Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹So then Pilate took Jesus and had Him scourged (flogged, whipped).

²And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe around Him;

³and they kept coming up to Him, saying [mockingly], "Hail, King of the Jews [Good health! Peace! Long life to you, King of the Jews]!" And they slapped Him in the face.

⁴Then Pilate came out again and said to them, "Look, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him [no crime, no cause for an accusation]."

⁵So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, and Pilate said to them, "Look! The Man!"

⁶When the chief priests and officers saw Him, they shouted, "Crucify [Him]! Crucify [Him]!" Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him [no crime, no cause for an accusation]."

⁷The Jews answered him, "We have a law [regarding blasphemy], and according to that law He should die, because He made Himself out to be the Son of God."

⁸So when Pilate heard this said, he was [even] more alarmed and afraid.

⁹He went into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus did not answer him.

¹⁰So Pilate said to Him, "You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?"

¹¹Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over Me at all if it had not been given to you from above. For this reason the sin and guilt of the one who handed Me over to you is greater [than your own]."

¹²As a result of this, Pilate kept making efforts to release Him, but the Jews kept screaming, " If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar! Anyone who makes himself out [to be] a king opposes Caesar [and rebels against the emperor]!"

¹³When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.

¹⁴Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover [week], and it was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, "Look, your King!"

¹⁵But they shouted, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!"

¹⁶Then he handed Him over to them to be crucified.

¹⁷So they took Jesus, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of the Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.

¹⁸There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.

¹⁹Pilate also wrote an inscription [on a placard] and put it on the cross. And it was written: "JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS."

²⁰And many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.

²¹Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews'; but, 'He said, "I am King of the Jews."'"

²²Pilate replied, "What I have written I have written [and it remains written]."

²³Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer clothes and made four parts, a part for each soldier, and also the tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven [in one piece] from the top throughout.

²⁴So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it will be." This was to fulfill the Scripture, "They divided My outer clothing among them, and for My clothing they cast lots."

²⁵So the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, His mother's sister [ Salome], Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

²⁶So Jesus, seeing His mother, and the disciple whom He loved (esteemed) standing near, said to His mother, "[Dear] woman, look, [here is] your son!"

²⁷Then He said to the disciple (John), "Look! [here is] your mother [protect and provide for her]!" From that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

²⁸After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said in fulfillment of the Scripture, "I am thirsty."

²⁹A jar full of sour wine was placed there; so they put a sponge soaked in the sour wine on [a branch of] hyssop and held it to His mouth.

³⁰When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and [voluntarily] gave up His spirit.

³¹Since it was the day of Preparation [for the Sabbath], in order to prevent the bodies from hanging on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high holy day) the Jews asked Pilate to have their legs broken [to hasten death] and the bodies taken away.

³²So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man, and of the other who had been crucified with Him.

³³But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.

³⁴But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came [flowing] out.

³⁵And he (John, the eyewitness) who has seen it has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also [who read this] may believe.

³⁶For these things took place to fulfill the Scripture, "Not a bone of His shall be broken."

³⁷And again another Scripture says, "They shall look at Him whom they have pierced."

³⁸And after this, Joseph of Arimathea—a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews—asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away His body.

³⁹Nicodemus, who had first come to Him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, [weighing] about a hundred [Roman] pounds.

⁴⁰So they took Jesus' body and bound it in linen wrappings with the fragrant spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.

⁴¹Now there was a garden at the place where He was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb [cut out of solid rock] in which no one had yet been laid.

⁴²Therefore, because of the Jewish day of Preparation, and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

¹Bezalel made the ark [of the covenant] of acacia wood—it was two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high.

²And he overlaid it with pure gold inside and out, and made a molding (border) of gold to go all around [the top of it].

³He cast four rings of gold for it on its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other side.

⁴He made carrying poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

⁵He put the carrying poles through the rings at the sides of the ark, to carry it.

⁶Bezalel made the mercy seat of pure gold; it was two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide.

⁷He made two cherubim of hammered gold; he made them at the two ends of the mercy seat,

⁸one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; he made the cherubim [of one piece] with the mercy seat at the two ends.

⁹The cherubim spread out their wings upward, covering and protecting the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward each other; the faces of the cherubim were [looking downward] toward the mercy seat.

¹⁰Bezalel made the table [for the bread] of acacia wood; it was two cubits long, a cubit wide, and one and a half cubits high.

¹¹He overlaid it with pure gold, and made a border of gold for it all around [its top].

¹²He made a rim for it [just under the top] a hand width wide all around, and a border of gold around its rim.

¹³He cast four rings of gold for it and fastened the rings to the four corners that were at its four legs.

¹⁴Close by the rim were the rings, the holders for the poles [to pass through] to carry the table.

¹⁵Bezalel made the carrying poles of acacia wood to carry the table and overlaid them with gold.

¹⁶He made the utensils which were to be on the table, its dishes and its pans [for bread], its bowls and its jars for pouring drink offerings, of pure gold.

¹⁷Then he made the lampstand (menorah) of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work, its base and its [center] shaft; its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers were all of one piece with it.

¹⁸There were six branches coming out of the sides of the lampstand, three branches from one side of the center shaft and three branches from the other side of it;

¹⁹three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a calyx and a flower in one branch, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a calyx and a flower in the opposite branch—so for the six branches coming out of the center shaft of the lampstand.

²⁰On the center shaft of the lampstand there were four cups shaped like almond blossoms, with calyxes and flowers [one at the top];

²¹and a calyx was under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a calyx under the second pair of branches, coming out of it, and a calyx under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand.

²²Their calyxes and their branches were of one piece with it; all of it was a single hammered work of pure gold.

²³He made its seven lamps with its snuffers and its trays of pure gold.

²⁴He made the lampstand and all its utensils from a talent of pure gold.

²⁵Then Bezalel made the incense altar of acacia wood; its top was a cubit square and it was two cubits high; the horns were of one piece with it.

²⁶He overlaid it with pure gold, its top, its sides all around and its horns; he also made a rim of gold around it.

²⁷He made two rings of gold for it under its rim, on its two opposite sides, as holders for the poles [to pass through] to carry it.

²⁸He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

²⁹He also made the holy anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense of spices, the work of a perfumer.

¹I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me [enlightened and prompted] by the Holy Spirit,

²that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.

³For [if it were possible] I would wish that I myself were accursed, [separated, banished] from Christ for the sake [of the salvation] of my brothers, my natural kinsmen,

⁴who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, the glory ( Shekinah), the [special] covenants [with Abraham, Moses, and David], the giving of the Law, the [system of temple] worship, and the [original] promises.

⁵To them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to His natural descent, came the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), He who is exalted and supreme over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

⁶However, it is not as though God's word has failed [coming to nothing]. For not all who are descended from Israel (Jacob) are [the true] Israel;

⁷and they are not all the children of Abraham because they are his descendants [by blood], but [the promise was]: "Your descendants will be named through Isaac" [though Abraham had other sons].

⁸That is, it is not the children of the body [Abraham's natural descendants] who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are counted as [Abraham's true] descendants.

⁹For this is what the promise said: "About this time [next year] I will come, and Sarah shall have a son."

¹⁰And not only that, but this too: Rebekah conceived twin sons by one man [under the same circumstances], by our father Isaac;

¹¹and though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything either good or bad, so that God's purpose [His choice, His election] would stand, not because of works [done by either child], but because of [the plan of] Him who calls them,

¹²it was said to her, "Theolder (Esau) will serve theyounger (Jacob)."

¹³As it is written and forever remains written, "Jacob I loved (chose, protected, blessed), butEsau I hated (held in disregard compared to Jacob)."

¹⁴What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? Certainly not!

¹⁵For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I have compassion."

¹⁶So then God's choice is not dependent on human will, nor on human effort [the totality of human striving], but on God who shows mercy [to whomever He chooses—it is His sovereign gift].

¹⁷For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "I raised you up for this very purpose, to display My power in [dealing with] you, and so that My name would be proclaimed in all the earth."

¹⁸So then, He has mercy on whom He wills (chooses), and He hardens [the heart of] whom He wills.

¹⁹You will say to me then, "Why does He still blame me [for sinning]? For who [including myself] has [ever] resisted His will and purpose?"

²⁰On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers [arrogantly] back to God and dares to defy Him? Will the thing which is formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?"

²¹Does the potter not have the right over the clay, to make from the same lump [of clay] one object for honorable use [something beautiful or distinctive] and another for common use [something ordinary or menial]?

²²What if God, although willing to show His [terrible] wrath and to make His power known, has tolerated with great patience the objects of His wrath [which are] prepared for destruction?

²³And what if He has done so to make known the riches of His glory to the objects of His mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory,

²⁴including us, whom He also called, not only from among the Jews, but also from among the Gentiles?

²⁵Just as He says in [the writings of the prophet] Hosea: "I will call those who were not My people, 'My people,' And [I will call] her who was not beloved, 'beloved.'"

²⁶"And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, 'you are not My people,' There they shall be called sons of the living God."

²⁷And Isaiah calls out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is only the remnant [a small believing minority] that will be saved [from God's judgment];

²⁸For the Lord will execute His word upon the earth [He will conclude His dealings with mankind] completely and without delay."

²⁹It is as Isaiah foretold, "If the Lord of Hosts had not left us seed [future generations from which a believing remnant of Israelites came], We would have become like Sodom, and would have resembled Gomorrah [totally rejected and destroyed]!"

³⁰What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness [who did not seek salvation and a right relationship with God, nevertheless] obtained righteousness, that is, the righteousness which is produced by faith;

³¹whereas Israel, [though always] pursuing the law of righteousness, did not succeed in fulfilling the law.

³²And why not? Because it was not by faith [that they pursued it], but as though it were by works [relying on the merit of their works instead of their faith]. They stumbled over the stumbling Stone [Jesus Christ].

³³As it is written and forever remains written, "Behold I am laying in Zion a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense; And he who believes in Him [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] will not be disappointed [in his expectations]."

¹Paul, a prisoner [for the sake] of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), and our brother Timothy, To Philemon our dearly beloved friend and fellow worker,

²and to [your wife] Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier [in ministry], and to the church that meets in your house:

³Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,

⁵because I hear of your love and of your faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints (God's people).

⁶I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective and powerful because of your accurate knowledge of every good thing which is ours in Christ.

⁷For I have had great joy and comfort and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints (God's people) have been refreshed through you, my brother.

⁸Therefore [on the basis of these facts], though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is appropriate,

⁹yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner [for the sake] of Christ Jesus—

¹⁰I appeal to you for my [own spiritual] child Onesimus, whom I have fathered [in the faith] while a captive in these chains.

¹¹Once he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you as well as to me.

¹²I have sent him back to you in person, that is, like sending my very heart.

¹³I would have chosen to keep him with me, so that he might minister to me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel;

¹⁴but I did not want to do anything without first getting your consent, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will.

¹⁵Perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a while, so that you would have him back forever,

¹⁶no longer as a slave, but [as someone] more than a slave, as a brother [in Christ], especially dear to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh [as a servant] and in the Lord [as a fellow believer].

¹⁷So if you consider me a partner, welcome and accept him as you would me.

¹⁸But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account;

¹⁹I, Paul, write this with my own hand, I will repay it in full (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well).

²⁰Yes, brother, let me have some benefit and joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

²¹I write to you [perfectly] confident of your obedient compliance, since I know that you will do even more than I ask.

²²At the same time also prepare a guest room for me [in expectation of a visit], for I hope that through your prayers I will be [granted the gracious privilege of] coming to you [at Colossae].

²³Greetings to you from Epaphras, my fellow prisoner here in [the cause of] Christ Jesus,

²⁴and from Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

²⁵The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

¹Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

²"Dominion and awe belong to God; He establishes peace and order in His high places.

³"Is there any number to His [vast celestial] armies? And upon whom does His light not rise?

⁴"How then can man be justified and righteous with God? Or how can he who is born of a woman be pure and clean?

⁵"Behold, even the moon has no brightness [compared to God's majesty and glory] And the stars are not pure in His sight,

⁶How much less man, that maggot, And the son of man, that worm!"

¹A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song. His foundation is on the holy mountain.

²The LORD loves the gates of Zion More than all the dwellings of Jacob (Israel).

³Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God [Jerusalem]. Selah.

⁴"I will mention Rahab (Egypt) and Babylon among those who know Me— Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia (Cush)— 'This one was born there.'"

⁵But of Zion it will be said, "This one and that one were born in her," And the Most High Himself will establish her.

⁶The LORD will count, when He registers the peoples, "This one was born there." Selah.

⁷The singers as well as the players of flutes will say, "All my springs and sources of joy are in you [Jerusalem, city of God]."

¹These are also the proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied:

²It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

³As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, So the hearts and minds of kings are unsearchable.

⁴Take away the dross from the silver, And there comes out [the pure metal for] a vessel for the silversmith [to shape].

⁵Take away the wicked from before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness.

⁶Do not be boastfully ambitious and claim honor in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the place of great men;

⁷For it is better that it be said to you, "Come up here," Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince, Whom your eyes have seen.

⁸Do not rush out to argue your case [before magistrates or judges]; Otherwise what will you do in the end [when your case is lost and] When your neighbor (opponent) humiliates you?

⁹Argue your case with your neighbor himself [before you go to court]; And do not reveal another's secret,

¹⁰Or he who hears it will shame you And the rumor about you [and your action in court] will have no end.

¹¹Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken at the right time.

¹²Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold Is a wise reprover to an ear that listens and learns.

¹³Like the cold of snow [brought from the mountains] in the time of harvest, So is a faithful messenger to those who send him; For he refreshes the life of his masters.

¹⁴Like clouds and wind without rain Is a man who boasts falsely of gifts [he does not give].

¹⁵By patience and a calm spirit a ruler may be persuaded, And a soft and gentle tongue breaks the bone [of resistance].

¹⁶Have you found [pleasure sweet like] honey? Eat only as much as you need, Otherwise, being filled excessively, you vomit it.

¹⁷Let your foot seldom be in your neighbor's house, Or he will become tired of you and hate you.

¹⁸Like a club and a sword and a piercing arrow Is a man who testifies falsely against his neighbor (acquaintance).

¹⁹Like a broken tooth or an unsteady foot Is confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble.

²⁰Like one who takes off a garment in cold weather, or like [a reactive, useless mixture of] vinegar on soda, Is he who [thoughtlessly] sings [joyful] songs to a heavy heart.

²¹If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;

²²For in doing so, you will heap coals of fire upon his head, And the LORD will reward you.

²³The north wind brings forth rain; And a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance.

²⁴It is better to live in a corner of the housetop [on the flat roof, exposed to the weather] Than in a house shared with a quarrelsome (contentious) woman.

²⁵Like cold water to a thirsty soul, So is good news from a distant land.

²⁶Like a muddied fountain and a polluted spring Is a righteous man who yields and compromises his integrity before the wicked.

²⁷It is not good to eat much honey, Nor is it glorious to seek one's own glory.

²⁸Like a city that is broken down and without walls [leaving it unprotected] Is a man who has no self-control over his spirit [and sets himself up for trouble].

¹When King David lived in his house (palace) and the LORD had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies,

²the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within tent curtains."

³And Nathan said to the king, "Go, do everything that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you."

⁴But it happened that night that the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying,

⁵"Go and tell My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD, "Should you be the one to build Me a house in which to dwell?

⁶For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought the sons (descendants) of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about in a tent, even in a tabernacle.

⁷Wherever I have gone with all the Israelites, did I speak a word to any from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, asking, 'Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?'"'

⁸So now, say this to My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel.

⁹I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like that of the great men of the earth.

¹⁰I will appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in a place of their own and not be disturbed again. The wicked will not afflict them again, as formerly,

¹¹even from the day that I appointed judges over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD also declares to you that He will make a house (royal dynasty) for you.

¹²When your days are fulfilled and you lie down [in death] with your fathers (ancestors), I will raise up your descendant after you, who shall be born to you, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹³He [is the one who] shall build a house for My Name and My Presence, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

¹⁴I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. When he commits iniquity (wrongdoing), I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the strokes of the sons of man.

¹⁵But My lovingkindness and mercy will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.

¹⁶Your house (royal dynasty) and your kingdom will endure forever before Me; your throne will be established forever."'"

¹⁷Nathan spoke to David in accordance with all these words and all of this vision.

¹⁸Then King David went in and sat [in prayer] before the LORD, and said, "Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house (family), that You have brought me this far?

¹⁹Yet this was very insignificant in Your eyes, O Lord GOD, for You have spoken also of Your servant's house (royal dynasty) in the distant future. And this is the law and custom of man, O Lord GOD.

²⁰What more can David say to You? For You know (acknowledge, choose) Your servant, O Lord GOD.

²¹Because of Your word (promise), and in accordance with Your own heart, You have done all these great and astounding things to let Your servant know (understand).

²²Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

²³What one nation on earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and to do great and awesome things for Yourself and for Your land, before Your people whom You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods?

²⁴You established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your people forever, and You, O LORD, have become their God.

²⁵Now, O LORD God, confirm forever the word [of the covenant] that You have spoken in regard to Your servant and his house (royal dynasty); and do just as You have spoken,

²⁶so that Your Name may be magnified forever, saying, 'The LORD of hosts (armies) is God over Israel;' and may the house (royal dynasty) of Your servant David be established before You.

²⁷For You, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house (royal dynasty).' For that reason Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to You.

²⁸And now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are truth, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant.

²⁹Therefore now, may it please You to bless the house (royal dynasty) of Your servant, so that it may continue forever before You; for You, O Lord GOD, have spoken it, and with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever."

¹The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the priest the son of Maaseiah, saying,

²"Please inquire of the LORD for us, because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the LORD will deal [favorably] with us according to all His wonderful works and force him to withdraw from us."

³Then Jeremiah said to them, "Say this to Zedekiah:

⁴'Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, "Behold, I will turn back and dull the edge of the weapons of war that are in your hands, [those] with which you fight against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls; and I will bring them into the center of this city (Jerusalem).

⁵I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm in anger, in fury, and in great indignation and wrath.

⁶I will also strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great virulent disease.

⁷Then afterward," says the LORD, "I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the virulent disease, the sword, and the famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemy, into the hand of those who seek their lives. And he will strike them with the edge of the sword; he will not spare them nor have mercy and compassion on them."'

⁸"And to this people you (Jeremiah) shall also say, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

⁹He who remains in this city [of Jerusalem] will die by the sword and by famine and by virulent disease. But he who goes outside and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and his life will be like a prize of war to him.

¹⁰For I have set My face against this city to do harm and not good," says the LORD. "It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire."'

¹¹"And concerning the royal house of the king of Judah [you shall say], 'Hear the word of the LORD,

¹²O house of David, thus says the LORD: "Administer justice in the morning, And rescue the one who has been robbed from the hand of his oppressor, That My wrath will not roar up like fire And burn so [hotly] that none can extinguish it, Because of the evil of their deeds.

¹³"Understand this, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, O rock of the plain," says the LORD— "You who say, 'Who will come down against us? Or who will enter into our dwelling places?'

¹⁴"But I will punish you in accordance with the [appropriate] consequences of your decisions and your actions," says the LORD. "I will kindle a fire in your forest, And it will devour all that is around you."'"

¹Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.),

²and a man who had been unable to walk from birth was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at that gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, so that he could beg alms from those entering the temple.

³So when he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking [them] for coins.

⁴But Peter, along with John, stared at him intently and said, "Look at us!"

⁵And the man began to pay attention to them, eagerly expecting to receive something from them.

⁶But Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have; but what I do have I give to you: In the name (authority, power) of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—[begin now to] walk and go on walking!"

⁷Then he seized the man's right hand with a firm grip and raised him up. And at once his feet and ankles became strong and steady,

⁸and with a leap he stood up and began to walk; and he went into the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

⁹All the people saw him walking and praising God;

¹⁰and they recognized him as the very man who usually sat begging for coins at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement and were mystified at what had happened to him.

¹¹Now while he was still holding on to Peter and John, all the people, utterly amazed, ran together and crowded around them at the covered porch called Solomon's portico.

¹²And Peter, seeing this, said to the people, "You men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Why are you staring at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?

¹³The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His Servant and Son Jesus [doing Him this honor], the One whom you handed over and disowned and rejected before Pilate, when he had decided to release Him.

¹⁴But you disowned and denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for [the pardon of] a murderer to be granted to you.

¹⁵But you killed the Prince (Author, Originator, Source) of life, whom God raised [bodily] from the dead. To this [fact] we are witnesses [for we have seen the risen Christ].

¹⁶And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health and complete wholeness in your presence.

¹⁷"Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance [not fully aware of what you were doing], just as your rulers did also.

¹⁸And so God has fulfilled what He foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ (Messiah, Anointed) would suffer.

¹⁹So repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God—seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day];

²⁰and that He may send [to you] Jesus, the Christ, who has been appointed for you,

²¹whom heaven must keep until the time for the [complete] restoration of all things about which God promised through the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

²²Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophetlike me from your countrymen; you shall listen to Him and obey everything He tells you.

²³And it will be that every person that does not listen to and heed that Prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.'

²⁴Indeed, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also announced these days.

²⁵You are the sons (descendants) of the prophets and [heirs] of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed (descendant) all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'

²⁶It was for you first of all that God raised up His Servant and Son [Jesus], and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways."