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Saturday
The First
Lesson
Daniel 5:17-30
17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts
be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read
the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
18 O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father
a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:
19 And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations,
and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would
he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he
set up; and whom he would he put down.
20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in
pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his
glory from him:
21 And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was
made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses:
they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with
the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled
in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever
he will.
22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart,
though thou knewest all this;
23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and
they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou,
and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine
in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold,
of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor
know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are
all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing
was written.
25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL,
UPHARSIN.
26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered
thy kingdom, and finished it.
27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and
Persians.
29 Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet,
and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation
concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
1st Lesson Questions -
Have I ever done anything the likes of Belshazzar's actions? RESOLVE.
The Second
Lesson
Acts 25:1-27
1 Now when Festus was come into the province, after three days
he ascended from Caesarea to Jerusalem.
2 Then the high priest and the chief of the Jews informed him
against Paul, and besought him,
3 And desired favour against him, that he would send for him
to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him.
4 But Festus answered, that Paul should be kept at Caesarea,
and that he himself would depart shortly thither.
5 Let them therefore, said he, which among you are able, go down
with me, and accuse this man, if there be any wickedness in him.
6 And when he had tarried among them more than ten days, he went
down unto Caesarea; and the Next
day sitting on the judgment
seat commanded Paul to be brought.
7 And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem
stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against
Paul, which they could not prove.
8 While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the
Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have
I offended any thing at all.
9 But Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure, answered Paul,
and said, Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of
these things before me?
10 Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar's judgment seat, where I
ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou
very well knowest.
11 For
if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death,
I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof
these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto
Caesar.
12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered,
Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go.
13 And after certain days king Agrippa and Bernice came unto
Caesarea to salute Festus.
14 And when they had been there many days, Festus declared Paul's
cause unto the king, saying, There is a certain man left in bonds
by Felix:
15 About whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and
the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment
against him.
16 To whom I answered, It is not the manner of the Romans to
deliver any man to die, before that he which is accused have
the accusers face to face, and have licence to answer for himself
concerning the crime laid against him.
17 Therefore, when they were come hither, without any delay on
the morrow I sat on the judgment seat, and commanded the man
to be brought forth.
18 Against whom when the accusers stood up, they brought none
accusation of such things as I supposed:
19 But had certain questions against him of their own superstition,
and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.
20 And because I doubted of such manner of questions, I asked
him whether he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged of
these matters.
21 But when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing
of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I might send him
to Caesar.
22 Then Agrippa said unto Festus, I would also hear the man myself.
Tomorrow, said he, thou shalt hear him.
23 And on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with
great pomp, and was entered into the place of hearing, with the
chief captains, and principal men of the city, at Festus' commandment
Paul was brought forth.
24 And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all men which are here
present with us, ye see this man, about whom all the multitude
of the Jews have dealt with me, both at Jerusalem, and also here,
crying that he ought not to live any longer.
25 But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death,
and that he himself hath appealed to Augustus, I have determined
to send him.
26 Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore
I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee,
O king Agrippa, that, after examination had, I might have somewhat
to write.
27 For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and
not withal to signify the crimes laid against him.
2nd Lesson Questions -
Why did Paul appeal to the emperor? (V. 11) Would I have done so? RESOLVE.