M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David’s Military Census
21 Satan[a](A) stood up against Israel and incited David(B) to count the people of Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan and bring a report to me so I can know their number.”(C)
3 Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply the number of His people a hundred times over!(D) My lord the king, aren’t they all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”
4 Yet the king’s order prevailed over Joab. So Joab left and traveled throughout Israel and then returned to Jerusalem. 5 Joab gave the total troop registration to David. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 swordsmen and in Judah itself 470,000 swordsmen. 6 But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count because the king’s command was detestable to him. 7 This command was also evil in God’s sight, so He afflicted Israel.
8 David said to God, “I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. Now, please take away Your servant’s guilt, for I’ve been very foolish.”(E)
David’s Punishment
9 Then(F) the Lord instructed Gad,(G) David’s seer,(H) 10 “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am offering you three choices. Choose one of them for yourself, and I will do it to you.’”
11 So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Take your choice: 12 three years of famine, or three months of devastation by your foes with the sword of your enemy overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the Lord—a plague on the land, the angel of the Lord bringing destruction to the whole territory of Israel.’ Now decide what answer I should take back to the One who sent me.”
13 David answered Gad, “I’m in anguish. Please, let me fall into the Lord’s hands because His mercies are very great,(I) but don’t let me fall into human hands.”
14 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and 70,000 Israelite men died. 15 Then God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but when the angel was about to destroy the city,[b] the Lord looked, relented concerning the destruction,(J) and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough, withdraw your hand now!” The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Ornan[c] the Jebusite.
16 When David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth,(K) fell down with their faces to the ground. 17 David said to God, “Wasn’t I the one who gave the order to count the people? I am the one who has sinned and acted very wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? My Lord God, please let Your hand be against me and against my father’s family, but don’t let the plague be against Your people.”
David’s Altar
18 So the angel of the Lord ordered Gad(L) to tell David to go and set up an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.(M) 19 David went up at Gad’s command spoken in the name of the Lord.
20 Ornan was threshing wheat when he turned and saw the angel. His four sons, who were with him, hid themselves. 21 David came to Ornan, and when Ornan looked and saw David, he left the threshing floor and bowed to David with his face to the ground.
22 Then David said to Ornan, “Give me this threshing-floor plot so that I may build an altar to the Lord on it. Give it to me for the full price, so the plague on the people may be stopped.”
23 Ornan said to David, “Take it! My lord the king may do whatever he wants.[d] See, I give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering—I give it all.”
24 King David answered Ornan, “No, I insist on paying the full price, for I will not take for the Lord what belongs to you or offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
25 So David gave Ornan 15 pounds of gold[e] for the plot. 26 He built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the Lord, and He answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.(N)
27 Then the Lord spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath. 28 At that time, David offered sacrifices there when he saw that the Lord answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 29 The tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses made in the desert, and the altar of burnt offering were at the high place in Gibeon,(O) 30 but David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was terrified of the sword of the Lord’s angel.
The Living Stone and a Holy People
2 So rid yourselves of(A) all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.(B) 2 Like newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk,(C) so that you may grow by it for your salvation,[a] 3 since you have tasted(D) that the Lord is good.(E)[b] 4 Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God— 5 you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God(F) through Jesus Christ. 6 For it is contained in Scripture:
Look! I lay a stone in Zion,(G)
a chosen and honored[c] cornerstone,[d](H)
and the one who believes in Him
will never be put to shame[f]
7 So honor will come to you who believe, but for the unbelieving,
8 and
They stumble because they disobey the message; they were destined(L) for this.
9 But you are a chosen race,[k](M)[l] a royal priesthood,(N)[m]
a holy nation,(O)[n] a people for His possession,(P)[o]
so that you may proclaim the praises[p](Q)[q]
of the One who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light.(R)
10 Once you were not a people,
but now you are God’s people;
you had not received mercy,(S)
but now you have received mercy.
A Call to Good Works
11 Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and temporary residents(T) to abstain(U) from fleshly(V) desires that war against you.[r](W) 12 Conduct(X) yourselves honorably among the Gentiles,[s] so that in a case where they speak against you as those who do what is evil, they will, by observing your good works, glorify God on the day of visitation.[t](Y)
13 Submit(Z) to every human authority[u] because of the Lord, whether to the Emperor[v] as the supreme authority(AA) 14 or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good. 15 For it is God’s will(AB) that you silence the ignorance(AC) of foolish people by doing good. 16 As God’s slaves,(AD) live as free people, but don’t use your freedom as a way to conceal evil.(AE) 17 Honor everyone. Love(AF) the brotherhood.(AG) Fear God.(AH) Honor the Emperor.[w]
Submission of Slaves to Masters
18 Household slaves, submit with all fear(AI) to your masters,(AJ) not only to the good and gentle but also to the cruel.[x](AK) 19 For it brings favor[y] if, mindful of God’s will,[z][aa] someone endures grief from suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if you sin and are punished, and you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer,(AL) if you endure it, this brings favor with God.
21 For you were called to this,
because Christ also suffered(AM) for you,
leaving you an example,(AN)
so that you should follow(AO) in His steps.
22 He did not commit sin,(AP)
and no deceit(AQ) was found in His mouth;(AR)[ab]
23 when He was reviled,
He did not revile in return;
when He was suffering,
He did not threaten
but entrusted Himself to the One who judges(AS) justly.
24 He Himself bore our sins(AT)
in His body(AU) on the tree,(AV)
so that, having died to sins,(AW)
we might live for righteousness;(AX)
you have been healed by His wounds.(AY)[ac]
25 For you were like sheep going astray,(AZ)[ad]
but you have now returned
to the Shepherd(BA) and Guardian[ae] of your souls.
Jonah’s Anger
4 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became furious.(A) 2 He prayed to the Lord:(B) “Please, Lord, isn’t this what I said while I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place.(C) I knew that You are a merciful and compassionate God,(D) slow to become angry, rich in faithful love, and One who relents from sending disaster.(E) 3 And now, Lord, please take my life from me,(F) for it is better for me to die than to live.”(G)
4 The Lord asked, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5 Jonah left the city and sat down east of it.(H) He made himself a shelter there and sat in its shade to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God appointed a plant,[a] and it grew up to provide shade over Jonah’s head to ease his discomfort.[b] Jonah was greatly pleased with the plant. 7 When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, and it withered.(I)
8 As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind.(J) The sun beat down so much on Jonah’s head(K) that he almost fainted, and he wanted to die. He said, “It’s better for me to die than to live.”(L)
9 Then God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“Yes,” he replied. “It is right. I’m angry enough to die!”
10 So the Lord said, “You cared about the plant, which you did not labor over and did not grow. It appeared in a night and perished in a night. 11 Should I not care about the great city of Nineveh,(M) which has more than 120,000 people[c] who cannot distinguish between their right and their left,(N) as well as many animals?”(O)
Commissioning the Twelve
9 Summoning the Twelve,(A) He gave them power and authority over all the demons, and power to heal[a] diseases.(B) 2 Then He sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.(C)
3 “Take nothing for the road,”(D) He told them, “no walking stick,(E) no traveling bag, no bread, no money; and don’t take an extra shirt. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. 5 If they do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”(F) 6 So they went out and traveled from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing everywhere.
Herod’s Desire to See Jesus
7 Herod the tetrarch(G) heard about everything that was going on.(H) He was perplexed, because some said that John had been raised from the dead, 8 some that Elijah had appeared,(I) and others that one of the ancient prophets had risen.(J) 9 “I beheaded John,” Herod said, “but who is this I hear such things about?” And he wanted to see Him.(K)
Feeding 5,000
10 When the apostles returned,(L) they reported to Jesus all that they had done.(M) He took them along and withdrew privately to a[b] town called Bethsaida.(N) 11 When the crowds found out, they followed Him. He welcomed them,(O) spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and cured[c] those who needed healing.
12 Late in the day,[d](P) the Twelve approached and said to Him, “Send the crowd away,(Q) so they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find food and lodging, because we are in a deserted place here.”
13 “You give them something to eat,” He told them.
“We have no more than five loaves(R) and two fish,” they said, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.” 14 (For about 5,000 men were there.)
Then He told His disciples, “Have them sit down[e] in groups of about 50 each.” 15 They did so, and had them all sit down. 16 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,(S) He blessed and broke them.(T) He kept giving them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 Everyone ate and was filled. Then they picked up[f] 12 baskets of leftover pieces.
Peter’s Confession of the Messiah
18 While He was praying in private(U) and His disciples were with Him, He asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
19 They answered, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, that one of the ancient prophets has come back.”[g](V)
20 “But you,” He asked them, “who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered, “God’s Messiah!”(W)
His Death and Resurrection Predicted
21 But He strictly warned and instructed them to tell this to no one,(X) 22 saying,(Y) “The Son of Man(Z) must suffer many things(AA) and be rejected(AB) by the elders, chief priests, and scribes,(AC) be killed, and be raised the third day.”(AD)
Take Up Your Cross
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to come with[h] Me, he must deny himself,(AE) take up his cross daily,[i] and follow Me.(AF) 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it.(AG) 25 What is a man benefited if he gains the whole world, yet loses or forfeits himself?(AH) 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words,(AI) the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory(AJ) and that of the Father and the holy angels.(AK) 27 I tell you the truth: There are some standing here who will not taste death(AL) until they see the kingdom of God.”(AM)
The Transfiguration
28 About eight days after these words,(AN) He took along Peter, John, and James(AO) and went up on the mountain to pray.(AP) 29 As He was praying, the appearance of His face changed,(AQ) and His clothes became dazzling white.(AR) 30 Suddenly, two men were talking with Him—Moses and Elijah. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of His death,[j] which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.
32 Peter and those with him were in a deep sleep,[k](AS) and when they became fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who were standing with Him. 33 As the two men were departing from Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master,(AT) it’s good for us to be here! Let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.(AU)
34 While he was saying this, a cloud appeared and overshadowed(AV) them. They became afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 Then a voice came from the cloud,(AW) saying:
36 After the voice had spoken, only Jesus was found. They kept silent, and in those days told no one what they had seen.
The Power of Faith over a Demon
37 The next day,(BA) when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him. 38 Just then a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, because he’s my only child.(BB) 39 Often a spirit seizes him; suddenly he shrieks, and it throws him into convulsions until he foams at the mouth;[m] wounding[n] him, it hardly ever leaves him. 40 I begged Your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”(BC)
41 Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and rebellious[o] generation!(BD) How long will I be with you and put up with you?(BE) Bring your son here.”
42 As the boy was still approaching, the demon knocked him down and threw him into severe convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, cured the boy,(BF) and gave him back to his father.(BG) 43 And they were all astonished at the greatness of God.(BH)
The Second Prediction of His Death
While everyone was amazed at all the things He was doing,(BI) He told His disciples, 44 “Let these words sink in:[p] The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.”(BJ)
45 But they did not understand this statement;(BK) it was concealed from them so that they could not grasp it,(BL) and they were afraid to ask Him about it.[q]
Who Is the Greatest?
46 Then an argument started among them about who would be the greatest of them.(BM) 47 But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of their hearts,(BN) took a little child and had him stand next to Him. 48 He told them, “Whoever welcomes[r] this little child in My name welcomes Me. And whoever welcomes Me welcomes Him who sent Me.(BO) For whoever is least among you—this one is great.”(BP)
In His Name
49 John responded,(BQ) “Master, we saw someone driving out demons in Your name,(BR) and we tried to stop him because he does not follow us.”(BS)
50 “Don’t stop him,” Jesus told him, “because whoever is not against you is for you.”[s](BT)
The Journey to Jerusalem
51 When the days were coming to a close for Him to be taken up,[t](BU) He determined[u](BV) to journey to Jerusalem.(BW) 52 He sent messengers ahead of Him,(BX) and on the way they entered a village of the Samaritans(BY) to make preparations for Him. 53 But they did not welcome Him, because He determined to journey to Jerusalem.(BZ) 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”[v](CA)
55 But He turned and rebuked them,[w] 56 and they went to another village.
Following Jesus
57 As they were traveling on the road someone said to Him,(CB) “I will follow You wherever You go!”
58 Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky[x] have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” 59 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
“Lord,” he said, “first let me go bury my father.”[y]
60 But He told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.”(CC)
61 Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at my house.”(CD)
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
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