Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus — the man he had raised from the dead.

²A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him.

³Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.

⁴But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said,

⁵“That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.”

⁶Not that he cared for the poor — he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.

⁷Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial.

⁸You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

⁹When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead.

¹⁰Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too,

¹¹for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus.

¹²The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors

¹³took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Hail to the King of Israel!”

¹⁴Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said:

¹⁵“Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey’s colt.”

¹⁶His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him.

¹⁷Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it.

¹⁸That was the reason so many went out to meet him — because they had heard about this miraculous sign.

¹⁹Then the Pharisees said to each other, “There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after him!”

²⁰Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration

²¹paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.”

²²Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus.

²³Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory.

²⁴I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels — a plentiful harvest of new lives.

²⁵Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.

²⁶Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

²⁷“Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came!

²⁸Father, bring glory to your name.” Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.”

²⁹When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him.

³⁰Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine.

³¹The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out.

³²And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”

³³He said this to indicate how he was going to die.

³⁴The crowd responded, “We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?”

³⁵Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going.

³⁶Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.” After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.

³⁷But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him.

³⁸This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted: “LORD, who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?”

³⁹But the people couldn’t believe, for as Isaiah also said,

⁴⁰“The Lord has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts — so that their eyes cannot see, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and have me heal them.”

⁴¹Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he said this, because he saw the future and spoke of the Messiah’s glory.

⁴²Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue.

⁴³For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.

⁴⁴Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me.

⁴⁵For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me.

⁴⁶I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.

⁴⁷I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it.

⁴⁸But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken.

⁴⁹I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it.

⁵⁰And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.”

¹“Then make another altar of acacia wood for burning incense.

²Make it 18 inches square and 36 inches high, with horns at the corners carved from the same piece of wood as the altar itself.

³Overlay the top, sides, and horns of the altar with pure gold, and run a gold molding around the entire altar.

⁴Make two gold rings, and attach them on opposite sides of the altar below the gold molding to hold the carrying poles.

⁵Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

⁶Place the incense altar just outside the inner curtain that shields the Ark of the Covenant, in front of the Ark’s cover — the place of atonement — that covers the tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant. I will meet with you there.

⁷“Every morning when Aaron maintains the lamps, he must burn fragrant incense on the altar.

⁸And each evening when he lights the lamps, he must again burn incense in the LORD’s presence. This must be done from generation to generation.

⁹Do not offer any unholy incense on this altar, or any burnt offerings, grain offerings, or liquid offerings.

¹⁰“Once a year Aaron must purify the altar by smearing its horns with blood from the offering made to purify the people from their sin. This will be a regular, annual event from generation to generation, for this is the LORD’s most holy altar.”

¹¹Then the LORD said to Moses,

¹²“Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is counted must pay a ransom for himself to the LORD. Then no plague will strike the people as you count them.

¹³Each person who is counted must give a small piece of silver as a sacred offering to the LORD. (This payment is half a shekel, based on the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs.)

¹⁴All who have reached their twentieth birthday must give this sacred offering to the LORD.

¹⁵When this offering is given to the LORD to purify your lives, making you right with him, the rich must not give more than the specified amount, and the poor must not give less.

¹⁶Receive this ransom money from the Israelites, and use it for the care of the Tabernacle. It will bring the Israelites to the LORD’s attention, and it will purify your lives.”

¹⁷Then the LORD said to Moses,

¹⁸“Make a bronze washbasin with a bronze stand. Place it between the Tabernacle and the altar, and fill it with water.

¹⁹Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet there.

²⁰They must wash with water whenever they go into the Tabernacle to appear before the LORD and when they approach the altar to burn up their special gifts to the LORD — or they will die!

²¹They must always wash their hands and feet, or they will die. This is a permanent law for Aaron and his descendants, to be observed from generation to generation.”

²²Then the LORD said to Moses,

²³“Collect choice spices — 12 1⁄2 pounds of pure myrrh, 6 1⁄4 pounds of fragrant cinnamon, 6 1⁄4 pounds of fragrant calamus,

²⁴and 12 1⁄2 pounds of cassia — as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. Also get one gallon of olive oil.

²⁵Like a skilled incense maker, blend these ingredients to make a holy anointing oil.

²⁶Use this sacred oil to anoint the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant,

²⁷the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and all its accessories, the incense altar,

²⁸the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the washbasin with its stand.

²⁹Consecrate them to make them absolutely holy. After this, whatever touches them will also become holy.

³⁰“Anoint Aaron and his sons also, consecrating them to serve me as priests.

³¹And say to the people of Israel, ‘This holy anointing oil is reserved for me from generation to generation.

³²It must never be used to anoint anyone else, and you must never make any blend like it for yourselves. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy.

³³Anyone who makes a blend like it or anoints someone other than a priest will be cut off from the community.’”

³⁴Then the LORD said to Moses, “Gather fragrant spices — resin droplets, mollusk shell, and galbanum — and mix these fragrant spices with pure frankincense, weighed out in equal amounts.

³⁵Using the usual techniques of the incense maker, blend the spices together and sprinkle them with salt to produce a pure and holy incense.

³⁶Grind some of the mixture into a very fine powder and put it in front of the Ark of the Covenant, where I will meet with you in the Tabernacle. You must treat this incense as most holy.

³⁷Never use this formula to make this incense for yourselves. It is reserved for the LORD, and you must treat it as holy.

³⁸Anyone who makes incense like this for personal use will be cut off from the community.”

¹You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things.

²And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things.

³Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things?

⁴Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

⁵But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

⁶He will judge everyone according to what they have done.

⁷He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers.

⁸But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness.

⁹There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil — for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.

¹⁰But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good — for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.

¹¹For God does not show favoritism.

¹²When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it.

¹³For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.

¹⁴Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it.

¹⁵They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.

¹⁶And this is the message I proclaim — that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.

¹⁷You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him.

¹⁸You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law.

¹⁹You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness.

²⁰You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth.

²¹Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal?

²²You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples?

²³You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.

²⁴No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.”

²⁵The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law. But if you don’t obey God’s law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile.

²⁶And if the Gentiles obey God’s law, won’t God declare them to be his own people?

²⁷In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God’s law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God’s law but don’t obey it.

²⁸For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision.

²⁹No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.

¹This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I have been sent out to tell others about the life he has promised through faith in Christ Jesus.

²I am writing to Timothy, my dear son. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.

³Timothy, I thank God for you — the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.

⁴I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I will be filled with joy when we are together again.

⁵I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.

⁶This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.

⁷For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

⁸So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.

⁹For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time — to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.

¹⁰And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News.

¹¹And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News.

¹²That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.

¹³Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me — a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.

¹⁵As you know, everyone from the province of Asia has deserted me — even Phygelus and Hermogenes.

¹⁶May the Lord show special kindness to Onesiphorus and all his family because he often visited and encouraged me. He was never ashamed of me because I was in chains.

¹⁷When he came to Rome, he searched everywhere until he found me.

¹⁸May the Lord show him special kindness on the day of Christ’s return. And you know very well how helpful he was in Ephesus.

¹Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

²“How long before you stop talking? Speak sense if you want us to answer!

³Do you think we are mere animals? Do you think we are stupid?

⁴You may tear out your hair in anger, but will that destroy the earth? Will it make the rocks tremble?

⁵“Surely the light of the wicked will be snuffed out. The sparks of their fire will not glow.

⁶The light in their tent will grow dark. The lamp hanging above them will be quenched.

⁷The confident stride of the wicked will be shortened. Their own schemes will be their downfall.

⁸The wicked walk into a net. They fall into a pit.

⁹A trap grabs them by the heel. A snare holds them tight.

¹⁰A noose lies hidden on the ground. A rope is stretched across their path.

¹¹“Terrors surround the wicked and trouble them at every step.

¹²Hunger depletes their strength, and calamity waits for them to stumble.

¹³Disease eats their skin; death devours their limbs.

¹⁴They are torn from the security of their homes and are brought down to the king of terrors.

¹⁵The homes of the wicked will burn down; burning sulfur rains on their houses.

¹⁶Their roots will dry up, and their branches will wither.

¹⁷All memory of their existence will fade from the earth; no one will remember their names.

¹⁸They will be thrust from light into darkness, driven from the world.

¹⁹They will have neither children nor grandchildren, nor any survivor in the place where they lived.

²⁰People in the west are appalled at their fate; people in the east are horrified.

²¹They will say, ‘This was the home of a wicked person, the place of one who rejected God.’”

¹Please listen, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph’s descendants like a flock. O God, enthroned above the cherubim, display your radiant glory

²to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Show us your mighty power. Come to rescue us!

³Turn us again to yourself, O God. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.

⁴O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, how long will you be angry with our prayers?

⁵You have fed us with sorrow and made us drink tears by the bucketful.

⁶You have made us the scorn of neighboring nations. Our enemies treat us as a joke.

⁷Turn us again to yourself, O God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.

⁸You brought us from Egypt like a grapevine; you drove away the pagan nations and transplanted us into your land.

⁹You cleared the ground for us, and we took root and filled the land.

¹⁰Our shade covered the mountains; our branches covered the mighty cedars.

¹¹We spread our branches west to the Mediterranean Sea; our shoots spread east to the Euphrates River.

¹²But now, why have you broken down our walls so that all who pass by may steal our fruit?

¹³The wild boar from the forest devours it, and the wild animals feed on it.

¹⁴Come back, we beg you, O God of Heaven’s Armies. Look down from heaven and see our plight. Take care of this grapevine

¹⁵that you yourself have planted, this son you have raised for yourself.

¹⁶For we are chopped up and burned by our enemies. May they perish at the sight of your frown.

¹⁷Strengthen the man you love, the son of your choice.

¹⁸Then we will never abandon you again. Revive us so we can call on your name once more.

¹⁹Turn us again to yourself, O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.

¹Unfriendly people care only about themselves; they lash out at common sense.

²Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.

³Doing wrong leads to disgrace, and scandalous behavior brings contempt.

⁴Wise words are like deep waters; wisdom flows from the wise like a bubbling brook.

⁵It is not right to acquit the guilty or deny justice to the innocent.

⁶Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating.

⁷The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips.

⁸Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.

⁹A lazy person is as bad as someone who destroys things.

¹⁰The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.

¹¹The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety.

¹²Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor.

¹³Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.

¹⁴The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit?

¹⁵Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.

¹⁶Giving a gift can open doors; it gives access to important people!

¹⁷The first to speak in court sounds right — until the cross-examination begins.

¹⁸Flipping a coin can end arguments; it settles disputes between powerful opponents.

¹⁹An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.

²⁰Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction.

²¹The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.

²²The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the LORD.

²³The poor plead for mercy; the rich answer with insults.

²⁴There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.

¹Now the Philistines attacked Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them. Many were slaughtered on the slopes of Mount Gilboa.

²The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed three of his sons — Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua.

³The fighting grew very fierce around Saul, and the Philistine archers caught up with him and wounded him severely.

⁴Saul groaned to his armor bearer, “Take your sword and kill me before these pagan Philistines come to run me through and taunt and torture me.” But his armor bearer was afraid and would not do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

⁵When his armor bearer realized that Saul was dead, he fell on his own sword and died beside the king.

⁶So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and his troops all died together that same day.

⁷When the Israelites on the other side of the Jezreel Valley and beyond the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their towns and fled. So the Philistines moved in and occupied their towns.

⁸The next day, when the Philistines went out to strip the dead, they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons on Mount Gilboa.

⁹So they cut off Saul’s head and stripped off his armor. Then they proclaimed the good news of Saul’s death in their pagan temple and to the people throughout the land of Philistia.

¹⁰They placed his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the wall of the city of Beth-shan.

¹¹But when the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

¹²all their mighty warriors traveled through the night to Beth-shan and took the bodies of Saul and his sons down from the wall. They brought them to Jabesh, where they burned the bodies.

¹³Then they took their bones and buried them beneath the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted for seven days.

¹This message came to Jeremiah from the LORD, explaining why he was holding back the rain:

²“Judah wilts; commerce at the city gates grinds to a halt. All the people sit on the ground in mourning, and a great cry rises from Jerusalem.

³The nobles send servants to get water, but all the wells are dry. The servants return with empty pitchers, confused and desperate, covering their heads in grief.

⁴The ground is parched and cracked for lack of rain. The farmers are deeply troubled; they, too, cover their heads.

⁵Even the doe abandons her newborn fawn because there is no grass in the field.

⁶The wild donkeys stand on the bare hills panting like thirsty jackals. They strain their eyes looking for grass, but there is none to be found.”

⁷The people say, “Our wickedness has caught up with us, LORD, but help us for the sake of your own reputation. We have turned away from you and sinned against you again and again.

⁸O Hope of Israel, our Savior in times of trouble, why are you like a stranger to us? Why are you like a traveler passing through the land, stopping only for the night?

⁹Are you also confused? Is our champion helpless to save us? You are right here among us, LORD. We are known as your people. Please don’t abandon us now!”

¹⁰So this is what the LORD says to his people: “You love to wander far from me and do not restrain yourselves. Therefore, I will no longer accept you as my people. Now I will remember all your wickedness and will punish you for your sins.”

¹¹Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for these people anymore.

¹²When they fast, I will pay no attention. When they present their burnt offerings and grain offerings to me, I will not accept them. Instead, I will devour them with war, famine, and disease.”

¹³Then I said, “O Sovereign LORD, their prophets are telling them, ‘All is well — no war or famine will come. The LORD will surely send you peace.’”

¹⁴Then the LORD said, “These prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send them or tell them to speak. I did not give them any messages. They prophesy of visions and revelations they have never seen or heard. They speak foolishness made up in their own lying hearts.

¹⁵Therefore, this is what the LORD says: I will punish these lying prophets, for they have spoken in my name even though I never sent them. They say that no war or famine will come, but they themselves will die by war and famine!

¹⁶As for the people to whom they prophesy — their bodies will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and war. There will be no one left to bury them. Husbands, wives, sons, and daughters — all will be gone. For I will pour out their own wickedness on them.

¹⁷Now, Jeremiah, say this to them: “Night and day my eyes overflow with tears. I cannot stop weeping, for my virgin daughter — my precious people — has been struck down and lies mortally wounded.

¹⁸If I go out into the fields, I see the bodies of people slaughtered by the enemy. If I walk the city streets, I see people who have died of starvation. The prophets and priests continue with their work, but they don’t know what they’re doing.”

¹⁹LORD, have you completely rejected Judah? Do you really hate Jerusalem? Why have you wounded us past all hope of healing? We hoped for peace, but no peace came. We hoped for a time of healing, but found only terror.

²⁰LORD, we confess our wickedness and that of our ancestors, too. We all have sinned against you.

²¹For the sake of your reputation, LORD, do not abandon us. Do not disgrace your own glorious throne. Please remember us, and do not break your covenant with us.

²²Can any of the worthless foreign gods send us rain? Does it fall from the sky by itself? No, you are the one, O LORD our God! Only you can do such things. So we will wait for you to help us.

¹Five days later Ananias, the high priest, arrived with some of the Jewish elders and the lawyer Tertullus, to present their case against Paul to the governor.

²When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented the charges against Paul in the following address to the governor: “You have provided a long period of peace for us Jews and with foresight have enacted reforms for us.

³For all of this, Your Excellency, we are very grateful to you.

⁴But I don’t want to bore you, so please give me your attention for only a moment.

⁵We have found this man to be a troublemaker who is constantly stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the cult known as the Nazarenes.

⁶Furthermore, he was trying to desecrate the Temple when we arrested him.

⁷

⁸You can find out the truth of our accusations by examining him yourself.”

⁹Then the other Jews chimed in, declaring that everything Tertullus said was true.

¹⁰The governor then motioned for Paul to speak. Paul said, “I know, sir, that you have been a judge of Jewish affairs for many years, so I gladly present my defense before you.

¹¹You can quickly discover that I arrived in Jerusalem no more than twelve days ago to worship at the Temple.

¹²My accusers never found me arguing with anyone in the Temple, nor stirring up a riot in any synagogue or on the streets of the city.

¹³These men cannot prove the things they accuse me of doing.

¹⁴“But I admit that I follow the Way, which they call a cult. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly believe the Jewish law and everything written in the prophets.

¹⁵I have the same hope in God that these men have, that he will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous.

¹⁶Because of this, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people.

¹⁷“After several years away, I returned to Jerusalem with money to aid my people and to offer sacrifices to God.

¹⁸My accusers saw me in the Temple as I was completing a purification ceremony. There was no crowd around me and no rioting.

¹⁹But some Jews from the province of Asia were there — and they ought to be here to bring charges if they have anything against me!

²⁰Ask these men here what crime the Jewish high council found me guilty of,

²¹except for the one time I shouted out, ‘I am on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!’”

²²At that point Felix, who was quite familiar with the Way, adjourned the hearing and said, “Wait until Lysias, the garrison commander, arrives. Then I will decide the case.”

²³He ordered an officer to keep Paul in custody but to give him some freedom and allow his friends to visit him and take care of his needs.

²⁴A few days later Felix came back with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish. Sending for Paul, they listened as he told them about faith in Christ Jesus.

²⁵As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming day of judgment, Felix became frightened. “Go away for now,” he replied. “When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.”

²⁶He also hoped that Paul would bribe him, so he sent for him quite often and talked with him.

²⁷After two years went by in this way, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jewish people, he left Paul in prison.