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January 2, 1994

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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The classic M'Cheyne plan--read the Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms or Gospels every day.

Duration: 365 days

Genesis 2

Chapter 2

¹This is how the heavens and the earth and everything in them were made.

²^[a]God completed his work on the seventh day and on the seventh day he rested from all of his work. ³God blessed the seventh day and he consecrated it, for on it he rested from all the work he had done when he created all things.

⁴This was the origin of the heavens and the earth when they were first created.

Origin of Human Beings.^[b] When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, ⁵there were not yet any plants of the field nor had any herbs sprouted in the field, for the Lord God had not yet made it rain upon the earth and there was no one to till the soil. ⁶He made a mist rise out of the ground to water the whole surface of the earth. ⁷Then the Lord God formed man^[c] out of the dust of the earth and he breathed his breath of life into his nostrils and man became a living creature.

⁸And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden,^[d] in the east, and he put the man he had formed there. ⁹The Lord God made all sorts of beautiful and nourishing trees sprout out of the earth, among which was the tree of life^[e] in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

¹⁰A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; then it divided into four tributaries. ¹¹^[f]The first river was called the Pishon. It waters the whole land of Havilah where one can find gold, ¹²and the gold of that land is good. One can also find bdellium and onyx in that land. ¹³The second river is the Gihon. It flows in the land of Ethiopia. ¹⁴The third river is the Tigris. It flows to the east of the land of Asshur. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

¹⁵The Lord God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden so that he might work it and care for it. ¹⁶The Lord God told the man, “You can eat of any of the trees in the garden, ¹⁷but you must never eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you were to eat from it, you would surely die.”

¹⁸^[g]And the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.^[h] I wish to make another creature who will be like him.”

¹⁹The Lord God therefore formed every sort of wild animal and all the birds of the air, and he brought them before the man to see what he would name them.^[i] Whatever the man called each living creature, that was the name that it would bear. ²⁰The man gave names to every type of animal, all the birds of the air and all the wild animals, but the man could not find anything that was like him.

²¹The Lord God therefore caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. He took one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. ²²The Lord God then formed a woman out of the rib that he had taken from the man. He brought her before the man.

²³The man said,

“This one is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh.^[j]
She shall be called woman
because she was taken from man.”

²⁴This is why a man leaves his father and his mother^[k] and joins with a wife, and the two become one flesh.

²⁵Now the man and the woman were naked, but they did not feel any shame.

Footnotes

Genesis 2:2 The model of a week that the Priestly account uses in describing the divine creation is meant to teach that the pattern of days of work followed by rest on the seventh day originates in the will of God himself.
Genesis 2:4 The preceding section (Gen 1:1—2:4a) is to be interpreted as a rethinking of certain aspects of creation and an integration, into a systematic and much broader vision, of what had already been set down in the following story, which is older. This Yahwist account of origins is a single piece that is subdivided into chapters 2, 3, and 4. In its literary form it follows the structure of Sumerian-Babylonian hymns that sing of the origins of civilization, but in its content it is truly religious and completely independent of those mythologies. It expresses, in popular language, a theology of the greatest richness and depth.
God is here called by his proper name, Yahweh, the name under which he reveals himself to his people, Israel; he alone, and no one else, is the maker of the entire world.
Man has need of a collaborator, and God provides this. Woman will be by her nature far superior to the animals, which however will provide help to her and the man. The man exercises dominion over them, while man and woman are made for each other and will achieve their purpose each through the other. This law that God has written into the nature of human beings is the basis for the unity of the couple in marriage, which establishes a single human entity that is no longer divisible into parts. Jesus will reaffirm this exigency (Mt 19:3-8) and St. Paul will remind Christian spouses that their union contributes to actuating in time an unsuspected spiritual reality, namely, the fruitful union of Christ and the Church, in which children of God are born (Eph 5:31-32).
The story of creation is meant to say what kind of beings men and women are and what their origin is, but it does not go into detail on the way in which they were created; it does not specify whether God formed man and woman by direct action or through the cooperation of natural forces that took very long periods to accomplish their work. At the same time, the story emphasizes the fact that the material being is animated by a higher vital principle that is not a product of nature but is infused by God himself. Finally, in describing the unity of the couple formed by the Creator the story proclaims that the human species is one.
Genesis 2:7 Man, in Hebrew adam, is the common name of the human species; only beginning in Gen 4:25 and 5:1 will it be regarded as the proper name of the first male. Here and in 3:19, 23, the author connects it with Hebrew adama, “earth.” This is not a scientific etymology but a popular one, based on assonance. In fact, it seems that adam derives from Sumerian ada-mu, “my father.” His companion, too, is initially called “woman” and receives the proper name “Eve” only from Gen 3:20 on. It seems that this name, haua in Hebrew, derives from Sumerian ama, “mother.”
Genesis 2:8 Eden is derived from Sumerian edin, which means a level, steppe-like, desert region. The garden occupies an eastern section of it; this word, too, gan in Hebrew, is properly Sumerian and means a watered and cultivated piece of land. It was translated into Greek as paradeisos, “garden,” giving rise to the name “earthly paradise.”
Genesis 2:9 The tree of life symbolizes the possibility of becoming immortal that was granted as an unmerited gift to human beings, although these were by nature subject to death (Gen 3:22). The tree of the knowledge of good and evil symbolizes the attribute proper to the Creator, by reason of which God is the foundation of the moral order. The first couple attempt to usurp this attribute (Gen 3:5, 22), desiring to decide for themselves what is good and evil for them.
Genesis 2:11 The Pishon and the Gihon are completely unknown; if Gen 10:20 is taken into account, Havilah would be in Arabia.
Genesis 2:18 This is the only full account of the creation of woman in ancient Near Eastern literature.
Genesis 2:18 Not good . . . to be alone: without female companionship and a partner in reproduction, the man could not fully realize his humanity.
Genesis 2:19 Name them: this was the man’s first act of dominion over the creatures around him.
Genesis 2:23 Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh: a common Semitic way of expressing consanguinity (Gen 29:14) or membership in the same tribe or even simply in the same people (2 Sam 5:1; 19:13-14) or the same city (Jdg 9:2). Here it means that the woman has the same nature as the man; she alone can make possible the love that characterizes the matrimonial bond. The words she shall be called woman, etc., can be understood only in light of the assonance in the original text: Hebrew, isha, “woman,” seems to be the feminine form of ish, “man” in the sense of “male” (adam refers to man as including both man and woman, i.e., possessing the nature common to all human beings).
Genesis 2:24 Leaves his father and his mother: instead of remaining under the protective custody of his parents, a man leaves them and, with his wife, establishes a new family unit. Joins . . . one flesh: the divine intention for husband and wife was monogamy. Together they were to form an inseparable union, of which “one flesh” is both a sign and an expression.

Matthew 2

Chapter 2

The Wise Men Render Homage to the Messiah.^[a] ¹After Jesus had been born in Bethlehem^[b] of Judea during the reign of King Herod, wise men traveled from the east and arrived in Jerusalem, ²inquiring, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw the rising of his star, and we have come to pay him homage.”

³On hearing about their inquiry, King Herod was greatly troubled, as was true of the whole of Jerusalem. ⁴Therefore, he summoned all the chief priests^[c] and the scribes and questioned them about where the Christ was to be born. ⁵They replied, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus has the prophet written:

⁶‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”^[d]

⁷Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men, and he ascertained from them the exact time of the star’s appearance, ⁸after which he sent them on to Bethlehem, saying: “Go forth and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I can go and pay him homage.”

⁹After receiving these instructions from the king, the wise men set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising proceeded ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰The sight of the star filled them with great joy, ¹¹and when they entered the house they beheld the child with Mary his mother. Falling to their knees, they paid him homage. Then they opened their treasure chests and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.^[e] ¹²And since they had been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another route.

¹³The Flight into Egypt. After the wise men had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and instructed him, “Arise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Remain there until I tell you. Herod seeks the child to kill him.” ¹⁴Therefore, he got up, took the child and his mother, and departed that night for Egypt, ¹⁵where they remained until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”^[f]

¹⁶The Slaughter of the Innocents at Bethlehem. When Herod realized that the wise men had deceived him, he flew into a rage and issued an order to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and the surrounding area who were two years old or less, in accordance with the information that he had obtained from the wise men. ¹⁷^[g]Thus were fulfilled the words that had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

¹⁸“A voice was heard in Ramah,
    lamenting and sobbing bitterly:
Rachel weeping for her children,
    and refusing to be consoled,
    because they were no more.”

¹⁹The Return to the Land of Israel.^[h] After the death of Herod, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt ²⁰and said, “Arise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought to kill the child are dead.”^[i] ²¹He got up, took the child and his mother, and returned to the land of Israel.

²²But when Joseph learned that Archelaus^[j] had succeeded his father Herod in Judea, he was afraid to go there. After he had been warned in a dream concerning this, he withdrew to the region of Galilee. ²³He settled in a town called Nazareth,^[k] so that what had been spoken through the Prophets might be fulfilled: “He shall be called a Nazorean.”

Footnotes

Matthew 2:1 We shall never be able to identify with certainty these men of study and prayer, who may also have been astrologers (called by a Persian name, “Magi”). Orientals thought that a new star appeared at the birth of great persons (Num 24:17). In any case, the hour has come for pagans to share in the joy of encounter with God. This Gospel also confirms the expectation of Israel and cites the Prophets (Mic 5:1; 2 Sam 5:1-3): the new future of the People of God originates in the dynasty of David and in his native place, Bethlehem (1 Sam 16), but the mission of the Messiah goes beyond religious and national frontiers. The Messianic age is beginning (see Ps 72:10-11; Isa 9:1, 5; 49:23; 60:1-5; Lk 2:30-34).
Matthew 2:1 Bethlehem: about five miles south of Jerusalem.
Matthew 2:4 Chief priests: in the plural signifies the high priest now in office and his predecessors and members of their respective families. Herod’s act of consulting with the chief priests and teachers of the Law has some affinity with a Jewish legend about the child Moses in which Pharaoh is warned by sacred scribes about the coming birth of a deliverer of Israel from Egypt and plots to destroy the deliverer.
Matthew 2:6 This prophecy of Micah (5:1) had been pronounced seven centuries earlier.
Matthew 2:11 Because of the Old Testament texts of Ps 72:11, 16; Isa 60:6, the wise men were thought to be kings. House: indicates that the wise men did not visit Jesus on the night of his birth as did the shepherds. Although there are three gifts, this does not mean there were three wise men.
Matthew 2:15 The citation from Hos 11:1, which originally referred to God’s calling Israel (God’s son) out of Egypt, is here applied to Jesus. Just as Israel was called out of Egypt at the time of the Exodus, so Jesus, the Son of God, will be called out of Egypt at the New Exodus.
Matthew 2:17 The citation of Jer 31:15 originally referred to Rachel, the wife of Jacob, weeping for her children taken into exile in 721 B.C. Matthew applies it to the mourning for the Holy Innocents.
Matthew 2:19 Herod died in 4 B.C. We do not know for sure to which prophecies (note the plural “Prophets”) v. 23 is alluding. Some believe Matthew is here thinking of the Old Testament declarations that the Messiah would be despised (e.g., Ps 22:6; Isa 53:3), for “Nazorean” was a synonym for “despised” (see Jn 1:45f). Or he may be saying that according to the plan of God Jesus was to live his childhood and youth in Nazareth and begin his ministry there. Some think “Nazorean” fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah (11:1): Jesus is the “shoot” (nezer in Hebrew) of the race of Abraham and David.
Matthew 2:20 For those who sought to kill the child are dead: another subtle reference to the Moses-Christ parallel. After fleeing from Egypt because the Pharaoh sought to kill him, Moses was told to return in similar words: “for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead” (Ex 4:19).
Matthew 2:22 Archelaus: son of Herod who ruled Judea and Samaria for ten years (4 B.C. to A.D. 6) and was deposed because of his cruelty. After him Judea became a Roman province administered by “procurators” appointed by the Emperor. Galilee: the northern part of Palestine, whose principal cities were: Capernaum, Cana, Nazareth, and Tiberias. Its people were not very highly esteemed by the Jews of Jerusalem and Judea (see Jn 1:46; 7:52) probably because of the strong Hellenization of the region and the mixed (Jew-Gentile) population there. It was the primary region of Jesus’ public ministry and is viewed as a providential indicator of his Messianic mission to the Gentiles (see Isa 66:18f; Am 9:11f).
Matthew 2:23 Nazareth: a town that stands on the last spurs of the Galilean hills, some 87 miles north of Jerusalem.

Ezra 2

Chapter 2

Census of the Province. ¹These were the people of the province who returned from the captivity of the exiles, those whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried away to Babylon and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. ²They were led back by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.^[a]

The census of the men of the people of Israel: ³the sons of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two; ⁴the sons of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two; ⁵the sons of Arah, seven hundred and seventy-five; ⁶the sons of Pahath-moab, namely the descendants of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve; ⁷the sons of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; ⁸the sons of Zattu, nine hundred and forty-five; ⁹less the sons of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty; ¹⁰the sons of Bani, six hundred and forty-two; ¹¹the sons of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-three; ¹²the sons of Azgad, one thousand two hundred and twenty-two; ¹³the sons of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-six; ¹⁴the sons of Bigvai, two thousand and fifty-six; ¹⁵the sons of Adin, four hundred and fifty-four; ¹⁶the sons of Ater, namely the descendants of Hezekiah, ninety-eight; ¹⁷the sons of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-three; ¹⁸the sons of Jorah, one hundred and twelve; ¹⁹the sons of Hashum, two hundred and twenty-three; ²⁰the sons of Gibeon, ninety-five; ²¹the sons of Bethlehem, one hundred and twenty-three; ²²the sons of Netophah, fifty-six; ²³the sons of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight; ²⁴the sons of Beth-azmaveth, forty-two; ²⁵the sons of Kiriath-jearim, Chephi-rah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three; ²⁶the sons of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one; ²⁷the sons of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two; ²⁸the sons of Bethel and Ai, two hundred and twenty-three; ²⁹the sons of Nebo, fifty-two; ³⁰the sons of Magbish, one hundred and fifty-six; ³¹the sons of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; ³²the sons of Harim, three hundred and twenty; ³³the sons of Lod, Hadid and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-five; ³⁴the sons of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five; ³⁵the sons of Senaah, three thousand six hundred and thirty.

³⁶The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, who were of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three; ³⁷the sons of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two; ³⁸the sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven; ³⁹the sons of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.

⁴⁰The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, Kadmiel, Binnui, and Hodaviah, seventy-four.

⁴¹The singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred and twenty-eight.

⁴²The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, one hundred and thirty-nine in all.

⁴³The temple slaves: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, ⁴⁴the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon, ⁴⁵the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub, ⁴⁶the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shamlai, the sons of Hanan, ⁴⁷the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah, ⁴⁸the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam, ⁴⁹the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai, ⁵⁰the sons of Asnah, the sons of the Meunites, the sons of the Nephusites, ⁵¹the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, ⁵²the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, ⁵³the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, ⁵⁴the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

⁵⁵The descendants of the slaves of Solomon: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Hassophereth, the sons of Peruda, ⁵⁶the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, ⁵⁷the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Ami. ⁵⁸The total of the temple slaves and the descendants of Solomon’s servants numbered three hundred and ninety-two.

⁵⁹The following were those who returned from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer but were unable to prove that their families and their ancestry were of Israelite origin: ⁶⁰the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda: six hundred and fifty-two. ⁶¹And also in regard to the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai (he had married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and became known by his name). ⁶²These men had searched for their names in the genealogical records^[b] but they were not to be found there. As a result, they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. ⁶³Consequently the governor^[c] ordered them not to partake of the most sacred food until a priest arrived to consult the Urim and the Thummim.

⁶⁴The entire assemblage numbered forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty people, ⁶⁵apart from their male and female slaves, who numbered seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven, not including two hundred male and female singers. ⁶⁶Their horses numbered seven hundred and thirty-six. In addition, their mules numbered two hundred and forty-five, ⁶⁷their camels numbered four hundred and thirty-five, and their donkeys numbered six thousand seven hundred and twenty.

⁶⁸When they arrived at the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the heads of families gave free-will offerings for the rebuilding of the house of God on its original site. ⁶⁹According to their resources they donated sixty-one thousand gold drachmas, five thousand silver minas, and one hundred priestly robes.^[d]

⁷⁰The priests, the Levites, and some of the people settled in Jerusalem and its vicinity, while the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their towns, and all the rest of the Israelites settled in their towns.

Acts 2

Pentecost^[a]

Chapter 2

Descent of the Spirit and Birth of the Church.^[b] ¹When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all assembled together in one place. ²Suddenly, there came from heaven a sound similar to that of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were sitting. ³Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which separated and came to rest on each one of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages,^[c] as the Spirit enabled them to do so.

⁵Now staying in Jerusalem there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶At this sound, a large crowd of them gathered, and they were bewildered because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

⁷They were astounded and asked in amazement, “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? ⁸How is it then that each of us hears them in his own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,^[d] ¹¹Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own languages about the mighty deeds of God.”

¹²They were all astounded and perplexed, and they said to one another, “What does all this mean?” ¹³However, others said mockingly, “They are filled with new wine.”

¹⁴Peter Preaches in the Name of the Twelve.^[e] Then Peter stood up with the Eleven and proclaimed to them in a loud voice, “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen carefully to my words. ¹⁵These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It is only nine o’clock in the morning.^[f] ¹⁶Rather, this is what was revealed through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷‘It will come to pass in the last days, God declares,
    that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy;
    your young men shall see visions,
    and your old men shall dream dreams.
¹⁸Indeed, even upon my servants and my handmaids
    I shall pour out my Spirit in those days,
    and they shall prophesy.
¹⁹I will show portents in the sky above
    and signs on the earth below:
    blood and fire and billows of smoke.
²⁰The sun will be turned into darkness
    and the moon to blood
before the day of the Lord comes,
    that great and glorious day.
²¹Then it will come to pass
    that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

²²“Men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth was a man commended to you by God by means of miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him, as you yourselves know. ²³By the set plan and foreknowledge of God, he was handed over into the hands of lawless men. Crucifying him, you killed him. ²⁴However, God raised him up, releasing him from the pangs of death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. ²⁵For David says of him:

‘I saw the Lord always before me;
    with him at my right hand I shall not be shaken.
²⁶Therefore, my heart rejoiced and my tongue exulted;
    moreover, my flesh will live in hope.
²⁷For you will not abandon me to the netherworld
    or allow your holy one to suffer corruption.
²⁸You have made known to me the way of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence.’

²⁹“Brethren, I can say to you boldly that our ancestor David both died and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to this very day. ³⁰But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that one of his descendants would sit on his throne, ³¹he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, saying that he was not abandoned to the netherworld and that his flesh did not suffer corruption.

³²“God raised this Jesus to life. Of that we are all witnesses. ³³Exalted at God’s right hand, he received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. ³⁴For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand
³⁵ until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’

³⁶“Therefore, let the whole house of Israel know with complete certitude that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.”

³⁷When they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “What are we to do, brethren?” ³⁸Peter answered, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹For the promise that was made is for you, for your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call.”

⁴⁰Life of the First Community—I.^[g] He offered further testimony with many other arguments as he exhorted them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹Those who accepted his message were baptized, and on that day about three thousand people were added to their number. ⁴²They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers.

⁴³A sense of awe was felt by all for many wonders and signs were performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴All the believers were together and owned everything in common. ⁴⁵They would sell their property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to all according to what each one needed. ⁴⁶Every day, united in spirit, they would assemble together in the temple. They would break bread in their homes and share their food with joyful and generous hearts ⁴⁷as they praised God, and they were regarded with favor by all the people. And day by day the Lord added to those who were being saved.

Footnotes

Acts 2:1 For the first time, the witnesses come in contact with the crowd, which is made up of persons from all the nations. We are at the center of the world that is the starting point for a universal future.
Acts 2:1 The gift of the Spirit founds the Church as a living reality; Christ has prepared the way for the Church; the Spirit comes to take possession of her, to animate her, to help her with his charisms. Thus, for every community of believers, Pentecost is the feast of its own birth. The Spirit is “poured out” (see Acts 2:17) like rain, which is the source of life in an arid land; as Jesus had promised, there is a “baptism with the Spirit” (Acts 1:5).
The phenomena that accompany the event are rich in symbolism and also have a biblical meaning: they call to mind the theophanies, i.e., the manifestations of God to his people in order to change their anonymous destiny into a life-giving covenant (see Ex 19:18; Deut 4:9-24, 36; Ps 68).
Pentecost, which occurred fifty days after Passover, was the feast on which the firstfruits of the harvest were offered to God, but it was above all the feast of the covenant and of the gift of the Law.
Acts 2:4 Different languages: i.e., different from their usual language. The reference may also be to ecstatic language (see Mk 16:17; 1 Cor 14:2-23).
Acts 2:10 Proselytes: those who had accepted circumcision and the Jewish Law.
Acts 2:14 The author of Acts does not make up his discourses like the historians of antiquity, who liked to place their own thoughts and reactions on the lips of their subjects. In Luke’s view, the Word is decisive for the life of the community.
This sermon is the first; therefore, it has programmatic value in addition to its function in the immediate context. It proclaims the paschal event to all of Israel and even to distant peoples. The same fundamental pattern will recur in the other addresses of the apostles to the Jews.
Acts 2:15 Nine o’clock in the morning: literally, “the third hour.” See notes on Mt 27:35 and Mk 15:25.
Acts 2:40 Luke offers us three general descriptions of the first community, each depicting their manner of life: here, and in Acts 4:32-35 and 5:12-16.

New Catholic Bible (NCB)

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Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

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Pentecost[a]

Chapter 2

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Pentecost^[a]