Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him.

²And a leper came up to Him and bowed down before Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You are able to make me clean (well)."

³Jesus reached out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

⁴And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one [about this]; but go, show yourself to the priest [for inspection] and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony (evidence) to them [of your healing]."

⁵As Jesus went into Capernaum, a centurion came up to Him, begging Him [for help],

⁶and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, with intense and terrible, tormenting pain."

⁷Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."

⁸But the centurion replied to Him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.

⁹For I also am a man subject to authority [of a higher rank], with soldiers subject to me; and I say to one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it."

¹⁰When Jesus heard this, He was amazed and said to those who were following Him, "I tell you truthfully, I have not found such great faith [as this] with anyone in Israel.

¹¹I say to you that many [Gentiles] will come from east and west, and will sit down [to feast at the table, and enjoy God's promises] with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven [because they accepted Me as Savior],

¹²while the sons and heirs of the kingdom [the descendants of Abraham who will not recognize Me as Messiah] will be thrown out into the outer darkness; in that place [which is farthest removed from the kingdom] there will be weeping [in sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [in distress and anger]."

¹³Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; it will be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was restored to health at that very hour.

¹⁴When Jesus went into Peter's house [in Capernaum], He saw Peter's mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever.

¹⁵He touched her hand and the fever left her; and she got up and served Him.

¹⁶When evening came, they brought to Him many who were under the power of demons; and He cast out the evil spirits with a word, and restored to health all who were sick [exhibiting His authority as Messiah],

¹⁷so that He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "He Himself took our infirmities [upon Himself] and carried away our diseases."

¹⁸Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to cast off for the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

¹⁹Then [on His way to board the boat] a scribe [who was a respected and authoritative interpreter of the Law] came and said to Him, "Master, I will accompany You [as Your student] wherever You go."

²⁰Jesus replied to him, "Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

²¹Another of the disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father (collect my inheritance)."

²²But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me [believing in Me as Master and Teacher], and allow the [spiritually] dead to bury their own dead."

²³When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.

²⁴And suddenly a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves; but Jesus was sleeping.

²⁵And the disciples went and woke Him, saying, "Lord, save us, we are going to die!"

²⁶He said to them, "Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?" Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was [at once] a great and wonderful calm [a perfect peacefulness].

²⁷The men wondered in amazement, saying, "What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

²⁸When He arrived at the other side in the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming out of the tombs met Him. They were so extremely fierce and violent that no one could pass by that way.

²⁹And they screamed out, " What business do we have [in common] with each other, Son of God? Have You come to torment us before the appointed time [of judgment]?"

³⁰Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was grazing.

³¹The demons began begging Him, "If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs."

³²And He said to them, "Go!" So they came out [of the men] and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and died in the water.

³³The herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, including what had happened to the men under the power of demons.

³⁴And the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and as soon as they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region.

¹And God remembered and thought kindly of Noah and every living thing and all the animals that were with him in the ark; and God made a wind blow over the land, and the waters receded.

²Also the fountains of the deep [subterranean waters] and the windows of the heavens were closed, the [pouring] rain from the sky was restrained,

³and the waters receded steadily from the earth. At the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters had diminished.

⁴On the seventeenth day of the seventh month [five months after the rain began], the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat [in Turkey].

⁵The waters continued to decrease until the tenth month; on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains were seen.

⁶At the end of [another] forty days Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made;

⁷and he sent out a raven, which flew here and there until the waters were dried up from the earth.

⁸Then Noah sent out a dove to see if the water level had fallen below the surface of the land.

⁹But the dove found no place on which to rest the sole of her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were [still] on the face of the entire earth. So he reached out his hand and took the dove, and brought her into the ark.

¹⁰He waited another seven days and again sent the dove out from the ark.

¹¹The dove came back to him in the evening, and there, in her beak, was a fresh olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water level had subsided from the earth.

¹²Then he waited another seven days and sent out the dove, but she did not return to him again.

¹³Now in the six hundred and first year [of Noah's life], on the first day of the first month, the waters were drying up from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and the surface of the ground was drying.

¹⁴On the twenty-seventh day of the second month the land was [entirely] dry.

¹⁵And God spoke to Noah, saying,

¹⁶"Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives with you.

¹⁷Bring out with you every living thing from all flesh—birds and animals and every crawling thing that crawls on the earth—that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth."

¹⁸So Noah went out, and his wife and his sons and their wives with him [after being in the ark one year and ten days].

¹⁹Every animal, every crawling thing, every bird—and whatever moves on the land—went out by families (types, groupings) from the ark.

²⁰And Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every [ceremonially] clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

²¹The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma [a soothing, satisfying scent] and the LORD said to Himself, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intent (strong inclination, desire) of man's heart is wicked from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.

²²"While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease."

¹Therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior].

²For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

³For what the Law could not do [that is, overcome sin and remove its penalty, its power] being weakened by the flesh [man's nature without the Holy Spirit], God did: He sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful man as an offering for sin. And He condemned sin in the flesh [subdued it and overcame it in the person of His own Son],

⁴so that the [righteous and just] requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not live our lives in the ways of the flesh [guided by worldliness and our sinful nature], but [live our lives] in the ways of the Spirit [guided by His power].

⁵For those who are living according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh [which gratify the body], but those who are living according to the Spirit, [set their minds on] the things of the Spirit [His will and purpose].

⁶Now the mind of the flesh is death [both now and forever—because it pursues sin]; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace [the spiritual well-being that comes from walking with God—both now and forever];

⁷the mind of the flesh [with its sinful pursuits] is actively hostile to God. It does not submit itself to God's law, since it cannot,

⁸and those who are in the flesh [living a life that caters to sinful appetites and impulses] cannot please God.

⁹However, you are not [living] in the flesh [controlled by the sinful nature] but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God lives in you [directing and guiding you]. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him [and is not a child of God].

¹⁰If Christ lives in you, though your [natural] body is dead because of sin, your spirit is alive because of righteousness [which He provides].

¹¹And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.

¹²So then, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but not to our flesh [our human nature, our worldliness, our sinful capacity], to live according to the [impulses of the] flesh [our nature without the Holy Spirit]—

¹³for if you are living according to the [impulses of the] flesh, you are going to die. But if [you are living] by the [power of the Holy] Spirit you are habitually putting to death the sinful deeds of the body, you will [really] live forever.

¹⁴For all who are allowing themselves to be led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

¹⁵For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading again to fear [of God's judgment], but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons [the Spirit producing sonship] by which we [joyfully] cry, " Abba! Father!"

¹⁶The Spirit Himself testifies and confirms together with our spirit [assuring us] that we [believers] are children of God.

¹⁷And if [we are His] children, [then we are His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His spiritual blessing and inheritance], if indeed we share in His suffering so that we may also share in His glory.

¹⁸For I consider [from the standpoint of faith] that the sufferings of the present life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us!

¹⁹For [even the whole] creation [all nature] waits eagerly for the children of God to be revealed.

²⁰For the creation was subjected to frustration and futility, not willingly [because of some intentional fault on its part], but by the will of Him who subjected it, in hope

²¹that the creation itself will also be freed from its bondage to decay [and gain entrance] into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

²²For we know that the whole creation has been moaning together as in the pains of childbirth until now.

²³And not only this, but we too, who have the first fruits of the Spirit [a joyful indication of the blessings to come], even we groan inwardly, as we wait eagerly for [the sign of] our adoption as sons—the redemption and transformation of our body [at the resurrection].

²⁴For in this hope we were saved [by faith]. But hope [the object of] which is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he already sees?

²⁵But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait eagerly for it with patience and composure.

²⁶In the same way the Spirit [comes to us and] helps us in our weakness. We do not know what prayer to offer or how to offer it as we should, but the Spirit Himself [knows our need and at the right time] intercedes on our behalf with sighs and groanings too deep for words.

²⁷And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes [before God] on behalf of God's people in accordance with God's will.

²⁸And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.

²⁹For those whom He foreknew [and loved and chose beforehand], He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son [and ultimately share in His complete sanctification], so that He would be the firstborn [the most beloved and honored] among many believers.

³⁰And those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified [declared free of the guilt of sin]; and those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity].

³¹What then shall we say to all these things? If God is for us, who can be [successful] against us?

³²He who did not spare [even] His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?

³³Who will bring any charge against God's elect (His chosen ones)? It is God who justifies us [declaring us blameless and putting us in a right relationship with Himself].

³⁴Who is the one who condemns us? Christ Jesus is the One who died [to pay our penalty], and more than that, who was raised [from the dead], and who is at the right hand of God interceding [with the Father] for us.

³⁵Who shall ever separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

³⁶Just as it is written and forever remains written, "For Your sake we are put to death all day long; We are regarded as sheep for the slaughter."

³⁷Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through Him who loved us [so much that He died for us].

³⁸For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers,

³⁹nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹Finally, brothers and sisters, pray continually for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be honored [triumphantly celebrated and glorified], just as it was with you;

²and [pray] that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not everyone has the faith.

³But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you [setting you on a firm foundation] and will protect and guard you from the evil one.

⁴We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do the things [which] we command.

⁵May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness and patience of Christ.

⁶Now we command you, believers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by His authority, that you withdraw and keep away from every brother or sister who leads an undisciplined life and does not live in accordance with the tradition and teaching that you have received from us.

⁷For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined or inappropriate manner when we were with you [we were never idle or lazy, nor did we avoid our duties],

⁸nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we worked night and day [to pay our own way] so that we would not be a financial burden on any of you [for our support];

⁹not because we do not have a right to such support, but [we provided our own financial support] to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example.

¹⁰For even while we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.

¹¹Indeed, we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined and inappropriate life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies [meddling in other people's business].

¹²Now such people we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work quietly and earn their own food and other necessities [supporting themselves instead of depending on the hospitality of others].

¹³And as for [the rest of] you, believers, do not grow tired or lose heart in doing good [but continue doing what is right without weakening].

¹⁴Now if anyone [in the church] does not obey what we say in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be ashamed and repent.

¹⁵Do not regard him as an enemy, but keep admonishing him as a [believing] brother.

¹⁶Now may the Lord of peace Himself grant you His peace at all times and in every way [that peace and spiritual well-being that comes to those who walk with Him, regardless of life's circumstances]. The Lord be with you all.

¹⁷I, Paul, write you this final greeting with my own hand. This is the distinguishing mark in every letter [of mine, that shows it is genuine]. It is the way I write [my handwriting and signature].

¹⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.

¹Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

²"How long will you say these things? And will the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?

³"Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert righteousness?

⁴"If your children have sinned against Him, Then He has handed them over to the power of their transgression and punished them.

⁵"If you would [diligently] seek God And implore the compassion and favor of the Almighty,

⁶Then, if you are pure and upright, Surely now He will awaken for you And restore your righteous place.

⁷"Though your beginning was insignificant, Yet your end will greatly increase.

⁸"Inquire, please, of past generations, And consider and apply yourself to the things searched out by their fathers.

⁹"For we are only of yesterday and know nothing, Because our days on earth are [like] a shadow [just a breath or a vapor].

¹⁰"Will they (the fathers) not teach you and tell you, And utter words from their hearts [the deepest part of their nature]?

¹¹"Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the rushes or reed grass grow without water?

¹²"While it is still green (in flower) and not cut down, Yet it withers before any other plant [when without water].

¹³"So are the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the godless will perish,

¹⁴For his confidence is fragile and breaks, And his trust is [like] a spider's web.

¹⁵"He trusts in his house, but it does not stand; He holds tightly to it, but it does not endure.

¹⁶"He thrives and prospers [like a green plant] before the sun, And his branches spread out over his garden.

¹⁷"His [godless] roots are wrapped around a pile of rocks, And he gazes at a house of stones.

¹⁸"If he is snatched from his place [in the garden], Then his place will forget him, saying, 'I have never seen you.'

¹⁹"Behold, this is the joy of His way; And from out of the dust others will spring up and grow [to take his place].

²⁰"Behold, God will not reject a man of integrity, Nor will He strengthen or support evildoers.

²¹"He will yet fill your mouth with laughter And your lips with joyful shouting [if you are found blameless].

²²"Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, And the tents of the wicked will be no longer."

¹To the Chief Musician; set to a Philistine lute [or perhaps to a particular Hittite tune]. A Psalm of David. O LORD, our Lord, How majestic and glorious and excellent is Your name in all the earth! You have displayed Your splendor above the heavens.

²Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, That You might silence the enemy and make the revengeful cease.

³When I see and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have established,

⁴What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?

⁵Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

⁶You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,

⁷All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field,

⁸The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

⁹O LORD, our Lord, How majestic and glorious and excellent is Your name in all the earth!

¹Does not wisdom call, And understanding lift up her voice?

²On the top of the heights beside the way, Where the paths meet, wisdom takes her stand;

³Beside the gates, at the entrance to the city, At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:

⁴"To you, O men, I call, And my voice is directed to the sons of men.

⁵"O you naive or inexperienced [who are easily misled], understand prudence and seek astute common sense; And, O you [closed-minded, self-confident] fools, understand wisdom [seek the insight and self-discipline that leads to godly living].

⁶"Listen, for I will speak excellent and noble things; And the opening of my lips will reveal right things.

⁷"For my mouth will utter truth, And wickedness is repulsive and loathsome to my lips.

⁸"All the words of my mouth are in righteousness (upright, in right standing with God); There is nothing contrary to truth or perverted (crooked) in them.

⁹"They are all straightforward to him who understands [with an open and willing mind], And right to those who find knowledge and live by it.

¹⁰"Take my instruction rather than [seeking] silver, And take knowledge rather than choicest gold,

¹¹"For wisdom is better than rubies; And all desirable things cannot compare with her.

¹²"I, [godly] wisdom, reside with prudence [good judgment, moral courage and astute common sense], And I find knowledge and discretion.

¹³"The [reverent] fear and worshipful awe of the LORD includes the hatred of evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate.

¹⁴"Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power and strength are mine.

¹⁵"By me kings reign And rulers decide and decree justice.

¹⁶"By me princes rule, and nobles, All who judge and govern rightly.

¹⁷"I love those who love me; And those who seek me early and diligently will find me.

¹⁸"Riches and honor are with me, Enduring wealth and righteousness (right standing with God).

¹⁹"My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold, And my yield is better than choicest silver.

²⁰"I, [Wisdom, continuously] walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice,

²¹That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth and true riches, And that I may fill their treasuries.

²²"The LORD created and possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old [were accomplished].

²³"From everlasting I was established and ordained, From the beginning, before the earth existed, [I, godly wisdom, existed].

²⁴"When there were no ocean depths I was born, When there were no fountains and springs overflowing with water.

²⁵"Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills, I was born;

²⁶While He had not yet made the earth and the fields, Or the first of the dust of the earth.

²⁷"When He established the heavens, I [Wisdom] was there; When He drew a circle upon the face of the deep,

²⁸When He made firm the skies above, When the fountains and springs of the deep became fixed and strong,

²⁹When He set for the sea its boundary So that the waters would not transgress [the boundaries set by] His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth—

³⁰Then I was beside Him, as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight; Rejoicing before Him always,

³¹Rejoicing in the world, His inhabited earth, And having my delight in the sons of men.

³²"Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, For blessed [happy, prosperous, to be admired] are they who keep my ways.

³³"Heed (pay attention to) instruction and be wise, And do not ignore or neglect it.

³⁴"Blessed [happy, prosperous, to be admired] is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts.

³⁵"For whoever finds me (Wisdom) finds life And obtains favor and grace from the LORD.

³⁶"But he who fails to find me or sins against me injures himself; All those who hate me love and court death."

¹Now the LORD said to Joshua, "Do not fear or be dismayed (intimidated). Take all the men of war with you and set out, go up to Ai; see, I have given the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land into your hand.

²You shall do [the same] to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king; [except that] you shall take only its spoil and its cattle as plunder for yourselves. Set up an ambush for the city behind it [on the west side]."

³So Joshua set out with all the people of war to go up against Ai; then Joshua chose thirty thousand valiant men, and sent them out at night.

⁴He commanded them, saying, "Listen closely, you are going to lie in wait and ambush the city from behind it. Do not go very far away from the city, but all of you be ready.

⁵Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out to meet us [for battle] as [they did] the first time, we will run away from them.

⁶They will come out after us until we have lured them away from the city, because they will say, 'They are running from us as [they did] before.' So we will run from them.

⁷Then you will emerge from the ambush and take possession of the city, for the LORD your God will hand it over to you.

⁸When you have taken the city, you shall set it on fire; you shall do [exactly] as the LORD commanded. See, I have commanded you."

⁹So Joshua sent them off, and they went to the place for the ambush and stayed [hidden] between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua spent that night among the people [in Gilgal].

¹⁰Now Joshua got up early in the morning and assembled the people, and went up with the elders of Israel before the people to Ai.

¹¹Then all the fighting men who were with him went up and advanced and arrived in front of the city, and camped on the north side of Ai. Now there was a ravine between them and Ai.

¹²And Joshua took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.

¹³So they stationed the people, all the army—the main encampment that was north of the city, and their rear guard on the west side of the city—and Joshua spent that night in the valley.

¹⁴Now when the king [and the people] of Ai saw it, the men of the city hurried and got up early and went out to meet Israel in battle, the king and all his people at the appointed [time and] place before the desert plain (the Arabah). But he did not know that there was an ambush against him [waiting] behind the city [on the west side].

¹⁵So Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated by them, and ran toward the wilderness.

¹⁶Then all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city.

¹⁷Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who had not gone out after Israel; so they left the city open and unguarded and they pursued Israel.

¹⁸Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Reach out with the spear that is in your hand [and point it] toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand." So Joshua reached out with the spear in his hand [and pointed it] toward the city.

¹⁹The [men in] ambush emerged quickly from their [hiding] place, and when Joshua stretched out his hand they ran and entered the city and captured it, and quickly set the city on fire.

²⁰When the men of Ai turned back and looked, behold, the smoke of the city was ascending toward the sky, and they had no opportunity to run this way or that way. Then the people who had been running to the wilderness turned back toward the pursuers.

²¹When Joshua and all Israel saw that the [men in] ambush had taken the city and that the smoke of the city was ascending, they turned back and struck down the men of Ai.

²²Then the others came out of the city to confront the men of Ai [as they returned], so that they were trapped in the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on that side; then Israel struck them until none of them survived or escaped.

²³But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.

²⁴When Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the field in the wilderness where they pursued them, and they had all fallen by the edge of the sword until they were destroyed, then all Israel returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword.

²⁵And all who fell that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand, all the people of Ai.

²⁶For Joshua did not withdraw his hand with which he stretched out the spear until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.

²⁷Israel took only the livestock and the spoil of that city as plunder for themselves, according to the word of the LORD which He had commanded Joshua.

²⁸So Joshua burned Ai and made it a rubbish heap forever, a desolation until this day.

²⁹He hanged [the body of] the king of Ai on a tree [leaving it there] until evening; at sunset Joshua gave a command and they took the body down from the tree and dumped it at the entrance of the city gate, and piled a great heap of stones over it that stands to this day.

³⁰Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,

³¹just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, an altar of uncut stones on which no one has wielded an iron tool; and they offered on it burnt offerings to the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.

³²And there, in the presence of the sons of Israel, Joshua wrote on the stones a copy of the Law of Moses which Moses had written.

³³All Israel, the stranger as well as the native born [among them], with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on either side of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at first to bless the people of Israel.

³⁴Then afterward Joshua read all the words of the law, the blessing and curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law.

³⁵There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before the entire assembly of Israel, including the women and the children and the foreigners who were living among them.

¹Then the LORD said to me, "Take for yourself a large tablet [for public display] and write on it in ordinary characters: Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

²And I will get faithful witnesses to attest [to this prophecy] for me, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah."

³So I approached [my wife] the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. Then the LORD said to me, "Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz [to remind the people of the prophecy];

⁴for before the boy knows how to say, 'My father' or 'My mother,' the riches of Damascus (Aram's capital) and the spoil of Samaria (Israel's capital) will be carried away by the king of Assyria."

⁵Again the LORD spoke to me, saying,

⁶"Because these people (Judah) have refused the gently flowing waters of Shiloah And rejoice in Rezin [the king of Aram] and Remaliah's son [Pekah the king of Israel],

⁷Now therefore, listen carefully, the Lord is about to bring on them the waters of the [Euphrates] River, strong and abundant— The king of Assyria and all his glory; And it will rise over all its channels and canals and go far beyond its banks.

⁸"Then it will sweep on into Judah; it will overflow and pass through [the hills], Reaching even to the neck [of which Jerusalem is the head], And its outstretched wings (the armies of Assyria) will fill the width of Your land, O Immanuel.

⁹"Be broken [in pieces], O peoples, and be shattered! Listen, all you [our enemies from the] far countries. Prepare yourselves [for war], and be shattered; Prepare yourselves [for war], and be shattered.

¹⁰"Take counsel together [against Judah], but it will come to nothing; Speak the word, but it will not stand, For God is with us (Immanuel)."

¹¹For in this way the LORD spoke to me with His strong hand [upon me] and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people [behaving as they do], saying,

¹²"You are not to say, 'It is a conspiracy!' In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear nor be in dread of it.

¹³"It is the LORD of hosts whom you are to regard as holy and awesome. He shall be your [source of] fear, He shall be your [source of] dread [not man].

¹⁴"Then He shall be a sanctuary [a sacred, indestructible shelter for those who fear and trust Him]; But to both the houses of Israel [both the northern and southern kingdoms—Israel and Judah, He will be] a stone on which to stumble and a rock on which to trip, A trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

¹⁵"Many [among them] will stumble over them; Then they will fall and be broken, They will even be snared and trapped."

¹⁶Bind up the testimony, seal the law and the teaching among my (Isaiah's) disciples.

¹⁷And I will wait for the LORD who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; and I will look eagerly for Him.

¹⁸Listen carefully, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are for signs and wonders [that will occur] in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

¹⁹When the people [instead of trusting God] say to you, "Consult the mediums [who try to talk to the dead] and the soothsayers who chirp and whisper and mutter," should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?

²⁰[Direct those people] to the law and to the testimony! If their teachings are not in accord with this word, it is because they have no dawn.

²¹They [who consult mediums and soothsayers] will pass through the land deeply distressed and hungry, and when they are hungry, they will become enraged and will curse their king and their God as they look upward.

²²Then they will look to the earth, they will see only distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be driven away into darkness and overwhelming night.

¹Saul wholeheartedly approved of Stephen's death. And on that day a great and relentless persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem; and the believers were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.

²Some devout men buried Stephen, and mourned greatly over him [expressing a personal sense of loss].

³But Saul began ravaging the church [and assaulting believers]; entering house after house and dragging off men and women, putting them in prison.

⁴Now those [believers] who had been scattered went from place to place preaching the word [the good news of salvation through Christ].

⁵Philip [the evangelist] went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) to them.

⁶The crowds gathered and were paying close attention to everything Philip said, as they heard [the message] and saw the [miraculous] signs which he was doing [validating his message].

⁷For unclean spirits (demons), shouting loudly, were coming out of many who were possessed; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.

⁸So there was great rejoicing in that city.

⁹Now there was a man named Simon, who previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great.

¹⁰They all paid [a great deal of] attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is what is called the Great Power of God!"

¹¹They were paying attention to him because for a long time he had mystified and dazzled them with his magic.

¹²But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, both men and women.

¹³Even Simon believed [Philip's message of salvation]; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he watched the attesting signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.

¹⁴When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that [the people of] Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.

¹⁵They came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit;

¹⁶for He had not yet fallen on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus [as His possession].

¹⁷Then Peter and John laid their hands on them [one by one], and they received the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,

¹⁹saying, "Give me this authority and power too, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

²⁰But Peter said to him, "May your money be destroyed along with you, because you thought you could buy the [free] gift of God with money!

²¹You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart (motive, purpose) is not right before God.

²²So repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, this thought of your heart may be forgiven you.

²³For I see that you are provoked by bitterness and bound by sin."

²⁴But Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me both of you, so that nothing of what you have said will come upon me."

²⁵So, when Peter and John had given their testimony and preached the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, preaching the good news [about salvation] in many Samaritan villages [along the way].

²⁶But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go south to the road that runs from Jerusalem down to Gaza." (This is a desert road).

²⁷So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch [a man of great authority], a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship,

²⁸and he was returning, and sitting in his chariot he was reading [the scroll of] the prophet Isaiah.

²⁹Then the [Holy] Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot."

³⁰Philip ran up and heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah, and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

³¹And he said, "Well, how could I [understand] unless someone guides me [correctly]?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

³²Now this was the passage of Scripture which he was reading: "Like a sheep He was led to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth.

³³"In humiliation His judgment was taken away [justice was denied Him]. Who will describe His generation? For His life is taken from the earth."

³⁴The eunuch replied to Philip, "Please tell me, about whom does the prophet say this? About himself or about someone else?"

³⁵Then Philip spoke and beginning with this Scripture he preached Jesus to him [explaining that He is the promised Messiah and the source of salvation].

³⁶As they continued along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch exclaimed, "Look! Water! What forbids me from being baptized?"

³⁷[Philip said to him, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he replied, "I do believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."]

³⁸And he ordered that the chariot be stopped; and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord [suddenly] took Philip [and carried him] away [to a different place]; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but he went on his way rejoicing.

⁴⁰But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the good news [of salvation] to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea [Maritima].