Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that His hour had come that He would depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

²And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him,

³Jesus, knowing that the Father had handed all things over to Him, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God,

⁴*got up from supper and *laid His outer garments aside; and He took a towel and tied it around Himself.

⁵Then He *poured water into the basin, and began washing the disciples’ feet and wiping them with the towel which He had tied around Himself.

⁶So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, “Lord, You are washing my feet?”

⁷Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not realize right now, but you will understand later.”

⁸Peter *said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have noplace with Me.”

⁹Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!”

¹⁰Jesus *said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet; otherwise he is completely clean. And you are clean—butnot all of you.”

¹¹For He knew the one who was betraying Him; it was for this reason that He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

¹²Then, when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you?

¹³You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’; andyou are correct, for so I am.

¹⁴So if I, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.

¹⁵For I gave you an example, so that you also would do just as I did for you.

¹⁶Truly, truly I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor isone who is sent greater than the one who sent him.

¹⁷If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

¹⁸I am not speaking about all of you. I know the ones whom I have chosen; but this is happening so that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’

¹⁹From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may believe that I am He.

²⁰Truly, truly I say to you, the one whoreceives anyone I send,receives Me; and the one whoreceives Mereceives Him who sent Me.”

²¹When Jesus had said these things, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly I say to you that one of you willbetray Me.”

²²The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking.

²³Lying back on Jesus’ chest was one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.

²⁴So Simon Peter *nodded to this disciple and *said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.”

²⁵He then simply leaned back on Jesus’ chest and *said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”

²⁶Jesus then *answered, “That man is the one for whom I shall dip the piece of bread and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the piece of bread, He *took and *gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

²⁷After this, Satan then entered him. Therefore Jesus *said to him, “What you are doing, do it quickly.”

²⁸Now none of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him.

²⁹For some were assuming, since Judas kept the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we need for the feast”; or else, that he was to give something to the poor.

³⁰So after receiving the piece of bread, he left immediately; and it was night.

³¹Therefore when he had left, Jesus *said, “Nowis the Son of Man glorified, and Godis glorified in Him;

³²if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately.

³³Little children, I am still with you a little longer. You will look for Me; and just as I said to theJews, now I also say to you: ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’

³⁴I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

³⁵By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”

³⁶Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.”

³⁷Peter *said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.”

³⁸Jesus *replied, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.

¹Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

²“See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.

³And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,

⁴to create artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze,

⁵and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, so that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship.

⁶And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, so that they may make everything that I have commanded you:

⁷the tent of meeting, the ark of testimony, the atoning cover that is on it, and all the furniture of the tent,

⁸the table and its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense,

⁹the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand,

¹⁰the woven garments as well: the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, with which to carry out their priesthood;

¹¹the anointing oil also, and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place, they are to make them according to everything that I have commanded you.”

¹²Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

¹³“Now as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You must keep My Sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, so that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.

¹⁴Therefore you are to keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it must be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.

¹⁵For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.

¹⁶So the sons of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generations as a permanent covenant.’

¹⁷It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.”

¹⁸When He had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.

¹Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision?

²Great in every respect. First, that they were entrusted with the actual words of God.

³What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?

⁴Far from it! Rather, God must prove to be true, though every person be found a liar, as it is written: “SO THAT YOU ARE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED.”

⁵But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking from a human viewpoint.)

⁶Far from it! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?

⁷But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner?

⁸And why not say (just as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “Let’s do evil that good may come of it”? Their condemnation is deserved.

⁹What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;

¹⁰as it is written: “THERE IS NO RIGHTEOUS PERSON, NOT EVEN ONE;

¹¹THERE IS NO ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NO ONE WHO SEEKS OUT GOD;

¹²THEY HAVE ALL TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME CORRUPT; THERE IS NO ONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

¹³“THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE VENOM OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”;

¹⁴“THEIR MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”;

¹⁵“THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,

¹⁶DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,

¹⁷AND THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN THE WAY OF PEACE.”

¹⁸“THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”

¹⁹Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God;

²⁰because by the works of the Law none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes knowledge of sin.

²¹But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

²²but it is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction,

²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

²⁴being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus,

²⁵whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in God’s merciful restraint He let the sins previously committed go unpunished;

²⁶for the demonstration, that is, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

²⁷Where then is boasting? It has been excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.

²⁸For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

²⁹Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,

³⁰since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.

³¹Do we then nullify the Law through faith? Far from it! On the contrary, we establish the Law.

¹You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

²The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful people who will be able to teach others also.

³Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

⁴No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him.

⁵And if someone likewise competes as an athlete, he is not crowned as victor unless he competes according to the rules.

⁶The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.

⁷Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

⁸Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel,

⁹for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.

¹⁰For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.

¹¹The statement is trustworthy: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;

¹²If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He will also deny us;

¹³If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

¹⁴Remind them of these things, and solemnly exhort them in the presence of God not to dispute about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the listeners.

¹⁵Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

¹⁶But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness,

¹⁷and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,

¹⁸men who have gone astray from the truth, claiming that the resurrection has already taken place; and they are jeopardizing the faith of some.

¹⁹Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His;” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to keep away from wickedness.”

²⁰Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver implements, but also implements of wood and of earthenware, and some are for honor while others are for dishonor.

²¹Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be an implement for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.

²²Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

²³But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.

²⁴The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, skillful in teaching, patient when wronged,

²⁵with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,

²⁶and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

¹Then Job responded,

²“How long will you torment me And crush me with words?

³These ten times you have insulted me; You are not ashamed to wrong me.

⁴Even if I have truly done wrong, My error stays with me.

⁵If indeed you exalt yourselves against me And prove my disgrace to me,

⁶Know then that God has wronged me And has surrounded me with His net.

⁷“Behold, I cry, ‘Violence!’ but I get no answer; I shout for help, but there is no justice.

⁸He has blocked my way so that I cannot pass, And He has put darkness on my paths.

⁹He has stripped my honor from me And removed the crown from my head.

¹⁰He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone; And He has uprooted my hope like a tree.

¹¹He has also kindled His anger against me And considered me as His enemy.

¹²His troops come together And build up their way against me And camp around my tent.

¹³“He has removed my brothers far from me, And my acquaintances have completely turned away from me.

¹⁴My relatives have failed, And my close friends have forgotten me.

¹⁵Those who live in my house and my servant women consider me a stranger. I am a foreigner in their sight.

¹⁶I call to my servant, but he does not answer; I have to implore his favor with my mouth.

¹⁷My breath is offensive to my wife, And I am loathsome to my own brothers.

¹⁸Even young children despise me; I stand up and they speak against me.

¹⁹All my associates loathe me, And those I love have turned against me.

²⁰My bone clings to my skin and my flesh, And I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.

²¹Pity me, pity me, you friends of mine, For the hand of God has struck me.

²²Why do you persecute me as God does, And are not satisfied with my flesh?

²³“Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were recorded in a book!

²⁴That with an iron stylus and lead They were engraved in the rock forever!

²⁵Yet as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last, He will take His stand on the earth.

²⁶Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I will see God,

²⁷Whom I, on my part, shall behold for myself, And whom my eyes will see, and not another. My heart faints within me!

²⁸If you say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’ And ‘What pretext for a case against him can we find?’

²⁹Then be afraid of the sword for yourselves, For wrath brings the punishment of the sword, So that you may know there is judgment.”

¹Sing for joy to God our strength; Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob.

²Raise a song, strike the tambourine, The sweet sounding lyre with the harp.

³Blow the trumpet at the new moon, At the full moon, on our feast day.

⁴For it is a statute for Israel, An ordinance of the God of Jacob.

⁵He established it as a testimony in Joseph When he went throughout the land of Egypt. I heard a language I did not know:

⁶“I relieved his shoulder of the burden, His hands were freed from the basket.

⁷You called in trouble and I rescued you; I answered you in the hiding place of thunder; I put you to the test at the waters of Meribah. Selah

⁸Hear, My people, and I will admonish you; Israel, if you would listen to Me!

⁹There shall be no strange god among you; Nor shall you worship a foreign god.

¹⁰I, the LORD, am your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

¹¹“But My people did not listen to My voice, And Israel did not obey Me.

¹²So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, To walk by their own plans.

¹³Oh that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways!

¹⁴I would quickly subdue their enemies And turn My hand against their adversaries.

¹⁵Those who hate the LORD would pretend to obey Him, And their time of punishment would be forever.

¹⁶But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

¹Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity Than a person who is perverse in speech and is a fool.

²Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, And one who hurries his footsteps errs.

³The foolishness of a person ruins his way, And his heart rages against the LORD.

⁴Wealth adds many friends, But a poor person is separated from his friend.

⁵A false witness will not go unpunished, And one who declares lies will not escape.

⁶Many will seek the favor of a generous person, And every person is a friend to him who gives gifts.

⁷All the brothers of a poor person hate him; How much more do his friends abandon him! He pursues them with words, but they are gone.

⁸One who gets wisdom loves his own soul; One who keeps understanding will find good.

⁹A false witness will not go unpunished, And one who declares lies will perish.

¹⁰Luxury is not fitting for a fool; Much less for a slave to rule over princes.

¹¹A person’s discretion makes him slow to anger, And it is his glory to overlook an offense.

¹²A king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion, But his favor is like dew on the grass.

¹³A foolish son is destruction to his father, And the quarrels of a wife are a constant dripping.

¹⁴House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers, But a prudent wife is from the LORD.

¹⁵Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, And a lazy person will suffer hunger.

¹⁶One who keeps the commandment keeps his soul, But one who is careless of conduct will die.

¹⁷One who is gracious to a poor person lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed.

¹⁸Discipline your son while there is hope, And do not desire his death.

¹⁹A person of great anger will suffer the penalty, For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.

²⁰Listen to advice and accept discipline, So that you may be wise the rest of your days.

²¹Many plans are in a person’s heart, But the advice of the LORD will stand.

²²What is desirable in a person is his kindness, And it is better to be a poor person than a liar.

²³The fear of the LORD leads to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.

²⁴The lazy one buries his hand in the dish, But will not even bring it back to his mouth.

²⁵Strike a scoffer and the naive may become clever, But rebuke one who has understanding, and he will gain knowledge.

²⁶He who assaults his father and drives his mother away Is a shameful and disgraceful son.

²⁷Stop listening, my son, to discipline, And you will stray from the words of knowledge.

²⁸A worthless witness makes a mockery of justice, And the mouth of the wicked swallows wrongdoing.

²⁹Judgments are prepared for scoffers, And beatings for the backs of fools.

¹Now it came about after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, that David stayed two days in Ziklag.

²And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. And it happened when he came to David, he fell to the ground and prostrated himself.

³Then David said to him, “From where do you come?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”

⁴David said to him, “How did things go? Please tell me.” And he said, “The people have fled from the battle, and many of the people also have fallen and are dead; and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.”

⁵Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”

⁶The young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and behold, Saul was leaning on his spear. And behold, the chariots and the horsemen had overtaken him.

⁷When he looked behind himself, he saw me, and called to me. And I said, ‘Here I am.’

⁸Then he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ And I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’

⁹And he said to me, ‘Please stand next to me and finish me off, for agony has seized me because my life still lingers in me.’

¹⁰So I stood next to him and finished him off, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown which was on his head and the band which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him.

¹²And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

¹³Then David said to the young man who informed him, “Where are you from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.”

¹⁴And David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to reach out with your hand to destroy the LORD’S anointed?”

¹⁵Then David called one of the young men and said, “Come forward, put him to death.” So he struck him and he died.

¹⁶And David said to him, “Your blood is on your head, because your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have finished off the LORD’S anointed.’ ”

¹⁷Then David sang this song of mourning over Saul and his son Jonathan,

¹⁸and he told them to teach the sons of Judah the mourning song of the bow; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar.

¹⁹“Your beauty, Israel, is slaughtered on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!

²⁰Tell it not in Gath, Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, Or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, The daughters of the uncircumcised will celebrate.

²¹Mountains of Gilboa, May there be no dew nor rain on you, or fields of offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

²²From the blood of those slaughtered, from the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan did not turn back, And the sword of Saul did not return unstained.

²³Saul and Jonathan, beloved and delightful in life, And in their deaths they were not separated; They were swifter than eagles, They were mightier than lions.

²⁴Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, Who clothed you in scarlet, with jewelry, Who put gold jewelry on your apparel.

²⁵How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan is slaughtered on your high places.

²⁶I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; You have been a close friend to me. Your love for me was more wonderful Than the love of women.

²⁷How the mighty have fallen, And the weapons of war have perished!”

¹Then the LORD said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people. Send them away from My presence and have them go!

²And it shall be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you are to tell them, ‘This is what the LORD says: “Those destined for death, to death; And those destined for the sword, to the sword; And those destined for famine, to famine; And those destined for captivity, to captivity.” ’

³And I will appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares the LORD: “the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the sky and the animals of the earth to devour and destroy.

⁴I will make them an object of terror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.

⁵“Indeed, who will have pity on you, Jerusalem, Or who will mourn for you, Or who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?

⁶You who have forsaken Me,” declares the LORD, “You keep going backward. So I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you; I am tired of relenting!

⁷I will winnow them with a winnowing fork At the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will destroy My people; They did not repent of their ways.

⁸Their widows will be more numerous before Me Than the sand of the seas; I will bring against them, against the mother of a young man, A destroyer at noon; I will suddenly bring down on her Shock and horror.

⁹She who gave birth to seven sons withers away; Her breathing is labored. Her sun has set while it was still day; She has been shamed and humiliated. So I will turn over their survivors to the sword Before their enemies,” declares the LORD.

¹⁰Woe to me, my mother, that you have given birth to me As a man of strife and a man of contention to all the land! I have not lent, nor have people lent money to me, Yet everyone curses me.

¹¹The LORD said, “I will certainly set you free for purposes of good; I will certainly make the enemy plead with you In a time of disaster and a time of distress.

¹²“Can anyone smash iron, Iron from the north, or bronze?

¹³I will give your wealth and your treasures As plunder without cost, For all your sins And within all your borders.

¹⁴Then I will make your enemies bring your possessions Into a land that you do not know; For a fire has been kindled in My anger, And it will burn upon you.”

¹⁵You know, LORD; Remember me, take notice of me, And take vengeance for me on my persecutors. Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away; Know that for Your sake I endure reproach.

¹⁶Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became a joy to me and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, LORD God of armies.

¹⁷I did not sit in a circle of revelers and celebrate. Because of Your hand upon me I sat alone, For You filled me with indignation.

¹⁸Why has my pain been endless And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive stream With water that is unreliable?

¹⁹Therefore, this is what the LORD says: “If you return, then I will restore you— You will stand before Me; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They, for their part, may turn to you, But as for you, you are not to turn to them.

²⁰Then I will make you to this people A fortified wall of bronze; And though they fight against you, They will not prevail over you; For I am with you to save you And rescue you,” declares the LORD.

²¹“So I will rescue you from the hand of the wicked, And I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent.”

¹Festus, then, after arriving in the province, went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea three days later.

²And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews brought charges against Paul, and they were pleading with Festus,

³requesting a concession against Paul, that he might have him brought to Jerusalem (at the same time, setting an ambush to kill him on the way).

⁴Festus then answered that Paul was being kept in custody in Caesarea, and that he himself was about to leave shortly.

⁵“Therefore,” he *said, “have the influential men among you go there with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, have them bring charges against him.”

⁶After Festus had spent no more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered that Paul be brought.

⁷After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many, and serious, charges against him which they could not prove,

⁸while Paul said in his own defense, “I have not done anything wrong either against the Law of the Jews, or against the temple, or against Caesar.”

⁹But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, replied to Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me on these charges?”

¹⁰But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know.

¹¹If, therefore, I am in the wrong and have committed something deserving death, I am not trying to avoid execution; but if there is nothing to the accusations which these men are bringing against me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.”

¹²Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go.”

¹³Now when several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea, paying their respects to Festus.

¹⁴And while they were spending many days there, Festus presented Paul’s case to the king, saying, “There is a man who was left as a prisoner by Felix;

¹⁵and when I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him.

¹⁶I replied to them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any person before the accused meets his accusers face to face, and has an opportunity to make his defense against the charges.

¹⁷So after they had assembled here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered that the man be brought.

¹⁸When the accusers stood up, they did not begin bringing any charges against him of crimes that I suspected,

¹⁹but they simply had some points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive.

²⁰And being at a loss how to investigate such matters, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these matters.

²¹But when Paul appealed to be held in custody for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered that he be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar.”

²²Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he *said, “you shall hear him.”

²³So, on the next day when Agrippa and Bernice came amid great pomp and entered the auditorium, accompanied by the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought before them.

²⁴And Festus *said, “King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen present with us, you see this man about whom all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.

²⁵But I found that he had committed nothing deserving death; and since he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.

²⁶Yet, I have nothing definite about him to write to my lord. Therefore, I have brought him before you all and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the investigation has taken place, I may have something to write.

²⁷For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate the charges against him as well.”