Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened.

²Several of the disciples were there — Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.

³Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” “We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.

⁴At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was.

⁵He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied.

⁶Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.

⁷Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore.

⁸The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore.

⁹When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them — fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.

¹⁰“Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said.

¹¹So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.

¹²“Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.

¹³Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish.

¹⁴This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.

¹⁵After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these? ” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.

¹⁶Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.

¹⁷A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.

¹⁸“I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.”

¹⁹Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”

²⁰Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved — the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray you?”

²¹Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”

²²Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”

²³So the rumor spread among the community of believers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that isn’t what Jesus said at all. He only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

²⁴This disciple is the one who testifies to these events and has recorded them here. And we know that his account of these things is accurate.

²⁵Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.

¹The craftsmen made beautiful sacred garments of blue, purple, and scarlet cloth — clothing for Aaron to wear while ministering in the Holy Place, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

²Bezalel made the ephod of finely woven linen and embroidered it with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread.

³He made gold thread by hammering out thin sheets of gold and cutting it into fine strands. With great skill and care, he worked it into the fine linen with the blue, purple, and scarlet thread.

⁴The ephod consisted of two pieces, front and back, joined at the shoulders with two shoulder-pieces.

⁵The decorative sash was made of the same materials: finely woven linen embroidered with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

⁶They mounted the two onyx stones in settings of gold filigree. The stones were engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel, just as a seal is engraved.

⁷He fastened these stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod as a reminder that the priest represents the people of Israel. All this was done just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

⁸Bezalel made the chestpiece with great skill and care. He made it to match the ephod, using finely woven linen embroidered with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread.

⁹He made the chestpiece of a single piece of cloth folded to form a pouch nine inches square.

¹⁰They mounted four rows of gemstones on it. The first row contained a red carnelian, a pale-green peridot, and an emerald.

¹¹The second row contained a turquoise, a blue lapis lazuli, and a white moonstone.

¹²The third row contained an orange jacinth, an agate, and a purple amethyst.

¹³The fourth row contained a blue-green beryl, an onyx, and a green jasper. All these stones were set in gold filigree.

¹⁴Each stone represented one of the twelve sons of Israel, and the name of that tribe was engraved on it like a seal.

¹⁵To attach the chestpiece to the ephod, they made braided cords of pure gold thread.

¹⁶They also made two settings of gold filigree and two gold rings and attached them to the top corners of the chestpiece.

¹⁷They tied the two gold cords to the rings on the chestpiece.

¹⁸They tied the other ends of the cords to the gold settings on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod.

¹⁹Then they made two more gold rings and attached them to the inside edges of the chestpiece next to the ephod.

²⁰Then they made two more gold rings and attached them to the front of the ephod, below the shoulder-pieces, just above the knot where the decorative sash was fastened to the ephod.

²¹They attached the bottom rings of the chestpiece to the rings on the ephod with blue cords. In this way, the chestpiece was held securely to the ephod above the decorative sash. All this was done just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

²²Bezalel made the robe that is worn with the ephod from a single piece of blue woven cloth,

²³with an opening for Aaron’s head in the middle of it. The opening was reinforced with a woven collar so it would not tear.

²⁴They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and attached them to the hem of the robe.

²⁵They also made bells of pure gold and placed them between the pomegranates along the hem of the robe,

²⁶with bells and pomegranates alternating all around the hem. This robe was to be worn whenever the priest ministered before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

²⁷They made tunics for Aaron and his sons from fine linen cloth.

²⁸The turban and the special head coverings were made of fine linen, and the undergarments were also made of finely woven linen.

²⁹The sashes were made of finely woven linen and embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet thread, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

³⁰Finally, they made the sacred medallion — the badge of holiness — of pure gold. They engraved it like a seal with these words: HOLY TO THE LORD.

³¹They attached the medallion with a blue cord to Aaron’s turban, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

³²And so at last the Tabernacle was finished. The Israelites had done everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

³³And they brought the entire Tabernacle to Moses: the sacred tent with all its furnishings, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts, and bases;

³⁴the tent coverings of tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather; the inner curtain to shield the Ark;

³⁵the Ark of the Covenant and its carrying poles; the Ark’s cover — the place of atonement;

³⁶the table and all its utensils; the Bread of the Presence;

³⁷the pure gold lampstand with its symmetrical lamp cups, all its accessories, and the olive oil for lighting;

³⁸the gold altar; the anointing oil and fragrant incense; the curtain for the entrance of the sacred tent;

³⁹the bronze altar; the bronze grating and its carrying poles and utensils; the washbasin with its stand;

⁴⁰the curtains for the walls of the courtyard; the posts and their bases; the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; the ropes and tent pegs; all the furnishings to be used in worship at the Tabernacle;

⁴¹the beautifully stitched garments for the priests to wear while ministering in the Holy Place — the sacred garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to wear as they minister as priests.

⁴²So the people of Israel followed all of the LORD’s instructions to Moses.

⁴³Then Moses inspected all their work. When he found it had been done just as the LORD had commanded him, he blessed them.

¹I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.

²No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said,

³“LORD, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

⁴And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”

⁵It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace — his undeserved kindness in choosing them.

⁶And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is — free and undeserved.

⁷So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have — the ones God has chosen — but the hearts of the rest were hardened.

⁸As the Scriptures say, “God has put them into a deep sleep. To this day he has shut their eyes so they do not see, and closed their ears so they do not hear.”

⁹Likewise, David said, “Let their bountiful table become a snare, a trap that makes them think all is well. Let their blessings cause them to stumble, and let them get what they deserve.

¹⁰Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and let their backs be bent forever.”

¹¹Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves.

¹²Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.

¹³I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this,

¹⁴for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them.

¹⁵For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead!

¹⁶And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy — just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.

¹⁷But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree — some of the people of Israel — have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree.

¹⁸But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.

¹⁹“Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.”

²⁰Yes, but remember — those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen.

²¹For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either.

²²Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.

²³And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree.

²⁴You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.

²⁵I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ.

²⁶And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, “The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness.

²⁷And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins.”

²⁸Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

²⁹For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.

³⁰Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead.

³¹Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy.

³²For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.

³³Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

³⁴For who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice?

³⁵And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back?

³⁶For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

¹My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?

²For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes.

³If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor” — well,

⁴doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?

⁵Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?

⁶But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?

⁷Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?

⁸Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

⁹But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

¹⁰For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.

¹¹For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.

¹²So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free.

¹³There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.

¹⁴What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?

¹⁵Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing,

¹⁶and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well” — but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

¹⁷So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

¹⁸Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

¹⁹You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.

²⁰How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

²¹Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?

²²You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.

²³And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.

²⁴So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

²⁵Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road.

²⁶Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.

¹Job continued speaking:

²“I vow by the living God, who has taken away my rights, by the Almighty who has embittered my soul —

³As long as I live, while I have breath from God,

⁴my lips will speak no evil, and my tongue will speak no lies.

⁵I will never concede that you are right; I will defend my integrity until I die.

⁶I will maintain my innocence without wavering. My conscience is clear for as long as I live.

⁷“May my enemy be punished like the wicked, my adversary like those who do evil.

⁸For what hope do the godless have when God cuts them off and takes away their life?

⁹Will God listen to their cry when trouble comes upon them?

¹⁰Can they take delight in the Almighty? Can they call to God at any time?

¹¹I will teach you about God’s power. I will not conceal anything concerning the Almighty.

¹²But you have seen all this, yet you say all these useless things to me.

¹³“This is what the wicked will receive from God; this is their inheritance from the Almighty.

¹⁴They may have many children, but the children will die in war or starve to death.

¹⁵Those who survive will die of a plague, and not even their widows will mourn them.

¹⁶“Evil people may have piles of money and may store away mounds of clothing.

¹⁷But the righteous will wear that clothing, and the innocent will divide that money.

¹⁸The wicked build houses as fragile as a spider’s web, as flimsy as a shelter made of branches.

¹⁹The wicked go to bed rich but wake to find that all their wealth is gone.

²⁰Terror overwhelms them like a flood, and they are blown away in the storms of the night.

²¹The east wind carries them away, and they are gone. It sweeps them away.

²²It whirls down on them without mercy. They struggle to flee from its power.

²³But everyone jeers at them and mocks them.

¹I will sing of the LORD’s unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.

²Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens.

³The LORD said, “I have made a covenant with David, my chosen servant. I have sworn this oath to him:

⁴‘I will establish your descendants as kings forever; they will sit on your throne from now until eternity.’” Interlude

⁵All heaven will praise your great wonders, LORD; myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness.

⁶For who in all of heaven can compare with the LORD? What mightiest angel is anything like the LORD?

⁷The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God. He is far more awesome than all who surround his throne.

⁸O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O LORD? You are entirely faithful.

⁹You rule the oceans. You subdue their storm-tossed waves.

¹⁰You crushed the great sea monster. You scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

¹¹The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours — you created it all.

¹²You created north and south. Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon praise your name.

¹³Powerful is your arm! Strong is your hand! Your right hand is lifted high in glorious strength.

¹⁴Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants.

¹⁵Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, LORD.

¹⁶They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation. They exult in your righteousness.

¹⁷You are their glorious strength. It pleases you to make us strong.

¹⁸Yes, our protection comes from the LORD, and he, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our king.

¹⁹Long ago you spoke in a vision to your faithful people. You said, “I have raised up a warrior. I have selected him from the common people to be king.

²⁰I have found my servant David. I have anointed him with my holy oil.

²¹I will steady him with my hand; with my powerful arm I will make him strong.

²²His enemies will not defeat him, nor will the wicked overpower him.

²³I will beat down his adversaries before him and destroy those who hate him.

²⁴My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him, and by my authority he will grow in power.

²⁵I will extend his rule over the sea, his dominion over the rivers.

²⁶And he will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’

²⁷I will make him my firstborn son, the mightiest king on earth.

²⁸I will love him and be kind to him forever; my covenant with him will never end.

²⁹I will preserve an heir for him; his throne will be as endless as the days of heaven.

³⁰But if his descendants forsake my instructions and fail to obey my regulations,

³¹if they do not obey my decrees and fail to keep my commands,

³²then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their disobedience with beating.

³³But I will never stop loving him nor fail to keep my promise to him.

³⁴No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said.

³⁵I have sworn an oath to David, and in my holiness I cannot lie:

³⁶His dynasty will go on forever; his kingdom will endure as the sun.

³⁷It will be as eternal as the moon, my faithful witness in the sky!” Interlude

³⁸But now you have rejected him and cast him off. You are angry with your anointed king.

³⁹You have renounced your covenant with him; you have thrown his crown in the dust.

⁴⁰You have broken down the walls protecting him and ruined every fort defending him.

⁴¹Everyone who comes along has robbed him, and he has become a joke to his neighbors.

⁴²You have strengthened his enemies and made them all rejoice.

⁴³You have made his sword useless and refused to help him in battle.

⁴⁴You have ended his splendor and overturned his throne.

⁴⁵You have made him old before his time and publicly disgraced him. Interlude

⁴⁶O LORD, how long will this go on? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your anger burn like fire?

⁴⁷Remember how short my life is, how empty and futile this human existence!

⁴⁸No one can live forever; all will die. No one can escape the power of the grave. Interlude

⁴⁹Lord, where is your unfailing love? You promised it to David with a faithful pledge.

⁵⁰Consider, Lord, how your servants are disgraced! I carry in my heart the insults of so many people.

⁵¹Your enemies have mocked me, O LORD; they mock your anointed king wherever he goes.

⁵²Praise the LORD forever! Amen and amen!

¹Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.

²Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth — a stranger, not your own lips.

³A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier.

⁴Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous.

⁵An open rebuke is better than hidden love!

⁶Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.

⁷A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.

⁸A person who strays from home is like a bird that strays from its nest.

⁹The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.

¹⁰Never abandon a friend — either yours or your father’s. When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance. It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.

¹¹Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad. Then I will be able to answer my critics.

¹²A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

¹³Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt. Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.

¹⁴A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse!

¹⁵A quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping on a rainy day.

¹⁶Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or trying to hold something with greased hands.

¹⁷As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

¹⁸As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit, so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded.

¹⁹As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.

²⁰Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.

²¹Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.

²²You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.

²³Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds,

²⁴for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.

²⁵After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears and the mountain grasses are gathered in,

²⁶your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will provide the price of a field.

²⁷And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself, your family, and your servant girls.

¹One day David asked, “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive — anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

²He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul’s servants. “Are you Ziba?” the king asked. “Yes sir, I am,” Ziba replied.

³The king then asked him, “Is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show God’s kindness to them.” Ziba replied, “Yes, one of Jonathan’s sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.”

⁴“Where is he?” the king asked. “In Lo-debar,” Ziba told him, “at the home of Makir son of Ammiel.”

⁵So David sent for him and brought him from Makir’s home.

⁶His name was Mephibosheth ; he was Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson. When he came to David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect. David said, “Greetings, Mephibosheth.” Mephibosheth replied, “I am your servant.”

⁷“Don’t be afraid!” David said. “I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!”

⁸Mephibosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, “Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?”

⁹Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family.

¹⁰You and your sons and servants are to farm the land for him to produce food for your master’s household. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, will eat here at my table.” (Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

¹¹Ziba replied, “Yes, my lord the king; I am your servant, and I will do all that you have commanded.” And from that time on, Mephibosheth ate regularly at David’s table, like one of the king’s own sons.

¹²Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. From then on, all the members of Ziba’s household were Mephibosheth’s servants.

¹³And Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet, lived in Jerusalem and ate regularly at the king’s table.

¹“What sorrow awaits the leaders of my people — the shepherds of my sheep — for they have destroyed and scattered the very ones they were expected to care for,” says the LORD.

²Therefore, this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to these shepherds: “Instead of caring for my flock and leading them to safety, you have deserted them and driven them to destruction. Now I will pour out judgment on you for the evil you have done to them.

³But I will gather together the remnant of my flock from the countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their own sheepfold, and they will be fruitful and increase in number.

⁴Then I will appoint responsible shepherds who will care for them, and they will never be afraid again. Not a single one will be lost or missing. I, the LORD, have spoken!

⁵“For the time is coming,” says the LORD, “when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land.

⁶And this will be his name: ‘The LORD Is Our Righteousness.’ In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety.

⁷“In that day,” says the LORD, “when people are taking an oath, they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’

⁸Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”

⁹My heart is broken because of the false prophets, and my bones tremble. I stagger like a drunkard, like someone overcome by wine, because of the holy words the LORD has spoken against them.

¹⁰For the land is full of adultery, and it lies under a curse. The land itself is in mourning — its wilderness pastures are dried up. For they all do evil and abuse what power they have.

¹¹“Even the priests and prophets are ungodly, wicked men. I have seen their despicable acts right here in my own Temple,” says the LORD.

¹²“Therefore, the paths they take will become slippery. They will be chased through the dark, and there they will fall. For I will bring disaster upon them at the time fixed for their punishment. I, the LORD, have spoken!

¹³“I saw that the prophets of Samaria were terribly evil, for they prophesied in the name of Baal and led my people of Israel into sin.

¹⁴But now I see that the prophets of Jerusalem are even worse! They commit adultery and love dishonesty. They encourage those who are doing evil so that no one turns away from their sins. These prophets are as wicked as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah once were.”

¹⁵Therefore, this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says concerning the prophets: “I will feed them with bitterness and give them poison to drink. For it is because of Jerusalem’s prophets that wickedness has filled this land.”

¹⁶This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says to his people: “Do not listen to these prophets when they prophesy to you, filling you with futile hopes. They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for the LORD!

¹⁷They keep saying to those who despise my word, ‘Don’t worry! The LORD says you will have peace!’ And to those who stubbornly follow their own desires, they say, ‘No harm will come your way!’

¹⁸“Have any of these prophets been in the LORD’s presence to hear what he is really saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen?

¹⁹Look! The LORD’s anger bursts out like a storm, a whirlwind that swirls down on the heads of the wicked.

²⁰The anger of the LORD will not diminish until it has finished all he has planned. In the days to come you will understand all this very clearly.

²¹“I have not sent these prophets, yet they run around claiming to speak for me. I have given them no message, yet they go on prophesying.

²²If they had stood before me and listened to me, they would have spoken my words, and they would have turned my people from their evil ways and deeds.

²³Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the LORD. “No, I am far away at the same time.

²⁴Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?” says the LORD.

²⁵“I have heard these prophets say, ‘Listen to the dream I had from God last night.’ And then they proceed to tell lies in my name.

²⁶How long will this go on? If they are prophets, they are prophets of deceit, inventing everything they say.

²⁷By telling these false dreams, they are trying to get my people to forget me, just as their ancestors did by worshiping the idols of Baal.

²⁸“Let these false prophets tell their dreams, but let my true messengers faithfully proclaim my every word. There is a difference between straw and grain!

²⁹Does not my word burn like fire?” says the LORD. “Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?

³⁰“Therefore,” says the LORD, “I am against these prophets who steal messages from each other and claim they are from me.

³¹I am against these smooth-tongued prophets who say, ‘This prophecy is from the LORD!’

³²I am against these false prophets. Their imaginary dreams are flagrant lies that lead my people into sin. I did not send or appoint them, and they have no message at all for my people. I, the LORD, have spoken!

³³“Suppose one of the people or one of the prophets or priests asks you, ‘What prophecy has the LORD burdened you with now?’ You must reply, ‘You are the burden! The LORD says he will abandon you!’

³⁴“If any prophet, priest, or anyone else says, ‘I have a prophecy from the LORD,’ I will punish that person along with his entire family.

³⁵You should keep asking each other, ‘What is the LORD’s answer?’ or ‘What is the LORD saying?’

³⁶But stop using this phrase, ‘prophecy from the LORD.’ For people are using it to give authority to their own ideas, turning upside down the words of our God, the living God, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

³⁷“This is what you should say to the prophets: ‘What is the LORD’s answer?’ or ‘What is the LORD saying?’

³⁸But suppose they respond, ‘This is a prophecy from the LORD!’ Then you should say, ‘This is what the LORD says: Because you have used this phrase, “prophecy from the LORD,” even though I warned you not to use it,

³⁹I will forget you completely. I will expel you from my presence, along with this city that I gave to you and your ancestors.

⁴⁰And I will make you an object of ridicule, and your name will be infamous throughout the ages.’”

¹But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property.

²He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.

³Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself.

⁴The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!”

⁵As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified.

⁶Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him.

⁷About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

⁸Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?” “Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.”

⁹And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.”

¹⁰Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

¹¹Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened.

¹²The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade.

¹³But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them.

¹⁴Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord — crowds of both men and women.

¹⁵As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by.

¹⁶Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.

¹⁷The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.

¹⁸They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.

¹⁹But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them,

²⁰“Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!”

²¹So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching. When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council — the full assembly of the elders of Israel. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought from the jail for trial.

²²But when the Temple guards went to the jail, the men were gone. So they returned to the council and reported,

²³“The jail was securely locked, with the guards standing outside, but when we opened the gates, no one was there!”

²⁴When the captain of the Temple guard and the leading priests heard this, they were perplexed, wondering where it would all end.

²⁵Then someone arrived with startling news: “The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple, teaching the people!”

²⁶The captain went with his Temple guards and arrested the apostles, but without violence, for they were afraid the people would stone them.

²⁷Then they brought the apostles before the high council, where the high priest confronted them.

²⁸“We gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man’s name!” he said. “Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible for his death!”

²⁹But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.

³⁰The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross.

³¹Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven.

³²We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.”

³³When they heard this, the high council was furious and decided to kill them.

³⁴But one member, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was an expert in religious law and respected by all the people, stood up and ordered that the men be sent outside the council chamber for a while.

³⁵Then he said to his colleagues, “Men of Israel, take care what you are planning to do to these men!

³⁶Some time ago there was that fellow Theudas, who pretended to be someone great. About 400 others joined him, but he was killed, and all his followers went their various ways. The whole movement came to nothing.

³⁷After him, at the time of the census, there was Judas of Galilee. He got people to follow him, but he was killed, too, and all his followers were scattered.

³⁸“So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown.

³⁹But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!”

⁴⁰The others accepted his advice. They called in the apostles and had them flogged. Then they ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go.

⁴¹The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.

⁴²And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.”