M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Abraham Tricks Abimelech
20 Abraham left Hebron [13:18] and traveled to ·southern Canaan [L the Negev; 13:1] where he stayed awhile between Kadesh [16:14] and Shur [16:7]. When he ·moved to [sojourned/lived as an alien in] Gerar [C north of Kadesh and Shur; present-day Tell Abu Hureirah], 2 he said to people about Sarah his wife, “She is my sister” [12:10–20; 26:1–11]. Abimelech king of Gerar heard this, so he sent some servants to take her. 3 But one night God spoke to Abimelech in a dream and said, “You will die. The woman you took is married.”
4 But Abimelech had not gone near Sarah, so he said, “Lord, would you ·destroy [L kill; slay] an innocent nation? 5 ·Abraham himself told [L Did he not tell…?] me, ‘This woman is my sister,’ and ·she also said [L did she not also say…?], ‘He is my brother.’ I ·am innocent and did not know I was doing anything wrong [L did this with a pure conscience/blameless heart and innocent hands].”
6 Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, “Yes, I know you did ·not realize what you were doing [this with a pure conscience/L blameless heart]. So I ·did not allow you to sin [restrained you from sinning] against me and touch her. 7 Give ·Abraham [L the man] his wife back. He is a prophet [C one who interceded for others]. He will pray for you, and you will not die. But if you do not give Sarah back, you and all ·your family [L who belong to you] will surely die.”
8 So early the next morning, Abimelech called all his ·officers [L servants] and told them everything that had happened in the dream. They were very afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham to him and said, “What have you done to us? What ·wrong [offense; sin] did I do against you? Why did you bring this ·trouble [great offense/guilt; L great sin] to my kingdom? You should not have done these things to me. 10 What ·were you thinking [possessed you] that caused you to do this?”
11 Then Abraham answered, “I thought no one in this place ·respected [feared] God and that someone would kill me to get ·Sarah [L my wife]. 12 And it is true that she is my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but she is not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 When God ·told me to leave my father’s house and wander in many different places [L caused me to wander from my father’s home; 12:1], I told Sarah, ‘You must ·do a special favor for [or show loyalty to] me. Everywhere we go tell people, “He is my brother.”’”
14 Then Abimelech gave Abraham some sheep, cattle, and male and female slaves. He also gave Sarah, Abraham’s wife, back to him 15 and said, “·Look around you at my land [L My land is before you]. You may live anywhere you want.”
16 Abimelech said to Sarah, “I gave your brother Abraham ·twenty-five pounds [L one thousand pieces] of silver ·to make up for any wrong that people may think about you [L —a covering of the eyes to all who are with you; C an indication that nothing improper happened]. I want everyone to know that you are innocent.”
17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his servant girls so they could have children. 18 The Lord had ·kept all the women in Abimelech’s house from having children [L closed up every womb of the house of Abimelech] ·as a punishment on Abimelech for taking [L on account of] Abraham’s wife Sarah.
Jesus Teaches About Divorce(A)
19 After Jesus ·said all these things [L finished these words; see 7:28], he left Galilee and went into the ·area [region] of Judea ·on the other side of [beyond] the Jordan River. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 Some Pharisees came to Jesus ·and tried to trick [to trap/test] him. They asked, “Is it ·right [lawful; C according to the law of Moses] for a man to divorce his wife for any reason he chooses?”
4 Jesus answered, “·Surely you have [L Haven’t you…?] read in the Scriptures: ·When God made the world, ‘he [L From the beginning, the Creator] made them male and female’ [Gen. 1:27; 5:2]. 5 And God said, ‘So a man will leave his father and mother and be ·united with [joined to] his wife, and the two will become ·one body [as though they were one person; T one flesh; Gen. 2:24].’ 6 So they are no longer two, but one. God has joined the two together, so no one should separate them.”
7 The Pharisees asked, “Why then did Moses give a command for a man to divorce his wife by giving her ·divorce papers [a certificate of divorce/dismissal; Deut. 24:1]?”
8 Jesus answered, “Moses ·allowed [permitted] you to divorce your wives because ·you refused to accept God’s teaching [L of your hard-heartedness], but ·divorce was not allowed in the beginning [or this was not God’s intention at creation; L from the beginning it was not like this]. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman ·is guilty of [commits] adultery.[a] ·The only reason for a man to divorce his wife is if his wife has sexual relations with another man [L …except in the case of sexual immorality].”
10 The ·followers [disciples] said to him, “If that is the ·only reason a man can divorce his wife [situation/case between a husband and wife], it is better not to marry.”
11 Jesus answered, “Not everyone can accept this ·teaching [word], but ·God has made some able to accept it [or only those given this gift of celibacy; L only to those whom it has been given]. 12 ·There are different reasons why some men cannot marry [L For…]. Some men were born ·without the ability to become fathers [L as eunuchs]. Others were made ·that way later in life [L eunuchs] by other people [C males would sometimes be castrated as punishment, or to serve in harems]. And some men have ·given up marriage because [L made themselves eunuchs for the sake] of the kingdom of heaven [C through abstinence, not necessarily castration]. ·But the person who can marry should accept this teaching about marriage [or The person who can accept this teaching about not marrying should accept it].”
Jesus Welcomes Children(B)
13 Then the people brought their little children to Jesus so he could ·put [lay] his hands on them [C an act of blessing] and pray for them. [L But] His ·followers [disciples] ·told them to stop [scolded/rebuked them], 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t ·stop [hinder] them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people who are like these children [C meaning humble and dependent].” 15 After Jesus ·put [lay] his hands on the children [C a sign of blessing; Mark 10:16], he left there.
A Rich Young Man’s Question(C)
16 [At that time; L And look/T behold] A man came to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what ·good thing [good deed; L good] must I do to have ·life forever [eternal life]?”
17 Jesus answered, “Why do you ask me about what is good? Only ·God [L one] is good. But if you want to ·have life forever [have eternal life; L enter life], ·obey [keep] the ·commands [commandments].”
18 The man asked, “Which commands?”
Jesus answered, “‘You must not murder anyone; you must not ·be guilty of [commit] adultery; you must not steal; you must not ·tell lies about your neighbor [testify falsely; T bear false witness]; 19 honor your father and mother [Ex. 20:12–16; Deut. 5:16–20]; and love your neighbor as you love yourself [Lev. 19:18].’”
20 The young man said, “I have ·obeyed [kept carefully; guarded] all these things. What ·else do I need to do [L do I still lack]?”
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be ·perfect [complete], then go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.”
22 But when the young man heard this, he left ·sorrowfully [grieving], because he ·was rich [had many possessions].
23 Then Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], “I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 ·Yes [L Again], I tell you that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God [C meaning it is impossible, by human effort; see v. 26].”
25 When Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] heard this, they were ·very surprised [astonished] and asked, “Then who can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “·For people [Humanly speaking,] this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”
27 Peter said to Jesus, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. So what will we ·have [get]?”
28 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, ·when the age to come has arrived [at the renewal of the world; L in the regeneration], the Son of Man [Dan. 7:13–14] will sit on his ·great [glorious] throne. All of you who followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And all those who have left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother,[b] children, or ·farms [fields] ·to follow me [L for my name’s sake] will ·get much more than they left [L receive a hundred times as much], and they will ·have life forever [L inherit eternal life]. 30 [L But] Many who are first now will be last in the future. And many who are last now will be first in the future.
The People’s Prayer(A)
Israel Confesses Sins
9 On the twenty-fourth day of that same month [October 31], the people of Israel ·gathered [assembled]. They fasted, and they wore ·rough cloth [sackcloth] and put dust on their heads [C signs of grief or repentance]. 2 ·Those people whose ancestors were from Israel [L The seed of Israel] had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood and confessed their sins and their ancestors’ ·sins [iniquities]. 3 For a fourth of the day [C three hours] they stood where they were and read from the ·Book [scroll] of the ·Teachings [Laws; Instructions; L Torah] of the Lord their God. For another fourth of the day they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 These Levites were standing on the stairs: Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani. They called out to the Lord their God with loud voices. 5 Then these Levites spoke: Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah. They said, “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who lives ·forever and ever [from age to age/everlasting to everlasting].”
“Blessed be your ·wonderful [glorious] name.
·It is more wonderful than [May it be exalted above] all blessing and praise.
6 You ·are the only [alone are the] Lord.
You made the ·heavens [sky], even the ·highest [L heavens of the] heavens,
with all ·the stars [L their hosts].
You made the earth and everything on it,
the seas and everything in them;
you give life to everything.
The heavenly ·army [host] worships you.
7 “You are the ·Lord,
the God [or Lord God,] who chose Abram
and brought him ·out of [forth from] Ur ·in Babylonia [L of the Chaldeans; Gen. 12:1–3]
and named [C renamed] him Abraham [Gen. 17:5].
8 You found ·him [L his heart] faithful to you,
so you made an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with him
to give his ·descendants [L seed] the land of the Canaanites,
Hittites, Amorites,
Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites.
You have ·kept [fulfilled] your ·promise [word],
because you ·do what is right [are righteous].
9 “You saw our ·ancestors [fathers] ·suffering [miserable; afflicted; in distress] in Egypt
and heard them cry out ·at [beside] the ·Red Sea [L Sea of Reeds; Ex. 14–15].
10 You ·did [performed; displayed] signs and ·miracles [wonders] against ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh],
and against all his ·officers [officials; servants] and all the people of his land,
because you knew how ·proud [arrogant; insolent] they were to them [C Israel’s ancestors].
You ·became as famous [L made a name for yourself] ·as you are today [which remains to this day].
11 You ·divided [split; opened] the sea in front of ·our ancestors [L them];
they ·walked [passed] through the sea on dry ground [Ex. 14–15].
But you threw ·the people chasing them into the deep water [their pursuers into the depths],
like a stone thrown into ·mighty [raging; surging] waters.
12 You ·led [guided] ·our ancestors [L them] with a ·pillar [column] of cloud by day
and with a ·pillar [column] of fire at night [Ex. 13:21].
It lit the way
they were supposed to go.
13 You came down ·to [on; at] Mount Sinai
and spoke from heaven to ·our ancestors [L them].
You gave them ·fair [just] ·rules [judgments] and true ·teachings [laws; instructions; L Torah],
good ·orders [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and commands.
14 You ·told [revealed; made known to] them about your holy Sabbath [Ex. 20:8–11; Deut. 5:12–15]
and gave them commands, ·orders [statutes; ordinances; requirements], and ·teachings [laws; instructions; L Torah]
through your servant Moses.
15 When they were hungry, you gave them bread from heaven [C the manna; Ex. 16:31].
When they were thirsty, you brought them water from ·the [a] rock [Ex. 17:1–7; Num. 20:1–13].
You told them to enter and ·take over [possess]
the land you had ·promised [sworn; L raised your hand] to give them.
16 “But ·our ancestors [L they, our fathers,] were ·proud [arrogant; insolent] and ·stubborn [rebellious; L stiff-necked]
and did not ·obey [listen/pay attention to] your commands.
17 They refused to ·listen [obey];
they ·forgot [L did not remember/recall] the ·miracles [wonders] you ·did [performed] ·for [among] them.
So they became ·stubborn [rebellious; L stiff-necked],
·choosing [appointing] a leader to take them back to slavery in Egypt.[a]
But you are a forgiving God.
You are ·kind [gracious] and ·full of mercy [compassionate].
You ·do not become angry quickly [T are slow to anger], and ·you have great [abounding in unfailing/steadfast] love [compare Ex. 34:6; Num. 14:18; Ps. 86:15, 145:8; Joel 2:13]
So you did not ·leave [abandon; desert; forsake] them.
18 ·Our ancestors [L They] even ·made [cast] a calf [C as an idol] for themselves.
They said, ‘This is your god
who brought you up out of Egypt [Ex. 32].’
They ·spoke against you [L committed great blasphemies].
19 “You have great ·mercy [compassion],
so you did not ·leave [abandon; desert; forsake] them in the ·desert [wilderness].
The pillar of cloud ·guided them by day [L did not turn from them by day in guiding them in the path],
·and the pillar of fire led them at night,
lighting the way they were to go [nor did the pillar of fire stop illuminating for them by night the path on which they should travel].
20 You ·gave [sent; imparted] your good Spirit to ·teach [instruct] them.
You ·gave them manna to eat [L did not withhold manna from their mouth]
and gave them water when they were thirsty.
21 You ·took care of [sustained; provided for] them for forty years in the ·desert [wilderness];
they ·needed [lacked] nothing.
Their clothes did not wear out,
and their feet did not swell.
22 “You gave them kingdoms and ·nations [peoples; C to conquer];
you ·gave them more land [put them in every corner; L allotted/allocated to them every corner/frontier].
They ·took over [took possession of; inherited] the country of Sihon king of Heshbon
and the country of Og king of Bashan [Num. 21:21–33].
23 You made their ·children [descendants; sons] as ·many [numerous] as the stars ·in the sky [of heaven; Gen. 15:5; 22:17; 26:4],
and you brought them into the land
that you told their ·ancestors [fathers] to enter and ·take over [possess].
24 So their ·children [descendants; sons] went into the land and took ·over [possession].
The Canaanites lived there, but you ·defeated them for [subdued them before] our ancestors.
You handed over to them the Canaanites, their kings, and the ·people [peoples] of the land.
·Our ancestors [L They] could ·do what they wanted with them [deal with them as they pleased].
25 They captured ·strong, walled [fortified] cities and fertile land.
They took over houses full of good things,
·wells [cisterns] that were already dug,
vineyards, olive ·trees [groves], and ·many [abundant] fruit trees.
They ate until they were full and grew fat;
they ·enjoyed [reveled; delighted themselves in] your great goodness.
26 “But they were disobedient and ·turned [rebelled] against you
and ·ignored [turned their backs on] your ·teachings [laws; instructions; L Torah].
Your prophets ·warned [admonished] them to come back to you,
but they killed those prophets
and ·spoke against you [L committed great blasphemies].
27 So you handed them over to their ·enemies [oppressors],
and their ·enemies treated them badly [oppressors oppressed them].
But in this time of ·trouble [distress; suffering; misery] ·our ancestors [L they] cried out to you,
and you heard from heaven.
You had great ·mercy [compassion]
and gave them ·saviors [liberators; T deliverers] who ·saved [rescued] them from the ·power [hand] of their ·enemies [oppressors].
28 But as soon as they had ·rest [peace],
they again ·did what was [committed] evil.
So you ·left [abandoned; deserted; forsook] them to [L the hand of] their ·enemies [oppressors]
who ·ruled over [conquered; oppressed] them.
When they cried out to you again,
you heard from heaven.
Because of your ·mercy [compassion], you ·saved them again [rescued them time] and again.
29 You ·warned [admonished] them to return to your ·teachings [laws; instructions; L Torah],
but they were ·proud [arrogant; insolent] and did not ·obey [listen to] your commands.
If someone ·obeys [observes] your ·laws [judgments], he will live,
but they sinned against ·your laws [L them].
They ·were stubborn [L turned a stubborn shoulder], ·unwilling [rebellious; L stiff-necked], and ·disobedient [rebellious].
30 You ·were patient [T bore] with them for many years
and ·warned [admonished] them by your Spirit through ·the [your] prophets,
but they did not ·pay attention [L give ear].
So you handed them over to ·other countries [L the peoples of the lands].
31 But because your ·mercy [compassion] is great, you did not ·kill [destroy; L make an end of] them all or ·leave [abandon; desert; forsake] them.
You are a ·kind [gracious] and ·merciful [compassionate] God.
32 “And so, our God, you are the great and ·mighty [powerful] and ·wonderful [awesome] God.
You keep your ·agreement [covenant/treaty] of ·love [faithful/steadfast/unfailing love; lovingkindness].
Do not let all our ·trouble [hardship] seem ·unimportant [inconsequential; L small] ·to you [L in your sight].
This trouble has come to us, to our kings and our ·leaders [officials],
to our priests and prophets,
to our ·ancestors [fathers] and all your people
from the days of the kings of Assyria ·until today [to this very day].
33 You have been ·fair [just; righteous] in everything that has happened to us;
you have ·been loyal [been faithful; L done truth], but we have ·been wicked [acted wickedly/wrongly].
34 Our kings, ·leaders [officials], priests, and ·ancestors [fathers] did not obey your ·teachings [laws; instructions; L Torah];
they did not pay attention to the commands and ·warnings [decrees; testimonies] you gave them.
35 Even when ·our ancestors [L they] were living in their kingdom,
·enjoying [benefiting from] all the good things you ·had given [lavished/bestowed on] them,
·enjoying [benefiting from] the land that was ·fertile and full of room [rich and spacious],
they did not ·stop [serve you and turn from] their evil ·ways [deeds; practices].
36 “·Look [T Behold], we are slaves today
in the land you gave our ·ancestors [fathers].
·They were to enjoy [L …to eat] its fruit and its good things,
but ·look [T behold], we are slaves here.
37 The land’s ·great [abundant] ·harvest [produce] belongs to the kings you have ·put [set; placed] over us
because of our sins.
Those kings rule over ·us [L our bodies] and our cattle as they please,
so we are in ·much trouble [great distress/misery].
The People’s Covenant
38 “Because of all this, we are making an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] in writing, and our ·leaders [officials], Levites, and priests are putting their seals on it.”
Paul in Ephesus
19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions [C the mountainous northern route through the interior of Phrygia; 18:23] to Ephesus [C a major city in western Asia Minor; 18:23]. There he found some ·followers [disciples] 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit ·when [or after] you believed?”
They said, “We have never even heard ·of [or that there is] a Holy Spirit.”
3 So he asked, “·What kind of baptism did you have [L Into what were you baptized]?”
They said, “·It was the baptism that John taught [L Into John’s baptism].” [C These followers of John the Baptist either (1) knew only of John’s ministry but had not heard that Jesus was the Messiah, or less likely, (2) believed in Jesus as Messiah, but had not been baptized in his name to receive the Holy Spirit.]
4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of ·changed hearts and lives [repentance; C in preparation for the Messiah]. He told people to believe in the one who would come after him, and that one is Jesus.”
5 When they heard this, they were baptized ·in [or into] the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 Then Paul ·laid [placed] his hands on them [C a ritual of blessing and/or conferring of authority], and the Holy Spirit came upon them. They began speaking ·different languages [or in tongues; ecstatic utterance] and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve people in this group.
8 Paul went into the synagogue and spoke out ·boldly [confidently; fearlessly] for three months. He ·talked [reasoned; argued] with the people and persuaded them ·to accept the things he said about [L concerning] the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became ·stubborn [hardened]. They refused to believe and ·said evil things about [slandered; cursed] ·the Way of Jesus [L the Way; C another name for the Christian movement; 9:2; 18:25; 22:4] before ·all the people [the crowd]. So Paul left them, and taking the ·followers [disciples] with him, he went to the ·school [lecture hall] of a man named Tyrannus. There Paul ·talked [discussed; reasoned; debated] with people every day 10 for two years. Because of his work, ·everyone who lived in [the whole population of] the province of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.
The Sons of Sceva
11 God ·used Paul to do [L through the hands of Paul did] some ·very special [extraordinary] miracles. 12 Some people took ·handkerchiefs [face cloths] and ·clothes [work aprons; or hand towels] ·that Paul had used [that had touched Paul; L from his skin] and put them on the sick. When they did this, ·the sick were healed [L the diseases left them] and evil spirits ·left [L came out of] them.
13 But some ·people also were traveling around and making evil spirits go out of people [L traveling/itinerant Jewish exorcists…]. They tried to ·use [invoke; L name] the name of the Lord Jesus to force the evil spirits out. They would say, “By the same Jesus that Paul ·talks about [L preaches; proclaims], I ·order [command; adjure] you to come out!” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a ·leading [L Jewish chief] priest, were doing this.
15 But one time ·an [L the] evil spirit said to them, “I know Jesus, and I ·know about [recognize] Paul, but who are you?”
16 Then the man who had the evil spirit ·jumped on [leaped on; attacked] them. Because he ·was so much stronger than all of them [violently overpowered them], they ran away from the house naked and ·hurt [wounded]. 17 All the people [L who lived] in Ephesus—Jews and Greeks—learned about this and were filled with fear and ·gave great honor to [praised/magnified the name of] the Lord Jesus. 18 Many of ·the believers [those who now believed] began to confess openly and ·tell all the evil things they had done [L disclose their (evil/magical) practices]. 19 ·Some [or A significant number] of them who had ·used magic [practiced sorcery/witchcraft] brought their magic ·books [or scrolls] and burned them before everyone. Those books were worth about fifty thousand silver coins [C probably drachmas, each worth a day’s wages].
20 ·So in a powerful way [L In this way; Thus] the word of the Lord kept spreading and ·growing [or grew strong; prevailed].
21 After these things [L had been fulfilled/accomplished], Paul decided [L in his spirit; or in the Spirit] to go to Jerusalem, planning to go through Macedonia [C northern Greece] and Achaia [C southern Greece] and then on to Jerusalem. He said, “After I have been ·to Jerusalem [L there], I must also ·visit [L see] Rome.” 22 Paul sent Timothy and Erastus, two of his ·helpers [assistants], ahead to Macedonia, but he himself stayed in [C the province of] Asia for a while.
Trouble in Ephesus
23 And during [or about; at] that time, there was ·some serious trouble [L no small disturbance] in Ephesus about ·the Way of Jesus [L the Way; C another name for the Christian movement; 9:2; 18:25; 22:4]. 24 A man named Demetrius, who worked with silver, made little silver ·models that looked like the temple [L shrines; C probably reliefs depicting the goddess in her temple] of the goddess Artemis [C Greek goddess of fertility, worshiped particularly in Ephesus]. ·Those who did this work [The artisans/craftsmen] made much money [L had no little business]. 25 ·Demetrius [L He] had a meeting with them and ·some others [L workers] who did ·the same kind of work [or similar trades]. He told them, “Men, you know that ·we make a lot of money [our wealth/livelihood comes] from this business. 26 But ·look at [L you have seen and heard] what this man Paul is doing. He has ·convinced [persuaded] and ·turned away [or led astray] many people, not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of [C the province of] Asia! He says the gods made by human hands are not ·real [L gods (at all); Is. 44:9–20; 46:1–7; 1 Cor. 8:4–6]. 27 There is a danger that our business will ·lose its good name [be discredited], but there is also another danger: People will begin to think that the temple of the great goddess Artemis is not important, and the goddess herself, whom everyone in [C the province of] Asia and the whole world worships, will ·lose [be deposed of/stripped of] her majesty [magnificence; greatness].
28 When the others heard this, they became ·very angry [enraged; furious] and shouted, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 The whole city ·became confused [was filled with confusion; was in an uproar]. The people grabbed Gaius and Aristarchus [20:4; 27:2; Col. 4:10; Philem. 24], who were from Macedonia and were traveling with Paul, and ·ran [rushed together] to the theater. 30 Paul wanted to ·go in and talk to the crowd [appear before the assembly], but the ·followers [disciples] did not let him. 31 Also, some ·leaders of Asia [provincial authorities; L of the Asiarchs; C a group of wealthy political leaders who had religious functions] who were friends of Paul sent him a message, ·begging [urging; encouraging] him not to ·go [venture; take the risk of going] into the theater. 32 Some people were shouting one thing, and some were shouting another. The ·meeting [assembly] was completely confused; most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 The Jews ·pushed forward [put in front] a man named Alexander, and some of them [C either the crowd or the Jews] ·told him to explain [or gave him advice on what to say; or assumed he was responsible for the trouble]. Alexander ·waved [gestured with] his hand [C for silence] so he could ·explain things to [or make a defense before] the ·people [crowd]. 34 But when they ·saw [recognized] that Alexander was a Jew [C Jews opposed idol worship, so the crowd was suspicious of him], they all shouted ·the same thing [in unison; L with one voice] for two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 Then the city clerk [C the head of the assembly and the senior local official] quieted [calmed down] the crowd. He said, “·People of Ephesus [L Men, Ephesians], ·everyone knows [L who does not know…?] that Ephesus is the city that ·keeps [guards] the temple of the great goddess Artemis and her ·holy stone [or image; or statue] that fell from heaven [C probably a meteorite that resembled the many-breasted image of Artemis]. 36 Since no one can say this is not true, you should ·be quiet [keep calm]. ·Stop and think before you do anything [Do nothing reckless/rash]. 37 You brought these men here, but they have not ·said anything evil against [L blasphemed] our goddess or ·stolen anything from [or committed sacrilege against] her temple. 38 If Demetrius and ·those who work [L the artisans/craftmen] with him have a ·charge [complaint; grievance; L word] against anyone, ·they should go to the courts and judges [L the courts are open/in session and there are proconsuls] where they can ·argue with [or bring charges against] each other. 39 If there is something else you want to talk about, it ·can [or must] be decided at the ·regular town meeting of the people [legal assembly; C which met three times a month]. 40 I say this because [L we are in danger that] some people might see this trouble today and ·say that we are [accuse us of; charge us with] rioting. We could not explain this, because there is no real reason for this ·meeting [or uproar; commotion].” 41 After the city clerk said these things, he ·told the people to go home [L dismissed the assembly].
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