHED BY HIM;

⁶FOR WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE PUNISHES EVERY SON WHOM HE ACCEPTS.”

⁷It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

⁸But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

⁹Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?

¹⁰For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.

¹¹For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

¹²Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,

¹³and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is impaired may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

¹⁴Pursue peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

¹⁵See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

¹⁶that there be no sexually immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.

¹⁷For you know that even afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

¹⁸For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind,

¹⁹and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words, which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them.

²⁰For they could not cope with the command, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.”

²¹And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I am terrified and trembling.”

²²But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,

²³to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,

²⁴and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

²⁵See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns us from heaven.

²⁶And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.”

²⁷This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

²⁸Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let’s show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;

²⁹for our God is a consuming fire.

¹But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,

²by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,

³who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.

⁴For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;

⁵for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

⁶In pointing out these things to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the good doctrine which you have been following.

⁷But stay away from worthless stories that are typical of old women. Rather, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;

⁸for bodily training is just slightly beneficial, but godliness is beneficial for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

⁹It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.

¹⁰For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all mankind, especially of believers.

¹¹Prescribe and teach these things.

¹²Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.

¹³Until I come, give your attention to the public reading, to exhortation, and teaching.

¹⁴Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was granted to you through words of prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.

¹⁵Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.

¹⁶Pay close attention to yourself and to the teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,

²“Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind?

³Should he argue with useless talk, Or with words which do not benefit?

⁴Indeed, you do away with reverence, And hinder meditation before God.

⁵For your wrongdoing teaches your mouth, And you choose the language of the cunning.

⁶Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; And your own lips testify against you.

⁷“Were you the first person to be born, Or were you brought forth before the hills?

⁸Do you hear the secret discussion of God, And limit wisdom to yourself?

⁹What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that we do not?

¹⁰Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, Older than your father.

¹¹Are the consolations of God too little for you, Or the word spoken gently to you?

¹²Why does your heart take you away? And why do your eyes wink,

¹³That you can turn your spirit against God And produce such words from your mouth?

¹⁴What is man, that he would be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he would be righteous?

¹⁵Behold, He has no trust in His holy ones, And the heavens are not pure in His sight;

¹⁶How much less one who is detestable and corrupt: A person who drinks malice like water!

¹⁷“I will tell you, listen to me; And what I have seen I will also declare;

¹⁸What wise people have told, And have not concealed from their fathers,

¹⁹To whom alone the land was given, And no stranger passed among them.

²⁰The wicked person writhes in pain all his days, And the years reserved for the ruthless are numbered.

²¹Sounds of terror are in his ears; While he is at peace the destroyer comes upon him.

²²He does not believe that he will return from darkness, And he is destined for the sword.

²³He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that a day of darkness is at hand.

²⁴Distress and anguish terrify him, They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,

²⁵Because he has reached out with his hand against God, And is arrogant toward the Almighty.

²⁶He rushes headlong at Him With his massive shield.

²⁷For he has covered his face with his fat, And put fat on his waist.

²⁸He has lived in desolate cities, In houses no one would inhabit, Which are destined to become ruins.

²⁹He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure; And his property will not stretch out on the earth.

³⁰He will not escape from darkness; The flame will dry up his shoot, And he will go away by the breath of His mouth.

³¹Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; For his reward will be emptiness.

³²It will be accomplished before his time, And his palm branch will not be green.

³³He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine, And will cast off his flower like the olive tree.

³⁴For the company of the godless is barren, And fire consumes the tents of the corrupt.

³⁵They conceive harm and give birth to wrongdoing, And their mind prepares deception.”

¹My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud; My voice rises to God, and He will listen to me.

²In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; In the night my hand was stretched out and did not grow weary; My soul refused to be comforted.

³When I remember God, then I am restless; When I sigh, then my spirit feels weak. Selah

⁴You have held my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

⁵I have considered the days of old, The years of long ago.

⁶I will remember my song in the night; I will meditate with my heart, And my spirit ponders:

⁷Will the Lord reject forever? And will He never be favorable again?

⁸Has His favor ceased forever? Has His promise come to an end forever?

⁹Has God forgotten to be gracious, Or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion? Selah

¹⁰Then I said, “It is my grief, That the right hand of the Most High has changed.”

¹¹I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; I will certainly remember Your wonders of old.

¹²I will meditate on all Your work, And on Your deeds with thanksgiving.

¹³Your way, God, is holy; What god is great like our God?

¹⁴You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples.

¹⁵By Your power You have redeemed Your people, The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

¹⁶The waters saw You, God; The waters saw You, they were in anguish; The ocean depths also trembled.

¹⁷The clouds poured out water; The skies sounded out; Your arrows flashed here and there.

¹⁸The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; The lightning lit up the world; The earth trembled and shook.

¹⁹Your way was in the sea And Your paths in the mighty waters, And Your footprints were not known.

²⁰You led Your people like a flock By the hand of Moses and Aaron.

¹A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

²The tongue of the wise makes knowledge pleasant, But the mouth of fools spouts foolishness.

³The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Watching the evil and the good.

⁴A soothing tongue is a tree of life, But perversion in it crushes the spirit.

⁵A fool rejects his father’s discipline, But he who complies with rebuke is sensible.

⁶Great wealth is in the house of the righteous, But trouble is in the income of the wicked.

⁷The lips of the wise spread knowledge, But the hearts of fools are not so.

⁸The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.

⁹The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But He loves the one who pursues righteousness.

¹⁰There is severe punishment for one who abandons the way; One who hates a rebuke will die.

¹¹Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD, How much more the hearts of mankind!

¹²A scoffer does not love one who rebukes him; He will not go to the wise.

¹³A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.

¹⁴The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.

¹⁵All the days of the needy are bad, But a cheerful heart has a continual feast.

¹⁶Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure, and turmoil with the treasure.

¹⁷Better is a portion of vegetables where there is love, Than a fattened ox served with hatred.

¹⁸A hot-tempered person stirs up strife, But the slow to anger calms a dispute.

¹⁹The way of the lazy one is like a hedge of thorns, But the path of the upright is a highway.

²⁰A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish man despises his mother.

²¹Foolishness is joy to one who lacks sense, But a person of understanding walks straight.

²²Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed.

²³A person has joy in an apt answer, And how delightful is a timely word!

²⁴The path of life leads upward for the wise, So that he may keep away from Sheol below.

²⁵The LORD will tear down the house of the proud, But He will set the boundary of the widow.

²⁶Evil plans are an abomination to the LORD, But pleasant words are pure.

²⁷He who profits illicitly troubles his own house, But he who hates bribes will live.

²⁸The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.

²⁹The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

³⁰Bright eyes gladden the heart; Good news refreshes the bones.

³¹One whose ear listens to a life-giving rebuke Will stay among the wise.

³²One who neglects discipline rejects himself, But one who listens to a rebuke acquires understanding.

³³The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.

¹Now it came about in those days that the Philistines gathered their armed camps for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Know for certain that you will go out with me in the camp, you and your men.”

²David said to Achish, “Very well, you will learn what your servant can do.” So Achish said to David, “Then I will assuredly make you my bodyguard for life!”

³Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.

⁴So the Philistines assembled and came and camped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they camped in Gilboa.

⁵When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly.

⁶So Saul inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him, either in dreams, or by the Urim, or by the prophets.

⁷Then Saul said to his servants, “Find for me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at En-dor.”

⁸Then Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, “Consult the spirit for me, please, and bring up for me the one whom I shall name for you.”

⁹But the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, that he has eliminated the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then setting a trap for my life, to bring about my death?”

¹⁰So Saul swore an oath to her by the LORD, saying, “As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”

¹¹Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”

¹²When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!”

¹³But the king said to her, “Do not be afraid; but what do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a divine being coming up from the earth.”

¹⁴He said to her, “How does he appear?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage.

¹⁵And Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul replied, “I am very distressed, for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has abandoned me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or in dreams; therefore I have called you, so that you may let me know what I should do.”

¹⁶Samuel said, “But why ask me, since the LORD has abandoned you and has become your enemy?

¹⁷And the LORD has done just as He spoke through me; for the LORD has torn the kingdom from your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David.

¹⁸Just as you did not obey the LORD and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the LORD has done this thing to you this day.

¹⁹Furthermore, the LORD will also hand Israel along with you over to the Philistines; so tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed, the LORD will hand the army of Israel over to the Philistines!”

²⁰Then Saul immediately fell full length to the ground and was very afraid because of Samuel’s words; there was no strength in him either, because he had eaten no food all day and all night.

²¹The woman came to Saul and saw that he was utterly horrified, and she said to him, “Behold, your servant has obeyed you, and I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to your words which you spoke to me.

²²So now you too, please listen to the voice of your servant, and let me serve you a piece of bread, and eat it, so that you will have strength when you go on your way.”

²³But he refused and said, “I will not eat.” However, his servants together with the woman urged him, and he listened to them. So he got up from the ground and sat on the bed.

²⁴Now the woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly slaughtered it; then she took flour, kneaded it and baked unleavened bread from it.

²⁵She then served it to Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they got up and left that night.

¹The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

²“Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;

³and say to them, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: “Cursed is the one who does not obey the words of this covenant

⁴which I commanded your forefathers on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Listen to My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so you shall be My people, and I will be your God,’

⁵in order to confirm the oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.” ’ ” Then I replied, “Amen, LORD.”

⁶And the LORD said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Hear the words of this covenant and do them.

⁷For I solemnly warned your fathers on the day I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, warning them persistently, saying, “Listen to My voice.”

⁸Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in the stubbornness of their evil heart, each one of them; therefore I brought on them all the words of this covenant which I commanded them to do, but they did not.’ ”

⁹Then the LORD said to me, “A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

¹⁰They have turned back to the wrongdoings of their ancestors who refused to hear My words, and they have followed other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.”

¹¹Therefore this is what the LORD says: “Behold, I am bringing disaster on them which they will not be able to escape; though they will cry out to Me, I will not listen to them.

¹²Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they certainly will not save them in the time of their disaster.

¹³For your gods are as many as your cities, Judah; and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the shameful thing, altars for burning incense to Baal.

¹⁴“So as for you, do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster.

¹⁵What right has My beloved in My house When she has carried out many evil schemes? Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster, So that you can rejoice?”

¹⁶The LORD named you “A green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form”; With the noise of a great tumult He has set fire to it, And its branches are worthless.

¹⁷The LORD of armies, who planted you, has pronounced evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and the house of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me by offering sacrifices to Baal.

¹⁸Moreover, the LORD made it known to me and I knew it; Then You showed me their deeds.

¹⁹But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; And I did not know that they had devised plots against me, saying, “Let’s destroy the tree with its fruit, And let’s cut him off from the land of the living, So that his name will no longer be remembered.”

²⁰But, LORD of armies, who judges righteously, Who puts the feelings and the heart to the test, Let me see Your vengeance on them, For to You I have committed my cause.

²¹Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the people of Anathoth, who are seeking your life, saying: “Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD, so that you do not die by our hand”;

²²therefore, this is what the LORD of armies says: “Behold, I am going to punish them! The young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters will die by famine;

²³and a remnant will not be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth—the year of their punishment.”

¹Now when we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran a straight course to Cos, and on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara;

²and having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail.

³When we came in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to Syria and landed at Tyre; for the ship was to unload its cargo there.

⁴After looking up the disciples, we stayed there for seven days; and they kept telling Paul, through the Spirit, not to set foot in Jerusalem.

⁵When our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, escorted us until we were out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another.

⁶Then we boarded the ship, and they returned home.

⁷When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting the brothers and sisters, we stayed with them for a day.

⁸On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.

⁹Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses.

¹⁰As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

¹¹And he came to us and took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ”

¹²When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem.

¹³Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

¹⁴And since he would not be persuaded, we became quiet, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!”

¹⁵After these days we got ready and started on our way up to Jerusalem.

¹⁶Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple of long standing with whom we were to stay.

¹⁷After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us gladly.

¹⁸And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.

¹⁹After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

²⁰And when they heard about them, they began glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law;

²¹and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.

²²So what is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.

²³Therefore, do as we tell you: we have four men who have a vow upon themselves;

²⁴take them along and purify yourself together with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and then everyone will know that there is nothing to what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also conform, keeping the Law.

²⁵But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we sent a letter, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and what is strangled, and from sexual immorality.”

²⁶Then Paul took along the men, and the next day, after purifying himself together with them, he went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.

²⁷When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him,

²⁸crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who instructs everyone everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides, he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place!”

²⁹For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they thought that Paul had brought him into the temple.

³⁰Then the whole city was provoked and the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut.

³¹While they were intent on killing him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion.

³²He immediately took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to the crowd; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

³³Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered that he be bound with two chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done.

³⁴But among the crowd, some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the facts because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks.

³⁵When Paul got to the stairs, it came about that he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob;

³⁶for the multitude of people kept following them, shouting, “Away with him!”

³⁷As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he *said to the commander, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek?

³⁸Then you are not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?”

³⁹But Paul said, “I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.”

⁴⁰When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, motioned to the people with his hand; and when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect, saying,